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Many Outback Queensland communities are dealing with catastrophic losses following the recent flooding event, on top of 6 years of drought. It was after years of prolonged drought in the 60’s that a dedicated community group formed Winton Outback Festival. The purpose was to attract visitors to the region and inject tourism dollars into the local economy.
“Communities in the Outback are very resilient folk,” said Robyn Stephens OAM. “It’s certainly going to be another tough couple of years for the region. But on the plus side, our outback landscape is slowly changing from brown to green; a spectacular sight sure to impress 2019 festival visitors.”
“The journey to Winton is a big part of the festival experience so we’ve partnered with other outback communities to create three road trips to the festival. These fully researched and timed itineraries are designed to showcase the northwest, southwest and central west regional attractions. It’s simply a matter of visitors deciding which drive tweaks their fancy.”
“There is no better way to celebrate the ‘Year of The Outback’ than with an Aussie outback road trip to celebrate Outback Festival’s 25th anniversary. Families are encouraged to head west to Winton this September school holidays and to stop and say G’day to our mates along the drive,” said Robyn.
Perfectly located in the heart of Outback Queensland, Winton is a popular stopover for drive visitors travelling from north, south, east and west. This September 24th - 28th, Australia’s quirkiest festival ‘Outback Festival’ is gearing up to welcome some 8,500 visitors - not bad for a town home to just 875 residents.
Those looking for a bit of adventure can plan ahead for the ultimate 2019 Road Trip with a self-drive itinerary, the perfect way to truly experience all that the Aussie outback has to offer. Outback Festival has released three family-friendly self-drive adventure loops from Brisbane and Townsville.
Visitors from Brisbane have two self-drive options. Experience two events in the one road trip on The Big Sky Events Trail. This 15-day loop kicks off with the award-winning Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers. Other drive highlights include heritage attractions, cattle sale yards, dinosaurs and gem fossicking.
The South West Outback loop from Brisbane serves up a virtual smorgasbord of experiences. Travel out to Winton via Eromanga, Australia’s furthest town from the sea and home to Cooper, Australia’s largest dinosaur then return via the Matilda Way. Enjoy a soak in artesian waters, fossick for opals and sleep under starry night skies.
Visitors coming from the north can look to the Discovery Drive by Drive North West Queensland, setting off from Townsville to Winton for Outback Festival. This is a journey packed to the brim with outback legends, ancient discoveries and bucket list adventures, linking the Overlander’s Way and Australia’s Dinosaur Trail with the fascinating Channel Country.
Winton is also easily accessible by air, rail and coach for visitors planning to leave the car at home. REX services Winton on Tuesday and Thursday, with a loop departing from Townsville that connects with QantasLink flights to Longreach from the rest of the country. The Spirit of the Outback rail journey departs Brisbane twice weekly, heading up the East Coast to Rockhampton before heading inland to Longreach to connect with the coach service. Coaches to Winton can be booked through Bus Queensland, with services arriving in Winton daily.
Download high-res routes maps for all of these itineraries here:
High Resolution Self-Drive Itinerary Maps
More information on each of the routes are online here:
https://outbackfestival.com.au/visitor-info/how-to-get-here/
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