Perth to Cairns road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
Perth to Cairns road trip: Cobar to Cunnamulla
From Cobar, head up the Kidman Way towards Bourke, another classic outback town. On the way, Gundabooka National Park offers several walks and is known for its Aboriginal rock art.
If just passing by, the key site – Yapa (Mulgowan) – is accessed via a pretty steep 1.4km walk. But you can also pitch a tent at the Dry Tank Campground and then take on the 4.8km Little Mountain walking track. Expect wildflowers, emus and kangaroos.
In Bourke, the star attraction is the Back O’ Bourke Exhibition Centre. This uses interactive technology to tell tales of outback life and the bushrangers. You can also get tickets for Darling River cruises here. The hour-long cruises are aboard the PV Jandra.
Top Bourke accommodation options
There’s not a great array of accommodation in Bourke, but these are the best bets in order of preference:
- For great riverside location, gardens and a pool: Bourke Riverside Motel.
- For central location: Darling River Motel.
- As a last resort: Sunshine Gardens.
The next leg is from Bourke to Cunnamulla, which covers a 257km distance along the Mitchell Highway.
There’s not much to keep you interested here. That said, at Barringun just south of the Queensland border, there’s basic accommodation and food at the Bush Tucker Inn and Caravan Park.
Cunnamulla offers sandboarding down the big dunes at the edge of town, a giant water tower mural and lots of kangaroos.
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.
Perth to Cairns via Charleville
It’s another 199km from Cunnamulla to Charleville, following the railway line. This is one of those stretches where you just hit the accelerator and get it over and done with.
Just south of Charleville, the 2,000 hectare Charleville Botanical Reserve showcases the region’s vegetation. There’s a 30km 4WD driving route around the spinifex, mulga forest and gidgee swamp.
Come in spring, and desert myrtle turns the landscape pink.
The best things to do in Charleville include venturing into the secret World War II air base and exploring the heavens at the Charleville Cosmos Centre and. The Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centre and Charleville Historic House are also worth a look.
Charleville is an ideal spot for an overnight stop on the Perth to Cairns road tip.
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.
Perth to Cairns road trip: 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.
You’ll finally leave the Landsborough Highway 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.
Click through to the next section: To Townsville.