Gulf Savannah Development

About the Savannah Way

A couple swimmingThe Savannah Way is a themed adventure drive from Cairns to Broome through Katherine. The route traverses some of Australia’s most spectacular scenery including 4 World Heritage Areas and over 15 National Parks and covers almost 3000km, an excellent length for a 14 day adventure across Northern Australia.

The route is designed to also accommodate shorter trips with linkages to other themed routes (the Matilda, Overlanders’ and Explorers’ Highways) and has the potential for fly / drive packages and to attract a significant number of visitors to the North Queensland region.

The Savannah Way is an example of the ‘last frontier’ style of tourism with the main attractions / characteristics being:

  • Outback experiences (gravel, dirt and bitumen roads; small towns; mostly camping and caravan, pubs and motel accommodation; long distances, open spaces; limited contact / interaction)
  • Natural attractions (Gorges, waterholes, rugged landscape, birds, star gazing etc)
  • Heritage / Culture (Indigenous, European – mining, agriculture, exploration)
  • Adventure (distances from urban areas, fishing, hunting, survival, 4WD)

Major towns on the Savannah Way are Cairns, Atherton Tablelands, Ravenshoe, Mt. Garnet, Mt. Surprise, Georgetown, Croydon Normanton and west to the NT Border. From the Savannah Way you can access the towns of Einasleigh and Forsayth. Once you reach Normanton you can drive north to Karumba to watch the spectacular sunset while enjoying a cool one at the Tavern.

Hikers taking in the sightsContinue west along the Savannah Way from Normanton is Burketown, the barramundi capital of Australia situated on the Albert River. Situated south of Burketown is Lawn Hill National Park and the World Heritage listed Riversleigh Fossil Field.

For the 4WD-adventure market the Savannah Way is about the wild rugged terrain and the unique opportunity to get off the beaten track.

For any queries on the Savannah Way contact Gulf Savannah Development on
(07) 40 311631.