The Savannah Way is one of Australia’s most famous driving routes. It starts in Cairns, Queensland in the east and reaches Broome in Western Australia in the west, with a total length of 3700 km across northern Australia.
And one of the ways to travel this vast Australia is on a road trip.
It’s an overwhelmingly free-style trip where you drive yourself in your own car or rent a car, stop by, play, eat, stay, and continue your adventure.
Here are 15 things you want to do, especially on the west side, on the savanna way routes in Queensland. Why don’t you make such a checklist and go on a road trip?
- Explore the True Blue Visitor Information Center
- Watch the sunset at Diehms Lookout
- Greet the morning sun at Lake Belmore
- Swim in the pool at Normanton Tourist Park
- Take a photo with Krys – The Savannah King
- Ride the Gulflander
- Search for shells at Seashell Beach
- Visit the Barramundi Discovery Centre
- Have a drink while watching the sunset at The Sunset Tavern
- Free camp at Leichhardt Falls
- Admire the unique views of The Burketown Bore and its surroundings
- Drive through Salt Pans
- Swim in the Gregory River
- Explore Boodjamulla National Park
- Go see Morning Glory Cloud
- Summary
Explore the True Blue Visitor Information Center
The first is the True Blue Visitor Information Center in Croydon, 530km west of Cairns. Travel time from Cairns is 7 hours.
Croydon has been in the gold rush since the discovery of gold over 130 years ago and was once the fourth largest town in Queensland with a population of over 7,000, but now has a population of only 258. It’s a small town.
The tourist office has many maps of the area, brochure for tourist attractions, and historical photographs, displays, and theaters that have prospered as a gold mining town here in Croydon. Internet service and free WiFi are also available.
In the back of the building, in the backyard, there is a beautiful, well-maintained garden with various heritage and vintage cars on display, sculptures and beautiful plants, making it a perfect place to stroll. Be sure to visit here as well!
Watch the sunset at Diehms Lookout
Only 5 minutes from the center of Croydon. You can see the best sunsets at the Diehms Lookout observation deck, which you can find as soon as you head north and up the hills.
You can overlook the town of Croydon, overlook the Outback, and the sunset over there is spectacular.
Greet the morning sun at Lake Belmore
Lake Belmore is a dam lake created in 1995 to supply domestic water to the town of Croydon.
Water sports such as swimming and kayaking, boating and fishing are popular activities here, making it an oasis spot in the middle of the Outback for locals and tourists.
Continue on the road to Diehms Lookout, where you’ll find boat ramps, a free barbecue stand, a picnic area and a playground.
There are many trails around the lake, making it a great place for bushwalking, mountain biking as well as bird watching.
Another recommendation is to watch the sunrise over the lake from an off-road track around the lake. The view of the rising sun shining on the surface of the lake is superb!
Swim in the pool at Normanton Tourist Park
690km from Cairns, in the Normanton Tourist Park in the coastal town of Normanton adjacent to the Gulf of Carpentaria, there is a 25m resort pool called the largest in Queensland northwest.
Road trips also involve many long-distance drives, so you can sit longer and get tired easily. So, you want to refresh by moving the body firmly swim in the large pool!
Take a photo with Krys – The Savannah King
Along Normanton’s main street, there is a crocodile statue named “Krys the Savannah King“.
In July 1957, one of the many crocodile shooters at the time, Krystina, captured the crocodile in the lower Norman River, which runs through the Normanton region, and was named Krys after the captured Krystina.
Krys with a total length of 8.63m seems to be the largest crocodile captured in the world.
Let’s take a picture with Krys!
Ride the Gulflander
The Gulflander Railway, a tourist train that has a departure and arrival station in Normanton and connects Normanton and Croydon with a section of 152 km.
It operates once a week from February to December. Depart Normanton on Wednesday to Croydon. The next day it comes back from Croydon to Normanton Thursday.
It takes 5 hours one way. There are many points to stop on the way, and passengers can take a picture of the train running on the bridge once they get off, and have time to eat light meals, so it seems that they can take a leisurely train trip.
Gulflander stops at Normanton Station on non-service days. There are small museums and shops inside the station, and you can freely go in and out of the train to take pictures.
Search for shells at Seashell Beach
A little off the savannah way from Normanton, heading north, at the mouth of the Norman River, on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria is the town of Karumba.
It’s a small town 770km from Cairns, 10 hours drive, but it’s been a paved road all the way up to this point.
Even within the Outback region, here by the sea, Karumba has a pleasant climate with a sea breeze.
When you park your car at the Esplanade by the sea, you will see the beach right in front of you.
A beach of seashells rather than sand. If you take a closer look, you will find beautiful shells of various sizes all over the place.
Why not spend a relaxing day strolling along the beach, parks by the sea and boardwalks?
Visit the Barramundi Discovery Centre
Speaking of Karumba, fishing! Barramundi is probably the best choice.
Recommended for such people, there is a place you can’t miss.
The Barramundi Discovery Centre is a modern building that stands out in Karumba.
It’s no exaggeration to say that you can see everything about Barramundi, with a variety of information, displays and mini-theaters.
In addition to barramundi, there is a lot of information on the creatures, birds and crocodile that can be seen in the surrounding area.
There is an artificial lagoon in the center of the facility, and buildings stand around it.
There is a barramundi guided tour, where you can also experience feeding.
Immediately after entering the entrance, the information center is on your right, and you can find not only this Barramundi Discovery Centre but also tourist information on Karumba and its surroundings.
There are souvenir shops, and there is also a cafe beyond. Cake and coffee time is also good while looking at the outside lagoon.
Have a drink while watching the sunset at The Sunset Tavern
Queensland is located on the eastern side of Australia, but if you go to the west side of the York Peninsula, you can see the sunset over the sea even in Queensland. And here Karumba is the westernmost town on the Yorke Peninsula, which is the closest to Cairns.
There is a beer garden at Sunset Tavern, a bar and restaurant along the beach, and you can enjoy a drink while watching the sunset over the ocean in front of you.
Free camp at Leichhardt Falls
Further west from Normanton, the Savannah Way also plunges into a dirt road.
The next town, Burketown, is 77 km away and crosses the Leichhardt River.
You can find Leichhardt Falls by parking your car on a rocky side of the road and walking a few hundred meters north along the river.
However, this is not a waterfall that runs all year round, and during the dry season there may be little water and the waterfall may not run down.
There is always water in the river, but it is strictly forbidden to enter because it is a crocodile habitat.
This is a place where you can camp for free, and you can camp at any place along the river. There are no toilets or other facilities, so be sure to prepare everything before you go camping!
Admire the unique views of The Burketown Bore and its surroundings
Burketown is 900 km from Cairns and is located on the northwestern tip of Queensland. The border with the Northern Territory is just around the corner.
From the highway, you’ll see the “Welcome to Burketown” sign, and you’ll see Burketown Bore right after you enter Burketown.
Bore, here in Burketown, is a well dug by the Queensland Government in 1897.
It was to secure water that could be supplied to the town of Burketown, especially drinking water for livestock cattle.
However, according to a 1959 report, this mineral-rich water was judged to be unsuitable for drinking, and it was not used for anything in particular.
The mineral-rich source of 68 degrees hot water continued to spout, creating a unique landscape around the area.
Drive through Salt Pans
This is another view in 5 minutes from the town center of Burketown. From here you can reach the boat ramp on the Albert River in Burketown.
It’s been 10 minutes to drive, and I’m still on the road.
This is called Salt Pans, where all the seawater is absorbed by the ground during the dry season and Australia’s largest salt pans appear. What looks white is salt.
However, it is the largest wetland in Australia during the wet season. Most of the town is only a few meters above sea level, and it’s on the intricate Albert river.
Let’s drive through the magnificent scenery of Salt Pans that can only be run during the dry season!
Swim in the Gregory River
The Gregory River, which runs along the town of Gregory, 120km south of Burketown, is a popular river play spot in the area. People staying in Burketown also come here to play, and there are many people along the river where you can camp for free.
The Gregory River, which begins with abundant freshwater springs from the inland Barkly Tableland, is a year-round river that is cold and very beautiful!
It’s a great place to refresh yourself by playing in the river during your trip.
Explore Boodjamulla National Park
One of Queensland’s most beautiful national parks, Boodjamulla National Park is located on the northwestern tip of Queensland, on the border with the neighboring Northern Territory. It is 1100 km from Cairns and 100 km west of Gregory.
This name may be more familiar to you as it is located in the Lawn Hill area and was formerly known as Lawn Hill National Park.
To the southwest of Lawn Hill is the Barkly Tableland, which straddles Queensland and the Northern Territory. The Lawn Hill Gorge was formed by the Lawn Hill Creek, which begins with abundant freshwater springs from there.
And along the canyon is the Lawn Hill Gorge Camping Area, the only camping area in the national park.
Two recommended activities are canoeing and walking!
The emerald green Lawn Hill Creek, which runs along the camping area, is surrounded by lush vegetation, and you can see steep sandstone cliffs ahead. There are several stairs on the sidewalk along the creek, making it easy to enter the creek, so take the plunge!
If you want to play with small children, it’s a good idea to go a little downstream. There is also a place that is shallow, has a gentle flow, and is ideal for relaxing in the creek.
Or rent a canoe and head upstream. When you reach the big swimming spot with Indarri Falls, you can park your canoe here and take a dip.
Resting in the shallow rocks here and there, overlooking this landscape surrounded by emerald green water, Indarri waterfalls and sandstone cliffs, you can see why this is one of Queensland’s most beautiful national parks.
There is also a lookout overlooking Indarri Falls and its surroundings from the top of the cliff. Don’t miss coming here.
There are a total of seven walking tracks in Boodjamulla National Park.
From short and easy courses that even small children can go to full-scale courses that take several hours each way, you can choose according to your level.
If you go walking early in the morning, you can see the full moon setting.
You can greet the morning sun.
It gets quite hot during the day, so it’s best to go early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
There is also a walking course where you can experience Aboriginal culture, where you can see many murals and sculptures made by carving rocks on the quay.
The Boodjamulla National Park Discovery Guide, which you can download from the Queensland Government website, has detailed information, including a map of the course, so check it out before heading on your expedition.
Go see Morning Glory Cloud
Lastly, I would like to introduce a very rare meteorological phenomenon that can be seen in Burketown.
It is a huge roll-shaped cloud band called Morning Glory Cloud, which can reach 1 to 2 km above the sky, up to 1000 km in length, and move at a maximum speed of 60 km/h.
Although rarely observed around the world, Burketown is the most probable and regularly observed place in the world.
It can be seen from September to November. The conditions are still low seawater temperature in early spring, high land temperature, strong sea breeze (north-northeast in Burketown) and high humidity (85% or more).
Morning Glory will appear when these favorable conditions are met.
It was October 1, 2020 that I was able to visit Burketown and see the Morning Glory Cloud.
I waited at 6 am, 20 minutes before sunrise.
A strip of clouds can be seen faintly along the horizon in the still dim eastern sky.
As time goes by, it gets bigger and bigger, and as soon as the gust begins to blow immediately after sunrise, the clouds roll up and rotate with a great noise and get closer and closer.
As the clouds pass overhead and flow westward, the next cloud is approaching again.
Several bands of clouds flowed, and before 7 o’clock, the eastern sky was a clear blue sky with no clouds.
Morning Glory Cloud is a rare meteorological phenomenon that cannot be seen without good weather conditions (strong sea breeze and high humidity) during a limited period (September-November), so it may be difficult to see.
But as long as Burketown, a small town in northwestern Queensland, is the only place in the world to be seen on a regular basis, it could be a good adventure to visit!
Summary
Here are 15 things you’ll want to do on a savannah way road trip in Queensland.
I chose mainly the western part of the state, but there are many other attractions. I hope you’ll take a road trip with this list and enjoy an adventure where you’ll discover new discoveries!
