Five towns to stop by on Queensland's Dawson Highway

Getting in the car and heading off on a weekend away or a day trip to small and medium-sized towns down the highway can be a fulfilling experience with hidden gems and great local hospitality. Here are a few highlights down Queensland's Dawson Highway.

From: East-west from Gladstone to Springsure, northern Queensland.
Named after: Robert Dawson, a financial backer of explorer Ludwig Leichardt who named the Dawson River in 1844.
Route number: State route 60 and A7.
Length: 405km
Best bit: The pass between Mount Nicholson and Expedition State Forests, west of Bauhinia.

Gladstone is on the coastal end of the Dawson Highway and about 500km north of Brisbane. The crystal clear waters of the southern Great Barrier Reef make it a Mecca for diving and snorkelling, plus it’s a launchpad to reach Heron and Lady Musgrave Islands, among others. Or stick to the mainland at the incredibly serene and picturesque waterfront communities of Agnes Waters and Town of 1770.

One of the bigger towns along the way is Biloela, the name pronounced something like ‘tequila’ or ‘bill-o-weelah’. Okay, there are only about 5000 residents but the Kroombit Tops National Park is nearby (look for the wreck of WWII Liberator bomber that crashed in 1945) and other reserves feature rock formations grouped under the Sandstone Wonders region.

Queensland is famous for its bananas and not far west of Biloela you actually pass through the town of the same name. Banana is notable though for growing absolutely no bananas - the name apparently comes from a yellow bullock used on a farm back in the 19th century, and he’s commemorated by a statue in town.

Outside the small town of Rolleston you can branch off to the Carnarvon National Park to see the Carnarvon Gorge. The gorge’s towering sandstone cliffs make it sightseeing and hiking must-do, but the area’s indigenous culture is equally alluring. The Art Gallery, for instance, is a 62-metre long sandstone wall festooned with ancient engravings and ochre stencils.

Springsure is at the Dawson Highway’s western end and deep in Queensland’s arid interior. The town is something of an oasis though, given the natural springs bubbling from the base of Mount Zamia and Virgin Rock that form a picturesque valley.

Although the highway ends at Springsure, there’s the option of continuing north to Emerald which, despite the name, is famous for its sapphire mines. Or if you’re a keen off-roader, follow the Dawson Developmental Road further west to Tambo and onwards to Longreach with its Stockman’s Hall of Fame and the Qantas Founders Museum.

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