Dirt bikes, desert and the road less travelled in Bulloo Shire
Updated
There are road trips – and then there are the ones that get burnt into your memory forever. In Bulloo Shire, far south-west Queensland, where the Channel Country opens wide and the red earth stretches to the horizon, Desert Gateway Dirt Bike Tours is in a league of its own.
Desert Gateway Dirt Bike Tours is in a league of its own. Desert Gateway Dirt Bike Tours
The brainchild of Steve, a bloke with a deep love of the Outback and an even deeper love of two wheels, Desert Gateway takes riders seven days deep into some of the most remote and spectacular terrain in Australia. The base is Thargomindah, a frontier town on the banks of the Bulloo River, on the traditional Country of the Kullilli people. From here, the red dirt takes over.
Day one you’re barely off the plane (return flights from Brisbane are included in the package) before you’re clinking glasses at the local pub. By day two, you’re weaving through private station properties, rattling past old shearing sheds, crossing the dog fence and cresting red desert dunes aboard a DRZ 400E enduro bike. By day three, you’re tracing the footsteps of Burke and Wills through Bulloo Downs Station, resting up on the banks of the Bulloo River with a cold drink and maybe a yellow belly or two on the line.
It’s the sweet spot between Mad Max and Australia. The days that follow take you through opal country, into the hidden hamlet of Yowah, past artesian bores and natural caves, and eventually to the legendary Toompine Pub, the pub with no town, where more than 120 years of outback history hang from the walls. Nights end around campfires or pub dinners with the crew. Everything is taken care of: bikes, fuel, meals, accommodation, a fully equipped support truck and experienced lead and sweep riders.
“Don’t just put it on your bucket list,” the team at Desert Gateway say, “Do it.”
Stay at the pub that time forgot
Pull up a stool at the heritage-listed Noccundra Hotel, one of the most remote pubs in Queensland, sitting on the Wilson River roughly 130 kilometres south-east of Thargomindah. With barely a handful of permanent residents nearby, it’s a proper Outback Queenlsand experience: cold beers, a corrugated iron roof and more stories than you could hear in a week.
Follow the river
The Kullilli people have known the Bulloo River as a source of life for thousands of years. Later, Thargomindah grew up on its banks as a vital wool-carting stopover, teams hauling bales south towards the Darling River and eventually South Australia. Today, the river still sets the rhythm of the town. Stroll its banks at dawn and you’ll have this corner of the world entirely to yourself.
Cast a line along the way
The Channel Country’s waterholes, creeks and rivers are home to Golden Perch (Yellowbelly), Spangled Perch, Moonfish and freshwater yabbies.
Try your luck and bagging a fresh seafood dinner. Tourism and Events Queensland
Better still, no fishing licence is required for river and creek fishing in Queensland. Pack a rod, find your spot and pull something out of the water for dinner.
Sleep under the stars
Bulloo Shire has almost no light pollution, and the night sky shows it. Whether you’re camping along the Bulloo River or bedding down on a station property, the stars feel impossibly bright.
Watch the birds at Lake Bindegolly
On the edge of the Channel Country, Lake Bindegolly National Park is a remote but surprisingly accessible gem.
Swans, pelicans and the rare freckled duck are just some of the birds to spot at Lake Bindegolly. Tourism and Events Queensland
A string of salt and freshwater lakes draws thousands of waterbirds, including swans, pelicans and the rare freckled duck. A 9.2-kilometre circuit track skirts the lake edge and winds through scrub-covered sandhills, where wedge-tailed eagles, Major Mitchell cockatoos and tiny box-patterned geckos all share the country. Come at sunset and the light is something else entirely.
Discover the town that ran on hot water
Thargomindah has been punching above its weight since 1893, when bore drilling struck an artesian supply at 2650 feet. By 1898, artesian water pressure was powering Thargomindah’s street lights, making it the first town in Australia, and the third in the world, to generate hydroelectric power this way.
Witness a piece of Outback Queensland history at the Thargomindah Hydro Power Plant. Tourism and Events Queensland
It was also Australia’s first town with reticulated water. The Hydro Power Station and its windmill and corrugated iron water tanks are still standing, a quirky and fascinating piece of outback ingenuity.
See the magic for yourself
Want a front-row seat to these iconic landscapes? Catch the Outback Queensland specials on MyWay, available to stream on 9Now.
For 2026, tours run from July through September, with the seven-day Channel Country Tour priced at $6150 per person. Visit desertgatewaydirtbiketours.com.au to book.
Outback Queensland. It’s something else. Plan your holiday at Queensland.com.
Assistance has been provided through the jointly funded Australian-Queensland Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
