There's no way to avoid CAMOOWEAL but you might wish there were; the township's atmosphere of lazy aggression is exacerbated by a total lack of charm. The highway from Mount Isa forms the main street, built in 1944 by American servicemen whose names are painted on a rock at the edge of town. You'll find a roadhouse, mechanic, general store (and Westpac agent), post office and hotel - a risky place for a last drink in Queensland. The store's old decor is worth a peek, and murals at the Camooweal Roadhouse (tel 07/4748 2155; cabins $50-70) should raise a chuckle; around the back are cabins and a campsite with thick grass to raise a tent over. Otherwise, move on.

The best features of the surrounding area are dolomite sinks known as the Caves ; drive 8km down the Urandangie road south of Camooweal, then turn left and follow the dirt track for about thirty minutes. There's an NPWS campsite here with toilets and a fence to keep out marauding cattle. Flocks of gibbering green budgerigars congregate around the creek and, if you can put up with their racket, it's preferable to a night in town. The park's nine caves are intriguing terraces, spiralling down 10m before tapering to vertical shafts. The district is riddled with them; one is a roost for ghost bats , and another has become famous for its coolabah trees. Caused by tunnels into the water table collapsing at the surface, the shafts continue straight down for anything between 18m and 75m before levelling out into an uncharted system. Instability makes approaching the mouths dangerous, so don't even think about exploring underground.

Heading on from Camooweal there's another track north to Lawn Hill, while 200km south beyond the Caves is Urandangie and a 650-kilometre, 4WD "short cut" across to Alice Springs. West, it's a mere ten-minutes' drive to the cattle grid separating Queensland from the Northern Territory's time zone and better roads. Next fuel is at the Barkly Homestead, 275km away.