Queensland Music Trails - Outback Trail

Your Outback music adventure begins as you step aboard the Spirit of the Outback, a classic rail journey linking Brisbane with Queensland’s heartland. Settle into your sleeper cabin, mingle with fellow Trail Travellers, and unwind in the Shearers Rest Lounge with a pre-dinner drink. Dinner is served in the Tuckerbox Restaurant, where you’ll savour hearty dishes inspired by Queensland produce. As the rhythmic train hums through changing scenery—from coastal hinterland to the Central Highlands and west of the Great Dividing Range.

Wake to views of wide open country as the Spirit of the Outback glides into Alpha, the gateway to the Central West. Here, your Outback Aussie Tours driver and host welcomes you to the open road. Journey west to Tambo, Queensland’s oldest Outback town, known for its warm hospitality and handcrafted teddy bears. On arrival to Tambo, lace up your boots for the Tambo Bush Dance—a lively afternoon of line-dancing, laughter, and live country music that brings Trail Travellers and locals together. The air buzzes with music, friendly faces, and the spirit of Outback Queensland. Visit the Tambo Teddies Workshop, where these famous bears are lovingly made from Australian wool. Enjoy nibbles and drinks while meeting the local makers. Later, travel on to Blackall, check into your accommodation, and share a welcome dinner celebrating the start of your journey.

2 nights Oasis Motor Inn, Blackall

After a leisurely breakfast, stroll through Blackall’s historic streets, once home to legendary shearer Jackie Howe. Visit the Bushman’s Artisans Gallery, a restored heritage hotel that now showcases vibrant local art, leatherwork, and photography. Enjoy a delicious morning tea at The Lodge on Hawthorn, a charming local café set within a century-old building. This afternoon, take part in a mystery lunch experience, sampling regional flavours while uncovering one of Blackall’s hidden gems. Later, return to your motel for some downtime before heading to the Blackall Woolscour, the last steam-operated wool-washing plant in Australia. Wander through this incredible time capsule as the machinery comes to life, then dine onsite at twilight, surrounded by the nostalgic atmosphere of a bygone era.

Depart after breakfast for Barcaldine, a town steeped in political and social history. Learn about the Tree of Knowledge, the famous ghost gum that marks the birthplace of the Australian Labor Party, and learn about the 1891 shearers’ strike that helped shape the nation’s identity. Continue to the Australian Workers Heritage Centre, an inspiring museum dedicated to celebrating Australia’s working people. After checking into your accommodation, prepare for a magical evening alongside the boughs of the Tree of Knowledge. As the sun sets, enjoy a special QLD Music Trails event featuring Tori Darke. Mingle with locals, share stories, and soak in the warm, communal atmosphere of this one-of-a-kind event.

Overnight Barcaldine Country Motor Inn, Barcaldine

Travel to Longreach, the beating heart of Outback Queensland. Step into aviation history at the Qantas Founders Museum, where interactive displays, restored aircraft, and guided Airpark Tours tell the extraordinary story of how Qantas took flight in the Outback. This afternoon, board the Heritage Rail Motors for the Silver-Tails Rail Sunset Tour. Watch the landscape transform into a painter’s palette of ochres and golds as you glide through Gidgee woodlands and Mitchell Grass plains. Indulge in gourmet canapés inspired by local produce and raise a glass as the sun dips below the horizon. Return to the Qantas Museum for the Luminescent Longreach Sound & Light Show, a spectacular storytelling experience projected onto the museum’s historic aircraft.

2 nights Saltbush Retreat, Longreach

After breakfast, visit the Longreach School of Distance Education, one of the largest classrooms in the world. Learn how students across thousands of kilometres connect through technology and dedicated teachers. Continue to the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, where powerful exhibits honour Australia’s drovers, shearers, and bush pioneers. Late afternoon, unwind aboard the Drover’s Sunset Cruise on the Thomson River, where reflections of crimson skies ripple across calm waters. As night falls, step ashore for a camp-oven dinner and live music at Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show—a relaxed evening filled with laughter, song, and starlight.

Board the Heritage Rail Motor for the Great Darr River Rail Run, an immersive half-day journey through striking Outback terrain. Stretch your legs on a short Mulga Walk, where your guide reveals secrets of bush medicine and ancient sand-ridge ecology. Enjoy a homemade morning tea on the banks of the Darr River. Arrive in Winton, a town that hums with music, fossils, and folklore. Settle into your accommodation before the evening’s festivities begin, again joining up with QLD Music Trails. At The Dustarena, delight in The Dusty Hour—a brand-new Outback show filled with original music and humour. Then, head to the North Gregory Hotel, the legendary birthplace of Waltzing Matilda, for an exclusive QLD Music Trails Travellers event. Enjoy an intimate night of country music hosted by Taylor Moss with Tori Darke, performing live for our Trail Travellers community.

2 nights Boulder Opal Motel, Winton

After breakfast, visit the Waltzing Matilda Centre, the world’s only museum dedicated to a song. Continue on a guided town tour, taking in quirky landmarks like Arno’s Wall, Willie Mar’s Chinese Heritage Garden, and the interactive Musical Fence—where visitors are encouraged to make their own melody. In the afternoon, travel to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, set high on a mesa overlooking sweeping plains. Join an expert guide through the fossil preparation laboratory and the spectacular March of the Titanosaurs exhibit. As the sun sets, enjoy a BBQ dinner and drinks with panoramic views, then step into the Gondwana Observatory experience for a spellbinding stargazing session that brings the prehistoric past and cosmic wonder together.

This morning, journey back to Longreach for a spectacular finale at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame. Take your seat for the Stockman’s Live Show, where skilled horsemen and women showcase traditional mustering techniques and horsemanship still used today. Afterwards, gather for a lazy Farewell Lunch with the Stockman and enjoy live entertainment.