A family expedition of prehistoric proportions on Outback Queensland Overlanders Way

Dig this - the land before time existed, and you can find it by heading west into Outback Queensland from Townsville following the Overlanders Way. But tell the kids this is not just any old adventure, it’s an expedition of prehistoric proportions and as palaeontologists in training, they’ll be leading the way.

Day 1: Townsville to Hughenden | 380km (4 hrs 10 mins)

The best place to get them started is at Townsville’s Museum of Tropical Queensland. It’s here you’ll discover western Queensland was once inundated by sea. By immersing at the Ancient Seas and Reef Exhibition you can size up against some of the fierce dinosaur and marine creatures you’ll be meeting, while the kids can practice dusting off fossils in the palaeontology lab.

Heading west to Charters Towers, do the windy drive up Towers Hill. It’s a great spot to pause for lunch and to bask in breathtaking views. Wander around the storyboards to learn of the town’s rich gold mining history. And if the kids can be really quiet, they might spy some of the shy agile wallabies who like to forage between the rocks.

Hughenden is your first stop and in ancient terms, was once the shore of the Eromanga Sea. It’s here you’ll meet your first life-sized dinosaur: Mutt, the Muttaburasaurus who adores a selfie. Afterwards, when you step inside the Flinders Discovery Centre, you’ll meet "Hughie”, a replica of the first dinosaur found in Hughenden in 1967. Expect him to draw a roar from the kids (he’s quite the impressive specimen) but they’ll love looking over the fossils, crystals and gemstones on display here too.

Overnight: Allen Terry Caravan Park or if you're fully self-contained, there’s a free camp at the showgrounds, opposite the Hughenden Recreational Lake.

Day 2: Hughenden and Porcupine Gorge | 66 km (45 mins)

If you haven’t already been awoken by the flocks of cheery cockatoos signalling breakfast, rise early for a lakeside stroll and play on the playgrounds at Hughenden Recreational Lake. The kids will love a spin on the hamster wheel and if it’s warm, a swim to start their day fresh. For fossil hunting enthusiasts, a scan of the Flinders River banks is recommended by locals. There’s a free dig site right beside the Showgrounds where otherworldly moon rocks can often be found. These pearl-like circular rocks might encase fossils, so crack a few open to see what’s hiding inside before stepping into Holdens Bakery for breakfast.

Drive just over an hour to Porcupine Gorge to revel in incredible views from the first of one of two lookouts. Both are just a short walk from the carpark, so easy on little legs too. Lookout two is at Pyramid Campground but take the 2.4km, grade 3 return hike to the gorge floor to splash in Porcupine Creek and marvel at the incredible natural contours of the Pyramid - for which this area is named. Regarded as ‘Australia’s little Grand Canyon’ the gorge has been weathered over 500 million years, but to see it at its best, join a Fox Helicopter Tour to bask in the colours and texture layering its awe-inspiring 120-metre walls. An extended tour to Whites Mountain National Park offers an epic picnic beside the Flinders River before you return to follow the weaves and bends of Porcupine Gorge back to camp. The kids will feel like rockstars if you arrange the helicopter to pick you up at camp.

Overnight: Pyramid Campground (bookings essential) or return to Hughenden.

Day 3: Hughenden to Richmond | 115km (1 hr 20 mins)

While Hughenden was the shoreline of the Eromanga Sea, Richmond was considered to be the heart where some of Australia’a most well preserved fossils have been unearthed.

The kids can learn about the fearsome Kronosaurus, the biggest fossil found in Queensland. A replica guards the entry to Kronosaurus Korner, considered one of the best museum for marine fossils in the world. Watch the short film in the theatre to see just how fierce Pliosaurs were, and view over 1000 fossil exhibits using a self-guided audio tour to share some of the more notable stories with your wide-eyed and mouths agape kids.

And while you could easily spend all day here, leave some time to dig for your own fossils. Two free dig sites are close by, and after picking up a permit at reception, and grabbing the kids a dino meal at the onsite cafe, hit the dirt to see what you can find. Fossil finding kits are available to purchase at Kronosaurus, and they include the cutest little fluorescent safety vest, glasses, tools and field notes which is the perfect souvenir to keep alongside any fossils you might find. And if you do unearth anything interesting, make sure you return to Kronosaurus Korner to have the Palaeontologist take a look.

Overnight: Lakeview Caravan Park, beside Lake Fred Tritton where free BBQ facilities, walking tracks that circumnavigate the lake and a kids playground are within a short stroll.

Day 4: Richmond to Julia Creek | 150km (1 hr 30 mins)

You’ll have time to spend enjoying the lake again before heading off on another fossil digging session. With two different sites to try, you could mix it up a little, or if you were lucky yesterday, a return to the same spot might yield similar results. Either way, if you do find something, your souvenir will be a 100 million-year-plus-old fossil; and if you find something of note, you could even end up with a dinosaur named after you!

When you’ve had your fill of fossils, drive the short distance to Julia Creek. One of the friendliest little towns in Outback Queensland and home to adorable dunnarts, whose habitat is the Mitchell Grass Plains surrounding Julia Creek. To see a little guy up close, visit to ‘Under The Creek’, part of the Julia Creek Visitor Information Centre where two daily feedings will introduce you to this cute but carnivorous, nocturnal, marsupial who is quicker than light when darting around his den.

Afterwards, pop on your swimmers and head to the Julia Creek Artesian Baths at the Julia Creek Caravan Park. Here you can soak in waters drawn from 900 metres below the earth’s surface naturally infused with minerals and warmed by nature. It’s pure bliss for those dinosaur digging muscles - and the kids will sleep so soundly afterwards. You can BYO wine, and order a cheese platter from reception at least 36 hours before arrival.

Overnight: Julia Creek Caravan Park.

Day 5: Julia Creek to Cloncurry | 140 km (1 hr and 30 mins)

Continue on Overlander’s Way to Cloncurry Unearthed to check out the region’s geological history while admiring Australia’s largest collection of gemstones and minerals. Nearby, John Flynn Place Museum and Art Gallery records the inspiring story of one of the Outback’s true pioneers, the founder of the Royal Flying Doctors Service and the man who brought communication to the bush - Dr John Flynn. You can pick up some lunch from the Cloncurry Bakery before driving a further 30 minutes down the highway to the beautiful Clem Walton Park to free camp beside the Corella River and Corella Dam. And make sure you are settled before sunset to bask in the spectacle of the sun setting over the Selwyn Ranges as the rocks glow ruby red.

Overnight: Clem Walton Park, Cloncurry.

Day 6: Cloncurry to Mount Isa | 70km (1 hr)

It’s just a short one hour’s drive to Mount Isa, where your family date with a miner awaits. By joining the Hard Times Mine Tour you’ll descend 20 metres into a purpose-built mine designed to give you a glimpse into life underground. The kids will look adorable in their mini miners’ suits, hard hats and headlights, and after a turn on the drills, will be rewarded with smoko in the crib room.

Afterwards, grab some lunch in the on-site cafe before joining a discovery tour of the Riversleigh Fossil Centre Expect a thoroughly immersive, hands on experience where you’ll learn how scientists have dated the evolution of Australia’s unique wildlife using fossils found at Riversleigh World Heritage Area. Thrill the kids with a virtual Dromornithid dance (the giant two metre, 250-kilogram bird lived at Riversleigh 25 million years ago) and after, tour the fossil laboratory to see all sorts of incredible examples of fossils mid-prep in giant vats of acid, on trays to touch, and under the microscope. You’ll learn about carnivorous kangaroos, crocodiles that could run and a prehistoric platypus who used to have teeth. The kids will be educating their school teachers on their return to the classroom!

And as a fitting finale, your budding Attenboroughs might be impressed to learn that the real Attenborough rates Riversleigh as “one of the great wonders of the paleontological world.”