FAR WEST

INCORPORATING THE COMMUNITIES OF Diamantina, Barcoo and Boulia

If you are searching for offbeat characters and unconventional adventures, then head west –far west – 1500 kilometres or about 17-hours straight drive west of Brisbane to the farthest corner of Queensland.

This is the land of red sand dunes, gibber flats, waterholes and channel country. Diamantina Channel Country is a riverine desert and a spectacular natural phenomenon. During and after the wet season it transforms into a vast network of veins of shallow interconnecting channels and creeks that fill and spill across 95,000 square kilometres, swelling waterholes and attracting up to 450,000 birds including packs of chattering zebra finches, Australian bustards and even the extremely rare Night Parrot. The desert blooms to life with a stunning display of wildflowers after rain – a sight to behold and a photographer’s delight. Famed for the iconic Big Red Bash in July and the Birdsville Races in September for bringing a big crowd together, there’s always time and space to think in the Far West region.

Nothing is more iconic than standing atop Big Red at sunset, watching the sun dip from the first sand dune of the Simpson Desert (Munga-Thirri National Park). The most popular route west is to take the Warrego Way from Brisbane – Chinchilla – Roma – Charleville – Windorah – Birdsville and travel via desert roads for the opportunity to travel between the three states.