Longreach to Quilpie

Stonehenge – Free Camping on the Thomson River

We are now travelling on the Thomson Development Road towards Stonehenge in the heart of chanel country and once again the road is in excellent condition.

We left Longreach later in the afternoon and was getting worried that we wouldn’t make Stonehenge before dark. For the first time we have started seeing a lot of kangaroos on the road. But it was fine and managed to get to the town in good time. We were told by some locals in Longreach to speak to the publican at the Stonehenge Hotel to get directions on a good campsite for the night.

The sign was out for the Visitor Information Centre to obtain information but as we had arrived late on a Friday afternoon they were already closed. The publican, as promised was super friendly and helpful. In fact, everyone we spoke to that day was very friendly.

The caravan park works on a honesty system. There is a collection box over at the Visitor Information Centre. It is $16/night for powered and $10/night for un-powered. Albeit a lovely clean caravan park, this trip was all about free camping. However, if you do like camping in caravan parks, you really can’t go past this one and we are all for supporting these small towns.

Although we did decide to free camp down by the river. We did utilise the shower block in the morning. We paid our $10 into the honesty box (the cost of a un-powered site) to pay for the use of the shower.

We spoke with the publican and I said I saw a free camp on WikiCamps but I was unsure where it was. She said the best one in her opinion is out of town and to go over 2 bridges, turn right then find somewhere you want to camp down by the river. So we set off and found this lovely clearing but there was already a camper there. So after a quick hello and a introduction we enjoyed an evening with Bruce and Helen. Chris got a good campfire going and I set about baking lemonade scones for everyone and they were delicious.

This free camp spot was very peaceful and relaxing. We enjoyed chatting to fellow campers and as they came from the way we were going and vice versa it was a win win!

On the way out of town we took the opportunity to take a photo of these cute minions. When I saw them I immediately thought of our grandson Blake as he loves Minions. He would have loved to been able to see these.

So we have set off and not very far along was sign indicting a scenic look out. Swan Vale Jump-Up. It was a last minute decision to pull in to have a look. You come to a rest area and then there is an unassuming sign “look out this way”. It was a narrow dirt track, we were a bit concerned as we were towing and worried about turning around, we had no problems at all. To our surprise there were all these caravans and campers there. With these private little sites overlooking the most amazing view. Yet another spot to come back to. So we took a few photos had some morning tea and set off again.

Welford National Park $6.55/person per night – Must book online

We were heading to Welford National Park to stay at Little Boomerang Waterhole Camp Ground. We travelled to Jundah to meet up with the Jundah-Quilpie Road for about 30km to the park’s northern boundary. Travelled a further 20km south for the right turn to Little Boomerang Waterhole. Sounds simple but after a few wrong turns and our Hema Navigator giving us wrong directions we finally found it. The campground itself was great, sitting right on the Barcoo River.

The next day on the way out we took the river drive out to the Jetty and then continued along this road as it met back up with the Jundah-Quilpie Road to Quilpie.

We are back on the road travelling along the Dimantina Development Road to Quilpie and once again a great sealed road in good condition. The roads and rest stops out this way have just been amazing and well cared for. Just as we get closer to Quilpie there is a sign called Baldy Top Lookout. It certainly called for further investigation.

Located 7.4 kilometres from Quilpie on the Toompine Road rests a red rocky formation. Baldy Top is one of the most elevated points in South West Queensland.
A climb to the summit of Baldy Top is a relatively easy ten minute scramble but the panoramic landscapes were pretty impressive. We arrived on a Sunday in Quilpie and there was nothing open, except for the pub and a petrol station. There was no-one out and about and seemed very lonely. So we topped up with fuel and moved on.