Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

OUTBACK QUEENSLAND 361
sells basic take-out food and groceries that you can cook on the coin-operated
gas barbecues (bring your own cutlery and crockery). You share shower blocks
(and the showers are hot), and there’s a public pay phone. If you want a campfire,
buy wood before you arrive.
Beechmont via Canungra, QLD 4211. & 1800/074 260 in Australia, or 07/5533 3622. Fax 07/5533 3747.
www.BinnaBurralodge.com.au. 8 powered campsites, 12 unpowered tent sites; 17 permanent tents (none
with bathroom). Tent sites A$10 (US$6.50) adult, A$7 (US$4.55) seniors and students, A$30 (US$20) family
of 5; powered site A$3.50 (US$2.30) extra per person per night. Permanent tents A$40 (US$26) for a 2-bed
tent, A$60 (US$39) for a 4-bed tent. Half price for children 5–16. BYO linen and blankets. Ask about weekly
discounts and midweek specials. AE, DC, MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant; coin-op laundry.
11 Outback Queensland
Spread over 3,000km (1,875 miles), the Outback is a heartstopping land of clear
blue skies, burnished sunsets, rolling plains, rugged ranges, and endless vistas.
Populated with colorful characters that could have walked off a movie set, the
Outback is the heart and soul of Queensland. This is where the Aussie tradition
of mateship was born, as pioneering cattlemen and their families battled the elements
to make a go of it. The Queensland Outback is the birthplace of Australian
legends like Waltzing Matilda. History comes alive when you get to
places like the Burke River at Boulia, where explorers Burke and Wills filled
their waterbags and modern-day travelers are invited to do the same, or at Lark
Quarry, where dinosaurs once roamed.
The main centers of Queensland Outback life are the towns of Charleville, Barcaldine,
Longreach, and Winton, and the mining town of Mt. Isa. They may be
small, but they offer a completely different view of this vast state than you will get
on the coast, and they are definitely worth the effort it takes to get to them.
LONGREACH
700km (437 miles) W of Rockhampton; 1,286km (804 miles) NW of Brisbane.
With a population of about 4,500, Longreach is the largest town in Queensland’s
Central West. One of the biggest surprises for first-time visitors to Longreach
is that the town is set on the banks of a wide brown river, the Thomson.
And after a hard day’s traveling or sightseeing around Longreach, there’s nothing
more relaxing than a sunset cruise on the river or a campfire on its banks.
This is bush ranger country, and wherever you go in this area, you’ll hear the
story of Captain Starlight, the cattle rustler who’s become part of local folklore—it’s
one of those stories which gets better with each telling, and which has
been immortalized in the classic Australian novel Robbery Under Arms by Rolfe
Boldrewood. There’s plenty to do in Longreach, and tour operators are on hand
to take the difficulty out of the distances involved.
GETTING THERE By Car From Brisbane, Longreach is 1,286km (804
miles) northwest. Take the Warrego Highway west through Toowoomba and
Roma, heading toward Charleville. About 90km (56 miles) before Charleville,
head north to Augathella and join the Matilda Highway. From there it is about
320km (200 miles) to Barcaldine, and from there another 108km (67 miles)
west to Longreach. From Rockhampton, the Capricorn Highway heads almost
directly west through Emerald and Alpha for about 590km (369 miles) before
joining the Matilda Highway.
By Plane Qantas (& 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au) flies into
historic Longreach Airport from Brisbane daily.