Townsville to Mount Isa Drive 2026: Flinders Highway Route, Flood Closures, Fuel and Free Camps

The Flinders Highway route and its legs

Only one route is covered here, because this guide checked no other road between the two cities. Wikipedia gives the Flinders Highway as route A6, 775 km from Townsville to Cloncurry and sealed throughout, with the last section finished in November 1976, and says the Barkly Highway (A2) runs west from Cloncurry to Mount Isa. It describes the Overlanders Way as a Queensland State Strategic Touring Route that continues to Tennant Creek. RACQ puts the Townsville to Mount Isa distance at approximately 905 km and recommends April to October for the trip.

The legs below are OSRM figures from town centre to town centre, computed on 21 October 2026, so they add up to about 909 km against the 905 km direct. Tourism NT's itinerary splits the middle as Hughenden to Richmond 115 km and Richmond to Julia Creek 149 km, which the Hughenden to Julia Creek leg includes.

Where to stop overnight

Hughenden is the natural halfway stop: OSRM puts it 384 km and 4 h 44 min from Townsville, leaving 521 km to Mount Isa. Visit Hughenden describes a council RV park designed for fully self-contained travellers, with a stay of up to 7 nights and a permit by self-registration on site, and its page gives no fee. It also lists Allen Terry Caravan Park on Resolution Street, with amenities, laundry, a fire pit, a dump point and a vehicle wash-down bay.

Julia Creek is the second stop. McKinlay Shire Council describes a designated free camping area on the water's edge, 1.3 km on the eastern side of town, for self-contained RVs, and says portable showers do not count as self-contained. Permits are free and valid for 96 hours, from the camp hosts from April to September and from the Julia Creek Visitor Information Centre from October to March. The council's page lists no open fires and no dumping of black or grey water. Out of Townsville, the AussieCamps data lists Alligator Creek camping area in the Mount Elliot area, about 25 km from the start and 9 km off the highway, with toilets, drinking water and camper trailer sites. Fees and bookings were not checked, so look at the Queensland Parks page before you go. Cloncurry and Mount Isa camping could not be confirmed from council pages, so book a caravan park there before you leave.

Wet season floods and live road information

Check QLDTraffic, which the Department of Transport and Main Roads runs and which maps hazards, crashes, flooding, roadworks and special events. Drive North West QLD gives the number 13 19 40 for current conditions and says summer travel, November to April, can be affected when rain and storms impede plans. McKinlay Shire Council's Flinders Highway road report, current at 4.30 pm on 11 March 2026, showed Julia Creek to Richmond closed by flooding on Boundary Creek and Julia Creek to Cloncurry closed at Eastern Creek Bridge with 300 mm of water over it.

A Queensland Government statement of 15 February 2019 described the highway closed between Richmond and Julia Creek, with traffic detoured through the Landsborough Highway, Winton and Hughenden, and said the worst-hit sections would stay shut for some time. Drive North West QLD adds that water crossings should not be attempted if you are unsure of your vehicle's capabilities. If you are travelling between November and April, leave slack in the plan and expect to wait in a town rather than push on.

Fuel, road trains and tiredness

No fuel station list from an operator or a Queensland Government source turned up for this road, so no station is recommended by name here. Drive North West QLD says fuel stops on major highways are rarely more than 200 km apart and that a no fuel sign means none is available. Wikipedia's highway table shows Torrens Creek at 284 km from Townsville, 162 km after Charters Towers at 122 km, and an Outback Queensland listing for the Oasis Exchange Hotel there mentions a petrol station, though it is undated. The table lists no town between Julia Creek (637 km) and Cloncurry (759 km), so fill up at the town you leave rather than hoping for the next one.

The road trains guide covers overtaking and passing in detail. Drive North West QLD says that when a road train approaches to overtake you, you should move as far left as possible and stop if necessary, and that you should allow plenty of room when passing because they may move from side to side. It also says long, unchanging stretches can make a driver very tired and advises avoiding night driving as much as possible. The road trip fuel guide helps you budget range.

Porcupine Gorge National Park

Porcupine Gorge is a side trip north of Hughenden on the Kennedy Developmental Road. Queensland Parks says, in a search extract of its page, that the access to the lookout and camping area is fully sealed, that the lookout turn-off is 60 km north of Hughenden, and that the Pyramid camping area, day-use area and walking track turn-off is a further 11.7 km north. It says camping at the Pyramid area needs a permit booked online before your visit, well ahead in peak season from April to October, and that fees apply. The fee amounts were not available to this guide.

Visit Hughenden says the Pyramid campground suits tents, caravans, camper trailers and motorhomes, with composting toilets and picnic tables, that campfires are allowed only in the steel fire rings and you must bring your own firewood, and that generators are not permitted. It says pets are not allowed because it is a national park. The Queensland camping rules guide covers the wider rules.

Rest areas and dump points

Within 15 km of the route the AussieCamps data lists no roadside rest area, which only describes what the data holds. The overnight rest area guide explains where sleeping in a vehicle is and is not allowed. The data does list a free dump point at Cloncurry/Mary Kathleen Memorial Park, with drinking water, toilets and accessible parking, and no washout tap shown. Visit Hughenden says Allen Terry Caravan Park has a dump point, and the dump points guide lists others to look up.

Mobile coverage along the highway was not confirmed from any official source, so download the route and your bookings before you leave Townsville and tell someone your plan.

Plan the Townsville to Mount Isa drive in AussieCamps

Build the drive as a trip in AussieCamps: Townsville, Hughenden, Julia Creek, Cloncurry and Mount Isa as stops, so each leg shows its distance, drive time and a forecast for the day you expect to arrive. The app holds 1,838 campgrounds, 5,552 rest areas and 1,393 dump points sourced from park agencies, road authorities and public datasets, and a place page for a Queensland park shows its photos, facilities and the weather forecast.

Out of signal, stored place details, saved places and guides still open, whereas map tiles, routing, weather and photos want a connection, so set the trip up in Townsville. It is iPhone only and costs nothing to download, with in-app purchases available. For the coast road north, read the Brisbane to Cairns guide, and the Queensland Outback Way guide covers the outback road to the south.

Places along the way