Your Capricorn Way road trip guide: six days from Rockhampton to Barcaldine

Start your Capricorn Way adventure uncovering a slice of Queensland history in Rockhampton. Known as ‘Rocky’ or Australia’s beef capital, this town was the main port for the rich Mount Morgan goldfields in the 1880s and ‘90s – and you can learn its history on foot along the Rockhampton Heritage Building Trail. Start at the wharves, then meander along Quay Street with its 26 heritage-listed grand old buildings (the Queensland National Bank building at No. 186 is particularly impressive).

Don’t miss the opportunity to explore Rockhampton Museum of Art - regional Queensland's largest and most exciting art space. Home to international and local art exhibitions, historic paintings, and artefacts that reveal the history and heritage of the area, the museum will help introduce you to Central Queensland’s story before you experience it for yourself.

Tonight, kick back on a sunset cruise along the Fitzroy River – River Cruises CQ will pass around some nibbles while you keep an eye out for local birdlife and crocs. Hungry? Here’s where you’ll find the best steak or smoothest cuppa in Rockhampton.

Overnight: Stay central tonight – Discovery Parks offers a range of cabins and powered sites, Citywalk Motor Inn is affordable and walkable, while Edge Apartment Hotel is ideal for those seeking river views.

Here are more things to do if you’re in Rockhampton a little longer.

Catch the day’s first rays from the ultimate vantage point: Mount Archer.

Located on Rocky’s north-eastern outskirts, Mount Archer offers panoramic views of the town and surrounding range. Drive to the summit and head straight to the Nurim Circuit, an elevated treetop boardwalk. The sunrise views look even better with a hot coffee in hand, so swing by a local café on the drive.

The national park boasts a number of walks for those who want to get their heart rate up before breakfast. The short stroll to Grasstree Lookout offers views of the three peaks of Mount Badger, Sleipner and Berserker, while Zamia Walk is more challenging and requires a solid half day or full day to complete, depending on which route you take.  

Leave Rockhampton in your rear-view mirror (for now) and make tracks 30km north to Capricorn Caves. A range of guided tours will have you exploring the network of tunnels and shafts through the ancient limestone caves - formed from deposits made by a coral reef 390 million years ago.

Overnight: Capricorn Caves is an advanced eco tourism property with cabins and caravan sites among the bush. Spend your night stargazing, then wake up with the wallabies while savouring your morning brew.

Those who want a taste of the coast should pause the Capricorn Way road trip here and make tracks to Yeppoon for a day (or longer), where beaches, islands and Great Barrier Reef beauty is waiting.

Head back towards Rockhampton to rejoin the Capricorn Way and then travel around an hour up the road to pit-stop at Duaringa, the oldest township in the area which dates back to the 1860s. Botany enthusiasts should head to Mackenzie Park to spot the rare endemic ‘Budgeroo’ trees. Look closely and imagine their bark being fashioned into rope, baskets and building materials by the early local Indigenous community.

Your next stop is perhaps the most spectacular slice of nature along Capricorn Way: Blackdown Tableland National Park. The traditional home of the Ghungalu Peoples, take in the awe-inspiring views of rugged sandstone cliffs and mountain ranges from Mook Mook Lookout, then take a hike to explore further. The Gudda Gumoo Gorge Track (4km return, 2-3 hours) winds into the gorge, and you’ll be surrounded by giant ferns and native birdsong en route to Rainbow Falls – the perfect spot for a dip on a hot day. To view Ghungalu rock art, take the Goon Goon Dina Loop, an easy 2.4km bushwalk along a well maintained path. Take your time to stop and look closer: the national park is home to many plants found nowhere else, including Blackdown stringybark and red bottlebrush.

Use this guide to Blackdown Tableland National Park to plan your visit.

Overnight: There’s nothing quite like the serenity of spending the night off-grid in the national park – so set up camp and tell yarns by the fire at Munall Camping Area. Otherwise, Bluff Hotel is about 45-minutes’ drive back onto Capricorn Way with basic rooms and a good pub feed.

Day 4: Blackdown Tableland National Park to Emerald

Today you’re heading into coal country as your Capricorn Way road trip meanders west through Blackwater to Emerald, the gateway to the Sapphire Gemfields, one of the richest sapphire fields in the Southern Hemisphere.

You’ll notice the Big Easel on your drive into town. It may seem strange at first that Emerald is home to the world’s biggest Van Gogh ‘Sunflowers’ replica (at 25m high), but once you discover this region was once flush with fields of golden flowers, it will start to make more sense. If you’re driven to tick off all the ‘big things’ in Queensland, this is a great one to add to your collection. While you’re here, wander over to the Visitor Information Centre to have a chat to the locals and get the lay of the land.

Extra time up your sleeve? Emerald Botanic Gardens stretches over 42 hectares on both sides of the Nogoa River. Explore 6km of walking tracks to discover the rose garden, maze, wedding chapel and sculptures, or simply find a shady spot to enjoy a picnic. Fossil hunters will appreciate the fragment of a fossilised tree at Emerald Town Hall – estimated to be 250 million years old. For more history, visit the Emerald Railway Station which was built at the turn of the 20th century and listed by the National Trust.

Overnight:  Lake Maraboon is a camping and fishing haven just a short drive south of Emerald. It’s stocked with barramundi but is best known for its red claw crayfish, which can be snagged from the shore. Settle in for the evening at the lakeside BIG4 holiday village. Alternatively, Emerald Maraboon Motor Inn is a great choice for hotel accommodation in town.

Day 5: Emerald to Barcaldine

You can’t leave gemfields country without learning a thing or two about the area’s mining history – or trying your hand at fossicking.

Miners Heritage in nearby Rubyvale is Australia's largest underground walk-in sapphire mine tour. After a fascinating 40-minute tour, explore the underground museum to learn about some of the huge sapphires uncovered here over the years and check out the showroom of precious gems. Let that be your inspiration to buy a bucket of "wash" and start fossicking for your own gem. You never know what you might find!

Jewels in hand (fingers crossed!), drive west towards Alpha, known as the Town of Murals. Climbing the Drummond Range en route, be sure to pull over for views at Drummond Range Lookout. Local artists have been telling tales of the area’s history with paint and brush since the early 1990s in Alpha – and there are currently 27 murals to spot around town. Don’t leave without trying one of the famed pies from Snow’s Bakery.

This afternoon, drive towards Barcaldine, or “Barcy” as it’s fondly known, on the crossroads of the Matilda and Capricorn Highways.

Overnight: Lara Wetlands is one of the most special camping spots along Capricorn Way. Located on Lara Station, a working cattle property, the bush campground beside the wetlands is teeming with wildlife. Campers have access to a natural, hot artesian pool, bushwalks, kayaks, bikes, a kids’ playground and camp kitchen. Between June – August, the owners host camp oven dinners on Saturday nights, happy hour three nights a week, along with tours of the historical homestead and property.

Day 6: Barcaldine

Rise and shine for a true blue Aussie outback experience. Today you’re joining Barcaldine Tag Along Tours on a self-drive tour of Dunraven Station, with the owners of the sheep and cattle station as your guides. For the next 2.5 hours, you’ll get to know daily life on the station, from the shearing shed to the paddocks.  

Need a pick-me-up after your early start? Drive into Barcaldine and head to the Ridgee Didge Café for a burger and a cup of Coolamon Coffee, an Indigenous coffee that blends the essence of the Outback and Aboriginality.

In Barcaldine, the Tree of Knowledge, a ghost gum in the centre of town, is believed to have lived for more than 150 years. Today, it forms part of an impressive sculpture and a reminder of the unsuccessful 1891 Queensland shearers’ strike that fed into the formation of the Australian Labor Party.

Afterwards, head to the Australian Workers Heritage Centre, the only dedicated tribute to Australian working men and women in the country. The old world Radio Theatre – set within a WWII hangar-esque shed replete with canvas chairs – is also worth a visit.

You’ve officially completed your Capricorn Way adventure from Rockhampton to Barcaldine, but for one last opportunity to soak it all in, a soak in Lara Wetlands’ artesian pool is calling.

Overnight: Lara Wetlands – you just might never want to leave.

Where to next? Keep heading west to Longreach – the heart of Outback Queensland. Or, head through Matilda Country from Barcaldine on this road trip. You’re also right by Outback Queensland’s dinosaur trail.