Driving the Overlander's Way & Savannah Way

Australian Traveller looks at the Overlander’s and Savannah Way, one of Australia’s 10 Greatest Outback Journeys.

A quick farewell glance in the rear view mirror when leaving Townsville and before you know it you’ve begun your Overland and Savannah Way adventures – combining two of Australia’s great outback trails into a single 2235km journey across the northeastern corner of the continent from Townsville to the NT border via iconic outback Mt Isa, before looping back east to Cairns.

Heading southwest along the Flinders Highway (The Overlander’s Way) to Hughenden, you can test your singing or sportsmanship skills at the old gold mining town of Charters Towers – once Queensland’s second-largest city, now host to Australia’s largest amateur cricket carnival and music quest. Pause at the Burra Range lookout on your way through White Mountains National Park. At the strategically placed Torrens Creek you can learn about the WWII Coral Sea battle when the town became a supply dump for explosives, which was accidentally blown up by US soldiers.

After a quick stop at Qld’s Prairie Hotel to ease the hunger pangs, you’ll have made it to Hughenden, where you can take a prehistoric walk through the Flinders Discovery Centre or snap a photo with Mutt, the life-sized Muttaburrasaurus model. Hit up a 4WD track and finish the day off with a sunset at MountWalkeror the stunning Porcupine Gorge.

You’ll need all your rest, though, because your next major stop will be Mount Isa – but on the way be sure to drop in on Richmond (for some fossil fossicking), Julia Creek with its famous Dirt ‘n’ Dust Festival each April, and Cloncurry – home of the Royal Flying Doctor Service with its memorial to founder John Flynn.

While inMountIsa, raise your Akubras to the largest rodeo in the Southern Hemisphere. One of the largest producers of copper ore inAustralia, Isa is considered the Rodeo Capital of Australia and has always been a town renowned for its outback welcome. With 900km clocked on the odometer, you’ve roughly reached the halfway mark in your Overland Savannah adventure, and as Queensland Rail so aptly puts it: “You’re not a real Aussie till you’ve been to the Isa."

Travelling two hours west along Tojo’s Highway (locals’ nickname) to Camooweal, just 12km shy of the NT border, this once lively drovers’ centre is Queensland’s most westerly town. Skim the border as you head north to Burketown via Gregory Downs, where you can rent a canoe year-round and spend the night camping next to the river.

Some 120km later, you’ll have finally joined up with the legendary nation-spanning Savannah Way– just before rolling into Burketown, the self-titled Barramundi Capital of Australia. Outside its annual fishing championships, this small town on the Albert River with its lonely salt plains is a peaceful divider between the wetlands and the magnificent Savannah grasslands.

Heading east to Normanton (winner ofTidyTown’s Friendliest Town 2007), you’re now deep in Savannah Gulf territory. And, after posing alongside Krys the Savannah King, Normanton’s statuesque 8.63m tribute to the largest estuarine croc ever captured, it’s all aboard the historic Gulflander train for 152km of scenic bliss. (It eventually returns for those who left their car in Normanton.)

If you’re driving the whole way, stop in for some wetland scenery and wildlife at Karumba, a primary player in the Gulf’s prawning and fishing industry, then back on course for your lunch date in Croydon, another ex-goldmining town. Once pastGeorgetown, a booming goldmining town in the 1800s, you’ll be delighted to reachMountSurprise, where you can take a family friendly half-day gem fields tour.

With souvenirs and memories well in hand, you’re now on your final leg toCairns. Spend a night camping in theUndaraVolcanicNational Parkand explore by guided tour one of the longest lava cave tubes in the world. Then, once on the home stretch, take a dip in the Innot Hot Springs, just west of the Atherton Tablelands, and finish your outback adventure in sunnyCairns.

Who got there first? // Matthew Flinders first charted the Gulf Coast in 1802, but it was Captain J Lort Stokes who retraced his steps and discovered the Albert River, sailing down it and first spotting the grasslands he called the “the plains of promise". Ludwig Leichhardt explored the area next in 1848, 12 years before Burke and Wills. However, it was Frederick Walker and William Landsborough (when searching for Burke and Wills) who opened up the whole Gulf area.

Don’t miss // The astonishing Morning Glory in the Gulf of Carpentaria, a 1000km-long cloud formation that rolls across the sky from Sept-Nov. Best seen from Burketown.

Drive time // Total distance, 2235km. This type of trip has a lot to do and see so there’s no point rushing it. Spend at least a good two to three weeks experiencing everything it has to offer.

Dos + Don’ts

1. Some parts of the Gulf Savannah suffer from lack of road infrastructure, so be particularly careful during monsoonal season.

2. Before bushwalking, especially in remote areas like the White Mountains NP, tell someone where you’re going, when and your expected return.

3. Remember to report any sealed roads on your travels that you consider to be particularly unroadworthy to the RACQ (www.racq.com.au ).

4. 4WDs aren’t invincible, so be careful with any deep creek crossings – if water gets into the air intake, it’s game over for your engine.

5. Invest in a “snatchem strap" for extraction from muddy or boggy roads (if there’s another vehicle nearby, that is).

Accessibility // Most of the roads along the Overland Way and Savannah Way are sealed – and even the un-sealed ones are definitely accessible for a standard vehicle. However, there are some pretty spectacular 4WD tracks that a regular car won’t be able to handle.

Did you know? // Broadly speaking, there are two seasons in this part of Queensland: April to September is dry/winter and October to March is wet/summer.

More info // Visit www.savannahway.com.au for more info on the Savannah Way from Hell’s Gate to Cairns, and www.adventureoutback.com.au for more info on the Overland Way.

Sidetracks // Overland and Savannah Ways

1. Burke and Wills roadhouse // The site of the explorers’ last northern camp, halfway between Cloncurry and Normanton on the Matilda Hwy.

2. Hell’s Gate // 50km east of the NT border and gateway to the Macassan coast. Explore Aboriginal art and don’t miss the Hell’s Gate Roadhouse, which has everything from food supplies to a limited mechanical workshop.

3. Pungalina Station // For a real outback experience, stay at this eco wilderness Australian outback property 65km north of the Savannah Way (1.5hr flight from Mt Isa). 500,000 hectares of rugged gorges, barramundi fishing and bird watching. With safari camps, flying and 4WDs, it’s an outback adventurer’s delight. www.pungalinasafaris.com.au

4. Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park // 282,000 hectare park around 400km northwest of Mt Isa.

5. O’Brien’s Creek // Grab a fossicking permit and geo tool before heading off to hunt for topaz in O’Brien’s Creek, 40min north of Mt Surprise.

Abandoned mills and forgotten paper plants are finding second lives – and helping redefine a city long underestimated.

Just 15 years ago, Federal Mills was a very different place. Once among the most significant industrial sites in Victoria, the historic woollen mill was one of a dozen that operated in Geelong at the industry’s peak in the mid-20th century, helping the city earn its title as ‘wool centre of the world’. But by the 1960s global competition and the rise of synthetic fabrics led to the slow decline of the industry, and Federal Mills finally shuttered its doors in 2001. Within a few years, the abandoned North Geelong grounds had become makeshift pastoral land, with cows and goats grazing among the overgrown grass between the empty red-brick warehouses. It was a forgotten pocket of the city, all but two klicks from the bustle of the CBD.

Geelong cellar door wine bar — Geelong has shed its industrial identity to become an innovative urban hub with reimagined heritage spaces. (Image: Ash Hughes)

Federal Mills: from forgotten factory to creative precinct

Today, the century-old complex stands reborn. The distinctive sawtooth-roof buildings have been sensitively restored. An old silo is splashed with a bright floral mural, landscapers have transformed the grounds, and the precinct is once again alive with activity. More than 1000 people work across 50-plus businesses here. It’s so busy, in fact, that on a sunny Thursday morning in the thick of winter, it’s hard to find a car park. The high ceilings, open-plan design, and large multi-paned windows – revolutionary features for factories of their time – have again become a drawcard.

Paddock Bakery andPatisserie — Paddock Bakery and Patisserie is housed within the historic wool factory. (Image: Gallant Lee)

At Paddock , one of the precinct’s newer tenants, weaving looms and dye vats have been replaced by a wood-fired brick oven and heavy-duty mixers. Open since April 2024, the bakery looks right at home here; the building’s industrial shell is softened by ivy climbing its steel frames, and sunlight streams through the tall windows. Outside, among the white cedar trees, families at picnic benches linger over dippy eggs and bagels, while white-collar workers pass in and out, single-origin coffee and crème brûlée doughnuts in hand.

Geelong: Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design

Paddock Bakery can be found at Federal Mills. (Image: Gallant Lee)

“A lot of people are now seeing the merit of investing in Geelong,” says Paul Traynor, the head of Hamilton Hospitality Group, which redeveloped Federal Mills. A city once shunned as Sleepy Hollow, and spurned for its industrial, working-class roots and ‘rust belt’ image, Geelong has long since reclaimed its ‘Pivot City’ title, having reinvented itself as an affordable, lifestyle-driven satellite city, and a post-COVID migration hotspot.

And the numbers stand testament to the change. In March 2025, and for the first time in its history, Greater Geelong became Australia’s most popular regional town for internal migration, overtaking Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Current forecasts suggest Geelong will continue to outpace many other Australian cities and towns, with jobs growing at double the rate of the population.

Tourism is booming, too. The 2023-24 financial year was Geelong and The Bellarine region’s busiest on record, with 6.4 million visitors making it one of the fastest-growing destinations in the country. It’s not hard to see why: beyond the city’s prime positioning at the doorstep of the Great Ocean Road, Geelong’s tenacity and cultural ambition stands out.

As Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design, Geelong is swiftly shaking off its industrial past to become a model for urban renewal, innovation, sustainability and creative communities. The signs are everywhere, from the revitalisation of the city’s waterfront, and the landmark design of the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre and Geelong Arts Centre, to the growing network of local designers, architects and artists, and the burgeoning roster of festivals and events. That’s not even mentioning the adaptive reuse of storied old industrial buildings – from Federal Mills, to Little Creatures’ brewery ‘village’ housed within a 1920s textile mill – or the city’s flourishing food and wine scene.

The rise of a food and wine destination

Restaurant 1915 is housed within a restored former boiler house. (Image: Harry Pope/Two Palms)

Traynor credits now-closed local restaurant Igni, which opened in 2016, as the turning point for Geelong’s hospo industry. “[Aaron Turner, Igni’s chef-patron] was probably the first guy, with all due respect, to raise the bar food-wise for Geelong,” he says. “People now treat it really seriously, and there’s clearly a market for it.” While Igni is gone, Turner now helms a string of other notable Geelong venues, including The Hot Chicken Project and Tacos y Liquor, all within the buzzy, street art-speckled laneways of the CBD’s Little Malop Street Precinct. Many others have also popped up in Igni’s wake, including Federal Mills’ own restaurant, 1915 . Housed within the cavernous boiler house, 1915’s interior is dramatic: soaring, vaulted ceilings with timber beams, exposed brick, a huge arched window. The share plates echo the space’s bold character, playing with contrast and texture, with dishes such as a compressed watermelon tataki, the sweet, juicy squares tempered by salty strands of fried leeks, and charred, smoky snow peas dusted with saganaki on a nutty bed of romesco.

The Woolstore , one of The Hamilton Group’s most recent hospo projects, opened in February. It occupies a century-old riverside warehouse and exudes a more sultry, fine dining ambience. Much like Federal Mills, the blueprint was to preserve the original brickwork, tallowwood flooring and nods to the building’s former life. That same careful consideration extends to the well-versed, affable waitstaff as well as the kitchen. Head chef Eli Grubb is turning out an eclectic mix of ambitious and indulgent mod Oz dishes that deliver: strikingly tender skewers of chicken tsukune, infused with hints of smoke from the parrilla grill, and glazed with a moreish, sweet gochujang ‘jam’; nduja arancini fragrant with hints of aniseed and the earthy lick of sunny saffron aioli; and golden squares of potato pavé, adorned with tiny turrets of crème fraîche, crisp-fried saltbush leaves, and Avruga caviar, to name but a few stand-out dishes.

Woolstore menu — Woolstore’s menu is designed for sharing.

Breathing new life into historic spaces

On the city’s fringe, hidden down a winding side road with little fanfare, lies a long-dormant site that’s being gently revived. Built from locally quarried bluestone and brick, and dating back to the 1870s, the complex of original tin-roofed mill buildings is lush with greenery and backs onto the Barwon River and Buckley Falls; the audible rush of water provides a soothing soundtrack. Fyansford Paper Mill is one of few complexes of its time to survive intact. It feels steeped in history and spellbindingly rustic.

“We were looking for an old industrial place that had some charm and romance to it,” explains Sam Vogel, the owner, director and winemaker at Provenance Wines which moved here in 2018. When he first viewed the building with his former co-owner, it was in such a state of disrepair that the tradie tenant occupying the space had built a shed within it to escape the leaking roof and freezing winter temperatures. “To say it was run down would be an understatement,” he notes. “There was ivy growing through the place; the windows were all smashed. It was a classic Grand Designs project.”

Provenance Wines moved to Fyansford Paper Mill in 2018. (Image: Cameron Murray Photography)

The team has since invested more than a million dollars into their new home. Where paper processing machinery once sat, wine barrels are now stacked. Vaulted cathedral ceilings are strung with festoon lights, and hidden in plain sight lies a shadowy mural by local street artist de rigueur Rone – one of only three permanent works by the artist.

While the award-winning, cool-climate pinot noir, riesling and chardonnay naturally remain a key draw at Provenance, the winery’s restaurant is a destination in itself. Impressed already by whipsmart service, I devour one of the most cleverly curated and faultlessly executed degustations I’ve had in some time. It’s all prepared in a kitchen that is proudly zero-waste, and committed to providing seasonal, ethical and locally sourced meat and produce under head chef Nate McIver. Think free-range venison served rare with a syrupy red wine jus and a half-moon of neon-orange kosho, shokupan with a deeply savoury duck fat jus (a modern Japanese take on bread and drippings), and a golden potato cake adorned with a colourful confetti of dehydrated nasturtiums and tomato powder, and planted atop a sea urchin emulsion.

handcrafted pieces — Bell’s handcrafted functional pieces on display.

The complex is home to a coterie of independent businesses, including a gallery, a jeweller, and its latest tenant, ceramicist Elizabeth Bell, drawn here by the building’s “soul”. “There’s so much potential for these buildings to have new life breathed into them,” says Bell, whose studio is housed within the old pump room. “Even people in Geelong don’t know we’re here,” she says. “It’s definitely a destination, but I like that. It has a really calming atmosphere.”

A Melbourne transplant, Bell now feels at home in Geelong, which offers something Melbourne didn’t. “If this business was in Melbourne I don’t think it would’ve been as successful,” she notes. “It’s very collaborative in Geelong, and I don’t think you get that as much in Melbourne; you’re a bit more in it for yourself. Here it’s about community over competition.”

Driving the Overlander’s Way & Savannah Way

Australian Traveller looks at the Overlander’s and Savannah Way, one of Australia’s 10 Greatest Outback Journeys.

The total lunar eclipse tonight is the last of its kind until 2028

What’s on around Australia in March 2026

13 autumn weekends away across Australia to plan now

Australia’s 10 best beaches for 2026 revealed

Inside Geelong’s glow-up from factory town to creative capital

Abandoned mills and forgotten paper plants are finding second lives – and helping redefine a city long underestimated.

Federal Mills: from forgotten factory to creative precinct

Geelong: Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design

The rise of a food and wine destination

Breathing new life into historic spaces