Cloncurry to Normanton road trip: Best stops & drive distance

The Cloncurry to Normanton drive covers a 382km distance in a driving time of around 4h2m. The only real stop along the way is the Burke and Wills Roadhouse at Four Ways.

The drive from Cloncurry to Normanton in Queensland is not one that most travellers will have to concern themselves with. But if you’re doing a road trip from Darwin or Uluru to Cairns, you may well have to take it on.

Normanton is where the sealed section of National Highway 1 begins after a long unsealed stretch through the Northern Territory and north-west Queensland. For those in conventional vehicles, rejoining as soon as the route is sealed again can save considerable journey time.

Cloncurry to Normanton distance and driving time

The distance from Cloncurry to Normanton is 382km if travelling by car. That means the Cloncurry to Normanton driving time is around four hours and two minutes.

The drive is along the Burke Developmental Road, which is sometimes mentioned as a tourist route. Alas, it’s the bit north of Normanton that holds interest for visitors. The Cloncurry to Normanton stretch of the drive is arduously boring.

Cloncurry to Normanton road trip: Burke and Wills Roadhouse

There’s one roadhouse between Cloncurry and Normanton. That’s the Burke and Wills Roadhouse 183km north of Cloncurry at Four Ways. There’s a bar and a caravan park here, and you can refill the car with fuel. But this is not going to be the highlight of your Australian holiday by any stretch of the imagination.

The Burke Developmental Road then largely follows the Flinders River north, although it branches away towards the Norman River before crossing it.

Cloncurry to Normanton drive: What to do in Normanton

The Burke Developmental Road joins National Highway 1 just outside Normanton. Once in Normanton, the star attractions are the model of Krys the Crocodile – supposedly the largest crocodile ever caught in Australia – and Burke and Wills Camp 119.

Just south-west of the town, this was as far north as explorers Burke and Wills made it on their legendarily ill-fated expedition.

Normanton accommodation options include the Normanton Tourist Park and Gulfland Hotel.