Travelling around Australia? Spend five days on the Country Way

Day 1: Wallangarra to Toowoomba (186km / 2hr 15m)

Queensland's section of the Country Way officially starts at southern border town Wallangarra. So while you’re in the neighbourhood, detour east to see the wildflowers and rock monoliths of Girraween National Park.

Don’t pass through Stanthorpe – the epicentre of Granite Belt wine country – without a coffee from Brinx Deli and slice of apple pie at Sutton’s Farm. There's so much to do here you could spend a whole weekend tasting your way around . But if you're short on time, you can also stock up with fresh veggies at roadside stalls along the way.

Drive on and step back to the turn of the 20th century in Warwick inside Glengallan Historic Homestead or pull up a stool and have a beer in Rudd's Pub. Author Steel Rudd, who lived near Nobby, spent many an hour here penning On Our Selection, which later led to the Dad and Dave radio series.

You might find it hard to tear away, but if you’re passing through here in the summertime, there’s something you won’t want to miss. As you continue from Warwick to Allora, keep watch for a sea of yellow on the horizon, with fields of sunflowers in bloom.

There are plenty of quirky places to stay in Queensland Country if the idea of spending a night with your own private observatory or inside an old rail carriage appeals. Otherwise, once you arrive in Toowoomba, bed down for the night in the historic Vacy Hall. If you’re towing the van, the Big 4 Toowoomba Garden City Park has slab, drive-thru and ensuite sites ready and waiting.

Have a little more time up your sleeve? Extend your stay in Toowoomba and tap into a local’s expertise.

Day 2: Toowoomba to Kingaroy (164km / 2hr 10m)

You’re in the home of the annual Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, so start the day with a little garden-snooping at Queen's Park before you switch the focus to plants of a larger kind.

This is your chance to drive through some of the state’s most spectacular national parks, from the Valley of Diamonds gorge in Crows Nest to the palm groves of Ravensbourne and the ancient rainforest and waterfalls of the Bunya Mountains.

You'll know you're in peanut country when the green makes way for the rich red soil of Kingaroy, and you spot the Heritage-listed silos. It would be remiss to stay here for the night and not sample at least a few of the region's flavours and wash them down with a local red.

You can find a bed at a motel in town, but for something a little more special take your pick from an old dairy, worker’s cottage or circa-1912 church perched upon rolling fields of green at Hillview Cottages.

Day 3: Kingaroy to Gayndah (142km / 1hr 40m)

Today you’re headed straight for citrus country as you enter the flourishing North Burnett region. But before you get there, make a stop in Wondai to check out the South Burnett Timber Industry Museum.

Snap a pic with the Big Orange in Gayndah - which founded in 1849 lays claim to being one of Australia's oldest towns. Sample their fresh orange juice, available in the season between April and October, then lay out a picnic by the Burnett River in nearby Mundubbera.

This region supplies 70% of Australia’s mandarins as well as limes, mangoes, garlic, pecans, asparagus and dragonfruit. Turn down any given road and you're likely to discover a roadside stall overflowing with picnic supplies.

Tonight, pull up stumps at the Mundubbera Three Rivers Tourist Park or back in town at Country Roads Motor Inn. 

Day 4: Gayndah to Biloela (230km / 2hr 40m)

Today's drive blends a country legend with some awe-inspiring countryside. This morning, pay your respects to R.M. Williams at the Australian Bush Learning Centre in Eidsvold before heading to the sandstone cliffs and rainforest of Cania Gorge National Park.  

Indigenous people have lived in Cania Gorge for at least 19,000 years; and the aboriginal artworks that adorn sandstone walls throughout the national park is a reminder of this land's history. 

Lace up the hiking boots and choose from one of eight bushwalks which reveal monolithic overhangs, dry gullies, and wedge-tailed eagles circling above. There's a walk for everyone, from the steady one-hour Dragon and Bloodwood Cave track to the 22km-return to Castle Mountain.

Fancy throwing a line in? This is prime inland-fishing territory and you don’t even need a boat. Pull out beautiful barra and red claw from Lake Callide, or if fishing isn’t really your thing, hire a kayak and paddle to your heart’s content.

If you can’t bear to tear away from the water, camp right beside it at the pet-friendly Lake Callide Retreat. Prefer to stay in town? Discovery Parks Biloela offers cabins and camping sites with all the conveniences.

Day 5: Biloela to Rockhampton (144km / 1hr 45m)

It’s not often you come face-to-face with a larger-than-life artwork wrapped around a water tower. But the Spirit of the Land mural is your chance to get to know Biloela with a display revealing the town's story from Indigenous beginnings to pioneer settlement in 1928. 

Make time this morning to check out the vintage machinery and heritage buildings in Queensland Heritage Park or a visit to Greycliffe Homestead, which was built in the 1870s and is open by appointment. 

If there’s one thing this region has in spades, it’s mountains and national parks you’ve never heard of. Start by visiting Mount Scoria, formed by volcanic activity around 25-million years ago, before discovering Isla Gorge and Expedition National Park. If you’re travelling around Australia by 4×4, this is also the northern access point for Kroombit Tops National Park.

It's then time to bid farewell to the forests and say hello to iron-rich red-dirt, cotton and cattle country. Mining town Mount Morgan is bursting with goldrush history, where you can visit an open cut gold or silver mine, or get a glimpse into the past at the Railway Museum.

The open road is all that's left between you and your final destination on the Country Way, Rockhampton. Stick around for a while: there's plenty to do, plenty to eat, and so much to discover from the country to the coast, and out into the Southern Great Barrier Reef.