How to do Cobbold Gorge in 48 hours

If you’re leaving from Cairns or Townsville, you can expect a six-hour journey before you make it to the Cobbold Gorge Tours’ outback oasis.

From Cairns, you’ll need to follow the iconic Savannah Way before taking signs to Forsyth and then onto Cobbold Gorge. From Townsville, follow signs to Charters Towers, Lynd Junction and then onto Cobbold Gorge.

It’s recommended to leave in the morning in order to avoid driving through the outback during dusk where you’ll share the road with kangaroos and livestock – a dangerous combination that almost guarantees a dent in your bonnet. Safety aside, it means you’ll arrive in time to catch a glimpse of Cobbold’s sunset from the infamous infinity pool and swim up bar. You’d be mad to miss it.

3PM: Arrive and check into Cobbold Village 

Like most Outback Queensland stays, you’re graced with a selection of accommodation options, from flashpacker friendly camp sites and RV facilities, to en suite cabins, huts and suites. Take advantage of the shared facilities while you visit the Cobbold Village and find joy in speaking with like-minded characters around the campsite or within the bistro or bar.

An established hotspot for nomads, families and couples alike, the Cobbold Village invites everyone to enjoy the outback in their own special way. All pleasure seekers – without the crowds. An experience where comfort doesn’t give way to adventure, the village makes this unique spot easy to explore with ‘they thought of everything’ features.

7PM: Country cooking at Cobbold Gorge 

For a true reprieve from the pressures of daily life, ditch the washing up and treat yourself to dinner at the Cobbold Village onsite restaurant. Dinner can be ordered a la carte or from the daily specials board. If you’re travelling on a pinch, drive your dollar a little further and purchase a meal deal for dinner and breakfast the following morning.

At dinner time, there’s often a Gulf-caught fish on the menu. Just a taste will indicate why this region is so renowned for fishing. If night one in the Gorge doesn’t have you dining out, be sure to visit at least once during your time here – the open deck and star-spangled ceiling are an experience in themselves.

Day 2

5AM: Rise with the early birds 

You don’t have to be an avid bird watcher to appreciate the dawn chatter of wild birds, often masked by city sounds back home. Over 100 species of bird have been spotted about Cobbold Gorge, so go for a morning wander and keep your eyes peeled for a vast selection of feathered friends, from herons and cormorants to parrots and honeyeaters.

Cobbold Gorge is a holiday destination for many species too, so you never quite know what you’ll spy around these parts. If a morning activity piques your interest, grab a canoe and take it out into the dam in front of the infinity pool for the best seats in the house.

Once the morning has settled into itself, head to the restaurant for breakfast and fuel up for the day ahead with a cooked or continental style breakfast. Or, for those camping and caravanning, warm up an on-site BBQ and revel in a hot cooked breakfast of your own.

10AM: How to see Cobbold Gorge  

If you’re wondering how to do Cobbold Gorge for the day, it’s as simple as booking a guided tour through the Village. This breath-taking natural wonder is located on managed property and access is by tour only. This helps to protect this special place for future generations and offers an incredible opportunity to learn the intricacies of the area and its evolving history.

Guided by a professional Savannah Guide, you’ll learn about the geological processes that formed the red, rippled gorge. The three-hour tour will cover all you could want to learn of the sandstone formations that encompass a whopping 80km2 of the gorge, tower over 30m high and come as narrow as two metres - earning it the title of Queensland’s narrowest gorge.

Tour the gorge by electric powered boat – quietly motored as not to disturb the gentle serenity of the natural ecosystems it passes. It glides across the surface mirroring the eerie silence of the Cobbold Gorge itself. A special and serene wonder.

The essentials for a day trip on the gorge are the usual suspects – a hat, water bottle and camera. The tour returns by 1pm for those who live on the thoughts of their next meal.

2PM: How to view the Cobbold Gorge on foot 

You’ve done the view ‘through’, now to experience the Cobbold Gorge at new heights. 19 metres high, to be precise.

A main draw card for those visiting the gorge – an eleven-metre-long glass bridge that lets you gaze to the waters below. It’s the kind of experience that’ll have you raise the camera and yell ‘give us a wave’ to whoever you might be travelling with. You’ll do anything to capture ‘that’ moment.

The bridge is the first of its kind in Australia, constructed entirely of glass. It took three whole days to install, with the help of a heavy-lift helicopter.

For those fearful of heights, fear not. There’s plenty of natural wonders surrounding that’ll have you distracted from the gorge below.

3PM: Kick your feet up, adventure-seeker

Drop back the pace and spend the afternoon soaking in your surrounds. After a long day of exploration, take the time to absorb what you’ve seen and what you’ve learned. Relax into the outback atmosphere and spend your afternoon wandering the surrounds or take a dip in the infinity pool.

If you’d rather dial up, not down, you can use the afternoon to book one of Cobbold Gorge’s famous scenic helicopter rides. See parts of the gorge that aren’t accessible to the public any other way. A special slice of scenery for your eyes only, then and there.

Or, for more action on ground lace up your hiking shoes for an arvo bushwalk on one of the three nearby tracks throughout the property. Keep your eyes peeled for agate on the ground – little hints of the nearby gem fields scattered beneath your feet.

This family friendly natural wonder also has a kids’ club that play movies throughout the heat of the day, so while your little ones aren’t bird spotting or adventuring with you they’re comfortable and entertained.

5:30PM: Let the sun set on your adventure

Outback sunsets aren’t to be missed. There’s something whimsical about watching the sorbet sunset drop down over the landscape. Like famous Australian paintings coming to life before your eyes, changing every minute until the yellow and pink hues disappear to make way for the evening. To catch the phenomenon during your stay, head to Quartz Blow. It’s around an 8km walk from the Village so leave plenty of time to journey out there before the sun dips. Pack drinks and nibbles for the show and find a spot on the large white quartz extrusion for front row seats. As always, leave nothing but nature behind you.

Day 3

8AM: How to do Cobbold Gorge on a stand-up paddle board

Save one of the best for last. Rise, shine, and book into a stand-up paddle board tour of the gorge to finish off your long weekend. Enjoy the journey from a different angle, a way to feel more engaged with the surroundings and connected to the gorge itself.

No need to be a SUP expert – with no wind and no waves, the Cobbold Gorge is a beginners’ playground, making it an accessible activity to most visitors with a range of fitness levels. The tour returns by 9:30am, leaving enough time to savour one last breakfast in the Village before taking off.

Stretch out the last of your getaway and pay a visit to the Agate Creek Fossicking Area on your way back. For less than $10 you can try your luck at spotting a gem to call your own, and the permit extends to any fossicking site across Queensland for a month – just another great reason to plan another Queensland adventure ASAP. 

NB: Cobbold Gorge closes each year for the summer season between November and March.