WHEELBARROW WAY DRIVE

Start your journey at the Mareeba Heritage Centre, where history comes to life through engaging exhibits on local pioneers, mining and farming. It’s the perfect place to get a feel for the region before hitting the road. Grab a coffee from the café, browse the gift shop and soak in the stories of Mareeba’s past. The Mareeba Heritage and Visitor Information Centre is open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm and from 8am to 3pm on weekends. Admission fee applies. The Mareeba Heritage Coffee House is open for the same days and hours.

Your Wheelbarrow Way adventure begins at the junction of Mareeba’s Byrnes Street and the Mareeba-Dimbulah Road, where a public art sculpture commemorates the pioneers who traversed this trail in the late 1800s. One firsthand account recalls: “Dad pushed a wheelbarrow stacked with all our belongings—sheets of iron for shelter, some hessian, a spade, a lantern, a few kitchen essentials, and not much else. Mum and the children walked behind, Mum often carrying a babe in arms.”

First Stop – Kangaroos. The Mareeba Golf Club is your first right hand turn past the sculpture and is home to a large, friendly population of Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Rent a golf cart and cruise around the course for a close-up encounter. If this sounds good to you, you might also want to hop on over to Granite Gorge Nature Park to check in with the oh-so-cute Mareeba Rock Wallbies.

Skybury Café & Roastery is a must for fresh, locally grown coffee and stunning views over rolling farmland. This family-run plantation serves barista-made coffee, with beans grown and roasted on-site, as well as signature dishes, cocktails and locally distilled liquers. They are open Monday to Friday. Coffee is available 10am to 4pm, the kitchen is open 10am to 2.30pm. It’s the perfect stop to refuel. Don’t forget to grab a bag of their signature coffee to take home!

Just 30 minutes from Mareeba, Hectic Valley Farm in Mutchilba is home to 300+ animals including camels, horses, pigs, buffalo, sheep, guinea fowl, chicken, geese, peacocks and more. This is a must-visit for animal lovers and is open 9.30am to 12pm weekends – longer during school holidays.

Coffee is calling your name, so it’s onwards to Camp 64 at Dimbulah for morning tea or lunch – depending on how early you started your day. This charming café doubles as a mini-museum, with lots of local and Outback Queensland memorabilia. They are open every day.

Eureka Creek is just 19 minutes further down the Wheelbarrow Way. Locals love to come here for a swim, but more than that – it’s home to the cutest Free Library you ever will find, so stop in and do a book swap. Side note: for historical significance and Wheelbarrow Way connections, Eureka Creek was a hub for tin mining in the 1880s.

Continuing inland on the Wheelbarrow Way you’ll come across the tiny township of Petford, which has a population of just over 20 people. While there’s not much to see here today – other than a very quaint railway station – Petford definitely marks your entry into the Outback and Gulf Savannah region with seasonal waterways and big blue sky days. Keep an eye out for wild kangaroos and wedge-tailed eagles soaring above.

Almaden was once another bustling mining township on the Wheelbarrow Way, but today its population sits around 40 people. Make sure you stop in at The Railway Hotel, a true outback watering hole, with cold drinks, counter meals and friendly owners. This is where the locals come to swap stories about their stations and the weather – make sure you check out the historical displays and sneak in a game of pool or hooky.

Today’s road trip comes to an end at Chillagoe, best known for its limestone caves this outback town packs a big punch when it comes to natural beauty and attractions. There’s a few places you can stay with caravan parks, bed and breakfasts and self-contained motel rooms. If you haven’t booked your cave tours yet (and we recommend doing this before setting out on the Wheelbarrow Way), head over to The Hub to secure your space.

The Chillagoe Smelters are a historic site providing a glimpse into Chillagoe’s vibrant mining past. From the 1890s to the 1940s, this site processed copper, lead, silver and gold, and you can see relics of Queensland’s industrial heritage here, with interpretive signage providing more information. Our Top Tip – this is a great place to watch the sunset!

Some things are worth getting up for, and sunrise at the Ramparts in Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park is one of them. It’s a 5 minute drive out of town and watching the sun rise over the savannah landscape is just magic. Make sure you look up at the ceiling too for some stunning rock art which seems to resemble stars and constellations.

The Hub, located at 21–23 Queen Street in Chillagoe, is where you book your Cave Tours and is also the town’s Visitor Information and Interpretive Centre. Housed on the former Bank of Australasia site, it offers insights into Chillagoe’s rich history, geology and natural heritage. The Hub is open daily from 8am to 3:30pm, except on Christmas Day.

Time to explore the famous Chillagoe Caves. The Donna Cave Tour is the first of the day, starting at 9am. This ranger-guided tour is around an 830 meter round trip and lasts around 1-hour, it’s considered moderately challenging. You’ll use staircases to access the cave and once inside, see amazing columns, sparkling crystals and unique cave decoration. There’s two other guided cave tours you can also do; the Trezkinn Cave tour starts at 11am and the Royal Arch Cave tour starts at 1.30pm. As well as a number of self-guided caves to explore.

Balancing Rock, an impressive limestone boulder that appears to be precariously balanced on a narrow base, showcasing the natural forces of erosion over millions of years. This one is clearly sign-posted on the road to and from Chillagoe to the Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park, where you do the guided cave tours. To get to it, it’s a 440 metre return loop walking track, which is relatively easy although does have rocky and sometimes uneven surfaces and steps.

Hidden among the limestone caves and karsts of Chillagoe is striking Aboriginal rock art, accessible via self-guided walks. The closest site, Wullumba Rock Art, is just a short stroll from the Balancing Rock car park, 2.5km from town. A little further, the Mungana Rock Art site offers another stunning display, set against the vast savannah outback.

With all of this walking and exploring, it must be time to cool down with a swim at the Chillagoe Weir. Located ‘behind’ the local airstrip, this serene waterhole is surrounded by shady paperbark trees, making it an ideal location for picnics and relaxation. For detailed directions and information, it’s advisable to visit The Hub in Chillagoe’s town center to obtain a map of the “swimming hole.”

The Chillagoe Observatory and Eco Lodge offers guests a unique opportunity to explore the night sky through their Night Sky Observatory Tours. Equipped with a fully functional dome and large telescopes, the observatory allows guests to view planets, nebulas, and star clusters up close. The observatory is closed during periods of full moon and on selected dates throughout the year. Visitors are encouraged to verify availability to avoid disappointment.

Start your morning by delving into Chillagoe’s pioneering past, with another visit to the Chillagoe Smelters. This place is historically interesting and is a great stop for photos. While access to the actual site is restricted due to remnants of pits, tanks, and contaminants, you can explore via the designated walking track and take in the historic views. Afterward, make a quick stop at the Bank of Australasia Vault, which safeguarded the town’s treasures from 1900 to 1928.

The Chillagoe Court House Heritage Museum offers visitors a glimpse into the region’s rich history. Housed in the original court house building, the museum retains much of its historical architecture, providing an authentic backdrop for the exhibits. It showcases a variety of artifacts, photographs and documents that chronicle Chillagoe’s past, including its mining heritage and local community stories.

That’s a wrap on the Wheelbarrow Way—an unforgettable self-drive adventure from Mareeba to Chillagoe. Along the way, you’ll trace the footsteps of pioneers, meet friendly locals, explore ancient caves, and soak in the beauty of Outback Queensland in the heart of the Mareeba Shire.