Barkly Highway Free Camping
The Barkly Highway runs from Cloncurry in western Queensland to the Stuart Highway at Threeways in the Northern Territory. It forms part of the main route from the eastern states to Darwin.
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Camooweal Billabong – Lake Francis & Lake Canellan Camping Areas
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/camooweal-billabong-lake-francis-lake-canellan-camping-areas/qld
Lake Francis and Lake Canellan are billabongs on the Georgina River at Camooweal. The campgrounds provide a beautiful outlook over the lakes where waterbirds go about their daily life.
- Campground
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
- Camping Area
Soudan Bore Rest Area
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/soudan-bore-rest-area/nt
An oasis in the desert always attracts bountiful wildlife. Soudan Bore is a place where you don't have to be wild in order to enjoy this overnight rest area. Even if your caravan doesn't consist of camels, this is a good place to spend the night.
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
Seymour River Camping Area
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/seymour-river-camping-area/qld
Seymour River Camping Area is set beside a large waterhole in the Seymour River.
- Camping Area
- Fishing Spot
Mary Kathleen Old Township
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/mary-kathleen-old-township/qld
Mary Kathleen was a uranium mine from 1954 to 1984. The township no longer has any buildings, but the streets and concrete slabs are still there.
- Camping Area
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
- Place of Interest
Avon Downs Rest Area
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/avon-downs-rest-area/nt
Avon Downs Rest Area is a free overnighter with a bitumen surface and plenty of room for any size rig. There is limited shade here.
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
Corella Dam Camping Area
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/corella-dam-camping-area/qld
At Clem Corella Dam Camping Area you can forget about the rat race and lose yourself in the Aussie bush. Set up camp without having to worry about being moved on. Throw in a line, relax and dream about nothing whatsoever.
- Campground
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
- Fishing Spot
41 Mile Bore
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/41-mile-bore/nt
41 Mile Bore is a free overnighter that goes deep into the scrub from the road. This makes it a little less bore-ing...
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
Lake Mary Kathleen
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/lake-mary-kathleen/qld
Located on Rosebud Station, Lake Mary Kathleen is a large body of water created by a dam on the East branch of the Leichhardt River.
- Campground
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
- Place of Interest
- Boat Ramp
- Fishing Spot
Corella Dam Boat Ramp
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/corella-dam-boat-ramp/qld
The Corella Dam Boat Ramp is just across the bay from the Corella Dam Camping Area. While there is some room for camping here, it is a bit tight for large rigs and caravans.
- Campground
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
- Boat Ramp
- Fishing Spot
Clem Walton Park
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/clem-walton-park/qld
At Clem Walton Park you can forget about the rat race and lose yourself in the Aussie bush. Set up camp without having to worry about being moved on. Throw in a line, relax and dream about nothing whatsoever.
- Campground
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
- Fishing Spot
David Hall Rest Area
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/david-hall-rest-area/qld
The town name "Gunpowder" conjures up visions of the Wild West, but while this location may not be all that wild, it is certainly WEST, being just 101km from the Northern Territory border. It is home to the David Hall Rest Area.
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
WWII Site Rest Area Barkly Highway
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/wwii-site-rest-area-barkly-highway/qld
At the WWII Site Rest Area on the Barkly Highway, between Camooweal and Mount Isa you will find a little bit of welcome shade.
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
- Information
Fountain Springs Rest Area
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/fountain-springs-rest-area/qld
Fountain Springs is a popular overnighter because it has good amenities and is exactly half way between Mt Isa and The Curry.
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
Wonarah Bore Rest Area
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/wonarah-bore-rest-area/nt
Wonarah Bore Rest Area is a large free overnight rest area located on a diversion off the northern side of the Barkley Highway. Plenty of room for any size rig with a drive through configuration.
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
Frewena Rest Area
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/frewena-rest-area/nt
Frewena Rest Area is a large roomy overnight rest area configured as a drive-through. Plenty of room and a windmill to photograph.
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
Wunara Store Rest Area
https://www.caravancaravan.com.au/entity/wunara-store-rest-area/nt
Wunara Store is an overnight rest area on the Barkley Highway. There is no store here any more. Just a space to camp and spend the night. There is no meaningful shade either, just a few scrubby mulga bushes.
- Overnight Rest Area
- Day Use Area
The town of Cloncurry was surveyed in 1876 and named after the river of the same name. The river was named by Burke in 1861 for his cousin, Lady Elizabeth Cloncurry, of County Galway in Ireland.
In May 1867, Ernest Henry travelled through the area searching for grazing land. Instead he discovered copper.
As you travel west along the Barkly Highway you come to another iconic source of mineral wealth, Mount Isa. Here the mine produces silver, lead, zinc and copper.
In 1923, John Campbell Miles was travelling across the plains not far from the deserted copper fields of Cloncurry, on his way to the Northern Territory, when he noticed some mineralised outcrops near the Leichhardt River. Equipped with a horse shoeing hammer, he broke off some of the heavy stone and sent the samples off to Cloncurry for analysis. They were found to contain high percentages of lead-silver ore. Campbell Miles had stumbled upon one of the richest known silver-lead-zinc seams in the world.
Approximately halfway between Cloncurry and Mount Isa is the remnants of the old uranium mining town of Mary Kathleen. The mine is still there; a hole in the ground filled with bright blue water, heavily contaminated with radioactive minerals. You can visit the mine but be careful not to fall in.
The Barkly has a reputation for wind and when you are travelling into a headwind, fuel consumption can be significantly higher than normal. When travelling in the outback be sure to carry additional fuel and drinking water. The distances are vast and the heat can be overpowering.
One of the iconic locations on the Barkly Highway is the Barkly Homestead Roadhouse and Everything Else. Everyone who travels the Barkly stops at the Barkly. Here you can refuel the tanks, top up the water, stock up on groceries and even post some letters.
The Homestead is well located opposite the junction of the Tablelands Highway and 187km south-east of the Threeways on the Stuart Highway.
The Threeways Roadhouse is located about 300m north of the threeways junction. Like most major outback roadhouses it also provides all of the services that a weary traveller needs, from fuel and food to accommodation. If you find yourself here, you are either at the end or the beginning of the journey.
In May 1867, Ernest Henry travelled through the area searching for grazing land. Instead he discovered copper.
As you travel west along the Barkly Highway you come to another iconic source of mineral wealth, Mount Isa. Here the mine produces silver, lead, zinc and copper.
In 1923, John Campbell Miles was travelling across the plains not far from the deserted copper fields of Cloncurry, on his way to the Northern Territory, when he noticed some mineralised outcrops near the Leichhardt River. Equipped with a horse shoeing hammer, he broke off some of the heavy stone and sent the samples off to Cloncurry for analysis. They were found to contain high percentages of lead-silver ore. Campbell Miles had stumbled upon one of the richest known silver-lead-zinc seams in the world.
Approximately halfway between Cloncurry and Mount Isa is the remnants of the old uranium mining town of Mary Kathleen. The mine is still there; a hole in the ground filled with bright blue water, heavily contaminated with radioactive minerals. You can visit the mine but be careful not to fall in.
The Barkly has a reputation for wind and when you are travelling into a headwind, fuel consumption can be significantly higher than normal. When travelling in the outback be sure to carry additional fuel and drinking water. The distances are vast and the heat can be overpowering.
One of the iconic locations on the Barkly Highway is the Barkly Homestead Roadhouse and Everything Else. Everyone who travels the Barkly stops at the Barkly. Here you can refuel the tanks, top up the water, stock up on groceries and even post some letters.
The Homestead is well located opposite the junction of the Tablelands Highway and 187km south-east of the Threeways on the Stuart Highway.
The Threeways Roadhouse is located about 300m north of the threeways junction. Like most major outback roadhouses it also provides all of the services that a weary traveller needs, from fuel and food to accommodation. If you find yourself here, you are either at the end or the beginning of the journey.
