Cunnamulla to Longreach road trip: Distance, time & best stops

The best stops on a Cunnamulla to Longreach road trip are Charleville, Tambo and Barcaldine. By car, the distance from Cunnamulla to Longreach is 715km, with a driving time of around 7h48m.

The drive from Cunnamulla to Longreach covers a significant stretch of the Queensland outback. You’ll pass this way if driving from Melbourne to Longreach.

For Cunnamulla accommodation, hunt here.

The best Longreach attractions include the Qantas Founders Museum and the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre. You can also try a Longreach river cruise along the Thomson River. To investigate the top Longreach tour and activity options, head this way. To pick the right Longreach accommodation, nosey around here.

There’s plenty to see along the way, though. This expert-researched guide should help you plan your perfect Cunnamulla to Longreach road trip itinerary.

Cunnamulla to Longreach distance and driving time

By car along sealed roads, the distance from Cunnamulla to Longreach is 715km. That makes for a driving time of around 7h48m.

The best stops on a Cunnamulla to Longreach road trip are Charleville, Tambo and Barcaldine.

Cunnamulla in southern Queensland has a giant water tower mural, plenty of kangaroos and big dunes at the edge of town that are ideal for sandboarding.

Best Cunnamulla accommodation choices

The best places to stay in Cunnamulla, Queensland, are:

For cheap rooms at the local pub: Cunnamulla Hotel.
For overall quality and – if you want – glamping tents: Club Boutique Cunnamulla.
For family cabins: Cunnamulla Tourist Park.
For a solid hotel with restaurant, bar & free parking: Warrego Hotel Motel.

Cunnamulla to Longreach road trip: Cunnamulla to Charleville

The 199km from Cunnamulla to Charleville follows the railway line and is phenomenally dull.

South of Charleville, the 2,000 hectare Charleville Botanical Reserve offers a 30km 4WD driving route around the regional vegetation. Go in spring to see the desert myrtle turning the landscape pink.

Top things to do in Charleville include exploring into the secret World War II air base and learning about the heavens at the Charleville Cosmos Centre.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centre and Charleville Historic House are also decent places to spend your time.

The best accommodation in Charleville

Of the Charleville accommodation options, these are the best bets…

For heritage and personality: Hotel Corones.
For best value: Charleville Waltzing Matilda Inn.
For central location: Rocks Motel.
For gardens and pool: Mulga Country Motel Inn.

Cunnamulla to Longreach drive: Landsborough Highway stops

From Charleville to Barcaldine, it’s 409km. You’ll join the Landsborough Highway just south of Augathella, which has plenty of murals and a rather puzzling Giant Meat Ant Statue.

If stopping overnight, Augathella accommodation options include the Augathella Palms Motel and Augathella Motel and Caravan Park.

The next town is Tambo, where you can visit the outback teddy-makers at Tambo Teddies.

Further along in sculpture-packed Blackall, the Blackall Wool Scour is a museum devoted to the local wool industry, and you can swim at the artesian bore-fed Blackall Aquatic Centre.

The Landsborough Highway turns west at Barcaldine, where the highlights are the Australian Workers’ Heritage Centre and the Tree of Knowledge. The latter is regarded as the birthplace of the Australian Labor Party.

The reasonably-priced Barcaldine Country Motor Inn will do for accommodation.

Cunnamulla to Longreach road trip: Barcaldine to Longreach

The Barcaldine to Longreach leg of the Cunnamulla to Longreach drive is much shorter. It takes about an hour and 19 minutes along the Landsborough Highway. There’s really not much to hold your interest along the way. Unless for some perverse reason, the Ilfracombe Machinery and Heritage Museum gets you all excited.

4 Longreach experiences to book before you arrive

Exploring the Thomson River on a Longreach river cruise

Starlights river cruise – take in sunset along the Thomson River aboard a paddlewheeler.
Cobb & Co stagecoach experience – travel along an outback dirt road pulled by galloping horses.
Wildlife and woolsheds tour on a double decker bus through Nogo Station.
Dinosaur-packed day tour to Winton.

Longreach is arguably the best stop in outback Queensland, however. Here, the Qantas Founders Museum looks at the story of Australia’s oldest airline, while the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre has great evening shows. And a Thomson River cruise is a lovely way to enjoy the sunset.