One of the areas that I’ve spent time at has been at the old township of Beacon at the base of Mt Coramba. There is little information about this place and even less signs of any civilisation there. But get this for a fact - there used to be up to 4 times more people here than what there was in Coffs Harbour !. You go there now and the bush has taken over this once thriving place. There were stores, police station, a doctors house, dance-dance - rec hall, a pub, a playing fie

Unlocking the Kunderang Wilderness

It was to the south of Mount Surprise that copper and gold was found way back in 1866. Many people flocked to the area to seek their fortune here and in the Gilbert River region to the west. By 1908 a single line railway reached the outstation and it became a hub for the western section of the tablelands with a telegraph station, several hotels, schools and police station.

Woolgoolgaoffroad and waterfalls

Woolgoolgaoffroad and Outback Armour

In 1920, a small settlement was established at Southend, where today several hundred people live and many do the commute to the mainland every day for work. Once on the island, you’ll need a 4WD to get around and explore its sheer ruggedness, like the newly cut in Ship Hill 4WD ridge-line track where at the last viewing point, it’s where Matthew Flinders stood in 1802 and looked down on his survey vessel, the Investigator.

I’ve been pretty lucky in my travel days, exploring our countries great drives, But having just spent time in East Arnhem Land, I reckon this has to be classed as one of Australia’s most iconic drives. The Central Arnhem Road takes you on a journey through 60,000 years of history in East Arnhem Land’s vast untouched wilderness.

An east coast low saw me held up in Mackay Queensland for a few days until it passed further north and out to sea. I’ve never explored the Mackay region before and until now it was only to pass through heading to the Cape. It’s a busy place where industry meets the tourism sector and with a near-perfect climate, the Mackay region is growing fast.

My turn for the Starke River track was just up the road from my overnight camp along Isabella McIvor River road for 30km to Mount Webb station.  It’s from here that the Starke Track starts. Rated as a medium track on maps and online, it was honestly just a nice drive through several Aboriginal land trust areas, where the cattle were serious fat and the area was severely green from a late wet season.

Exploring the Old Glen Innes Road, with old gold towns, mines and a so called convict tunnel.

Crowdy Bay National Park is a hidden gem that lies an easy 4 hours north of Sydney on the mid north coast between Taree and Port Macquarie. Captain Cook sailed past in 1770 and spotted a group of Aboriginals on the headland and named it Crowded Head, over the years the name soon changed.

Kwiambal National Park in the north of NSW is only 9200 hectares and is the traditional country of the Kwiambal people, who have descended from the Murri people of the north west that have lived in the area for thousands of years.

I was having a quiet beer at the iconic Hebel pub, on the NSW QLD border 700km west of Brisbane thinking what a remote and isolated place this is. But back in the day it was a hive of activity with bushrangers, Cobb and Co stopover plus a border crossing customs office.

Georgetown in the gulf of Carpenteria is a quiet town these days with tourists passing through in the cooler months and large cattle stations surrounding the town, but it was once the site of a gold rush and played an important part with an overland telegraph station that provided crucial information to Cape York especially during critical times like WW11. I’ve stayed in Georgetown a few times and found it a great base to setup and explore the surrounding area.

Many people consider Coffs Harbour the 4wd capital of NSW, but there’s a more quieter and beautiful side away from the hardcore tracks, insane mud holes and hillclimbs that go on forever. Bindarri National Park just 20km out of Coffs is a 56 square km park that has a pretty special bio diversity with rare and endangered plants and animals but it also allows visitors to embrace the park through various avenues.

I can’t believe its taken us over 30 years to actually get to K’gari Island to discover its inner beauty and explore the islands amazing history and stunning scenery. Realistically, I think I’ve been avoiding the island because I thought there would be massive crowds and a lot of sand recoveries across the island, but boy was I wrong.

Tambo in central Queensland is one of those places where most people zip through giving no thought on past history or local attractions.

Unveiling the Hidden Gems of Borroloola and Seven Emu Station on the Savannah Way

10 Adventure Videos that'll Inspire Your Outdoor Quest with Woolgoolgaoffroad

Unveiling Cloncurry QLD: Hidden Mining Trails, Scenic Camp Areas and Thrilling 4WD Adventures