📷 Photo by PieroMobile on UnsplashOutback Queensland: Roma to Winton
A long western road trip through sheep and cattle country: oil and gas, dark skies, the Tree of Knowledge, Qantas’s origins and dinosaur tracks.
- Distance
- 1,301 km (808 mi)
- Driving
- 14 h 11 min
- Suggested days
- 7
- Stops
- 12
- States
- Queensland
- Updated
- May 2, 2026
At a glance: 7-day road trip of about 1,301 km (808 mi) with 12 stops, from Roma to Waltzing Matilda Centre. About 14 h 11 min of driving in total.
More road trips in Queensland
Route description
Brisbane to Roma is about 480 km on the Warrego Highway, a full day of five to six hours that passes through Toowoomba. Roma is home to the Big Rig oil and gas museum and makes a good first night. Fill the tank here, avoid driving at dawn and dusk when kangaroos are on the road, and expect road trains. The best season is April to September; summer heat is severe.
Charleville is about 190 km west of Roma, around two hours. The Cosmos Centre offers night-sky viewing under very dark skies, with evening sessions that need booking. From here the Landsborough Highway runs north through Tambo and Blackall to Barcaldine, whose Tree of Knowledge memorial recalls the 1891 shearers’ strike. Distances are long and fuel is only in towns, so plan each leg.
Longreach is the heart of the outback tourist trail. The Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and the Qantas Founders Museum are both on the eastern side of town and together fill a day. Winton lies about 175 km north-west on a sealed road; the Waltzing Matilda Centre tells the story of Banjo Paterson’s ballad, and the main street is a pleasant evening stroll.
The dinosaur sites are the highlight. The Australian Age of Dinosaurs museum sits on the Jump-Up mesa, about 24 km from Winton; Lark Quarry is roughly 110 km south-west, partly on unsealed road that can close after rain, so check conditions and carry water and a spare tyre. Birdsville and the Simpson Desert are a separate far south-west trip, with very long distances and extreme summer heat.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Roma
Queensland - 21 km
The Big Rig, Roma
OdditiesRoma, QueenslandAn oil and gas museum with a tall drilling rig and oil patch displays, celebrating Roma’s role in Australia’s petroleum story; gas was first found near the town in 1900. A useful roadside break on the Warrego Highway.
- 3306 km
Charleville
Queensland - 43 km
Charleville Cosmos Centre
NatureCharleville, QueenslandAn observatory on the edge of Charleville offering guided night-sky sessions with telescopes under very dark outback skies. Evening sessions need booking, and nights turn cold in winter, so bring a warm jacket.
- 5400 km
Tree of Knowledge Memorial
HistoryBarcaldine, QueenslandA memorial where a ghost gum once stood, a gathering place for striking shearers in 1891, an event linked to the founding of the Australian Labor movement. The tree died in 2006; the memorial of hanging timber slats marks the site.
- 6128 km
Longreach
Queensland - 73 km
Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame
HistoryLongreach, QueenslandA museum at Longreach telling the story of outback pioneers, stockmen, drovers and Aboriginal people on the land, opened in 1988. Plan on several hours; it is well worth pairing with the Qantas museum, a short drive away.
- 81 km
Qantas Founders Museum
HistoryLongreach, QueenslandA museum at the Longreach airfield telling how Qantas began in western Queensland in 1920, with historic aircraft including a Boeing 747 and a 707. Qantas started in Winton, then moved its headquarters to Longreach.
- 9207 km
Winton
Queensland - 1022 km
Australian Age of Dinosaurs
NatureWinton, QueenslandA fossil museum on top of a mesa called the Jump-Up, about 24 kilometres from Winton, with one of the largest collections of Australian dinosaur fossils. Visitors can see fossils being prepared; the sunset views over the plains are a bonus.
- 11119 km
Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways
HistoryWinton, QueenslandThousands of fossil footprints, about 95 million years old, preserved under a protective building and explained on guided tours. It lies roughly 110 kilometres south-west of Winton, partly on unsealed road that can close after rain.
- 12114 km
Waltzing Matilda Centre
HistoryWinton, QueenslandA museum in Winton about the song Waltzing Matilda, which Banjo Paterson wrote after visiting a station near the town in 1895 and which is said to have been first performed in Winton. It was rebuilt after a fire in 2015.
Suggested stages and overnight stops
7 days, split by driving time. Campsites from OpenStreetMap: check opening dates before you go.
- Day 1: Roma → Charleville · 306 km · 3 h 20 minOn the way: The Big Rig, Roma.
- Day 2: Charleville → Charleville Cosmos Centre · 3 km · 0 h 02 min
- Day 3: Charleville Cosmos Centre → Tree of Knowledge Memorial · 400 km · 4 h 21 min
- Day 4: Tree of Knowledge Memorial → Longreach · 128 km · 1 h 24 min
- Day 5: Longreach → Qantas Founders Museum · 4 km · 0 h 02 minOn the way: Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame.
- Day 6: Qantas Founders Museum → Australian Age of Dinosaurs · 228 km · 2 h 29 minOn the way: Winton.
- Day 7: Australian Age of Dinosaurs → Waltzing Matilda Centre · 233 km · 2 h 32 minOn the way: Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways.
Best time to go
The most pleasant months are usually May–September. Still fine, with some compromises, in April and October–November. Hot in December–March. July and August are the busiest months: book campsites early.
Estimate from long-term temperature averages, terrain and pass seasons
Themes
FAQs
How long is Outback Queensland: Roma to Winton?
7-day road trip of about 1,301 km (808 mi) with 12 stops, from Roma to Waltzing Matilda Centre. About 14 h 11 min of driving in total.
How many days do you need for Outback Queensland: Roma to Winton?
We suggest 7 days: about 14 h 11 min of driving, which leaves time for the stops.
Where does Outback Queensland: Roma to Winton start and end?
It starts in Roma and ends in Waltzing Matilda Centre.
Which states does Outback Queensland: Roma to Winton pass through?
Queensland.
When is the best time for Outback Queensland: Roma to Winton?
The most pleasant months are usually May–September. Still fine, with some compromises, in April and October–November. (Estimate from long-term temperature averages, terrain and pass seasons)
