Escarpments, Mulga & Solitude: A Guide to Idalia National Park

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I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this area and their deep and ongoing connection to Country, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.

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We’d never heard of Idalia National Park before we went so it’s more than understandable if you haven’t either. Located west of Blackall on the way to Longreach, this relatively small national park isn’t exactly overrun with people but that’s part of what we loved about it.

It’s remote, it ‘s peaceful, and it makes for a great stop on a road trip around the remote parts of southwest Queensland.

Characterised by mulga scrubland, Idalia offers panoramic views over the Gowan Ranges, interesting rock formations and rocky gorges, and remnants of pastoral activities. There’s also plenty of wildlife, especially if you get up early in the morning.

While the scenic driving isn’t spectacular, the short walks are worth trekking around the park and dealing with the rocky tracks. With a few short walks on offer and plenty of solitude, Idalia’s a fantastic little place to camp for a couple of days.

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IDALIA NATIONAL PARK: TIPS FOR YOUR FIRST VISIT

Like Welford National Park, Idalia is in the Barcoo region of Outback Queensland and one of several national parks scattered around the wider Longreach area. If you crave solitude and a sense of remoteness, then Idalia is for you.

We spent two nights at Idalia, which meant only about 1.5 days in reality as we arrived in the early afternoon on the first day (coming from Morven). Unless you want to relax for a while, two nights gives you plenty of time to explore the park without having to rush.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

Like any national park in this central part of Queensland, Idalia is best visited over the cooler months of the year (May to September).

During winter, expect more than warm enough daytime temperatures (high 20ºCs). Nights tend to be cool but rarely icy cold; still, come prepared for temperatures to drop below 10ºC.

This is dry land until it rains. Summer is stiflingly hot (frequently climbing above 40°C), and the park often gets closed as the dirt roads quickly become impassable due to wet weather.

GETTING TO IDALIA

Idalia is about 100km southwest of Blackall, or roughly 1,100km from Brisbane (about a 13-hour drive). It’s a long way to come, and best done as part of a larger road trip around this region.

The national park is very easy to find but don’t believe Google Maps to get you there.

Take the Isisford–Blackall Road out of Blackall (which becomes the Blackall–Emmet Road). After roughly 70km, turn left into Idalia–Benlidi Road when you see the sign to Idalia.

Google Maps might suggest that there are two roads into Idalia; there aren’t. Just follow the national park signs into Idalia–Benlidi Road—you can’t miss it.

From the turnoff, it’s about 35km of dirt road until you reach the park boundary, marked by a yellow pole that looks remarkably like a bus stop marker.

From the entrance of the national park to the camping area is about 30km, which gives you a nice introduction to the park’s mulga vegetation.

VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS

The road into the national park is passable for 2WD vehicles in the dry—it’s mostly sealed now except for the last few kilometres. There are also some sandy bits in the national park so go slowly. A 4WD is highly recommended.

Outback dirt tracks can remain closed or affected by water long after the rain stops, so it pays to check live road conditions on QLD Traffic before leaving the sealed highways.

You won’t be able to do the scenic drive around the park in a 2WD as there are some rocky and sandy sections that require a high-clearance 4WD.

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ESSENTIAL GEAR AND OUTBACK PREP

Travelling west requires some preparation. Idalia is remote and help may not be immediately available. So here are a few tips for your trip to Idalia.

• Nearest Fuel Stop & Supplies: Fill up before leaving Blackall (~135km away). Do not rely on smaller remote settlements having fuel available on arrival. There’s a small IGA in Blackall if you need to get some last–minute supplies.

• Emergency Supplies: While Blackall isn’t that far, have a first-aid kit handy and extra food in case you get stranded.

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CAMPING AT IDALIA

Nestled right into the mulga bush beside an elevated, fenced-off dam, Monks Tank is a small camping area with sandy dirt sites. It’s not the most picturesque campground, and there are no expansive views, walks or sights nearby.

In fact, there’s not much to do at the camp itself beyond relaxing—not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. It actually makes a nice, central spot for exploring the rest of Idalia.

Campsites are unmarked but you can easily make out individual spots where people have stayed before. There are a couple of slightly more private sites, but most of them are fairly open and offer little privacy. It’s so quiet out here that it doesn’t matter too much.

The whole area is set up for about 20 people but it’s hard to imagine it ever getting that busy. Most spots offer a bit of shade, and you should be able to find a relatively flat spot for a tent or camper trailer.

There are no facilities beyond a composting toilet. Like in many national parks in Outback Queensland, there’s no water here so come prepared. Remember to camp responsibly and take your rubbish with you when you leave.

As with all camping in Queensland’s national parks, you need to book online before arriving. Keep in mind that there is no mobile coverage at Idalia, and you will need to drive halfway back to Blackall just to get a signal.

If you prefer a bit more flexibility or be closer to town, you could also stay around Blackall. You can camp along the Barcoo River for just $5 a night and visit Idalia as a day trip. Just be sure to get an early start so you’ll have enough daylight to explore all the sites without feeling rushed.

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SHORT WALKS AT IDALIA NATIONAL PARK

The hikes at Idalia are all fairly short and easy. None are easily walkable from the camping area so you’ll need to drive to each of the trailheads (saying ‘trailhead’ seems a bit overstated out here).

WAVE ROCK WALK (1.2KM RETURN)

Wave Rock is a giant cliff, shaped like, well, a wave.

Starting at the Old Idalia homestead—where are only a few bits and pieces are left now—the walk to the cliff is flat and easy. The best part though is scrambling around the rock and enjoying the view from the top.

Photography Tip: Wave Rock is best explored in the late afternoon when the light turns soft and basks the rock in bright orange and deep ochre reds.

RAINBOW GORGE (200M RETURN)

Rainbow Gorge isn’t even a walk, really.

It’s 100 metres to a stunningly coloured rocky gorge where you can climb into the riverbed and admire the swirling colours in all their glory.

Photography Tip: Early morning or late afternoon is best, otherwise the sun washes out the beautiful hues.

MURPHY’S ROCKHOLE

Like Rainbow Gorge, there isn’t much walking involved with Murphy’s Rockhole. It’s also far less interesting so if you’re short on time, skip this one.

In winter, there’s unlikely to be much, if any, water in the rock hole, just lots of debris.

We also didn’t spot any koalas (apparently your chances here aren’t too bad) even though we climbed around for a while.

BULLOCK GORGE WALK

The Bullock Gorge Walk is the longest hike at Idalia National Park but it’s still easily doable within an hour.

It’s a flat track that loops around an escarpment overlooking the Gowan Ranges of Idalia. There’s no formal lookout but you get intermittent views, especially if you don’t mind scrambling around the rocks a bit.

The track is fairly exposed so early morning or late afternoon is best as even in winter the sun can still be strong. Plus, everything looks a lot more impressive in softer light.

EMMET POCKET WALK

The Emmet Pocket Walk is classed as hard (Grade 5) by QPWS, supposedly leads into a gorge, and is still listed on the official Idalia website. So we left very early to avoid the heat of the day.

However… it’s a completely flat track until you get to this sign:

We were a little dumbfounded and tried to see where we might scramble down into the gorge. There were no markers and nowhere was there any indication of a previously semi-formed track.

So given the rather thick vegetation, we decided to turn around.

So, either Emmet Pocket Walk is no longer a hard walk but simply ends at the start of the gorge. Or it’s a total bush bash with a high chance of getting lost on the way back.

If you decide to just walk to the “End of Track” sign, it’s pretty flat and easy (and was about 2km return). You’ll do the walk in no time.

EMMET POCKET LOOKOUT

Emmet Pocket Lookout (where the Emmet Pocket Walk starts) is about 12km north of the camping area at Monks Tank.

It offers some panoramic views over Idalia’s scrubland vegetation and ranges. It’s a really great spot for sunset, and if you’re lucky spotting a yellow-footed rock wallaby.

PASTORAL REMNANTS: OLD IDALIA HOMESTEAD

There isn’t much to discover in terms of Idalia’s pastoral or indigenous history as the park has only been gazetted in 1990, and not much information is available in the park itself.

The Old Idalia Homestead belonged to a musterer once but now lies in ruins. What you can find now are broken bits and pieces with a few scraps of old machinery thrown in.

Apparently, you can also look at old stake stockyards but we couldn’t find any, except around the Monks Tank camping area.

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FROM IDALIA, WHERE TO NEXT?

Even though there isn’t a ton to explore at Idalia, we really enjoyed the solitude and raw isolation out here.

My highlights were definitely scrambling around Wave Rock, climbing into Rainbow Gorge and watching the sunset over the mulga lands from Emmet Pocket Lookout. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a yellow-footed rock wallaby or a couple of brolgas in the park.

Because of its remote location, Idalia is best visited as part of a larger trek. If you are mapping out your route, take a look at my comprehensive guide to planning a southwest Queensland road trip to tie your itinerary together.

From here, you can easily continue your desert park adventures by heading further west to explore the red sand dunes at Welford National Park, or venture further south to see the huge lakes at Currawinya National Park.

Happy exploring,

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