Great Inland Way Queensland: Lightning Ridge to Cooktown

The Queensland leg is where the Great Inland Way earns its reputation. It’s 2,110 km of sealed bitumen from the NSW border near Hebel to the Coral Sea at Cooktown, crossing the Balonne River floodplain, the Carnarvon sandstone ranges, the Sapphire Gemfields and the Burdekin cattle plains before climbing the Tablelands escarpment into the tropics.

This itinerary covers Day 11 to Day 32 of the full Sydney to Cooktown itinerary: 22 days, 9 overnight stops and a string of free and low-cost camps that keep the average nightly spend as low as possible. We’ve stayed at every camp mentioned below. Where a stay is outside our usual brief (Lorne Station and the Roma Gun Club, both budget commercial sites rather than free camps), we’ve included it because it’s the right pick for the location.

The first 10 days of the trip are covered in the NSW section.

Great Inland Way Queensland Quick Facts

• Duration: 22 days (Day 11 to Day 32 of the full itinerary)
• Distance: 2,110 km (Lightning Ridge to Cooktown via the Balonne, Carnarvon Gorge, the Gemfields, Charters Towers, Greenvale, and the Atherton Tablelands)
• Start / Finish: Lightning Ridge to Cooktown (or Cairns)
• Best Months: April to September (dry season; avoid the wet season)
• Road Conditions: Fully sealed bitumen end-to-end, featuring bitumen undulations on developmental roads and narrow single-lane bitumen with gravel verges on northern stretches (such as the Gregory Developmental Road).
• Caravan Suitability: Suitable for all sealed-road caravans, hybrids, and camper trailers of any size, though smaller rigs gain access to tighter free camps.
• Camping Cost: A mixture of free camps (Springsure, Clermont, Greenvale, and Charters Towers) and paid options ($20 to $50)
• Fuel Availability: Longest gaps reach up to ~360 km in the north (e.g., Greenvale to Atherton via The Lynd Junction), requiring a top-up at every major town.
• Mobile Reception: Good in regional hubs; spotty or non-existent in gorges, river valleys, and remote highway segments.
• Pet Suitability: High, with a large majority of council reserves, rest areas, and station stays welcoming dogs on a leash.
• Highlights: Balonne River corridor (St George, Nindigully Pub, Riversands Wines), Roma Saleyards and Big Rig, Carnarvon Gorge sandstone walls and art galleries, Sapphire Gemfields fossicking, Charters Towers gold-rush architecture, Greenvale, and Atherton Tablelands waterfalls and crater lakes.
• Difficulty: Easy to Moderate (100% sealed driving, requiring active management of road train passes, weight limits, and water self-containment).
• Who This Trip Suits: Self-sufficient caravanners looking to trade the coastal highway for an outback transition through river plains, sandstone gorges, and tropical tablelands.
• Last Verified: August 2026

Great Inland Way Queensland Map

The map below shows the route, with campground locations and points of interest along the way. At the end of the itinerary, there is an interactive map providing more details (see interactive map now).

Great Inland Way QLD Itinerary at a Glance

Note: numbers in brackets are the day numbers on this leg.

Day 11: Lightning Ridge to Hebel/Dirranbandi

Crossing the Balonne Border

The Drive

Lightning Ridge to Dirranbandi via the Castlereagh Highway | 133 km | 1.5 hours

On the Road

An easy first day in Queensland on sealed bitumen the entire way. The road runs north from Lightning Ridge through low scrub to Hebel (a hotel, a fuel pump and a population in single digits) at the NSW/Queensland border. Cross the Balonne and the country opens up into irrigated cotton flats.

Watch for kangaroos and cattle on the unfenced sections, and expect cotton harvest traffic from June through August.

Full coverage of Lightning Ridge is in the NSW leg of this itinerary. The short version: it’s where the trip starts to feel properly outback, and we recommend Lorne Station Caravan Park for the Lightning Ridge stay.

Rob’s Tip: Fuel at Hebel is convenient but pricey. Leave Lightning Ridge with a full tank and you’ll roll into St George with plenty in reserve.

The Stay

Balonne Minor Campsite: 1 night

A free camp on the Balonne River just 3 km from Dirranbandi. There are no facilities at this site, and is located next to a bridge. It is located on the Bollon – Dirranbandi Rd 850 m from the Castlereagh Highway.

The Highlight

The Hebel Hotel is the obligatory border-crossing stop, with the original 1880s timber building still standing and a counter that’s been pulling beers for over 140 years. Across the river, the cotton country around Dirranbandi is a different kind of outback: irrigated, green in patches, and visibly dependent on the Balonne. Take a walk along the riverbank in the late afternoon.

Days 12 – 13: Dirranbandi to St George

The Centre of the Balonne

The Drive

Dirranbandi to St George via the Castlereagh Highway | 98 km | 1.1 hours

On the Road

A short, sealed run north on the Balonne corridor. The country flattens further as you approach St George and the irrigated paddocks grow more frequent. Traffic is light outside the cotton harvest months. The road is well-maintained two-lane bitumen with regular rest areas.

St George is the centre of gravity for the southern Balonne and the natural two-night stop. The town is on a wide bend in the river and has the last full-service supermarket and mechanical workshops before Roma. Stock up properly here.

The Stay

Pelican Rest Tourist Park: 2 nights

Pelican Rest Tourist Park is a standard caravan park on the river with powered sites, hot showers and a laundry. Another similar option is St George River Front Tourist Park.

A budget option is scheduled to reopen in May of 2027: Warumbul Balonne River Camp.

The Highlight

Three things in St George earn the two nights. The first is Beardmore Dam, one of the larger inland water bodies in Queensland and a legitimate fishing and swimming destination. The second is Riversands Wines, the most westerly winery in Queensland with a cellar door open most days. The third is the Nindigully Pub, 45 km south-east of town, claimed as one of the oldest hotels in Queensland and home of the Road Train Burger (a 1.25 kg patty that’s exactly as ridiculous as it sounds).

The Unique Egg Gallery on the main street is a small but genuinely odd local attraction: hand-carved emu eggs with intricate scenes worked into the shells. Worth the 20 minutes if it’s open when you’re in town.

Day 14: St George to Surat

Cobb & Co Country

The Drive

St George to Surat via the Carnarvon Highway | 116 km | 1.25 hours

On the Road

The Carnarvon Highway runs north-east from St George through open grazing country and small irrigation properties. The country lifts gradually as you climb away from the lower Balonne, with scattered ironbark and gidgee replacing the cotton flats. Traffic stays light. Surat is on the upper Balonne, where the Cobb & Co coaching route ran through in the 1880s.

Fuel is available at Surat if needed, but Roma is only 80 km further on tomorrow, and prices are better there.

Rob’s Tip: The Balonne corridor from Hebel to Surat carries cotton harvest traffic from June through August. Expect more trucks than you’ll see anywhere else on the southern leg.

The Stay

Surat Riverside Reserve: 1 night

The Fisherman’s Park on the Balonne is one of the better low-cost camps on the southern leg. Flat sites near the river. Toilets, water and a dump point are provided. Please make a donation so sites like this remain open.

The Highlight

The Cobb & Co Changing Station Museum on the main street is the headline attraction and a legitimate hour or two. The original timber stables have been preserved on-site, and the museum covers the coaching era without overselling it. Surat was the last changeover station on the original Cobb & Co route from Brisbane to the Northern Territory, and the building still stands where the coaches actually pulled in.

Days 15 – 16: Surat to Roma

The Western Hub

The Drive

Surat to Roma via the Carnarvon Highway | 80 km | 1 hour

On the Road

A short, easy drive on the Carnarvon Highway. The country shifts as you climb out of the Balonne basin and onto the brigalow belt, with darker soils and denser tree cover. Roma is the largest town between Dubbo and Charters Towers and the practical resupply hub for the central Queensland leg. After three days in the Balonne, the run into Roma feels like rolling into a regional capital.

Roma has a good Coles and Woolworths, plus several specialist outdoor and rural suppliers. If anything’s been bothering you on the rig since Lightning Ridge, fix it here. The next equivalent town is Emerald, more than 400 km north.

The Stay

Roma Gun Club: 2 nights

The Roma Gun Club on the western edge of town is the budget pick. Powered and unpowered sites at reasonable rates, hot showers, a dump point, and far enough from town to be quiet without being inconvenient. Self-containment is not required. Pets are welcome. The gun club runs occasional events on weekends, so check the calendar before you book in if you’re a light sleeper.

The Highlight

Three things in Roma earn the second night:

The Big Rig covers Roma’s role as the birthplace of Australia’s oil and gas industry (the first commercial gas was struck here in 1900) and is genuinely well-curated. The night show, a sound and light installation under a 25 m oil derrick, is worth timing your stay around if it’s running.

The Roma Saleyards is Australia’s largest cattle saleyards, with sales every Tuesday and Thursday. Free to visit, tours run on sale days and the scale of operations (up to 12,000 head moved through in a single day) is impressive.

Heroes Avenue is a 140-tree bottle tree memorial planted along the main approach to town, one tree for each local serviceman lost in the First World War. It’s a quiet, affecting walk and not the kind of memorial you forget.

Days 17 – 19: Roma to Carnarvon Gorge

Sandstone Country

The Drive

Roma to Carnarvon Gorge via the Carnarvon Highway and Carnarvon Developmental Road | 242 km | 3.5 hours

On the Road

North on the Carnarvon Highway through Injune (worth a fuel and coffee stop, with limited supplies otherwise) and into the sandstone belt. The road climbs gradually as you approach the Carnarvon Range, with the escarpment becoming visible on the horizon about 30 km out from the gorge turn-off. The final 45 km on the Carnarvon Developmental Road is sealed but heavily undulated and includes several concrete causeway creek crossings. Take care, as such undulations may trigger caravan sway. They are passable in the dry, but check conditions after rain as the road into the gorge can close after even moderate falls.

Rob’s Tip: The Carnarvon Developmental Road is sealed but the heavy-vehicle traffic has worn pronounced wave-like undulations into the seal. Drop your towing speed by 10 to 15 km/h on the wave sections and check your hitch and tie-downs before the final approach. A poorly-loaded van will pitch noticeably on the worst sections.

The Stay

Sandstone Park: 3 nights

Sandstone Park is 5 km from the gorge entrance on a privately-run hilltop site with sweeping views back to the sandstone escarpment. The sites are spread across an open elevated plateau with enough space between sites that you don’t hear your neighbours. All sites are unpowered with basic amenities. The site is elevated open ground, which means good solar all day. The afternoon light on the escarpment from the camp is one of the better photographs you’ll take on this trip. Pets are welcome. It is recommended to book in advance on 1800 87 4444.

The campground inside the National Park (Carnarvon Gorge campground) is not suitable for caravans. Small camper trailers may be OK. The site only opens during Queensland school holiday periods. Don’t plan around it. Sandstone Park and Takarakka Bush Resort are your two practical options for any towed rig.

The Highlight

Carnarvon Gorge is the top attraction of the central Queensland leg and the one place on the trip where three nights is the minimum, not the recommendation. The gorge cuts 30 km into the sandstone with 200 m vertical walls, a permanent spring-fed creek, palm forests at the base and Aboriginal art galleries that rank among the most significant in the country.

Two walks earn the three nights:

The Main Gorge Walk is 9.1 km one-way to Cathedral Cave, with several side gorges adding to the distance. The standard loop hits the Moss Garden, Wards Canyon, the Amphitheatre and the Art Gallery, taking the day to about 18 km if you do the full set. Allow a full day on the track. Take 2 – 3 L of water per person and sturdy footwear; start by 7 am in the warmer months. We recommend walking to Cathedral Cave in one go in the morning when it is cool and then visiting the attractions on the return trip.

The Boolimba Bluff walk is 6.4 km return with a steep climb up the gorge wall to the rim. The reward is a 360-degree view across the sandstone country and back into the gorge. Around 3 hours return at a steady pace. The first kilometre is a stiff staircase climb. Worth every step.

Day 20: Carnarvon Gorge to Springsure

Virgin Rock and the Lions Park

The Drive

Carnarvon Gorge to Springsure via Rolleston | 175 km | 2 – 2.5 hours

On the Road

The drive from Carnarvon Gorge climbs back over the sandstone country and onto the open Central Highlands. Rolleston is the natural fuel stop at the highway junction; top up there as the drive to Springsure is straightforward, but the next reliable fuel is Emerald.

The country opens up into rolling brigalow and open grazing country. Springsure is in a small valley below the distinctive Virgin Rock formation, and you’ll see the rock on approach from the south.

The Stay

Virgin Rock Free Camp: 1 night

Virgin Rock Springsure Camping is a Lions Park 3 km north of Springsure on the Gregory Highway, located directly below the Virgin Rock formation. Around 10 to 15 sites with flushing toilets, non-potable water (take a long hose) and a rubbish bin. Pets and fires are permitted; tents are not. Telstra and Optus coverage are both weak. The area around the park is fairly flat, but the sites along the side road to the public washdown area are less so. Pick your site with care. The site can fill quickly, so don’t leave it late in the day.

Rob’s Tip: The water tap at Virgin Rock is non-potable and set up for a short fill. Drinking water is best filled in Springsure or back at Rolleston.

The Highlight

Three things make Virgin Rock more than just an overnight stop. The first is the rock formation: a sandstone outcrop that early European travellers thought resembled the Virgin Mary, sitting directly above the camp. The rock is lit at night, making for a great photograph opportunity in the early evening.

The second is Nevil’s evening talk. Nevil, a local Aboriginal man, visits the camp most evenings with artefacts and a yarn about the local Indigenous history. A donation is requested; the talk is worth more than that. He also runs a small museum in town that’s worth visiting if you’ve got a half-day spare. Nevil informed us that he thinks that people should respect his people’s wishes and not walk in the Carnarvon Gorge.

The third is the coffee and food van that occupies part of the front parking area most days from late morning through to about 2 pm. Worth catching if your timing works.

Days 21 – 22: Springsure to Sapphire/Rubyvale

The Working Gemfields

The Drive

Springsure to Sapphire via Emerald | 118 km | 1.5 hours

On the Road

North on the Gregory Highway to Emerald (worth a fuel and supplies stop and home of the largest Van Gogh recreation in the world. It is located in Morton Park. The country shifts noticeably as you cross into the Anakie field: the soil reddens, low scrub replaces the brigalow, and the landscape becomes pocked with old shafts, mullock heaps and working claims.

The Stay

An option of a free camp or a low-cost camp: 2 nights

Two camp options here, both worth considering depending on your style.

Option 1: Sapphire Central 48hr Free Camp (AKA Sapphire Reserve)

A free council-run camp in the centre of Sapphire with a 48-hour maximum stay. Basic, unpowered sites within walking distance of the main fossicking operators and the Rubyvale Gem Gallery. Self-containment is required, but there are toilets and free WiFi. Useful if you’re passing through quickly and want to maximise the budget.

Option 2: The Gemfields RSL

The RSL at Anakie offers low-cost powered and unpowered sites with hot showers, a proper amenities block and a working bar and bistro. Pets are welcome. The bistro meals are honest and the beer is cold, both of which earn the modest nightly fee after a fossicking day in the dirt. Sites are limited and bookings are essential on 049 956 1549.

Two nights give you time to do a guided tour, fossick properly and at least pretend you’re going to retire on the proceeds.

The Highlight

The Sapphire Gemfields at Sapphire, Rubyvale and the Willows are a genuine working sapphire field, not a tourist recreation. You can pay $10 to $20 for a bucket of wash from a commercial operator and keep what you find, or buy a fossicking permit and try your luck on public fields.

Three things earn the time:

The Miners Heritage Walk-In Mine is the pick of the underground tours, taking you 8 m below ground through a working mine with the original timber and steel work intact.

Rubyvale Gem Gallery is open daily, with cut and rough sapphires across the full price range. A good way to calibrate your eye before you fossick.

The Walk-in Mine Tour is a 45-minute guided walk in the tunnels. Worth an hour if you want to understand what you’re actually fossicking for.

Day 23: Gemfields to Clermont

The BP Service Station Stop

The Drive

Sapphire/Rubyvale to Clermont via Emerald | 162 km | 2 hours or via Clermont Rubyvale Rd | 92 km | 1.25 hours

On the Road

Back through Emerald and north on the Gregory Highway through Capella to Clermont. The country is open central Queensland coal country: cattle, mines and long flat stretches of bitumen. Watch for road trains hauling from the Bowen Basin coalfields, particularly around Capella. Give them plenty of room on single-lane sealed sections.

The Stay

Clermont BP Service Station Campground: 1 night

The Clermont BP Service Station Campground is located 4 km north of town on the Gregory Highway. More than 20 unmarked sites: an open area at the front near the service station and bush sites along tracks at the rear. The front is closer to the refrigeration units (some hum overnight); the bush sites at the back are quieter and worth the extra walk to the amenities. Self-containment required, but the service station provides toilets, showers, water, rubbish bins and a laundry. Free, with a 24-hour maximum stay (although it appeared that some had been there much longer). Pets are welcome. Tents and fires are not permitted. Telstra and Optus coverage are both good.

Rob’s Tip: When you pull in, take the track to the left as you enter. There are a couple of better-positioned sites along that track than what you’ll see from the main entry.

The Highlight

Clermont rewards an evening walk if you’ve got the energy. Hood’s Lagoon in the centre of town is a small permanent water body with a heritage walking trail and several memorials covering Clermont’s gold rush and labour history (the 1891 shearers’ strike that helped form the Australian Labor movement had Clermont at its centre). The town clock tower and the old hotels on the main street are worth ten minutes.

If you’ve got time and want a longer stop, Theresa Creek Dam 21 km south west of town is a council-run camp with freshwater swimming and good fishing for redclaw and yellowbelly. Add a night there if the schedule allows.

Days 24 – 25: Clermont to Charters Towers

Gold Rush Architecture and the Burdekin

The Drive

Clermont to Charters Towers via the Gregory Developmental Road and Flinders Highway | 374 km | 4.5 hours

On the Road

The longest single driving day on the Queensland leg, and the country shifts noticeably as you climb out of the central coalfields and onto the open Burdekin grasslands. The Gregory Developmental Road is sealed throughout but carries significant heavy-vehicle traffic; expect an undulating road.

Belyando Crossing Roadhouse is the natural lunch and fuel stop, about halfway. Prices are higher than in Clermont or Charters Towers, but it’s the only fuel between, so top up if you need to.

Watch for road trains hauling cattle and machinery, and for kangaroos at dawn and dusk on the unfenced stretches.

Our Overlander’s Way itinerary also passes through Charters Towers. This route runs between Mt Isa and Townsville.

The Stay

Two camp options here, with a real trade-off between them:

Option 1: Charters Towers Free Camp (central but dusty)

The Puma Service Station camp is 3 km south of Charters Towers on the Flinders Highway. About 6 sites in the back left corner of a truck parking area, with the service station providing toilets, showers and water. Telstra and Optus coverage are both good. Pets, tents and fires are all permitted. Free. The trade-off is in the name of the truck park: trucks turn close to the sites and stir up dust, particularly in easterly winds. Its advantage is that it is central.

Option 2: Macrossan Park Camping (scenic but a distance from town)

Macrossan Park is 23 km north-east of Charters Towers on the Flinders Highway, 400 m past the Burdekin River bridge. About 20 well-spaced sites on a slope down toward the river, with toilets and cold showers (dated but serviceable) and rubbish bins. Free, no booking, seven-day maximum stay. Pets, tents and fires are all permitted. The site has limited shade, which is excellent for solar. Long grass at some sites means snake awareness in the warmer months.

Our pick depends on what you’re doing. Two nights using the town as a base for walking the heritage streets: the free camp wins on distance. Two nights as a quiet rest stop or recovery from the Clermont run: Macrossan Park wins on every other measure.

Rob’s Tip: Charters Towers has good supermarkets, a Bunnings and competent mechanical workshops. If anything’s been bothering you on the rig since Roma, fix it here. The next equivalent town is Mareeba, more than 600 km north.

The Highlight

Charters Towers was the second-largest town in Queensland during the 1890s gold rush (its population peaked above 30,000, with a working stock exchange and the country’s first electric streetlights) and still has the architectural bones to prove it. A walking tour of the heritage streets covers four sites worth the time:

The Stock Exchange Arcade, restored to its 1890s configuration with the original trading floor still visible. Free to enter.

The Zara Clark Museum, covering the gold rush, the World War II American base and the post-war pastoral history.

The World Theatre on Mosman Street, restored and still operating as a cinema.

The streetscape: pull up a coffee on the main street, and the 1890s commercial buildings are all there to look at, mostly intact.

Days 26 – 27: Charters Towers to Greenvale

The Inland Detour

The Drive

Charters Towers to Greenvale via the Gregory Developmental Road | 206 km | 3 hours

On the Road

North on the Gregory Developmental Road through some of the most distinctive driving country on the entire route: red soil, termite mounds, scattered cattle and the occasional jump-up on the horizon. The road is sealed throughout but carries little traffic, and there is no fuel between Charters Towers and Greenvale. Leave Charters with a full tank.

The country between Charters Towers and Greenvale is the closest you’ll come on the sealed route to genuinely remote inland. It’s a 206 km section that earns the side trip on its own.

The Stay

Greenvale Three Rivers Hotel: 2 nights

The Three Rivers Hotel campground is 450 m off the Gregory Developmental Road via Redbank Drive. Eight unmarked sites on 15 acres of grassed flat ground at the rear of the pub, with a caretaker who’ll meet you on arrival and assign a spot. Self-containment required: there’s a toilet in the pub when it’s open and a public facility across the road, but no other facilities at the camp. Greywater can go in the gardens, but not on the grassed areas. Pets are welcome. Tents and fires are not permitted. Telstra coverage is good; Optus has none.

Free to stay, no pressure to spend in the pub, but the beer is cold, and it seems like the right thing to do. We were comfortable doing both.

The Highlight

Greenvale is a former nickel-mining town in the rugged basalt country, and the gateway to northern attractions such as Lake Lucy and the wider Einasleigh Uplands. The Three Rivers Hotel is the social centre of what remains of the community, and a counter meal there is the right way to spend an evening.

The country surrounding Greenvale is part of the Einasleigh Uplands, a transition zone between the dry savannah of the Burdekin and the higher rainforest country to the north. A drive out toward the old mine site (now decommissioned) gives you a sense of the boom-and-bust history of the place.

Day 28: Greenvale to Atherton Tablelands

The Climb to the Tropics

The Drive

Greenvale to Atherton via The Lynd Junction and Mount Garnet | 361 km | 4.5 hours

On the Road

The longest climb of the trip, and the day the landscape changes for good. North on the Gregory Developmental Road from Greenvale to The Lynd Junction (the only fuel between Greenvale and Mount Garnet), then north-east through Mount Garnet and onto the Atherton Tableland. The climb up the escarpment from the dry savannah onto the rainforest plateau happens in about 30 km of road, and the temperature can drop 10 degrees in the process.

If you have time and haven’t visited the Undara Lava Tubes, you should consider a side trip. The turn off is at the 146 km mark. The site is then a 31 km drive via the Gulf Development Road. Details of this site are in our Queensland Savannah Way Itinerary.

After 27 days of inland country, the green is genuinely shocking. The transition is not gradual; you climb the wall, top out at around 700 m, and the dry forest gives way to dairy country, basalt soils and rainforest within a few kilometres.

Rob’s Tip: Top up fuel at The Lynd Junction Roadhouse. The Charters Towers to Atherton run via Greenvale is the longest fuel-management section on the entire Queensland leg, and The Lynd is the only stop between Greenvale and Mount Garnet.

The Stay

Bonadio RV Park: 4 nights (Day 28 to Day 31)

Bonadio RV Park is located 7 km east of Atherton, on a sealed access road, and is the ideal base for a Tablelands stay. About 40 unmarked grassed sites on a mostly flat block, with powered ($28) and unpowered ($24) options, hot showers, a laundry, a dump point and town water. Toilets and showers are provided, so self-containment isn’t required. Pets, tents and fires are all permitted, and there’s a communal undercover fire pit with chairs supplied. Telstra and Optus coverage are both good.

The site doubles as a small nature reserve. Platypus can be spotted in the river that runs through the property, and there’s an evening animal feeding worth catching. Most sites get good solar exposure.

A booking is required before arrival. Check-in is 1 pm to 5 pm. Phone 042 968 2953 to confirm a site, particularly in peak season.

Rob’s Tip: The price gap between unpowered ($24) and powered ($28) sites at Bonadio is small enough that we’d take the powered site every time. Four nights at altitude after the inland run is the right point in the trip to give the batteries a proper top-up before the push to Cooktown.

The Highlight

The drive into the Tablelands is the highlight of the day. Stop at the Mount Garnet Lookout for the first proper view back across the savannah you’ve just driven through, and again at the top of the Tablelands escarpment for the change in country.

Days 29 – 31: Atherton Tablelands

Waterfalls, Crater Lakes and the Coffee Belt

The Drive

Allow 50 to 100 km of side-trip driving each day depending on which loops you tackle.

On the Road

The Atherton Tablelands are at 700 to 1,200 m above sea level and run roughly 90 km long and 60 km wide behind the coastal range. The roads are sealed throughout, the gradients are gentler than they look on the map and the distances between attractions are short. Most of the headline sites are within a 30 km radius of Yungaburra.

The Stay

Same base for all three nights.

The Highlight

Three days lets you cover the headlines properly:

The Waterfall Circuit: Millaa Millaa, Zillie and Ellinjaa Falls on a single 17 km loop south of Millaa Millaa. The Millaa Millaa Falls is the postcard one and the easiest to access, with the famous behind-the-falls swim spot. Allow half a day with stops at all three.

Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine: Two volcanic crater lakes within Crater Lakes National Park, both with sealed access and short walking trails. Eacham allows swimming and has the better picnic facilities; Barrine has the historic teahouse at the water’s edge.

The Curtain Fig Tree: A 500-year-old strangler fig with a 15 m curtain of aerial roots, signposted off the Gillies Highway near Yungaburra. The boardwalk is short (200 m) but the tree genuinely surprises.

Mareeba: The coffee, mango and rum belt is 30 km north of Atherton. Mareeba Coffee Works runs roastery tours, the Mareeba Wetlands offer bird-watching, and Golden Drop Winery on the outskirts is a working mango wine cellar door. The Saturday market is the best on the Tablelands and worth the timing.

Day 32: Atherton Tablelands to Cooktown (or Cairns)

The End of the Inland

The Drive

Mareeba to Cooktown via the Mulligan Highway | 304 km | 4 hours sealed

Or: Mareeba to Cairns via the Kennedy Highway | 101 km | 1.5 hour

On the Road

The official end of the Great Inland Way is Cooktown via the sealed Mulligan Highway from Mareeba: 304 km north through Mount Carbine, Lakeland and the Annan River escarpment. Long single-day drive, but the road is well-maintained sealed bitumen the whole way, and the country is genuinely beautiful: open eucalypt forest, the Mount Carbine Range on the horizon and the gradual transition into the wet tropics as you approach Lakeland.

If you wish to complete this drive over 2 days, you could stay at Mount Molloy.

Fuel is available at Mount Carbine and Lakeland. Both have working roadhouses but charge a premium; top up in Mareeba.

The Cairns alternative descends east from Mareeba via the Kennedy Highway through the Kuranda Range and into Cairns in under two hours. The road is sealed throughout with some steep descent through Kuranda; engage low gears and watch the trailer brakes.

The Stay

Cooktown has several caravan parks and, now that the racecourse is closed to camping, not many low-cost options.  The Cooktown Prawn Farm has camping open from April to December (from $20 per night). Allow 2 to 3 days at the finish line to actually take in what you’ve done.

If you’ve taken the Cairns finish, the commercial park scene is extensive. Pick to suit your style.

The Highlight

Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River where Cook beached the ship for repairs in 1770. Three things earn the trip up:

The James Cook Museum, housed in the old convent, covers the 1770 landing, the Indigenous history of the area and the later gold-rush years honestly. One of the better small-town museums in Queensland.

Grassy Hill Lookout: where Cook climbed to scout a way out through the reef. The view from the lighthouse takes in the Endeavour River, the coastline and the inshore reef. A 10-minute drive from town.

The Cooktown Botanic Gardens: established in the 1870s and still working, with several heritage walks through the grounds and onto Finch Bay.

Those wanting to stretch their legs may wish to tackle the walk to the summit of Mount Cook.

Rob’s Tip: Officially the Great Inland Way ends at Cooktown, but Cairns is a legitimate alternative finish if you’re catching a flight, returning a hire rig or heading south on the Bruce Highway. Take Cooktown if the time’s there. The sealed Mulligan Highway is one of the better last stretches on any Australian touring route, and finishing at the Endeavour River feels like the trip earned its ending. Cairns if you’re short on time or short on energy. Neither is wrong.

Interactive Great Inland Way Queensland Map

This map covers the route, with campground locations and points of interest marked.

The map has layers you can turn on and off. Click the icon in the top left to view the layers. You can zoom into areas with a high density of points.

For those who jumped to the interactive map, you may return to the static map: click to return.

Continuing North: Cape York

For travellers who arrive in Cooktown with the bit between their teeth and want to keep going, Cooktown is the natural launching point for Cape York. The route heads north from here into properly remote country: the Old Telegraph Track, the Jardine River, Pajinka and the northernmost tip of the Australian continent. It’s a different trip with different rig requirements (the PDR is corrugated, the OTT is 4WD-only with creek crossings, and self-recovery skills become non-negotiable), but if you’ve got the gear and the inclination, our Cape York itinerary picks up where the Great Inland Way leaves off.

Final Tips for the Queensland Leg

Fuel: Top up at every major town. The longest fuel-management sections are Surat to Roma (limited options at Surat), Roma to Carnarvon Gorge (with Injune as the only stop), Charters Towers to Atherton via Greenvale (with The Lynd Junction Roadhouse as the only fuel between Greenvale and Mount Garnet) and Mareeba to Cooktown (with Mount Carbine and Lakeland as the only stops). Use Petrolspy or FuelMap to compare prices ahead of arrival.

Water: Carry at least 80 L of drinking water with a reserve for washing. Several camps on this route have non-potable or no water available (Virgin Rock, Clermont BP, Charters Towers Free Camp, Macrossan Park, Greenvale Three Rivers). Top up at every council-supplied tap when you get the chance. Town water on the Tablelands is clean and abundant.

Wildlife: Kangaroos and emus at dawn and dusk across the Balonne and central Queensland sections; cattle on unfenced sections of the Gregory Developmental Road north of Charters Towers. Avoid driving in the first or last hour of daylight where possible.

Road trains: Common across the entire route, particularly during cotton harvest in the Balonne (June to August) and on the Gregory Developmental Road north of Clermont. Set your UHF to channel 40 and listen. Pull over and let them through on single-lane bitumen sections.

Bitumen undulations: The Carnarvon Developmental Road into the gorge and the Gregory Developmental Road between Clermont and Charters Towers carry significant heavy-vehicle traffic and develop pronounced wave-like undulations. Drop your speed by 10 to 15 km/h on the worst sections, and check your hitch and tie-downs at every fuel stop.

Solar and shade: Open inland sun all the way from Lightning Ridge to Greenvale (excellent solar but plan for heat). The Atherton Tablelands flip the equation: rainforest canopy and altitude cloud cover mean reduced solar yield but welcome shade. Plug in for a night on the Tablelands if your batteries need a proper top-up.

Self-contained requirements: Most of the budget camps on this leg require self-containment. Make sure your grey-water capture, toilet and waste systems are in order before you leave Lightning Ridge.

Cash and cards: Most paid sites take card now, but the Roma Gun Club and several council reserves still work better with cash. Carry $10 and $20 notes for site fees.

Wrapping Up

The Queensland leg of the Great Inland Way is one of those routes that rewards going slow. The drives are short by outback standards, the camps are largely free or close to it and the towns each have a genuine reason to stop. By the time you arrive in Cooktown and stand at the mouth of the Endeavour River, you’ve crossed from the Balonne floodplain to the Tablelands rainforest, climbed through three distinct landscapes and slept under skies that get blacker with every degree of latitude.

It’s a trip you can do for under $5 a night on average if you stay self-contained and use the free camps, and it’s the most direct introduction to inland Queensland that exists.

Safe travels and we’ll see you out there.

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