Longreach to Winton road trip: Driving distance, time & fuel stops

Longreach to Winton road trip: Driving distance, time & fuel stops

The drive from Longreach to Winton, Queensland, is 179km in distance. The driving time down the sealed Landsborough Highway is around 1h51m, with the best stop en route being the Australian Age of Dinosaurs museum.

Planning a Longreach to Winton road trip

The drive from Longreach to Winton is something tourists are only likely to take on as part of a longer road trip through outback Queensland. The Longreach to Winton drive also forms part of the quickest land route from Brisbane to Darwin.

Both Queensland towns have strong tourist attractions. The Qantas Founders Museum and Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame are in Longreach, while Winton Hosts the Waltzing Matilda Centre.

Longreach offers evocative cruises along the Thomson River, adventures on an old-fashioned stagecoach and an outback sheep station experience. To investigate the best Longreach tour and activity options, head this way. To pick the right Longreach accommodation, nosey around here.

4 Longreach experiences to book before you arrive

Exploring the Thomson River on a Longreach river cruise
  1. Starlights river cruise – take in sunset along the Thomson River aboard a paddlewheeler.
  2. Cobb & Co stagecoach experience – travel along an outback dirt road pulled by galloping horses.
  3. Wildlife and woolsheds tour on a double decker bus through Nogo Station.
  4. Dinosaur-packed day tour to Winton.
The Waltzing Matilda Centre in Winton, Queensland
The Waltzing Matilda Centre in Winton, Queensland. Photo courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland.

Longreach to Winton distance driving time

The drive from Longreach to Winton is 179km in distance. This makes for a Longreach to Winton driving time of around one hour and 51 minutes.

This is short enough, of course, to cover the Longreach to Winton distance in one hit and not require any stops. You can simply bomb it down the Landsborough Highway, the main north to south route in western Queensland. The Landsborough Highway is a sealed road.

4 Winton experiences that will make your visit better

Longreach to Winton road trip: Fuel stops

Fill up with petrol before leaving Longreach – there are no fuel stops before you get to Winton.

Longreach to Winton drive: Australian Age of Dinosaurs

The main attraction on the drive from Longreach to Winton is Australian Age of Dinosaurs in Corfield. Just outside Winton, this is a not-for-profit organisation that collects dinosaur fossils. There are plenty such fossils around Winton, with the Winton Formation being one of the world’s most productive fossil sites.

The museum shows off some of these fossils, and explains the unique dinosaur species that once roamed western Queensland. The real work goes on in the fossil preparation lab, of course.

If you want to learn more, you can pay for the Ultimate Dinosaur Tour. This guided tour lasts three to four hours, covering the collection room, fossil preparation lab and the March of the Titanosaurs exhibition.

Winton accommodation recommendations

Australian hotel specialist Wotif offers accommodation in Winton for from $138 a night. Search the options here.

But the best bets are…

Tours from Winton include a day trip to ancient dinosaur footprints and an outing to Merton Gorge. There’s also a chance to see the rugged rock channels of the Rangelands Station and a half day exploring the gorges and mesas of Bladensburg National Park.

Coming from elsewhere? Australia Travel Questions has a guide to Winton driving distances.

More Longreach driving times