Tour Three – Dalby to Miles

Day 1 – Overnight in the Dalby Caravan Park

Meet up with the rest of the group over dinner at the Criterion Hotel.

Day 2 – Dalby to Dulacca.  –  Stop for lunch at Chinchilla.

Dulacca is quiet rural town on the Warrego Highway, 43 kilometres west of Miles. First came the railway (in 1879) and then came the town; originally spelt ‘Doolackah’, the name was derived from an Aboriginal name meaning ’emu tracks’.

An interesting point to note about Dulacca is that it was the site of the first efforts to eradicate the invasive prickly pear cactus. The fight to eradicate the prickly pear was spurred on by the Government’s reward of 40000 hectares of land to whoever could restore their land to its original state. It is estimated that the menacing plant covered more than 50 million acres of Queensland at its peak.   The town’s hotel, known as the Waterhole on the Hill, dates back to 1908 and a brief history of the town is displayed at Lions Park.    Join the locals for a yarn and learn a little more about the towns interesting beginnings and history.

Day 3 – Dulacca to Muckadilla.     Stop for lunch at Roma.

Discover the whistlestop town of Muckadilla, or ‘Mucka’ as the locals call it.   Once home to the
famous Muckadilla Baths, this town may lack the bustle of bigger towns, but not the hospitality.

While in Muckadilla you can stop and see the Whistlestop Railway Siding, take a walk through the native gardens alongside the highway.

Just 87 kilometres west of Roma via the Warrego Highway, Mitchell sits peacefully on the banks of the Maranoa River.  It lies in the westerly-most reaches of Southern Queensland Country and services the adjoining communities of Amby, Muckadilla and Mungallala.

Many a sun-scorched traveller has found bliss floating in the thermal mineralised waters of the Great Artesian Spa.    It’s relaxing for the body and therapeutic for the soul, and a precious natural resource that the locals proudly share.    Accessing the Mt Moffatt section of Carnarvon National Park is easy from Mitchell. Nature lovers will be impressed with the abundance of wildlife including over 250 bird species living in and visiting the area.

Make your first stop the Heritage Museum – packed full of local history, historical items and photographs.   For a taste of the town’s chequered past take in the history at Kenniff Court House – the original courthouse where local bushrangers, the Kenniff Brothers, were committed to stand trial in 1902.

Day 4 –Muckadilla to Tambo.     Stop for lunch atAugathella.

Packed in pioneer history, Augathella was home and stomping ground to notorious bushrangers, the Kenniff Brother’s and owes its very existence to the bullock teams that camped along the Warrego all those years ago.

Gazetted in 1863, Tambo is the oldest town in the west, wander back in time along the Heritage Walk visiting old buildings and historically significant places. The Coolibah Walk follows the banks of the Barcoo where the native trees reach out across the river and provide a cool haven for the birdlife. While in town, make sure you pop into a local business for a roll of Totally Tambo toilet paper, freely given away as a gift from the community.   Visit the Tambo Teddies Workshop and see the sheep skin teddy bears being created, each bear is named after a property in the Tambo district, giving them claim to some of the oldest settled country in Queensland.

 Day 5 – Tambo to Barcaldine.     Stop for lunch at Blackall.

Whilst in Barcaldine, stand in the very spot where the Australian Labor Party was first formed after the Shearing Strike of 1891 under the Tree of Knowledge.   For a town that ‘rode on the a sheep’s back’ to prosperity, it makes sense that a sheep station is high on the to-do list in Barcaldine. In 1861, there were 394,655 sheep in Barcaldine, but today there are just 60,000 sheep in town. Although still a prime industry, the town’s aim is to “bring back the sheep” (industry) and the jobs that go with it. For a taste of life on the land, point your bonnet 5-kilometers south of town and 14-kilometers inland, to Dunraven Station. Set on 25,000 hectares, the station has been in the Donoleys’ family for over 100 years – and today Roberta and Paul are more than happy to share their family’s story with visitors to the local area.   Tours take two hours and guarantee plenty of sunsets and sheep photos.

Day 6 – Barcaldine to Aramac.     Stop for lunch at Ilfracombe 

Visit to the Historic Wellshot Hotel one of the most unique outback pubs, over one hundred years old and well worth looking through, with its woolpress bar, remarkable collection of hats and wealth of local memorabilia.

Aramac is a tiny rural settlement in central Queensland which has revitalised itself by carefully promoting the wonderful story of Harry Redford and the white bull – to such a point that there are small white bulls scattered around the town and a huge white bull in the centre of the main street.

Day 7 – Aramac to Hughenden.     Stop for lunch at Muttaburra 

The Muttaburra area is renowned locally for being a great place to fish for the famous Yellow Belly or Golden Perch.   Muttaburra’s most famous moment heads back to 1963, when grazier Doug Langdon uncovered the fossilised skeleton of a dinosaur.

Situated on the edge of a prehistoric inland sea, Hughenden was once home to terrestrial dinosaurs and marine reptiles.   Framed by four national parks, today the town is known for its rich fossil remains and stunning ancient landscapes where dinosaur fossils have been found since the 19th century.

Day 8 –Hughenden to Charters Towers.     Stop for lunch at Pentland 

The Pentland Hotel is a small, welcoming country pub in Pentland, North Queensland

Charters Towers is arguably the most beautiful inland city in Queensland.   Explore the city’s rich historic heritage, view the beautiful architecture of the building,  learn about the vast richness of the local gold mines and visit the Venus Gold Battery

Day 9 – Charters Towers

Day 10 – Charters Towers to Claremont.    Stop at Belyando Crossing Roadhouse for lunch.

Belyando Crossing Roadhouse is a great place to stop, and have a break as you travel between Charters Towers and Clermont.    Drive in for petrol, diesel or a meal, and enjoy our country hospitality.    You can fish for redclaw in the local creeks, visit the large, flat salt lake at Lake Buchanan.

If the excellent murals along the railway line on Herschel Street are an accurate indication, then Clermont is an important rural service centre where the economy has been driven by coal mining (at Blair Athol); gold and copper mining at Copperfield; cattle and sheep grazing; and the growing and harvesting of productive grain crops.  The town’s central appeal lies around Hood’s Lagoon where, in 1916, a flood of such ferocity killed a staggering 65 members of the local community.   It is recalled in a series of monuments, sculptures and memorials.   The town lies near the impressively beautiful Peak Range Park.

Day 11 –Claremont to Rubyvale.       Stop for lunch at Emerald. 

The Emerald Star has been a landmark of the region since 1908 and continues to live on as a favourite local pub and the home of entertainment in Emerald.    Make sure to get a photo of the famous Van Gogh Sunflower painting and The stunning historic Railway Station.

Day 12 – Rubyvale to Theodore.     Stop for lunch at Baralaba

Coal mining first founded Baralaba back in 1901.   Gold mining operations saw Mount Morgan Mine established in 1921, forging the way for other industries to move in, such as cattle and crop farming – sorghum, wheat and cotton in the main.

A pretty place, Theodore is shaped like a point between the Dawson River and Castle Creek, its palm lined streets give a tropical feel to the place.   Hewitt Park surrounds the water tower and is a great spot for a picnic lunch or if you’d prefer a river view, Rotary Park in 5th Avenue overlooks Castle Creek.

Day 13 – Theodore to Miles.     Stop for lunch at Taroom

Overnight in Miles where the tour will end.