While the brown sign hunters had a busy year in 2024, there was a lot more going on with revamping the website. Following the brown signs continued with some feature changes on the website delayed. Even the social media pages had gone quiet for a while.
For another year, 7 Mile Diggings has taken the first place. It has remained at the top spot since the website began. A notable change to the list is the tourist drives. Southern Moreton Bay Tourist Drive and Fraser Coast Tourist Drive 12 took the last two places in 2023, in positions 9 and 10 respectively. Fraser Coast Drive 12 has skyrocketed to second, and Southern Moreton Bay Tourist Drive raised three placed into sixth.
Another tourist drive, Blackall Range Tourist Drive 23 has joined the list. And 90 Mile Straight has joined it twice, once for each end of the straight – they are 90 miles apart from each other. Deepwater Railway Station slipped in at tenth place, taking the last spot on the list.
With newcomers to the list, other destinations have dropped off the list. These were The Big Pipis, Maclean Tartan Poles, Yuraygir National Park Brooms Head, and Lake Perseverance Active Recreation Centre.
1. 7 Mile Diggings
7 Mile Diggings continues to remain in first place. Last year, 7 Mile Diggings had over 24% of the top 10 views. In 2024, it was only 11% higher than second place. Open for visiting and looking at the historical diggings site, and with a permit camping, the once popular 4wd destination has long been closed for 4wd access. It has never lost it’s top spot in this list, but will it lose it to a tourist drive next year?
2. Fraser Coast Tourist Drive 12
Moved from 10th to 2nd.
The 2023 top ten list showed an indication of the increasing popularity of tourist drives on the Brown Signs website. This 2024 top ten list shows this trend continues, with this tourist drive threatening top spot. The Fraser Coast tourist drive 12 begins near Maryborough, taking you through Hervey Bay and finishing in Howard.
3. 26th Parallel Leaving The North West
Unchanged at 3rd.
The top few destinations are regulars, and another is the 26th Parallel. The 26th Parallel is at the border of South Australia and Northern Territory , although this location is further west near the coast of Western Australia. It is 330km south of the Tropic of Capricorn, between Carnarvon and Geraldton near the Gladstone National Park. There is a brown sign for both directions with a slight difference. The other sign says “Entering The North West”.
4. Churchbank Weir Reserve
Moved from 2nd to 4th.
Always a strong inclusion, Churchbank Weir Reserve stays in the top 10 list for another year, dropping two places. Churchbank Weir Reserve is a free camp not too far from Brisbane, especially if you are on the south side. The weir is downstream from the reserve, so the water in the creek beside the camping area is plentiful. We managed to revisit Churchbank Weir Reserve in 2024 while we were in the area to quickly check it out to plan a camp there. We found it in poor condition with permanent homeless taken residence there. It is still on the list, but it isn’t somewhere we’d recommend at the moment.
5. 90 Mile Straight
New to the list, the 90 Mile Straight is the longest straight stretch of road in Australia. The Eyre Highway between Balladonia and Caiguna in Western Australia is a lengthy 146.6 kilometres or 90 miles.
6. Southern Moreton Bay Tourist Drive
Moved from 9th to 6th
A new type of entry in the top 10 list last year, this tourist drive has moved ahead. Located on the southern side of Brisbane and following the shoreline of the beautiful Moreton Bay, there are many destinations to see on this tourist drive.
7. Windmill Museum
Moved down from 6th to 7th
A second big thing in the top 10 list is at the Windmill Museum, moving up one place from 7th last year and doubling the number of big things in the top 10 list. The museum has number of windmills on display, located off the highway so you need to drive passed the local shop. It is located outdoors so it can be seen operating at any time of the day. It is also the location of the Big Windmill, commonly called ‘Bruce’ or ‘Big Bruce’, and is one of only 15 windmills with 35-foot fans. Big Bruce was a special order with larger than standard fans making it the biggest.
8. 90 Mile Straight East
Not happy to be in the list once, the eastern end of the 90 Mile Straight has joined the list as well. The longest straight stretch of road in Australia, the Eyre Highway between Balladonia and Caiguna in Western Australia, is the same lengthy 146.6 kilometres or 90 miles in the other direction as well.
9. Blackall Range Tourist Drive 23
Another tourist drive to make it into the top ten list in 2024 is the Blackall Range Tourist Drive 23. A 55-kilometre drive, starting at the turnoff into Landsborough off Steve Irwin Way. From Landsborough, it climbs up the Blackall Range to Maleny, then follows the tops of the range northward through Montville and Mapleton. The tourist drive then heads back down the range into Nambour and finishing near the Bruce Highway.
10. Deepwater Railway Station
Newcomer to the top ten list in 2024, we had visited Deepwater Railway Station in 2019. The trains no longer run (the line has been closed since 1972) but the building continues to be used, now the home of the local radio station. We are heading to Deepwater in 2025. Will the railway station keep its presence in the list next year?