Rockhampton to Longreach road trip: Distance, drive time & stops
The Rockhampton to Longreach road trip covers a 687km distance in a driving time of around 7h21m. The best stops to add to the itinerary are Emerald and Barcaldine.
The Rockhampton to Longreach drive takes you from the Queensland coast to the heart of the outback, roughly following the Tropic of Capricorn along the way. It’s a road trip punctuated by national parks and towns with a story or two to tell.
Rockhampton offers fascinating history walks and cave tours. To source the best Rockhampton accommodation deals, go here.
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.
Rockhampton to Longreach distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Rockhampton to Longreach is 687km. That makes for a driving time of around seven hours and 21 minutes.
Top experiences to book in and around Rockhampton
- (Highly recommended ✅) Great Keppel Island day trip – with lunch.
- Cathedral Cave tour at Capricorn Caves. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- 90 minute Deep Vault Cave and Flower Pot tour at Capricorn Caves.
- Time Safaris walking tour.
It is possible to do this in a day of hard driving, but you’re much better off turning it into a road trip itinerary with a few stops along the way.
4 Longreach experiences to book before you arrive
- 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.
The first leg is the 271km drive from Rockhampton to Emerald. It leaves Rockhampton through Gracemere and then heads towards the junction with the Leichhardt Highway.
Then come several forests and parks that are set up for conservation rather than visitation. There are no tourist trails in the Duaringa State Forest of Taunton National Park.
Click through to the next section: Blackdown Tableland National Park.