Outback For Kids

Station Stays

Check out many of Outback Queensland's station stays, where you and the kids have the opportunity to join in with the daily activities of a working outback cattle or sheep property. Some of the activities that you may be able to watch or participate in include mustering, feeding farm animals, shearing, drafting, driving property vehicles, taking property tours, fencing, fishing and observing flora and fauna. Get a copy of the Station Stays ( Adobe Acrobat - 346.327KB ) Fact Sheet for more details.

Australia's Dinosaur Trail

Follow Australia's Dinosaur Trail through Hughenden, Richmond and Winton where some of the world's most amazing fossils are still being found. Fascinating displays and fossil collections will take your children's imaginations on a journey back to a prehistoric age. See the Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways where more than 3,000 dinosaur footprints tell the story of a dinosaur stampede. Meet the Muttaburrasauruses Hughie and Mutt; Kronosaurus who could have eaten a T-Rex for breakfast; and Australia's largest dinosaur, Elliot. There's plenty of hands-on fossil fun too! Go fossicking to find your own fossils ? if you're the first person to find a new species, you will even get to name it!

Cosmos Centre & Observatory, Charleville

During the day, the Cosmos Centre and Observatory has fun interactive displays and movies will both entertain and educate your children about the universe, as they discover the answers to all their questions about the universe! Return to the Observatory at night and let the guides take you on a tour of the night skies, viewing starry objects that often defy description.

Bilbies Centre, Charleville

The cute and cuddly bilby is one of Queensland's most endangered species and is currently being bred in captivity in Charleville. You can meet a live bilby and learn about the habits and habitat of the Aussie Icon, what they like to eat, where and how they live and what is threatening their very existence.

Tambo Teddies, Tambo

Visit the Tambo Teddies workshop and watch the local craftspeople making the sheepskin teddies, complete with moleskin pants, check shirt, 'Bear as a Bone', hat and swag! Each bear is named after a property in the Tambo district and is full of Outback character. Promising a lifetime of huggability, lovability and snuggability, Tambo Teddies will make a perfect memento of your child's outback adventures!

Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame, Longreach

The Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame has an interactive and multimedia displays bring to life stories of the Australian Outback throughout history from the arrival of Aboriginal people, British settlement, exploration and the establishment of the great pastoral industries, through to present day Outback life. The R.M.Williams Outback Stockman's Show provides family entertainment complete with working dogs, a stockhorse, packhorse, mule, sheep and a real outback stockman!

Australian Agricultural College, Longreach

See what it takes to become an outback station manager at the Australian Agricultural College, Longreach Campus. Visitors can walk around the College's extensive facilities and observe students at work in a practical rural environment. Lessons cover everything from business management, mechanics and welding, building construction, sheep and wool, goat production, cattle and horses, and station activities.

School of the Air, Longreach

Join a school lesson in the largest classroom in the world at the Longreach School of Distance Education. Take a tour of the centre, listen to a live on-air lesson and view some of the terrific schoolwork prepared by the students living on remote outback properties.

Qantas Founders Outback Museum, Longreach

Follow the history of our national airline Qantas from the days of open cockpit biplanes landing in dirt paddocks to today's leader in the field of world aviation. Interactive exhibits in the museum provide plenty of hands-on fun for kids and adults alike. Visit the original Qantas hangar to see where it all began. Discover the secrets of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet on a behind-the-scenes tour or even take a walk on the wings!

Min Min Encounter, Boulia

Discover the mysterious phenomenon of the elusive Min Min Lights, often seen on the Outback plains around Boulia. The Min Min Encounter is a unique theatrical experience incorporating animatronics, fibre optics and loads of other high tech wizardry. You'll meet characters like Bluey and Gunna as they tell the stories about their encounters with 'the lights'.

Riversleigh Fossil Centre (Outback at Isa), Mount Isa

Come up close to flesh eating kangaroos, giant carnivorous emus, two metre tall wombats and marsupial lions at the Riversleigh Fossil Centre and Outback at Isa! Journey through the caves and rainforests of ancient Australia to learn about these extraordinary creatures who lived here around 25 million years ago.

Canoeing & Kayaking

Paddling a canoe or kayak is a fun way to explore the waterways of Queensland's Outback. At Boodjamulla National Park (north of Mount Isa), you can hire canoes to paddle along the breathtaking Lawn Hill Gorge. In the Outback township of Muttaburra you can hire canoes, kayaks or paddle-wheelers to give the whole family hours of entertainment in permanent waters where the Landsborough and Thomson Rivers meet.

Opal Fossicking

Keep the kids entertained with fossicking for opals in certain regions of Outback Queensland, particularly around the towns of Yowah, Quilpie and Opalton. The kids can keep busy by searching for speckles of colour on the ground surface which the locals call 'emu bopping'.

Artesian Spas

Check out one of Outback Queensland's artesian spas. Take the kids to splash around in the water while you relax and feel the tension melt away whilst you relax in the soothing mineral-rich waters flowing from the great artesian basin.

Fishing

Wet a line as you sit on the banks of a peaceful billabong or along one of the many rivers and lakes of Outback Queensland. Go 'bobbing' for yellowbellies and watch the float disappear below the surface as your catch takes hold. Or wait patiently as you lure a yabby into your pot. Cook up your catch on the evening's campfire as a tasty treat!

Parks and Lakes

Keep the kids entertained at the many parks and lakes throughout Queensland's Outback. The playground equipment in many Outback towns is a great way for kids to expel some energy during long trips. Lake Fred Tritton at Richmond has a newly established water park that kids can enjoy throughout the year. Picnic facilities and parklands are available at other lakes, including Lake Moondarra near Mount Isa and Lake Houdraman near Quilpie.

Events

Community events are an important part of the social fabric of Queensland's Outback. They also give visiting families a great opportunity to mix with the locals and enjoy some true outback entertainment!

Click here to download a copy of the Outback For Kids ( Adobe Acrobat - 227.514KB ) Fact Sheet. For more information to help with planning your family adventure in Queensland's Outback, get your free copy of the
Queensland's Outback Travellers' Guide.