Winton, QLD
700.0 km (48 hrs )
★★★☆☆

Matilda Way is a 1,800 km highway in Outback Queensland, stretching from Cunnamulla in the south to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria. My friends and I drove part of this road, from Winton in the state's west to Charleville in the south. There are many fascinating places to explore along the way, including the tiny town of Winton, home to the famous ballad, Waltzing Matilda and birthplace of the QANTAS airline, Ilfracombe, with its fascinating Machinery and Heritage Museum, Barcaldine, birthplace to the Australian Labour Party in 1892, and Charleville, where we visited the interesting Cosmos centre and Royal Flying Doctor museum.

This Matilda Way is fully sealed and easy to drive, although it can be affected by floods, when roads can be closed for long periods of time.