The Tablelands Highway is a 375 kilometre sealed road which runs from Barkly Homestead on the Barkly Highway to Cape Crawford near Borroloola on the Carpentaria Highway.

This remote stretch of single-lane bitumen has become a popular route for caravan tourists as it affords a unique opportunity to explore the land that lies between the major east-west arterials - the Barkly Highway and Carpentaria Highway. Although some 190km east of the Stuart Highway, it is a decent alternative route for getting some north-south mileage under your wheels on a quieter stretch of road if you don't mind the remoteness.

With that said however, the Tablelands is a major cattle grazing region and at times you may encounter cattle trucks moving stock and some caution is required if you do.

Although named as a highway, it is much closer to a pastoral service road making its way through grazing land. Many kilometres are not fenced and red kangaroos and cattle cross the bitumen with no regard for vehicles.

One of the few stopping places on the Tablelands Highway is the Emu Waterhole. When full, the waterhole covers an area of around 3 hectares. Emu Waterhole is fed by the Kennedy Creek.