🌾 Matilda Way Road Trip: The Ultimate Motorhome Guide (Queensland to SA)
Think of the Matilda Way as Queensland’s great Outback spine — it runs all the way from Cunnamulla in the south to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria. It’s roughly 1,812km of big skies, tiny towns, red dirt. If you’ve never driven Outback Queensland before, this stretch is a beauty. You’ll pass through towns with legendary stories, meet locals who could keep a yarn going for days, and visit the birthplace of Waltzing Matilda itself. The Matilda Way is one of those trips where the road feels like part of the attraction — long, quiet, and full of little surprises.
- The whole route is sealed, so you don’t need a 4WD camper. A good playlist and a sense of humour will get you through just fine.
- The dry season is the best time to tackle this trip - April to October, is your sweet spot. Warm days, cool nights and a calendar full of Outback festivals. You’ll also avoid the summer scorch and the chance of storms.
- Caravan parks, holiday parks and low-key camping spots dot the highway, and most towns are geared for travellers on wheels.
- Duration: 9–14 days, the itinerary below is the minimum, it would be much more satisfying to add in some extra time along the way.
- Have a read of RACQ’s Outback driving tips and make sure your motorhome is ready for the long haul.
Top things to do along the Matilda Way according to Queensland Tourism:
• Stargazing in Charleville
• Digging up dinosaur history in Winton
• Exploring Longreach’s Qantas Museum
• Kicking back with Gulf sunsets in Karumba
Matilda Way Motorhome Road Trip Itinerary
🚐 Day 1: Cairns → Karumba (844km 525mi / 10 hrs)
You might want to divide this day up, in which case go Cairns to Undara 258km 160mi /3hrs 30min and then the next day Undara to Karumba 600km 373mi / 7hrsPick up your motorhome in Cairns and point the nose northwest. It’s a long run to Karumba, but the scenery shifts from rainforest to savannah and finally to the shimmering Gulf.
Roll into Karumba just in time for a sunset that looks like it’s been Photoshopped. Grab a cold drink at the Sunset Tavern and enjoy the view — it’s practically a rite of passage.
Don’t miss:
• Les Wilson Barramundi Discovery Centre & Hatchery
• Feed the barra and learn why this town is the holy grail for fishing fans
Stay: Karumba Point Sunset Caravan Park — powered sites right by the water.
🚐Day 2: Karumba → Cloncurry (445km 277mi | 6 hrs)
Break up the drive with a stop in Normanton at the iconic Purple Pub and grab a photo with Krys the Croc, the enormous replica of a legendary 8.63m saltie.
Cloncurry — or “The Curry” if you want to sound like a local — is surrounded by red hills and Outback quiet. It’s full of character and history.
Things to do:
• Cloncurry Unearthed Visitor Information Centre & Museum
• Quick detour to the abandoned mining town of Mary Kathleen, now Insta-famous for its turquoise lake
Stay: Discovery Parks Cloncurry — great sites for vans and a tidy park to unwind.
🚐 Day 3: Cloncurry → Winton (350km 217mi | 4 hrs)
Head deeper into dinosaur country. Winton is where Banjo Paterson wrote Waltzing Matilda and where some of Australia’s most impressive fossils were found.
Don’t miss:
• Waltzing Matilda Centre
• Australian Age of Dinosaurs (prepare to feel tiny standing next to those bones)
• Royal Open Air Theatre — movies under the stars
Stay: Winton Wanderers Caravan Park or Winton’s Outback Caravan Park — both motorhome friendly.
Dinner tip: Tattersalls Hotel does a cracking steak and some very entertaining people-watching. You can also camp on the grounds.
🚐 Day 4 & 5: Winton → Longreach (180km 112mi | 2 hrs)
A short and easy drive brings you to Longreach, the beating heart of the Outback. Give yourself two days — there’s too much good stuff to rush.
- Longreach essentials:
• Qantas Founders Museum (get inside a jumbo!) - WWII Secret Base Museum
• Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame
• Cobb & Co stagecoach ride — chaotic in the best way
• Sunset cruise on the Thomson River
Eat: Merino Bakery for salad rolls the size of your head. The Italian Longreach is a solid dinner choice.
Stay: Longreach Tourist Park or Muddy Duck Tourist Park — both spacious for motorhomes.
🚐 Day 6: Longreach → Blackall (214km 133mi | 2 hrs)
Make a coffee stop in Barcaldine at Ridgee Didge Café, home to Australia’s first Indigenous-owned coffee roastery.
Blackall is legendary shearing country and home of Jackie Howe.
Things to do:
• Explore the historic Blackall Woolscour
• Soak in the Blackall Aquatic Centre’s artesian spa — naturally warm and very soothing after a driving day
Stay: Blackall Caravan Park or Barcoo River Campground for something quieter.
🚐 Day 7: Blackall → Charleville (300km 186mi | 3 hrs)
Charleville loves the night sky more than most towns, and it shows.
Don’t miss:
• Charleville Cosmos Centre for stargazing
• The Bilby Experience — meet one of Australia’s cutest endangered locals
Stay: Charleville Bush Caravan Park — peaceful, shaded and motorhome friendly.
Eat: Hotel Corones does hearty pub fare with a side of history.
🚐 Day 8: Charleville → Cunnamulla (200km 124mi | 2 hrs)
Ease into the day with a relaxed drive back towards Cunnamulla.
Things to do:
• Cunnamulla Fella Visitor Centre
• Cunnamulla All Aboard 3D sound-and-light show
• Cunnamulla Hot Springs — outdoor tubs with river views
• If you’re early, swing out to Charlotte Plains for a bore bath session
Lunch tip: Try the camel burger at Murphys Coffee Shop. Surprisingly delicious.
Stay: Warrego Riverside Tourist Park or Cunnamulla Caravan Park — both good for campervans.
🚐 Day 9: Cunnamulla → Brisbane (787km 489mi / 8hrs 45min)
You might want to break this trip up like did at the start. Stop in St George or Toowoomba and add another day to the itinerary.Return your motorhome
Your final stretch is a big travel day, but once you roll back into Brisbane, your Matilda Way adventure is complete. Drop off your motorhome and enjoy a well-earned meal somewhere with linen napkins in a big city.
While you're road-tripping in outback Queensland you will be travelling on a lot of the native lands of indigenous first people of Australia, be sure to pay your respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
Image credits : Tourism Queensland
