We recently spent a few weeks in the Central Queensland Highlands doing our first Workaway as a family! During that time, we managed to visit a few places in the area. If you only have time for a quick visit, we’d recommend these as our must-dos:
- Visit Sapphire and/or Rubyvale for a sapphire fossicking experience
- Chill out at Lake Maraboon near Emerald
- Head up Mount Zamia in the Minerva Hills National Park (4WD/hardy vehicles only)
One of the places I most wanted to visit, and I am so sure it would make our top three, is Blackdown Tableland National Park. However, it was about three hours from where we were staying near Springsure, so a little further than we were willing to go for a day trip.
Our Workaway was a wee adventure sandwiched between house-sitting gigs in Rockhampton and Yeppoon. We traveled to Emerald and back by train, so we didn’t have the flexibility to go off on a tangent. Therefore, the Blackdown Tableland National Park is still on my list for later!
If you’re looking for activities and things to do in the Central Queensland Highlands, read on to find out what we got up to, so you can add these spots to your itinerary!
The Big Easel in Emerald
We saw another of Australia’s big things😆. We’ve already seen a few, like the Big Merino in Goulburn and the Big Pineapple on the Sunshine Coast. This time, it was the Big Easel in Emerald!
The Big Easel is inspired by Van Gogh’s famous sunflower painting. It also honors the Central Highlands’ agricultural history as a major producer of sunflowers.
The structure is 25 metres tall, and the painting is on a 7×10 canvas. Its claim to fame is being the largest painting on an easel in the Southern Hemisphere. The title for the world’s largest goes to its sister installation in Kansas, USA, done by the same artist.
The Big Easel is in the middle of Morton Park in town. We thought we might look at the painting and then find a playground in the park. However, it’s just a grassy rectangle with a giant painting in the middle!
While you’re there, you can also see the mosaic walkway and stop in at the Visitor Information Centre to find out about other attractions in the area. And if you’re looking for something to do with the kids, the Emerald Skate Park is a short walk away.
Stroll and Play at Emerald Botanic Gardens
The Botanic Gardens is our top pick for places to visit in Emerald that the whole family will enjoy. It boasts a beautiful riverside setting with lovely paved walking paths (ideal for kids with wheels!)
The kids will love the playground and the outdoor gym next to it. The playground features a hamster wheel (always a favourite for our kids!), a climbing pyramid, flying fox, and cars they can pedal around a rail track.
Picnic at Lake Maraboon
Lake Maraboon is definitely a place to add to your Central Queensland Highlands itinerary. It’s a massive reservoir formed by the construction of the Fairbairn Dam, and is only about a 20-minute drive from Emerald.
We were blown away by how huge it is, how quiet the area is, and how still the water is. There’s a nice lookout spot with a couple of picnic benches, which makes a worthwhile stop as you drive in from Emerald.
Then continue a few minutes further, and you’ll reach the Lake Maraboon Picnic Area (Fairbairn Dam Recreational Area), which is the ideal place to park up and stay for longer.
The picnic area is popular with boaters, with many people enjoying water sports from jet skiing to stand-up paddleboarding.
Visit the Tiny Town of Springsure
Springsure is a tiny rural town in the Central Queensland Highlands, about a 45-minute drive from Emerald.
Its claim to fame is the Virgin Rock, so named because some say it resembles the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus.
Although there are no walking tracks up the hill from the Springsure side, you can park up at the viewing area to admire the rock and hillside! It lights up at night, which is also worth seeing.
Apart from the Virgin Rock, Springsure also has a nice covered playground, some historic items (like ploughs, etc) by the playground, a skate park, and a library.
We decided we couldn’t be bothered with the library’s visitor membership of two books. However, they had two big boxes full of free books, so we got plenty for our three-week stay!
Enjoy Breathtaking Views up Mount Zamia
I was super happy that we got to see some spectacular views during our stay in the Central Queensland Highlands. We went up Mount Zamia in the Minerva Hills National Park, which is about a 30-minute drive from Springsure.
If you’ve been following for a while, you might know that hiking is one of my favourite things to do, especially if it comes with stunning vistas or a water hole for swimming!
This one was more of a short trail with awesome viewpoints, but well worth it. The only thing to be aware of is that it’s a very rough gravel road to get there, so a 4WD is required. Our old truck got up fine, but I was glad when we reached our destination!
There are a few lookout spots, including a forge lookout with a picnic bench and toilets just before you reach the top. The lookout walk we did was just 1.6km return, so pretty short and not strenuous. It’s very exposed though, so be mindful of when you go. We went at midday in mid-winter, and it was still very hot.
Some of the viewpoints have benches, and you get a fantastic view across to the Virgin Rock.
Go Gem Fossicking at Sapphire or Rubyvale
The Central Queensland Highlands are famous for their gemfields and offer plenty of opportunities for a tourist version of gem fossicking.
Head to Sapphire or Rubyvale, about a 40-minute drive from Emerald, and you’ll find several places you can walk in and experience fossicking without needing a license or needing to go out into the gemfields!
The name Sapphire gives away what you’re looking for. Rubyvale is also famous for sapphire mining, not rubies! At Rubyvale, there’s also a walk-in mine tour.
We decided to go to Pats Gems Tourist Fossicking Park and Cafe in Sapphire. It probably doesn’t matter which place you choose, as the offerings will be similar. We saw Pats had many great reviews, so that’s where we went.
If you want the fossicking experience, you pay a set amount for a bucket of wash (dirt, stones, etc) and try to find as many sapphires or other precious gems as possible.
Each bucket has a guaranteed amount of gems that they have planted in your bucket, so you will for sure find something, but you may also find more.
A staff member shows you what to do and what to look for. Sapphires and zircons are the most likely gems to find.
The basic process is to place some of your wash in the mesh strainer, shake out the dirt, then wash it as best as you can in the water. Then you tip it out on a table and sort through it, saving anything you think is a precious stone, and discarding the rest. They will check your discarded pile at the end to make sure you didn’t miss anything!
We recommend wearing your sunhat, as you’ll be sitting in direct sunlight while sorting through your mix (easier to spot gems in the sun!)
When you’ve been through your whole bucket, you take your gems inside, they double-check them under the light, then they bag them up, and you take your stash home!
We’d definitely recommend trying the tourist version of fossicking, just for the experience! We shared a small bucket between our family. It was guaranteed to have 75 carats of gemstones, and we came away with 89 carats, so we likely found all the ones they added (mostly sapphires). Make sure you allow at least a couple of hours for your visit.
Things to do in the Central Queensland Highlands | In Conclusion
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about a few of the awesome things to do in the Central Queensland Highlands and that you have some fantastic ideas for places you want to visit. Have an incredible trip!