Charters Towers to Mount Isa road trip: Distance, time & stops
The Charters Towers to Mount Isa drive covers a 769km distance in a driving time of around 8h30m. The best stops to add to a road trip itinerary include Hughenden, Richmond and Cloncurry.
The Charters Towers to Mount Isa drive is an epic drive across north Queensland, heading deep into the outback. Most overseas visitors will drive it as part of a longer road trip – probably from Townsville to Darwin or Airlie Beach to Uluru.
Mount Isa has a surprising amount to offer visitors, including an eerie uranium mine and ghost town tour, outback scenic flights and sunset drinks overlooking Lake Moondarra.
Charters Towers to Mount Isa distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Charters Towers to Mount Isa in Queensland is 769km. That makes for a driving time of eight hours and 30 minutes. It is possible to do that in one gruelling day behind the wheel, but you’re far better off turning it into a road trip and making a stop or two along the way.
7 great Mount Isa experiences you really ought to know about
- Hard Times underground mine tour – led by a miner.
- Riversleigh Fossil Discovery Centre tickets – with optional laboratory tour.
- Combo ticket for Isa Experience Heritage Display, Outback Park and Rodeo Hall of Fame.
- Small group scenic flight – flying over the vast mines.
- Lake Moondarra sunset tour – with drinks and food platter.
- Pay a visit to the bizarre World War II era Underground Hospital.
- Mary Kathleen abandoned mine and ghost town tour.
Charters Towers to Mount Isa road trip: Flinders Highway to Hughenden
The first leg of the Charters Towers to Mount Isa road trip is from Charters Towers to Hughenden.
Top Charters Towers experiences
- Delve in to the gold-mining past – on a tour of the Venus Gold Battery. You’ll be wowed by the sheer size of it.
- Hear entertaining stories from the golden era – on a Charters Towers walking tour.
- Listen to spooky stories – on a Charters Towers ghost tour.
The best stop in this section is White Mountains National Park. You’ll need a 4WD vehicle to enjoy most of it, but the Burra Range Lookout on the Flinders Highway is a good photo stop.
In Hughenden, you can learn about locally-discovered dinosaur bones at the Flinders Discovery Centre, take in the volcanic plains from the Mount Walker lookouts or make a biggish detour north to Porcupine Gorge.
Click through for the next section: Richmond and Julia Creek.