Emerald - Things to See and Do

Sitting in the Central Highlands, surrounded by sapphire fields, Emerald is the gateway to Queensland’s Central Western district.

An agricultural business hub, sliced in half by the Tropic of Capricorn, Emerald represents a true rural Australian experience.

Spend a day specking gems; take in the the world's biggest Van Gogh sunflower painting; or enjoy the town’s lush Botanic Gardens – where an array of native plant species are on display. 

Emerald Information

Population: 15,000
Area: 10,364 km² (Emerald Shire)
Time Zone: GMT + 10
Languages: English (official)
Currency: Australian dollar ($) Order your travelers cheques and cash through our partner AMEX
Electricity: 220 – 240v 50Hz

Emerald Climate

Emerald enjoys a sub-tropical, sub-humid climate. Almost half of the region’s annual rainfall falls in the summer months (December through to February). Summer temperature reach the mid 30s (°c), while winter can be considerable cooler, at around 10°c–16 °c.

• View local weather forecast for your holiday

Emerald Airport

Name: Emerald Airport
Website: http://www.centralhighlands.qld.gov.au/web/guest/emerald-airport
Address: Gregory Highway, Emerald, QLD 4720
Distance to city: Approx 6 kms

Emerald Transport

Taxi: Journey time approx 10 minutes – cost approx. $16.00
Train: No available train service to the airport
Car hire: Great choice of hire cars at mates rates from our car suppliers
Parking: Public car park – located directly in front of the terminal building. First hour is free, additional hours $2 per hour, $10 maximum charge for 24 hours.

Don’t forget your travel insurance

Dining

Emerald diners aren’t spoilt for choice. Like most regional centres, the dining scene is restricted mainly to fast food takeaways, hotel/motel restaurants and small cafes.

Hotels like Emerald Explorers Inn Emerald Meteor Motel Emerald Star Hotel Motel all serve quality food and drinks. While nearby restaurants such as The Capricornian Restaurant, Anthony's A-La-Carte Restaurant and Suzie’s take care of most of the area’s al la carte dining trade. A number of coffee house and cafes like Coffee Break, The Feed Lot and Luv A Coffee, sell decent coffee and snack foods.

McDonald’s, KFC, Subway, Wendy’s and several well-known pizza joints are also represented downtown.

Shopping

As a major mining town and regional centre Emerald has a number of big name retailers and services providers.

Centro Emerald Market Shopping Centre is town’s main shopping mall, open seven days with stores like Coles and Target Country sitting alongside 20 specialty stores.

Main drags such as Hospital Road, Opal Street Clermont Street, Ruby Street and Egerton Street also host an array of well-known service providers and retailers alongside boutique and niche stores.