2025 Drover's Run 4WD Adventure Itinerary

Pre event get-together at Armatree Pub from 6.00pm

This is a great chance to meet your fellow Drover’s before we head off while enjoying a delicious dinner and get an outline of what's in store for the next nine days.

Over the next week you will travel through some amazing parts of Outback NSW and Queensland. You'll see iconic places such as Charlotte Plains, Eromanga Natural History Museum, historic Milparinka, the Mulga Creek Pub, and the Warrambungles.  You will find that the Drover’s Run is a huge team effort and the more we act as a team, the more successful it will be. It may mean that you pitch in by helping others when they need it, help out on the fundraising nights by selling raffle tickets or assisting with the auctions, or telling people along the way what the Drover's Run means to you as an entrant.

At the end of the 2025 Drover's Run you will have made some life-long friends. So please enjoy the 2025 Drover’s Run 4WD Outback Adventure and the Northern NSW Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service sincerely thanks you in advance for taking part and ensuring we are ready to respond 24-7 because of your fundraising efforts.

Meals: Dinner tonight provided to entrants at Armatree Pub as part of your Crew Fee

Accommodation: Unpowered camp sites have been booked at the rear of Armatree Pub as part of your Crew Fee, a small number of powered sites are available as are hotel rooms at an additional costs to entrants. Details in the Accommodation document under the Resources Tab.

After a comprehensive briefing and last minute checks of radios and your vehicle, we will travel west from Armatree, pass through the Central West town of Warren, and then through the catchment of the Macquarie Marshes to tonights spectacular camp atop Mt Oxley where we get to take in one of the most beautiful sunsets you will see.  A good mix of bitumen and gravel today which will be a great preview of what is in store for the next nine days.

Accommodation: Camping tonight at Mt Oxley, toilet facilities available. No other accommodation options available tonight.

Meals: Breakfast is provided as part of your crew fee this morning, morning tea and lunch will be self-catered. Tonight’s dinner will also need to be self-catered, a small camp kitch is available.

Fuel: Fuel up in Warren, next fuel is at Bourke tomorrow.

We head down from Mt Oxley and into Bourke for morning tea and to refuel before hitting the gravel for the rest of the day, finishing at one of Queensland Tourism's gems at Charlotte Plains. We camp toninght at the bore campsite where we have access to the hot tub spas, a great campfire, and the newly built rustic bar complex. Hopefully we get into Charlotte Plains mid-afternoon so entrants can enjoy the incredible facilities, and learn about the very, very interesting past of the Nagel family over the past 100 years.

Meals: Morning tea self-catered or grab something in Bourke, lunch definitely self-catered and dinner tonight will also need to be self-catered at Charlotte Plains.

Accommodation: Unpowered camping at the Bore campsite as part of you Crew Fee, powered sites and cabins are available at the Shearers Quarters, a short drive away on the property. Details available on the Accommodation Options option under the Resources tab.

Fuel: Fill today in Bourke, fuel available tomorrow in Cunnamulla.

An awesome day of travel today as we head west into Cunnamulla on the banks of the Warrego River, continue west on the bitumen to the village of Eulo, and then make our way north-west to the iconic village of Toompine "the Pub without a town" for an early lunch. The next part of the day will be one of our best as we head west from Toompine and travel through kilometres of private property before popping out at Mt Margaret and then into tonight's stop at Eromanga.

We last stayed in Eromanga in 2015 and have the distinction of being the first group to tour the Eromanga Natural History Museum which was very much in its infancy back then. Seeing it now, you realise how much the local community and management of this incredible tribute to the local dinosaur era has come. 

Accommodation: Camping tonight is at Eromanga Caravan Park, unpowered sites as part of your Crew Fee. Additional accommodation options are available at the Caravan Park, details attached.

Meals: Self catering breakfast or available in Cunnamulla, lunch catered at Toompine Pub as part of your Crew Fee and dinner tonight at the Royal Hotel in Eromanga, again as part of your Crew Fee.  

Fuel: Fill in Cunnamulla or Eromanga in the morning.

A terrific day today, we will split into two groups and tour the wonderful Eromanga Natural History Museum, home of Cooper, Australia's largest recovered dinosaur remains. We learn of how Cooper was inadvertently discovered by the Mackenzie family, and how they led the following research and development of the Museum to take it to where it is today. Morning tea at the Museum follows, all as part of your Crew Fee, and then we hit the road, all bitumen, to tonights stop at another Pub without a town, the awesome Noccundra Pub on the banks of Wilson River. We should arrive in time for anyone wanting to wet a line to be able to, and then dinner tonight at the Pub with its stunning sandstone features and relaxing beer garden area.

Accommodation: Unpowered sites in the common or near the Pub, amenities with toilets and showers, and rooms available at the Pub at an extra cost.

Meals: All meals today either self-cater or take up one of the options available in town. Dinner tonight provided at Noccundra Pub as part of your Crew Fee.

Fuel: Fill in Eromanga or Noccundra, next fuel in two days at Tibooburra.

This will be another fantastic day of outback driving, gravel, sand and the unexpected. We head south from Noccundra and then pick up some of the mining tracks that take us into Sturt National Park, snaking our way west of Tibooburra and into the historic town of Milparinka with it's increbile collection of history of notable explorers and pastoralists of the region over the past 250 years. We plan to be in early enough to give Drovers the chance to take in as much of this experience as possible including some of the towns gold mining past, check out the original courthouse and barracks, and then get ready for another wonderful country cooked dinner at the Albert Hotel. 

Accommodation: Unpowered campsites behind the Information Centre as part of your Crew Fee, or hotel rooms available as additional cost.

Meals: Self-cater all meals through the day, dinner tonight provided at the Albert Hotel as part of your Crew Fee.

Fuel: Fuel in Noccundra.

Another day of driving gravel and sand, we head east from Milaprinka a short distance and pick up the the Silver City Hwy into Tibooburra for fuel and morning tea. We then head east towards Wanaaring and turn off for a feature visit to the impressive Reola Station Woolshed. At one stage the largest woolshed in the Southern Hemisphere, this will be a great hour or so before we get back in our rigs, hit some very low-traffic tracks and to our next destination, Goodwood Station, and another night of wonderful outback hospitality. The Turner family have called Goodwood home since the early 1950's and we'll have the opportunity to take in the many developments that have taken place on the property since those early times.

Accommodation: Unpowered camping at Goodwood as part of your Crew Fee, other forms of accommodation are available and listed in the Accommodation Options.

Meals: Self-cater breakfast and lunch, dinner tonight provided by the Goodwood team as part of your Crew Fee.

Fuel: Fill in Tibooburra this morning, next fuel in Tilpa or Byrock.

East again this morning as we pass through the Paroo Darling National Park and wind our way across the gravel to the village of Tilpa for smoko and fuel for those who need it. From there we follow the Darling River north to Louth which is famous for it's annual race meeting which draws thousands of race and partygoers from across the state and beyond, ironically the races are on the day after we pass through so we won't be stopping here. From Louth we head through the Gundabooka National Park, a detour to look at some historic sites if time permits, more private property and then into Byrock, home of the outstanding Mulga Creek Pub. The camping area at the back of the Pub is fantastic, as is the cabin accommodation for those wanting an upgrade. Friday night in Byrock is alwayds a big one so we'll have the chance to meet the locals and hopefully run an auction for some additional fundraising.

Accommodation: Camping at the Mulga Creek Pub as part of your Crew Fee with other forms of accommodation listed.

Meals: Self catering along the way. Dinner tonight is provided at the Mulga Creek Hotel as part of your Crew Fee.

Fuel: Fill in Tilpa or Byrock.

More really interesting and spectaular time on the road today, we head east from Byrock to the village of Gongolgon and then into another village with a interesting history, Carinda where David Bowie filmed his hit-song "Let's Dance" back in 1983. From Carinda we next stop at the Central West town of Coonamble, and then through the spectacular Warrambungle Ranges where we can hopefully call in at the Observatory for a tour on the way to our final night destination. Tonight we hold our traditional "Red and Yellow Night" fancy dress dinner, present our awards including the highest fundraising team, and celebrate all we have seen and achieved over the past nine days. 

Accommodation: Tonight we stay at the John Oxley Caravan Park, unpowered sites as part of your Crew Fee, with Cabin or Motel options available.

Catering: Self cater today, with lunch available in Coonamble, dinner tonight is provided at the Coonabarabran Bowling Club as part of your Crew Fee with entertainment also on the menu.

Fuel: Available in Byrock, Coonamble or Coonabarbran

Our final day today, we leave Coona and head through the black soil of the Liverpool Plains, pass Trinkey State Forest and Goran Lake, then on to Currabubula and to the end of the Drover's Run in Tamworth. We'll do our now famous Peelie where Tamworth locals often come out and acknowledge the efforts of our teams, and then back to the Tamworth base where we finish the adventure with a light lunch. We say our goodbyes and everyone heads off knowing we've made an incredible difference to peoples lives by taking part in the adventure, and start to plan for the next Drover's Run in August 2026. 

Meals: Self catering today or grab something in Coona, and a light lunch provided at the Tamworth Rescue Helicopter base.                                         

Fuel: Fuel in Coona this morning