Spent over 2 hours at Mt Archer, which allows you to take in the views of Rockhampton and the Fitzroy River. Fantastic views! Great Boardwalk! The road to the top is tarred. There are picnic tables and bbq’s. There are heaps of Grass Trees (black boys) Great place for a family day out! Staying around for a wonderful sunset is a must!

Excellent lookout; well worth the drive. But don't stop at the "main" area (where the Kiosk bldg is), check out the "Nurim Circuit Elevated Boardwalk" which is about 100m away. But (IMHO) do NOT do the walk to Sliepner Lookout!

Nice view but nothing else. Just for a quick walk to take pictures.

We only did a small section of the Zion hike and it was stunning. Really well maintained, beautiful views and vegetation.

Make sure you do the short Nurim walk which is easy as it is mostly boardwalk or similar. It leads to a fantastic unobstructed view. This is important as where you first arrive on top of Mt Archer, the view is obstructed by trees.

What a magical lookout to watch the sun set over Rockhampton, this tree top canopy walk is a must see atop Mt Archer Rockhampton ☀️ “Jonique Life” Follow our journey around Australia on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube as we highlight wonderful experiences and magical places you can add to your ever growing bucket list.

Stunning views, good place to visit

Covers the period 1850-1950 with buildings from the local area. Set on spacious grounds, each building has it's own story to tell. Incredibly cheap when compared to other such venues I have visited.

For an entrance fee of $6 per person, well worth a look around for a couple of hours. Lots of effort gone into the display houses and buildings. Nice and clean and well looked after.

Absolutely loved visiting the village with all the authentic attractions from a time gone by all lovingly restored and displayed. Easy walk around all the displays and plenty of room to stop and take in all the historical sights without feeling rushed A lovely info centre and well staffed with people who were happy to chat about their village. The entry cost was relatively cheaper than most other attractions of the same calibre well worth visiting if in the area

Fantastic day spent. Lots to see. Best $6 ever for a snapshot of the past

An absolutely amazing experience, stepping back in time seeing how people lived, went to school and made a living. How far we have come in a short time

A real cross section of history. From how people lived and worked in the region. Great displays of cars and buggy, to fire and hospital with quite a few houses thrown in. I was there for 2 hours, and didnt see everything. I will be back!

What an amazing place, so much to see. Loved this place had to go back the next day to finish seeing it all. They only charged entry fee for the first entry only, so cheap only $5 to get in. The staff were amazing, so knowledgeable and friendly.

We wanted to enjoy a gentle walk and good company, and chose Kershaw Gardens, which delivered nicely. There is a good selection of pathways, trees and shrubs to create a peaceful ambiance. For those with kids, there is a great recreation park. Toilets are available in the central area.

I’m at this park all the time as it’s close to home. Great walking tracks and bicycle tracks. In summer the mozzies are out of control and I have fled a few times because of them. Not a lot of new plants that I can see but I am pleased that they have finally cleaned up some of the water weed as I couldn’t even see where the creek ran a few months ago.

Great gardens awesome walks well maintained lots of facilities picnic tables and playgrounds

Council has done a wonderful job with the update of the camping area. Pity some people can't read the signs. Rear parking, 48hrs and no tents!

A visit to the Kershaw Gardens is very worthwhile. It provides recreational opportunities for all people and interests. There is a good botanical collection of native plants; birdwatching; a large playground to challenge toddlers and primary school kids; quite areas meet, picnic or meditate. I really enjoyed my visit during my recent holiday. Plenty of parking. John.

Great spot to stretch your legs. The gardens are well maintained and the waterfall area is very attractive. There is even a leash free area for dogs. There is a 48 hour free camp next to these gardens.

Since Kershaw Gardens has been re vamped with bitumen, line markings and clear delineation between overnight camping for SC caravans/motor homes and day parking for cars, it has been a tremendous improvement. Now with space to put out an awning and with tan bark and trees planted in rows between the back to back camping spots, everyone knows where to safely park for up to 48 hours. Soo close to walk to Stockland shopping centre without having to worry about finding a park space. Well done Kershaw Gardens.

We loved our visit here soaking in how travelling by trains was done in a bygone era and all the effort needed to make it happen! This railway station was constructed in the same architecturally pleasing style as the ones in Mt Morgan, Emerald, and Longreach. There are plenty of volunteers around to answer any questions and do guided tours for groups. There is a Cafe on-site to provide refreshments if required. Allow at least an hour to enjoy this experience.

Very interesting museum that celebrates the history of trains and trams in Rockhampton. There are a lot of interactive activities, including a ride on a historic tram (only on Sundays, I believe). Tour guides offer more insight to the exhibits.

Great staff and lots to look to at. The steam tram was well worth a look. It doesn’t go very far week days, if you want to ride the tram your better to go on the weekend.

If like me, you luv trains and trams, then you will be in Nirvana here. ✅ An awesome museum, where you can literally get hands-on with the exhibits, climbing aboard decommissioned trains and trams, as well as related operating systems, at this beautifully presented retired station. Just fantastic and I will be back ... 🚃 🚂

A really well done museum explaining the history of railways in the area On Sunday they run a historical steam tramway tour in an original steam powered tram, the only one of it’s type still working worldwide There are many other interesting exhibits in the museum and it is well worth a visit

A great railway museum housed in a former railway station. Features the only operational steam tram in Australia

The volunteers have really put their all into this place. Beautiful displays and very clever soundscape on the platform with life like models. My kids loved the ride on the tram. A well spent morning in Rockhampton.

We had an absolutely fantastic day here. The caves were beautiful and easy to traverse with wooden stairs and suspended walkways over the most difficult areas. The acoustics in the Cathedral Cave were totally awesome. Candice, our tour guide, was very informative & enthusiastic with a dry sense of humour. She made the tour thoroughly enjoyable. All the staff were very helpful & friendly. The Capricorn Caves are easy to access, just a short drive from Rockhampton. The café & gift shop were great as were the fossil displays. We only booked the short tour but will definitely be coming back to do the longer tour next time. Highly recommended.

Guided by Maisy our little three-pack had a great two-hour walk-climb-crawl tour of the caves. Straight down in the mud from the go with a snake sighting not long after (during a crawl, just for that extra bit of fun). Through and through the highlight of my three week vacation in the Cairns/Brisbane area.

What a great experience. Our guide Flynn was spot on with his guiding and passion for his horticultural knowledge. Another one of those great "don't drive past" experiences. The fact that it's all privately owned and run add an extra tick in the box. We need to support these ventures.

The Cathedral Cave tour is always an amazing experience, and I often take visitors on that tour. On this occasion I was fortunate to do the "Whispers of the Caves" night tour... well I'd highly recommend it when they run the night tour again. A unique and impressive adventure that's for sure!

The caves were quite a treat to walk through with its lovely ambient temperature & collection of micro bats. Candice did a great job guiding everyone through as well. It was nice to bring my classical guitar and play in the Cathedral room!

Cathedral tour was amazing! Tour guide was funny and engaging and very knowledgeable of the caves and critters in it! Definitely recommend and if I find myself back in the area will do one of their other tours for sure!

The Capricorn Caves was awesome. Especially the Cathedral experience. It was amazing. The tour guide was very informative and knew her stuff. Friendly staff and a lovely gift shop If you're in the area well worth the visit

Went for a walk after seeing the zoo. Lovely gardens (we didn’t see every section but enjoyed what we saw). The Japanese section was lovely. Next time I’d bring a picnic - plenty of spaces to unwind and there was a nice looking kids playground with undercover BBQ’s.

Well worth taking a stroll through the many different areas these gardens have to offer. Parking can be difficult to find, but if you drive down towards the lagoon it's not so busy there. Japanese Gardens were under maintenance, so didn't get to enjoy them. Combine these Botanical Gardens with the zoo next-door and you can have a relaxing enjoyable day!

Wow the playground is incredible! It gets raked and cleaned every day so it was tidy when we arrived in the morning! All gardens were spectacular, very clean tidy and green! Lots of love and work goes into the garden and you can tell!

Visited May 2025 The gardens are quite large. Being May there weren't many flowers in bloom making it a little visually boring . The plants around the floral clock needed a trim because you couldn't see it. I love Japanese gardens but I found this one without the wow factor. The banyan figs around the tea rooms provide lots of shade and are beautiful. Food is quite good from the tea rooms I had zucchini fritters with a small salad and my husband had the eggs benedict on a bed of bacon which he said was delicious. The blue eye honeyeaters and rainbow lorikeets jump on the tables wanting to be fed, you can almost touch them. There is a childrens playground not far from tea rooms but not close enough to keep an eye on your kids. Down at Murrays Lagoon many water birds along the banks and looking in the water from the wetland lookout are so many river turtles popping up looking for a feed. I would have liked to see information boards explaining the different gardens. The gardens are 33hectares which I googled is around 46 soccer fields (for those who need a comparison, as I did!) so plenty of room for riding a bike or a long walk. I'd like to think it is more appealing in spring. But none the less a good walk and a tea rooms a lovely place for a cuppa. Overall underwhelming.

Lovely place to have a walk/run. Plenty to see from plants, turtles down a murray lagoon. Large play park for the kids. Even coffee shop. Plenty toliets and park for all.

Great zoo and gardens. We needed more time than we had to fully explore the extensive gardens.

A great botanical gardens that offers some of the best scenery and walking tracks in the area

Very good experience! I went on a scout camp for these caves and I had a very good time! Most of the caves are very open so people that get claustrophobic easily don’t have to worry. I went through 3 caves one cave we had to abseil into. There is a big walk involved but it’s worth it. Definitely would like to go there again.

The picnic spot was great, needed some shelters though as every table was in almost full sun on a very hot autumn day, but well maintained, quiet and pretty. The 600m self guided walk is awful, don't bother with it! Surrounded by weeds and fallen trees, just a mess and ugly, and the signs are so old most cant be read. That section needs a major overhaul.

The walking track is well marked, but I am not sure if the rangers have been clearing and burning, but it seems all of the "noted marks" on the path have died, or been killed off. Very strange. The markers describe a specific tree or plant, and that is dead. I hope it is not an act of vandalism. The cave entrance is sealed and out of bounds. I actually walked the rangers 4WD track, and was more impressed with the stands of trees and lush natural areas away from the self guided walk. The facilities at the main start point are well kept and of a high standard.

Went with the Scout's and it was exhilarating. Some nice little challenges which kids fly through an 8yr old. A 9 yr old and a 13yr old alll managed with ease.

All signs faded and unreadable not even worth stopping!! Ps long unsealed grave road to get to. Watch out for echidna.

I can not find any cove here but there have so many beautiful butterfly and small walk trail .

Amazing walk up top of Mount Etna well worth it and we timed in nicely for the sun to go down.. so much more to look at yet so far so good

Nice spot

Wow, this museum is amazing. So much history about Mt Morgan and life in general, back in the "good old days!" Great to wander around reading the information boards that were a plenty and were truly fascinating! Certainly make the effort and time to come and check this place out for yourself! Allow an hour or two to take it all in. They only ask for a donation to enter. Excellent valve!

Awesome, took few hundred photos of stuff over a hundred years old, very interesting go see for yourself, only $6 admission plenty to see from horse and carts, fire engines, every invention the last 100 years or so, pretty cool displays

Enjoyed our visit very much. Lots of history. Would be nice to know who donated all the bits and pieces. So great to see.

We spent ages going through here, so interesting to learn about the history of Mt Morgan Gold Mine, surrounding areas and the pioneer times. Out the back was an old hearse, fire engine and Vespa motorbike. Very comprehensive museum, with lots to see. Allow lots of time.

Loved this museum , so much history and great people…you do need cash $6 each …was also pet friendly

A good place to stop in and see some interesting things. Great county town, and a few attractions to see while your there, spend the day.

Step back in time to discover the history of the Mt Morgan region. There's gold in them tha hills💛

THE MINE , OR KNOWN AS MOUNT MORGAN GOLD MINE CO (LEASE) WAS ABANDONED IN 1981, AND SOLD TO MYSELF IN 2013, BY THE DEPT OF NATURAL RESOURCES , WHICH CONTAINS 3 LEASES, AND 2 separate properties. Which the leases contain approximately 300 homes, give or take. And as of 22/6/2025 have (not) Leased any land to anyone , in regards to TheMine, MountMorgan goldmine, or the town Mount Morgan. Which all are the same. RP

Big wet hole

Love it

A great experience and a huge learning curve on how to fossick for the Thunder Eggs. We stayed the night at the campground and Don made us feel welcome from arrival. An additional pleasure was having ‘Bobby’ accompany us for the duration of our stay. Highly recommended.

These guys help show us what to do. It was the first time looking for thunder eggs. They show us what to look for and help us. The kids had a blast and us parents did too. The view of the mountains was amazing. They had a few chairs and shared tree to sit under and relax. They really look after the kids by having blocks they could stand on to see, the stones after they were cut and keep them apart of the entire experience. They had poppers to buy and little car/bikes to help keep the little ones happy. The kids filled up a bag of litter stones we purchased from the shop. The staff were friendly and helpful. They really made a delightful experience for the entire family and made sure it was enjoyed by the family. Taking care to think about the needs of their guests and providing for them. Thank you for a wonderful experience and the lovely cut thunder eggs we found. The nicest one will proudly be displayed on our book shelf as a beautiful memory of our adventure with you. Thank you for a wonderful experience.

Great find! I thought it woupd be boring, something just for the kids...but no, i was more committed to the hunt than i anticipated, was terrific having them cut to take home. They have bbqs (for byo snags), toilets, free drinking water, little bikes (balance bikes & trikes), enclosed shoes to borrow if needed, foam knealing pad, little step things to sit on which is amazing for bad knees or all us getting on in age..... I recomend to take a picnic rug and some snacks, toy buckets or toy cars for little kids for when rock hunting (& old clothes) then snags for after youre rocks have been cut. We also saw they have showers, camping grounds and swings. They sell beautiful array of gems, precious stones, jewellery & gem home decor items - all are fair prices for the pieces you get and the quality. Food wise they have a little cafe, icecreams and icypoles. Staff were lovely, very helpful and knowledgable, they had a seriously adorable friendly dog too. All of the staff seemed to genuinely love seeing our kids faces (and ours!) Light up seeing the incredible patterns and precious materials which were inside of our finds. Suprised how many they cut for us. We got to take uncut ones with us too. Worth the drive, easy to spend 4-5 hours here. With kids, take rugs, sone trucks or cars, and snacks - ours enjoyed dipping in and out of the thunderegg search. Without those toys and bikes it prob wouldnt have been as enjoyable for them, they can only look at rocks for so long 🤣

We had a wonderful experience and stay at Mt Hay! We loved spending the day hunting for Thunder Eggs and Rainforest Jasper, as well as making friends with Bobby the friendly puppy! We left with some lovely cut pieces and some uncut for us to learn ourselves. Thank you for a great stay 😊

Great experience fossicking for thundereggs and the having some of your finds cut open for you! Ice cream and drinks available after you have worked up a sweat! It was fun continuing to look through the piles to find your fortune! Camping available onsite for those interested.

Absolutely loved this side quest we went on during our travels. The guys running it were lovely and it was nice to be able to take the dog. They have a lovely dog called bobby who is a cheeky chap 🤣 You get so much for your money and if you’re lucky you will see the owners cutting up so awesome stones for the shop. The rock garden also blew my mind. Huge chunks of stones I would pay a lot of money for only $30pkg. If I didn’t have to fly home to Europe I would have handed over my credit card! Wish we camped there too!

What a gem of a place to stay and fossick. The staff are delightful and the camping is cheap. I spent the day fossicking for Thunder Eggs and was so delighted with my stash! They even cut some for me free of charge. If you love fossicking, this is the place to visit.

Great history about coal and the mines. The old machineries on display were very interesting. Unless you live near the mines, you don't really think of how big these machines are. If anyone is in the area, it's a must to stop over and have a quick go through the museum / info area.

We really liked the Cafe and Staff were very friendly and helpful. The displays were very informative but most of the interactive displays didn't work, very disappointing for a 70 year old child, even more so for a younger person. With the amount of money leaving Blackwater every day on the Trains you would think the Sponsors could afford a bit of maintenance 🙄

Very interesting Shame none of interactions are working.

Great experience very informative a pity some of the displays weren't working. But still very good.

The coal display is EXCELLENT! Best ever! The timeline from 300 million years ago to 2008 is INCREDIBLE.... A MUST SEE for EVERYONE! Unbelievably amazing!

I learned so much from this place. I love these places as they tell me so much about the area. Presented very well with awesome displays. A must see for $5. And a bonus of the lovely craft shop attached with locally hand made gems.

Good displays but most interactive things not working

This was a bit of a disappointment during our holiday. When we arrived it was $19 for two adults, a 6yo and 2yo. However, we weren’t informed that the toddler pool, frog slide, and large water slides were all unavailable that day. So they just had the kids splash area, a cold 50m pool or the undercover 25m “heated” pool (which was still quite cold). Not great value for money considering the kids barely lasted 45minutes as they got too cold from the splash area and the heated pool being cool and undercover meant there was no sun to warm anyone up. Very disappointed and just wish we’d been communicated with prior to entering.

It’s wonderful pool here, the water is crystal clear and the staffs are really kind and hospitality. Really enjoyed here and the ticket price is affordable as well (only $5 for adults) kindly remind that here won’t open during winter around May to September.

I do not recommend because we jumped in the pool and got a warning. We then went to play touch NFL and we got in trouble. And it’s sexist because the girls were doing the same thing and didn’t get in trouble. We didn’t feel welcome at all Do not recommend

Most run down pool I've ever come across the pool stunk like sewage water in the under cover section. then one of the pools had all bird poo in it my youngest son got sick from going here never again get ur act together and clean ur pools its a health hazard no one should be swimming here till its maintained properly to health standards just like there rubbish had bags galore just sitting near there bins its unhygienic

I recently visited the public pool and unfortunately had a negative experience with one of the staff members. The old man was impolite and seemed to have a negative attitude. It felt like he was being rude and crossing boundaries from small talk. Additionally, he didn't seem to be welcoming, as there was no smile. No wonder there are a lot negative reviews on google map that refer to the staff's attitude, which is concerning. It's disappointing to have such an experience at a place that is supposed to be welcoming to all. I hope that the management will take steps to address these concerns and ensure that all staff members provide a respectful and friendly environment for all patrons.

I hate public pools, always too noisy and too busy, but that's not this place's fault. What is their fault is that when I do get reluctantly brought along here by my friends there is never any hot food available despite all relevant signage indicating there is. The water slides are also currently broken because they literally cannot afford to maintain them. In dire need of more council funding in my opinion. Added an extra star because the milkshakes at the canteen are to die for. All in all, mixed feelings about this place so 2/5 stars. Updating my old review from years ago now that they’re under new ownership. Bumped up to 3/5 stars now in my eyes. Hot food is more regularly available now, although the waterslides still have not been repaired after all these years.

The Best training pool in Australia better than Southport Cairns and Scarborough in Perth. Salt water filters no harsh chlorine smells when you get out. But the most disappointing thing is they close it from Mid May to Mid August. It’s now June 26th and it is 31 degrees it’s hot and a swim in the pool would be nice. I am sure many locals would love to train and swim laps every day over the winter months. Time to seriously Re consider opening up the pool in winter. If you agree please write to the local council and request to have the pool open up over winter so we can exercise and enjoy the sunshine in winter time. Let’s open up the pool asap 🫶

Unfortunately, there is a lot of work being done. Great running track

Nice big spacious playground. Covered good shade, toilets, picnic tables nice walking trail. Lots of parking All ages play areas Clean well maintained grounds

How lovely to see a colony of keystone native pollinators (Little Red Flying-Foxes) residing in the gardens!

Probably the best attraction in town. Some nice shaded walks. Good play areas for children Sign posting was inadequate. I actually got lost and wandered into the Nogoa walk and had to use Google to get out!

Beautiful botanic gardens with great walking tracks and lots too see. Recommend a visit.

Best bird watching lake - we saw about 8 different species and the turtles. Loved the rainforest walk too. All so well signposted - you can walk/run as far or as short as you want. Fun to walk over the floating bridge too. Do it!!!!

Well developed green space with plenty of walking paths and amenities.

An easy to get to info centre, very close to the Dragon and the BIG Easel with the magnificent painting. Tables and benches available to have a break and something to eat or drink in the shade. Worth trip inside to see the lovely ladies and get info of what's available in town and their regions.

The gentleman working there was friendly and informative. The grounds of the TIC contain an early settlers cottage, complete with everything from the silver spoon to a floral bonnet and everything in between. There is the Presbyterian Church which houses and enormous Royal Doulton collection along with lots of other memorabilia. The lady in there was also very friendly. Walk outside and you can do the 100meter mosaic tile walk, celebrating 100 years of the town's history, which leads you to the gigantic Sunflower painting (Monet's). There are also 2 trees, 1 of which I believe is an Aboriginal carved. There is roadside parking and a toilet block.

The visitor centre staff, Pamela, was very helpful and friendly. She provided answers to all our questions to the best of her abilities and wisdom of many years living in Emerald. Thank you!

Clean and well kept area

Karen done a great job, so much local information. Very friendly and happy personality. Definitely 5 star service.

The centre has a lot of information about the area and the staff are helpful with suggestions about the area

Like other visitors centres it's has pamphlets and promotions for various places. All good. Jim

It's the biggest easel I've ever seen, beautiful lawns and gardens top it off. Good photo opportunities 👌

Visited the big easel after the local visitor centre as it is adjacent Walked the mosaic path to the big easel The explanatory plaques along the path are very interesting and tell a great story

We drove straight past it the first time! Its a bit of fun and I'd like to see more of them around Australia.

Loved the big easel. Lots of parking Grassed area lots of trees

Lovely stop at Info Centre. Big Easel is worth a look while walking the Mosaic Mile path also interesting if you are into this sort of thing. Public toilets also available at this stop with a good sized baby change room. Small historical village is also there.

Beautiful mosaic walkway representing key moments in history for Emerald that lead to this giant sized easel of one of the most recognisable watercolours ever done. Loads of parking around, even for caravans. Tons of rainbow lorikeets feeding in the trees around the easel.

It’s a big picture 🤷‍♀️

The Springsure Information Centre and small museum are located in this old woodshed. The museum is free to check out....It's okay, but needs some updating with better signage. Should be the first place to check out for information on the surrounding area when you come to town. Next to these premises is a small park with a large old "Comet" brand windmill.

Thanks for sending us in our detour, it was amazing

Springsure, great country place. Lots of information about the area and history.

Approachable and friendly staff. Locally handmade crafts, jams and pickles are sold there. Super informative little shed regarding the history of good old Springsure. Most importantly, they even sell coffee!

Lovely friendly staff, very helpful with a good knowledge of the area...free tea coffee and biscuits .

Very helpful and cheery volunteers. Bought the best marmalade ever at the visitor centre

Great little shack loaded with history n cool old gadgets

Ken was very friendly happy knowledgeable on the history of the village! A MUST DO!

I have visited numerous pioneer villages. This one is extraordinary!!! Every nook and cranny has something worth seeing. A huge amount of love and care. A must see for anyone visiting central Queensland.

Wow is about the only thing I can say. Having grown up near Griffith (NSW) and having Pioneer Park. There hasn't been anything I've seen that's come close until now. This is amazing, set aside many hours there is so much to see from many different industries. The machinery is awesome, well looked after and by looks most of it runs

Very well presented displays of the local area. Easily spend an hour or two. Knowledgeable volunteer staff.

Excellent displays by hard working volunteers. Well worth a visit here.

Fantastic experience guided by Brendon. He went above and beyond to make our experience perfect. Not only did he show us fossicking but gave us great advice on things to do around the area.

Fossicking at Pats Gems was fantastic we where in rubyvale for 1 week and went to Pats 3 x time. We learned so much about fossicking about Sapphires ! They staff are lovely and felt like 1 big family!. It's a plus that you can sit down and looks for Sapphires so my mum in her mobility scooter could also come in sit down and join in with the fun!!! You guys are amazing and we can't wait to come back!! Thank you so much for getting the boys involved and teaching them so much!.

I had a fabulous visit to Pat’s which began with a delicious date scone and ended with stacks of sapphires. Had a blast and Rosa was amazing! She demonstrated so patiently and then checked my stash! Very happy 😊

I really enjoyed finding sapphires at Sapphire. I spent the day at Pat's Gems, where they showed me how to sift and find sapphires in a bucket of dirt. They have really good food too and make their own bread. Ed Sheeran is releasing a song called Sapphire too 💎😃

My son and I had a great time here.staff were all very friendly and helpful and we did find some sapphires. Had morning tea after fossiking and the coffee and food was fantastic 👌 we will for sure be stopping in again on our way home from out west

Had another great breakfast, friendly service, bit of gift shopping in beautiful surroundings

Very nice people, you feel very welcome there Great fossicking experience, takes about an hour to find lots of gems Amazing cafe with lots of food, even GF cakes. And dog friendly in all areas Huge parking, ideal for caravans and big vehicles

Elaine couldn't have been more helpful, we did the tag along tour and did the mine tour. The level of knowledge was awesome. Highly recommend.

We visited briefly to look at the shop. Elaine was very welcoming and took the time to answer our questions about the various stones. My youngest has a particular interest in gems and stones and she was so patient with him and generously helped him grow his collection! We didn’t have time for the tour but I’ve no doubt it would have been fascinating.

Alaine was extremely knowledgeable, and her experience about gems was on point. Lots of fun 😁 😂 and laughs were had at the gem sorting tables. We weren't rushed or pressured to hurry up but encouraged to learn and experience what gems looked like in the rough. The takeaway wash bags were a very good buy.. Highly recommended 👌 👍 👏 💯% good value at Bobby Dazzler....

What a great place. We fallen in love with it and Elaine is a great lady. We went back 4 times and will definitely be going back next trip. Found some pretty sapphire’s and the mine touring was so interesting. If your ever passing through make sure you stop and go have a tour or try your luck in a bucket or 2

Great, good value experience. The kids had a ball fossicking with a great haul of sapphires to show for it! Lovely helpful lady to show us what to do. Highly recommend!

Had a great time with the kids sifting through the bucket of wash. We ended up with nearly 150 gems!

Bobby dazzlers has been under new management since my last visit. The new owners are very welcoming and knowledgeable. Bookings are recommended to tour the underground mine as the tour is popular and spots fill fast. The tour guide was extremely informative and was able to deliver the information in a way that the children were able to understand. He answered all questions and was understanding. This is a must do when visiting the area

Great to drive into the recreational fossicking area, anyone can get a licence and bring their own equipment and have a go. We went with Keith as we had no idea what to do, $60 each and all equipment supplied. I think he could work on his people skills but we found a few sapphires. Would I do it again, probably not with them. A licence for a month costs $9. Make your own mind up but I personally don't think there's any need for anyone to be discourteous and especially if it's your business.

The shop staff were friendly and helpful however this review is for the tour associated with the shop. We were met with a disgruntled welcome by the guide, Keith, who was extremely unenthusiastic about the day. We helped set up and listen to him mumble about how to dig and process the rocks, as he explained how he's sick of tourists and their "stupid questions". He was negative about the whole process and provided no hope or enthusiasm about any part of the experience saying "you'll never find anything good" and we certainly agree under his guidance. After the half-assed attempt at setup & demo, he moped around saying he was just going to sit & read his book while we dug. I asked an educational question about the stones that I'm sure any newby to the gem fields would ask & was met with a response; "remember what I said about stupid questions.." to say we felt unwelcome and uncomfortable is an understatement. When confronted about the fact that he clearly didn't want to be there & that we wanted to cancel the tour, he attempted to backtrack & tell us he was hungover & that we "got off on the wrong foot". The only positive from the experience was that we drove our own vehicle to the location (which was a public digging area) so that we were able to leave right away & not have to pay for the day. Only wish that we read the TripAdvisor reviews before booking and wasting our time.

Very disappointing tour! Keith was unenthusiastic from the start and the tour advertised as a day tour with byo lunch ends at 12 only lasting 3 1/2 hours. Keith was more interested in looking for his own gems in other areas rather than helping us and he found some really good ones he proudly showed off while we missed out. Definitely book a different tour!

Was very worthy have a fossicking tour with Keith and the Mrs. We spent whole morning and only two of us. In the low season but still have much fun for fossicking by ourselves. Keith is very knowledgeable and helpful. We found a lot sapphire and brought them to Dave for cutting. Really enjoyed and highly recommend!

Nice store 😊, good prices and very friendly staff 😉👌💎💍. They offered not only gems, you can get gems cuttting, also you can take a fossicking tour if you wanna do something outdoor 👍👷‍♂️, its very exciting!!! 😂, they have all the equipments. And you can look other jewellery made of gold and silver 🥇 🥈.

Enjoyed this tour but was disappointed as advertised as a day tour and to bring your lunch. When we were told to pack up at 12.00 I thought it was for lunch. However we discovered that the equipment was being packed up. And our day had ended. Should not advertise it as a day tour and watch their prices if it only goes for 3 and a hour hours. Keith should probably concentrate more on helping the paid customers instead of he and his wife fossicking in a different area to where he got us to dig.

I would like to give a true honest review. Experience would be a 4 stars. However for value of money and been told where to dig is not given the chance to dig in another location appears to be fabricated. The Guide and his female friend managed to find alot more sapphires then anyone else on the day. This in it self is not professional. The paying customers should be given the chance to pick our own spot to dig. Furthermore the price $60 at two people each or $90 for one person is over priced. Not worth the money. Try your Luck with someone honest and professional.

Absolutely loved this tour! The guide was fabulous and it was so interesting to walk down on the mine floor that was the old riverbed! I couldn't believe how deep we went underground and the bonus was the tiny cute bent-wing bats we got to see. We were so lucky to see the famous Richardson sapphires too as they happened to be on display! Would definitely recommend

Worth taking the tour. Very informative. The guide was great to listen to. And the machinery works as good as it did back in the day.

What a lovely little adventure - Jodi was our brilliant tour guide and also our fossicking guide; she answered all our questions (and there was a lot) from our little Minecraft Fan and helped us distinguish which stones were precious and which ones were just pretty rocks - though we did keep most of the rocks for future 'crafting'⚒️

Beautiful, friendly, and informative staff Loads of stones and information available. I have added pics of info sheets that are around for those people who like to take their time perusing the good stuff!

An interesting tour of the underground workings of the former sapphire mine. The tour guide was very informative but I thought that she talked too fast to be understood properly

Thoroughly enjoyed this underground mine tour with a very knowledgeable and personable guide. The ability to do a little fossicking for gems while there adds a little excitement. And tonnes of beautiful pieces of jewellery available for purchase. Worth a stop and look around.

A fantastic experience underground. Michelle gave an informative tour and kept us all entertained. The 45 minutes went by so fast!

Well done Barcaldine amazing how the tree of knowledge is displayed and what a nice town clean friendly people was very surprised how great this little town is

A nice bit of QLD and Australian history. Unfortunately it currently has fences around it. No explanation of why. Still you can get a feel and perhaps more importantly, hear the haunting sounds of the timber wind chimes.

Very cool, love all the hanging chunks of timber. Well worth a look if you're passing through Barcaldine.

Was under maintenance and surrounded by a fence. Still able to get a few decent pix and the information boards were accessible.

Great at sunset! Some maintenance going on so it was fenced off

Very tastefully presented bit of history. Well maintained.

You would not drive through Barcaldine without stopping at the Tree of Knowledge and the boards documenting the history that surrounds it.

The Australian Workers Heritage Centre which is the only national attraction dedicated to celebrating the extraordinary legacy of working Australians. The Centre is spread across over two hectares of beautifully landscaped gardens surrounding a tranquil billabong, which presents exhibits capturing the spirit our nation's workers. Including the Story of the Great Shearer’s Strike 1891, 'Working Women' Project, a 'One Teacher School', 'Working for Health' exhibition, 'Kunwarara' Railway Station and the original Australian Workers Union Hall plus the original Celebrations Theatre from the Bicentennial Tour. Add this to your adventure list, you won’t be disappointed.

Fantastic history of workers struggles beginning with 1891 shearers' strike Tree of knowledge nearby and its progeny in the centre

Great extensive exhibition of all things Union! So good to learn and experience. So well done.

Really worth the 2.5 hrs spent here! You walk through early century original train carriages, police station, school buildings furnished with all the early school slates and memorabilia of the era. Ots is a really large group of buildings surrounding a shady lake setting with seating. Watch video of people and stories back in time of the shearing strike and origins of the labour party. A new entry to the Heritage Museum is just about finished in the main street.

An excellent museum/heritage centre with great exhibits illustrating various aspects of work and the development of trade unions and the labour movement in Qld and Australia, including the Shearer's strike of 1891. A much more down to earth and interesting centre than the nearby and much hyped Stockman's Hall of Fame in Longreach.

What a wonderful experience, we were surprised by what was inside from the billabong and gardens to the buildings to the trains the Aust Heritage museum is more than a museum, it's our history. Well worth the visit we wish we had.more time. Sept 25

This would have to be the best Australian heritage centre I have ever visited, the amount of history held here from all over Queensland and Australia is astronomical, from local history to major Australian history, was so much fun for the family, and even spotted my wife in the museum, kids had alot of fun and even has a playground for them, the staff are so lovely and made the tour so pleasurable. Thank you very much to the staff today. We will be back for sure.

The 'Machinery Mile' is fascinating. It contains a beautiful collection of various machinery used throughout the district since the early 20th century. The machines are donated and well cared for by local volunteers. As a machinery fanatic, I spent no less than two hours combing through and photographing the collection. As it is on the main road through Ilfracombe you cannot miss it! Parking is plentiful, even for caravans. I'd love to add more photos, but the upload would take days!!

Good place to spot by and stretch your legs on your long journey across out back Queensland. Loads of interesting machineries on display.

Great collection of old machinery spread out along the highway. Well worth stopping in for a look

I was expecting this to be a boring display but holy smokes it’s interesting and fun and you can still see some working fan blades on the machines. Thoughtful benches and picnic tables throughout the short walk and a pub nearby if you need a beer to steady you after witnessing the glory of the machines.

It's free to visit and makes for a good rest stop. Selection of machinery, old gun display including WWII weapons, bottle collection and other assortment of items. When we visited we were the only ones there. The most interesting machines there were the converted WWII tanks which were modified for earthmoving.

Amazing collection of tractors, trucks and machinery from the last 100 years some the last of their kind around. Great for kids also to look and touch

Not to be missed Fabulous machinery but also cottages Well maintained and fascinating displays We bought a coffee at quaint country pub in early morning and enjoyed it thoroughly Free/donation

Spectacular 360° views of the surrounding landscape located in the middle of nowhere about 50klms outside of Longreach via unsealed roads. Short moderately easy walk to the top of the rocky formation

The drive out from Longreach is about 50km on an unsealed dirt road. The road was in really good condition. Then a short walk along a narrow dirt track to the top. With a Little Rock climb to reach the highest point. The sunset 🌅 was amazing. Beautiful panoramic views. Definitely worth the drive out. Would love ❤️ to go out there again sometime.

Although a last minute decision it ended up being a good detour in my day. Sept 2024, very dry. The road was dirt but pretty good, any vehicle could drive it. I’m in a Ford Transit and kept to a steady 80km/hr most of the way. So it only took 35 mins to do the 48 km. Once there, and I had it all to myself, there’s a clear and obvious rough track up this small hill, hardly a hill at 30m high. It was less than 2 minutes to the top, I really expected it to be more. Great views of the vastness of the lowlands of west Queensland, amazing stuff, remote barren scrub. I think a toilet should be provided as the area is signposted to attract tourists.

50 km from Longreach on 45 km of unsealed road. I’m 60 and used a hiking stick to get to the top, which is a 30 metre climb. Interesting hill surrounded by plains.

The view from the top is nice but there is no indication of walking trails. Getting to see wild animals ( goat, wild pig, cattle, emu) is Made it worth driving through the dirt road.

A nice easy drive from Longreach, it is a dirt road so beware of wash outs! But well worth the lookout after a 30 meter walk to the top.

Amazing place where you can really get in touch with nature. I was there in the evening, so going back to Longreach it was getting dark and the kangaroos were really active. Really good experience.