Capricorn Way Rockhampton to Barcaldine 580 km
Landsborough Highway, Barcaldine
Rockhampton offers much more that its status as the beef capital of Australia might suggest. For example, only 30 minutes away is Mount Hay where the tourist gemstone park is famous for its ‘thunder eggs’. Or there’s Mount Archer, which offers a panoramic view of the town. Or just a little to the south, Mount Morgan is the site of the goldfields of the 1880s and 1890s. Just north of the town are the Capricorn Caves with their limestone formations. Duaringa is a little more
than a 1-hour drive from ’Rocky’ as it’s known. Head west to Dingo with access to the sandstone wonders of the Blackdown Tableland National Park. Further along the way is Blackwater, site of one of the largest flag displays in the world, each one representing the country of origin of the 37 nationalities that first worked the region’s coal industry. Next is Emerald, where you can visit the National Trust-listed Emerald Railway Station, then make the short drive south to picturesque Lake Maraboon.
38 Wot’s on in Queensland Highways, Byways & Roads Less Travelled
As you travel west from Emerald, you can take a detour to see the sapphire fields around the towns of Sapphire and Anakie, and try your luck at fossicking. Next comes the town of Alpha, best known as the town of murals. And finally you reach Barcaldine, at the junction of the Capricorn and Matilda Ways, famous for its Tree of Knowledge memorial commemorating the Great Shearers Strike of 1891.
