Big Sky National Parks

8 Day Loop From Brisbane or Toowoomba

Start: Brisbane or Toowoomba

Finish: Brisbane or Toowoomba

Duration: 1933 kms (Brisbane) / 1721 kms (Toowoomba) – 8 Days

Highlights

• Soak in the mineralised termal waters of the Great Artesian Basin.
• Experience spectacular sunsets at Bonus Downs Farm Stay.
• Gallop through the bush onboard the Cobb & Co Stage Coach.

Day 1 & 2: Brisbane or Toowoomba to Bunya Mountains

Duration: 230 kms - 3 hrs (Brisbane) / 104 kms - 1.75 hrs (Toowoomba)

Drive from Brisbane to Toowoomba via the Warrego Highway. Take a scenic drive from Toowoomba to Gus Beutel Lookout for stunning views over Ravensbourne National Park. Travel through the old timber town of Crows Nest to Maidenwell Trading Post for some welcome refreshments. Drive beneath stunning rainforest canopies and ancient bunya pines to Bunya Mountains National Park. Relax in the privacy of your Bunya Mountains Chalet with stunning views of the surrounding rainforest. Book in for a luxurious in-chalet healing massage or follow a selection of walking tracks to explore nine kinds of rainforests, ancient plant species and an abundance of native wildlife. Join in the daily wild bird feeding activities – 4 sessions daily and watch the Chocolate Wattled Bat emerge at dusk.

We recommend: Stay 2 nights at the Bunya Mountains Accommodation Centre in Bunya.

Day 3 & 4: Bunya Mountains to Carnarvon Gorge

Duration: 570 kms - 7.5 hrs

Drive west to Chinchilla, Australia’s melon capital and Roma, home of The Big Rig, before arriving at Carnarvon Gorge National Park - an oasis in the semi-arid heart of Central Queensland. See spectacular sandstone gorge vistas, ancient rainforests and well-preserved Aboriginal rock art on tracks that have been classified to match your bushwalking experience and fitness. Explore Carnarvon Gorge’s beautiful Moss Garden walk with its splendid waterfall backdrop, ferns and mosses. Follow the short walk to Baloon Cave to see stencilled Aboriginal rock art. Wake up to a symphony of birdsong and witness colourful sunrises as the light meets the gorge’s sandstone cliffs. By day, see kangaroos and wallabies around the picnic area. At night, spot night echidnas and listen to the call of yellow-bellied gliders, owls and the bush stone-curlew.

We recommend: Stay 2 nights at the Carnarvon Gorge Wilderness Lodge in Carnarvon Gorge.

Day 5: Carnarvon Gorge to St George

Duration: 436 kms - 6 hrs

Travel south along the Carnarvon Highway to Injune, a thriving country town with some 450 residents. Continue south to St George, Queensland’s inland fishing capital, then visit Riversands Winery for a personalised wine tasting and meal at their on-site café. Call into the Unique Egg to see a world-class collection of hand-crafted emu eggs, then join a sunset cruise on the Balonne River with its 230 species of birdlife.

We recommend: Stay overnight at the Riverland Motor Inn in St George.

Day 6 & 7: St George to Wyberba

Duration: 432 kms - 4.5 hrs

Take a break at the historic Nindigully Pub, Queensland's oldest hotel, on the banks of the Moonie River. If time permits, join a cotton farm tour in Goondiwindi. Visit Coolmunda Organic Olives near Inglewood, walk through the olive grove and taste organic olives. Follow a selection of bushwalks from your private bush chalet surrounded by Girraween National Park with its intriguing balancing boulders, cascading waterfalls and cool rock pools. See quiet kangaroos grazing in open fields, brilliant turquoise parrots, yellow-tufted honeyeaters and red-necked wallabies as you explore over 17km of walking tracks to suit all levels of fitness. Visit nearby award-winning wineries, restaurants and local producers just a short drive from the National Park.

We recommend: Stay 2 nights at the Girraween Environmental Lodge in Wyberba.

Day 8: Wyberba to Toowoomba or Brisbane

Duration: 179 kms - 2.25 hrs (Toowoomba) / 265 kms - 3.5 hrs (Brisbane)

Travel north to Stanthorpe and explore Queensland’s premier food and wine region. Sample cider and apple pie at Suttons Apple Farm and visit Stanthorpe Cheese for hand-made farmhouse cheese. Call into the Rose and Rodeo city of Warwick with its beautiful sandstone buildings. Return to Toowoomba via Glengallan Homestead and Allora, the childhood home of Mary Poppins creator P.L. Travers. Alternatively, follow the Cunningham Highway through Main Range National Park back to Brisbane.

This road trip was provided by Queensland's Big Sky Country Drives.

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