This joyous journey starts along the Capricorn Way, south-west out of Rockhampton, before turning into the Leichardt Way and finally the Great Inland Way, over colourful country creeks such as Valentine, Spring and Police Camp, past the tiny town of Westwood and through the delightful Dululu, whose name tip toes along your tongue.
Isla Gorge is perched in the distance and you’ll leave cattle country with its brooding brahman breeds, and enter agricultural lands on this road trip just short of 400km, which will slice through Banana, named after its famous yellow bull.
There’s a clutch of classic Queenslander cottages here and, further up the road, Banana Station, whose owners also operate The Waterline Restaurant at Keppel Bay Marina, and which produces some of the Australia’s finest beef.
Pause at the Moura Bakery for some of the state’s best home-made pies including the quintessential country Queensland snack – a corn meat and white sauce pie – but get there early, as these sell out early in this town which also boasts a Coal ‘n Cattle Drive Thru bottle shop.
Before you leave Moura, pay homage to the miners who have lost their lives in local mining disasters by visiting a moving memorial which incorporates an optical illusion to convey these tragic tales.
You’ll cross the Dawson River into Rolleston and the last town before Carnarvon Gorge where the afternoon shadows toss a blue-grey blanket over the horizon.
Pass over Christmas Creek, wrapped in tinsel and Australian humour, before your drive into BIG4 Breeze Holiday Parks Carnarvon Gorge, home to a giant grove of macrozamia trees and the aptly-named circles of Wallaby, Echidna, Platypus and Kookaburra.
There’s more than 1000 plants, 180 bird species, 90 reptiles and 60 mammals in this gorge alone providing plenty of opportunity for questions and curiosity.
Enter the gorge and into a magical, sub-tropical, semi-arid climate which is home to tall eucalypt forest and patches of remnant rainforest.
Be dwarfed by the gorge whose top measures some 600 metres high, while in the trees, you’ll hear screeching the seductive soundtrack of the Australian bush: screeching lorikeets, currawongs calling to each other and the twitter of the wee bill, Australia’s smallest bird.
