Snaking like a Dreamtime serpent from Cairns across Queensland’s Gulf Country, and then west towards the Northern Territory and across to Broome in Western Australia, The Savannah Way is like no other road in Australia.
For many, it’s a rite of passage that includes geological phenomenon seen nowhere else, such as lava tubes that exploded into existence 190,000 years ago, towering sandstone gorges that wouldn’t look out of place in Utah, and salt pans like eerily empty moonscapes.
After the wet season, there’s also wild wetlands bursting with wildlife aplenty, and lush cattle country adjoining ancient fossil beds. It’s a magical place where brolgas dance along the dusty red roadside, and the fishing tales told around campfires are so epic, most of the time it’s hard to believe they’re true.
The Savannah Way is open for business
The wet season is always a reminder that Mother Nature calls the shots, and afterwards, in this part of Australia, the annual reset is dramatically spectacular. The floodwaters have come and gone, rivers have swelled, burst their banks and brought forth more life than you think is possible, and the land is like soft blankets of verdant green, clear streams of waters cutting through the landscape and mirroring the vast blue skies.
The Savannah Way is open for business, and if adventures in the outback are what float your boat, it’s calling your name. Now is the time to take the road less travelled.
At Cobbold Gorge, you can drift silently between towering sandstone cliffs aboard a boat, the water below dark and glassy, the walls rising in honeyed layers above. For a different perspective, step onto the soaring glass bridge that arcs across the gorge – Australia’s first fully glass-floored bridge that’s suspended 17 meters above the gorge floor. You can do a three-hour guided Cobbold Gorge Tour, which includes the boat cruise.
Getting to this part of the country is part of the magic. The Savannahlander (aka the Silver Bullet train) rattles through outback towns and cattle stations between Mareeba and Forsayth, revealing wide horizons and big-sky country that feels unchanged for generations.
Not far away, the ancient lava flows of Undara Lava Tubes have created enormous subterranean chambers, cathedral-like in scale and atmosphere. Walking through them is humbling; you’re tracing the path of molten rock that surged through 190,000 of years ago when a massive volcano erupted.
Fishing enthusiasts will find their own kind of paradise in the Gulf. Cast a line in a quiet waterway, or head out with Kerry D Fishing Charters.
A flight to Sweers Island Resort with Savannah Aviation turns the experience into something unforgettable – stay a few nights and be spoilt with endless big fish opportunities and some of the best sunsets in the country.
In Karumba, evenings unfold in blazing streaks of orange and crimson across the Gulf waters. Fresh seafood is hauled in daily, and stories are shared on pub decks over a cold one.
Further west in Boodjamulla National Park is an emerald oasis weaving its ways through stunning red sandstone ranges. It’s one of Australia’s most extraordinary inland landscapes.
If you’re around in Spring, don’t miss the Outback by the Sea Festival that runs from September 26 through to October 4. It’s the Gulf’s biggest annual celebration in Karumba, bringing together fishing, food, music and community spirit against the stunning Gulf of Carpentaria backdrop.
Ten experiences you’ll never forget
1. Get up close to native and farm animals
At Tirranna Springs Roadhouse, hospitality comes with hooves and webbed feet. This character-filled stop is famous for its eclectic menagerie. From emus, donkeys, pigs, poddy calves, to many feathered friends, make it more than a fuel stop.
2. Camp beside the Gregory River
In the tiny settlement of Gregory, camping along the river is free!
Cool clear water, shady river gums, star-filled skies and no crowds. Just the sound of flowing water and fish regularly breaking the surface. Throw a line in and relax.
3. Feel the dust fly at a Gulf rodeo
Annnual rodeos in Einasleigh, Forsayth, Georgetown, Normanton (this year marks its 50th anniversary celebration), Burketown and Doomadgee are raw, real and unforgettable. It’s all about broncs, bulls, boots, and big-hearted Gulf hospitality.
4. Walk with dancing brolgas
In Karumba, sunset comes with performances by brolgas – the tall, elegant and unmistakable birds of the Gulf. They gather and dance in open paddocks and along the beach in theatrical displays.
5. Discover Mutton Hole Wetlands
Near Normanton, the Mutton Hole Wetlands come alive after the rains. Pelicans, jabirus, magpie geese
and countless migratory birds turn the floodplains into a wildlife show. It’s a twitcher’s paradise bursting at the seams with feathers and birdsong.
6. Easter at Cobbold Gorge
The Easter weekend at Cobbold Gorge has become a bucket-list tradition for locals and travellers. Warm days, cool nights and the gorge at its most photogenic, it’s the perfect shoulder-season escape.
7. Canoe through Boodjamulla
Paddling between the towering red walls of Boodjamulla National Park is surreal. Emerald water, pandanus-lined banks and ancient rock formations create an extraordinary inland experiences.
8. Our least known World Heritage site
The Riversleigh Fossil Fields is a part of the Australian Fossil Mammal Sites World Heritage listing. It tells the story of ancient megafauna and rainforest ecosystems dating back millions of years. David Attenborough calls this one of the greatest paleontological wonders of the world, and it’s in our backyard! Few Australians have been, and even fewer realise it’s in Queensland’s Gulf Savannah.
9. Eat your way across the Gulf
Tuck into a homemade vanilla slice at Hells Gate Roadhouse, which has developed a cult status among road trippers. In Karumba, eat fresh Gulf prawns and arguably the best fish and chips in the north at Ash’s Café. Grab a true blue paddock-to-plate steak at Latara Motel in Georgetown.
10. Float above the salt pans
With Balloon Aloft, drift above Burketown’s vast coastal salt pans and tidal country as the Gulf lights
up in gold. It’s a perspective few Australians ever see, and an experience that you’ll never forget.
Getting there is easier than you think
Access to the Savannah Way is surprisingly simple.
FLY: Rex airlines flies from Cairns or Mount Isa to the Gulf gateways of Normanton, Mornington, Burketown and Doomadgee, linking seamlessly with Townsville and Brisbane.
Arriving by air, the first glimpse of the shimmering plains from above hints at something uniquely Australian: scale, resilience and the sense that this northern frontier is only just beginning to realise its potential.
Hire a vehicle and let the adventure unfold at your own pace.
DRIVE: From Cairns, head west over the Great Dividing Range, then drive through the Atherton Tablelands, and you’ll find yourself on The Savannah Way.
RIDE: The Savannahlander heritage train is an iconic Gulf Savannah experience. It’s a slow journey along The Savannah Way through parts of Savannah Country that can’t be experienced any other way.
Why experience the Savannah Way now?
In the Gulf Savannah, the wet season replenishes rivers, revives wetlands and resets the landscape. Roads reopen, communities come together, and the welcome is as warm as ever.
Now is the best time to experience the Gulf Savannah region in all of its blazing glory, including the Plains of Promise, which are vast floodplains fringing the southern part of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
This part of the country is also home to rich pastoral and cultural heritage, and the ‘promise’ lies in the many ways that friendly locals create, embrace and share the rare combination of natural abundance and endless opportunities.
Travelling in this region isn’t just about enjoying the abundance of natural beauty. It’s also about supporting small communities, family-run businesses while having experiences you simply won’t find anywhere else.
To learn about more incredible things to do in the Gulf of Carpentaria, click here.
Rex flies to Normanton and Burketown, while you can travel to Karumba and the Savannah Way via a short drive from Normanton. Head to the Rex website for more details, or check out the route map below.
