Sydney to Mount Isa road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
Sydney to Mount Isa drive: St George to Barcaldine
It’s a ruthlessly uninteresting 209km from St George to Mitchell along the Mitchell-St George Road You’ll pass the Albany State Forest, but that’s about it.
The highlight of Mitchell is the Great Artesian Spa – an outdoor pool complex. You can also stay overnight at the Mitchell Motel and Cabin Park. Otherwise, continue west along the Warrego Highway.
In Morven, the Warrego Highway meets the Landsborough Highway. The quickest route turns at that junction, but it’s worth continuing west for a short distance to Charleville. Things to do in Charleville include the secret World War II base, the Charleville Cosmos Centre and the Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centre.
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.
If you go straight up the Landsborough Highway instead, you’ll pass through Augathella, Tambo and Blackall on the way to Barcaldine. The star attraction in the latter is Australian Workers’ Heritage Centre. This museum tells the tale of the 1891 Shearers’ Strike and subsequent formation of the Australian Labor Party.
Barcaldine accommodation options include the solid Barcaldine Country Motor Inn.
Sydney to Mount Isa road trip: Barcaldine to Cloncurry
Longreach is arguably the best stop on the Queensland section of the Sydney to Mount Isa drive, however. The Qantas Founders Museum looks at the story of Australia’s oldest airline. 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.
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.
Longreach accommodation picks
Longreach offers a surprisingly interesting range of accommodation. The options particularly worthy of consideration are…
- For central location and a pool: Abajaz Motor Inn or Longreach Motor Inn.
- For luxury glamping: Mitchell Grass Retreat.
- For charm and character: Saltbush Retreat.
Winton brims with attractions, too. Australian Age of Dinosaurs looks at the wealth of dinosaur fossils found around Winton. There’s also the Waltzing Matilda Centre, which celebrates Australia’s national poem, composed by Banjo Paterson nearby.
4 Winton experiences that will make your visit better
- Day tour to Carisbrooke Station and the ancient dino footprints of the Dinosaur Stampede.
- Sunset tour to the outback rock channels of Rangelands Station.
- 3/4 day tour to the Dinosaur Stampede and Merton Gorge.
- Half day tour to the Age of Dinosaurs Museum – or make your own way and visit the fossil preparation laboratory.
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…
- For best quality: Winton Outback Motel.
- For best value (and a pool): Boulder Opal Motor Inn.
- For families: Hamilton Retreat.
- For heritage: North Gregory Hotel.
Moving on north towards Cloncurry, there are a couple of famous pubs. The Blue Heeler in Kynuna, on the Diamantia River, plus McKinlay’s Walkabout Creek Hotel are good slices of stereotypical Australia.
Things to do in Cloncurry include the John Flynn Place Museum, devoted to the founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and fossil-fancying Cloncurry Unearthed.
Cloncurry accommodation options include the personality-packed Gidgee Inn and the solidly decent Leichhardt Hotel Motel.
Click through for the next section: Cloncurry to Mount Isa.