Rodeo road trips

If you’re planning on travelling from afar to the Mount Isa Rodeo in August (or any other time), make sure you make the most of your road trip. Out west, we like to say that all roads lead to Mt Isa! Here’s our guide to help you make the most of your travelling time.

Brisbane to Mount Isa

Here’s a great driving itinerary from Brisbane to Mount Isa:

• Head west on the Warrego Highway to Charleville. It’s about 745 kilometres from the Brisbane CBD. In Charleville you’ll find the Cosmos Centre and Observatory where you can learn about astronomy and get magnificent sky views.
• Your next stop from Charleville should be Tambo. It’s about 200 kilometres north along the Matilda Way. Make sure you check out Ben’s Chicken Racing that’s on every night between April 1 and October 31 at the Royal Carrangarra Hotel at sunset.
• Keep heading north from Tambo to Barcaldine for another 200 kilometres and stop off at the Wellshot Hotel, another great country pub. You can also check out some Australian history at the Australian Workers Heritage Centre.
• Longreach should be your next stop about another 100 kilometres west of Barcaldine. There you’ll find the Qantas Founders Museum and the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame.
• From Longreach, head north-west for 180 kilometres to Winton and visit the Waltzing Matilda Centre, the Australian Age of Dinosaurs and the Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways.
• Mount Isa is about another 5-hour drive north-west of Winton on the Landsborough Highway.

All up, it’s about a 20-hour drive from Brisbane to Mount Isa, so make sure you have plenty of stops along the way.

Rockhampton to Mount Isa

If you’re heading to Mount Isa from Rocky along the Capricorn Way, here are some great stops:

• The Sapphire Gemfields in the Central Highlands. It’s about a 3-and-a-half-hour drive west of Rocky.
• Keep heading west from the Central Highlands and in just under 3 hours you’ll be in Barcaldine. Stop off at the Wellshot Hotel for some refreshments and visit the Australian Workers Heritage Centre if you want to step back in time.
• Your next stop should be Longreach, about another 100 kilometres west of Barcaldine. Make sure you check out the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and the Qantas Founders Museum.
• Then head north-west for 180 kilometres to Winton and visit the Australian Age of Dinosaurs, the Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways and the Waltzing Matilda Centre.
• Then it’s on to the Mt Isa rodeo! Mount Isa is about another 5-hour drive north-west of Winton on the Landsborough Highway. Make sure you pre-book any Mount Isa Rodeo experiences that you want to do.

All up, it’s about a 14-hour drive from Rockhampton to Mount Isa, so plenty of stops will help to break it up.

Townsville to Mount Isa

Here’s a great driving itinerary from Townsville to Mount Isa on the Overlander’s Way:

• Travel west for about 4 hours to Hughenden, and then check out Australia’s Dinosaur Trail from Hughenden to Richmond.
• Stop off at the Artesian Baths in Julia Creek, about a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Richmond.
• Mount Isa is just under 3 hours west from Julia Creek.

All up, it’s about a 10-hour drive from Townsville to Mount Isa, so there’s no hurry.

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