Outback Education Handbook PDF - Tourism Queensland

OUTBACK 

Q U E E N S L A N D ’ S 

Education Handbook 

29 Fact Sheets on: 

Ancient Outback - archaeology, fossils, geology, astronomy 

Legendary Outback - politics, social history, early exploration 

Natural Outback - gold, opals, unique geography, rare species 

Travel Itineraries - detailed itineraries outlining 4 different routes 

www.tq.com.au/outbackeducation

DISCLAIMER 

Information contained in this publication has been provided by independent persons and is provided to you 

on the basis that you will use your own skill and judgement and make your own enquiries to independently 

verify the information’s correctness and completeness. Tourism Queensland makes no warranty as to the 

correctness, completeness or suitability of purpose of the information. 

In no event will Tourism Queensland be liable to any person in contract, tort or otherwise if any information in 

the publication is incomplete, inaccurate or not suitable for the purpose you use the information for. 

The education fact sheets may only be reproduced for educational purposes. No changes may be made or 

copied from the itineraries. 

© Copyright Tourism Queensland 2009 


i 

R 

n 

r 

e 

l 

h 

e 

r 

i 

o 

y 

g 

e 

r 

TRAVEL PLANNER 

ADELS GROVE 

LAWN HILL GORGE 

RIVERSLEIGH 

CAMOOWEAL 

MORNINGTON 

ISLAND 

DOOMADGEE 

93 

SOUTH WELLESLEY 

ISLANDS 

BURKETOWN 

77 

TIRRANNA 

GREGORY 

DOWNS 

WAGGABUNDI 

GUNPOWDER 

KAJABBI 

90 

QUAMBY 

CLONCURRY 

KARUMBA 

BURKE & WILLS 

JUNCTION 

NORMANTON 

WEIPA 

CROYDON 

JULIA 

CREEK 

ARCHER RIVER 

COEN 

YARRADEN 

GEORGETOWN 

CHILLAGOE 

MOUNT 

SURPRISE 

LAKELAND 

MOUNT GARNET 

MOSSMAN 

MAREEBA 

ATHERTON 

COOKTOWN 

A R I A 

P E N T 

C A R 

PORT DOUGLAS 

O F 

i 

M 

r 

c h 

t 

F 

v e 

e l 

L 

l 

U 

G 

RAVENSHOE 

THE LYND JUNCTION 

GREENVALE 

BALFE’S 

CREEK 

CAIRNS 

L y n d 

m i t 

S 

CARDWELL 

INGHAM 

TOWNSVILLE 

CHARTERS 

TOWERS 

BOWEN 

MAXWELTON 

PENTLAND HOMESTEAD 

PROSERPINE 

49 RICHMOND 

46 

NELIA 

HUGHENDEN 

LAKE DALRYMPLE 

TULLY 

GORDONVALE 

R i v e r 

h b u r n e 

R i v e r 

INNISFAIL 

i g h 

E i n a s l e 

R i v e r 

v 

R i 

o 

s 

H 

o 

e 

c 

i 

N 

r b e 

t 

r 

R 

L e i 

i 

v e 

c 

r 

BOODJAMULLA 

(LAWN HILL) 

NATIONAL PARK 

UNDARA 

VOLCANIC 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

G i l b e r t 

h h a r d 

t 

k 

e 

H i 

R i v e r 

N o r m a n 

R 

C 

l l 

n 

i 

L a w 

B u 

v e r 

e r 

R i v e r 

v 

r d 

R 

e 

r 

G r 

k 

BLACKBRAES 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

i 

n 

R 

i 

v 

90 

P A C I F I C 

e 

v e r 

r 

i 

471km to 

Tennant 

Creek 

LEGEND 

Distances in 

Kilometres 

Bitumen Roads 

Unsealed Roads 

Capricorn Highway 

Matilda Highway 

Adventure Way 

Great Inland Way 

Kidman Way 

Overlander’s Way 

Savannah Way 

Warrego Highway 

QR Traveltrain 

Traveltrain Coach 

Connection 

North West Region 

Central West Region 

South West Region 

This map is indicative only. 

Please obtain detailed road maps 

of the areas you plan to visit 

before you leave. 

R 

O C 

y 

70 

90 

105 

E 

F l i n d e r s 

u r 

c 

n 

o 

A N 

PORCUPINE 

GORGE 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

WHITE 

MOUNTAINS 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

l 

R i v e r 

C 

CAMOOWEAL CAVES 

NATIONAL PARK 

57 

129 

74 

118 

87 

44 

71 

58 

26 

153 

140 

192 

43 

138 

71 

Q U E E N S L A N D 

235 

148 

50 

148 

380 

89 

225 

246 

79 

52 

108 

108 

68 

45 

83 

158 

83 

200 

88 

BRISBANE 

561 

650 

737 

947 

1193 

1419 

1587 

BARRINGUN 

119 

316 

400 

519 

620 

726 

833 

1012 

1170 

1353 

1536 

1728 

1799 

134 

MITCHELL 

89 

176 

386 

632 

858 

1026 

CUNNAMULLA 

197 

281 

400 

501 

607 

714 

893 

1051 

1234 

1417 

1609 

1680 

MORVEN 

87 

297 

543 

769 

937 

CHARLEVILLE 

84 

203 

304 

410 

517 

696 

854 

1037 

1220 

1412 

1483 

To check road 

conditions call 

the RACQ on 

1300 130 595. 

CHARLEVILLE 

210 QUILPIE 

456 246 

682 472 

850 640 

AUGATHELLA 

119 

220 

326 

433 

612 

770 

953 

1136 

1328 

1399 

TAMBO 

101 

207 

314 

493 

651 

834 

1017 

1209 

1280 

TOWNSVILLE 

134 

292 

381 

493 

642 

780 

899 

1087 

1102 

WINDORAH 

226 394 BETOOTA 

168 BIRDSVILLE 

CHARTERS TOWERS 

158 

247 

359 

508 

646 

765 

953 

968 

BLACKALL 

106 

213 

392 

550 

733 

916 

1108 

1179 

TORRENS CREEK 

89 

201 

350 

488 

607 

795 

810 

BARCALDINE 

107 

286 

444 

627 

810 

1002 

1073 

LONGREACH 

179 

337 

520 

703 

895 

966 

HUGHENDEN 

112 

261 

399 

518 

706 

721 

WINTON 

158 

341 

524 

716 

787 

RICHMOND 

149 

287 

406 

594 

609 

ROCKHAMPTON 

580 

687 

866 

1211 

KYNUNA 

183 

366 

558 

629 

JULIA CREEK 

138 

257 

445 

460 

BARCALDINE 

107 

286 

641 

CLONCURRY 

183 

375 192 

446 263 

CLONCURRY 

119 

307 

322 

LONGREACH 

179 534 WINTON 

355 BOULIA 

BURKE & WILLS JUNCTION 

NORMANTON 

71 KARUMBA 

MOUNT ISA 

188 CAMOOWEAL 

203 15 NT BORDER 

All distances shown are in kilometres 

Y

60 

i 

R 

r 

146 

229 

110 

73 

244 53 

39 

i v e r 

164 

W a 

12 

191 

22 

113 

168 

101 

253 

48 

209 

61 

118 

77 

109 

85 

112 

164 

117 

266 

114 

110 

150 

103 

92 

51 

144 

125 

58 

50 

52 

83 

67 

67 

94 

64 

205 

102 

52 

89 

47 

63 

100 

248 

114 

67 

22 

209 

12 

42 

121 

204 

168 

76 

196 

Poeppel 

Corner 

URANDANGI 

MARREE 

BIRDSVILLE 

LYNDHURST 

MOUNT 

ISA 

DAJARRA 

BEDOURIE 

BOULIA 

DUCHESS 

MERTY MERTY 

INNAMINCKA 

McKINLAY 

BETOOTA 

CAMERON 

CORNER 

MIDDLETON 

KYNUNA 

Haddon 

Corner 

WINDORAH 

NOCCUNDRA 

TIBOOBURRA 

CORFIELD 

OPALTON 

STAMFORD 

WINTON 

LONGREACH 

JUNDAH 

STONEHENGE 

EROMANGA 

MUTTABURRA 

89 

QUILPIE 

EMMET 

YARAKA 

23 

7 

THARGOMINDAH YOWAH 

WANAARING 

PRAIRIE TORRENS CREEK MOORRINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

360 

MORANBAH 

FOREST 

DEN 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

CLERMONT 

ILFRACOMBE 

ISISFORD 

ADAVALE 

TOOMPINE 

34 

CHEEPIE 

HUNGERFORD 

WYANDRA 

CUNNAMULLA 

EULO 

ARAMAC 

BARCALDINE 

BLACKALL 

CHARLEVILLE 

COOLADDI 

BOURKE 

JERICHO 

TAMBO 

AUGATHELLA 

BARRINGUN 

ALPHA 

MORVEN 

44 

MITCHELL 

MUNGALLALA 45 AMBY 

177 BOLLON 113 

HEBEL 

BREWARRINA 

DIRRANBANDI 

CAPELLA 

EMERALD BLACKWATER 

SPRINGSURE 

ROLLESTON 

WALGETT 

ROMA 

INJUNE 

MUNGINDI 

ST GEORGE 

SURAT 

NINDIGULLY 

MACKAY 

r 

S 

112 

e 

v 

u 

e 

t 

t 

v e r 

G 

R i 

e 

o 

n 

o r g i 

n d 

a 

B e l y a 

i v e r 

R i v e r 

i n a R 

R 

e 

c 

i 

MOREE 

ROCKHAMPTON 

D i a m a n t 

l 

A 

i v e r 

TAROOM 

GOONDIWINDI 

NARRABRI 

BANANA 

THEODORE 

MILES 

BILOELA 

MOONIE 

MONTO 

MUNDUBBERA 

CHINCHILLA 

INGLEWOOD 

TEXAS 

INVERELL 

GLADSTONE 

o n R 

LAKE 

MARABOON 

m s 

T h o 

EIDSVOLD 

GAYNDAH 

KINGAROY 

DALBY 

OAKEY 

PITTSWORTH 

MILMERRAN 

MIRIAM VALE 

R i v e r 

GIN GIN 

GLEN INNES 

ARMIDALE 

TOOWOOMBA 

WARWICK 

CHILDERS 

TENTERFIELD 

BUNDABERG 

r c o o 

B a 

r 

LAKE 

MACHATTIE 

DIAMANTINA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

LOCHERN 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

e 

SIMPSON DESERT 

NATIONAL PARK 

115 

149 

COMBO 

WATERHOLE 

CONSERVATION 

PARK 

LARK 

QUARRY 

CONSERVATION 

PARK 

BLADENSBURG 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

N O R T H E R N T E R R I T O R 

r 

v 

i v e 

i 

R 

R 

GYMPIE 

NAMBOUR 

DORRIGO 

MARYBOROUGH 

e g o 

r 

r d 

WELFORD 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

r 

W a 

i v e r 

R 

r e e k 

o 

o 

e r C 

l 

l 

C o o p 

B u 


i v e r 

R 

IPSWICH 

BRISBANE 

o n 

S O U T H 

A U S T R A L I A 

119 

105 

78 

84 

74 

179 

58 131 

87 53 

W i l s 

e k 

TWEED HEADS 

r e 

C 

R i v e r 

r 

LAKE BINDEGOLLY 

NATIONAL PARK 

p e r 

i v e 

C o o 

R 

LISMORE 

BALLINA 

N e b i n e 

P a r o o 

CURRAWINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

IDALIA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

TREGOLE 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

SALVATOR 

ROSA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

KA KA 

MUNDI 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

MT MOFFATT 

NATIONAL PARK 

CARNARVON 

GORGE 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

e r 

e r 

R i v 

R i v 

o a 

l g 

GRAFTON 

r i e 

C u 

B i r 

R i v e r 

B 

e g o 

o 

g a n R 

COFFS 

HARBOUR 

i 

v 

W a r r 

SCALE 

0 25 50 75 100 

47 

196 

191 

50 

159 

5 

20 

93 

112 

158 

69 

N E W 

S O U T H 

W A L E S 

151 

104 

37 

120 72 

163 

43 

104 

116 

27 

76 

85 

74 

55 

122 

80 

112 

25 

101 

13 

217 

106 

48 

187 

68 

101 

98 

88 

119 

99 

137 

119 

84 91 

87 

209 

210 

54 

109 

22 

66 

210 

52 

67 

106 

71 

65 

88 

281 

40 

192 

91 

195 

141 

180 

203 

129 

97 

123 

127 

113 

84 

122 

e r 

URUNGA

Welcome to Queensland’s Outback 

Step into a world full of contrast, colour and awe-inspiring 

diversity. Each topic will introduce you and your students to new 

adventures - one after the other - as you explore the legendary, 

ancient and natural hidden treasures that lie inland from our 

coastal fringe. 

You will be surprised, amazed and at times thoroughly amused 

as Queensland’s Outback unfolds before you. 

As a teacher you can use the information to assist and guide the 

development of lesson plans that will assist with the Essential 

Learnings and their Outcomes. 

The resources and sources for each topic are designed to enrich 

your planning, pave the way for further learning opportunities and 

inspire you and your class to come and experience Queensland’s 

Outback firsthand. 

Big Red Sand Dunes 

Qantas Founders Museum, Longreach 

The people out here are warm and friendly and will welcome you 

at every stop along the way. It’s only two hours between most 

towns and every town has its own remarkable and unique story 

that is waiting to be told. 

Visit any number of learning centres such as the Cosmos Centre 

and Save the Bilby at Charleville, The Woolscour at Blackall, 

the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Qantas Founders 

Museum at Longreach. Travel to Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways 

at Winton or dig for other types of buried treasure at mining 

sites from Mount Isa to Yowah. Climb the red sand hills of the 

Simpson Desert, scour the river banks of the Channel Country 

or traverse the pyramid on the northern Savannah range. There 

is nothing quite like it. 

Tourism Queensland and Outback Queensland Tourism 

Association are proud partners in bringing you this useful 

and informative tool for teaching Year 6 and 7 students about 

Queensland’s cultural heritage. We hope it will become a valued 

classroom companion now and well into the future. 

Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, Longreach 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Welcome to Queensland’s Outback 

001

Legendary Outback............................... 005 

01 

02 

03 

04 

05 

06 

07 

08 

09 

10 

11 

Tree of Knowledge 

Tree bears fruit of the nation................... 008 

Blackall Woolscour 

Queensland - built off the sheep’s back.. 010 

Captain Starlight 

Captain Starlight rogue legend 

of the cattle runs.................................... 012 

Cobb & Co. 

Cobb & Co. spins wheels of 

golden opportunity................................. 014 

Durack Dynasty 

Durack takes on the test of endurance... 016 

Heritage Trees 

Living monuments 

honour defining moments...................... 018 

Jackie Howe 

Shearer’s shirt turns to 

time-honoured symbol........................... 020 

Kidman 

From cowboy to national icon 

the Kidman story.................................... 022 

John Campbell Miles and 

Mount Isa Mines 

Drifter discovers nation’s richest 

mineral deposit...................................... 024 

Qantas 

Tyranny of distance no match for 

flying kangaroo....................................... 026 

Royal Flying Doctor Service 

Angels of mercy - 

the ‘mantle of safety’.............................. 028 

Wing Walk 747 at Longreach Airport 

Ancient Outback..................................... 037 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

Aboriginal Heritage 

Powerful images portray land of 

The Dreaming........................................ 040 

Cosmology 

Heaven’s above - What’s that star?........ 042 

Dinosaurs 

Earth gives up its long lost giants........... 044 

Dinosaurs of Richmond 

Marine reptiles surface after 

100 million years.................................... 046 

Lark Quarry 

Dinosaur panic thunders down 

through the ages.................................... 048 

Marine Fossil Museum, Richmond 

12 

13 

14 

School of the Air 

Will to educate traces century of 

challenge and change............................ 030 

The Rodeo 

Stockman traditions take 

centre stage........................................... 032 

Waltzing Matilda 

Waltzing Matilda inspires 

nation’s pride......................................... 034 

Kallala Station, 

Urandangi 

Blackall Woolscour, Blackall 

Birdsville Hotel, Birdsville 

002 Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Contents

Porcupine Gorge, near Hughenden 

Mount Isa 

Travel Itineraries.................................... 075 

Travel and Safety Information............ 078 

Natural Outback..................................... 051 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

Artesian Basin 

Liquid gold - lucky country..................... 054 

Bilbies 

Greater bilby fights the odds.................. 056 

Bioregions of Mid West Queensland 

Outback bioregions home to 

rare species........................................... 058 

Diamantina 

History and mystery of Queensland’s 

great Channel Country........................... 060 

Mining 

Outback mining a shining example of 

a rich land.............................................. 062 

Opal Mining 

Fiery stone melts many hearts................ 064 

01 

02 

03 

04 

Itinerary 1 

Longreach Explorer 

Camping Safari...................................... 079 

Itinerary 2 

Way out in Winton 


Itinerary 3 

Mount Isa Outback Tour 


Itinerary 4 

South West Safari Tour 


Tour Operators 

Kangaroo Bus Lines............................... 099 

Down Under Tours................................. 100 

Education Offers 

Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame 

and Outback Heritage Centre................. 101 

Wanpa-rda Matilda 

Outback Education Centre..................... 101 

26 

27 

28 

29 

Porcupine Gorge 

Ancient gorge forged through the 

wind and rain......................................... 066 

Queensland Power 

Thargomindah powers on...................... 068 

Riparian Habitats 

Rare beauty inspired by riparian 

eco-systems.......................................... 070 

Simpson Desert National Park 

A vast burnt land that beats with 

life and wonder...................................... 072 

Thomson River, Longreach 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Contents 

003

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

Notes 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

004 Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Notes

05 

Legendary 

Outback

a 

t 

i 

i 

COEN 

l 

i 

e 

k 

i 

n 

i 

YARRADEN 

A R I A 

COOKTOWN 

P E N T 

LAKELAND 

C A R 

N 

i 

c 

BOODJAMULLA 

(LAWN HILL) 

NATIONAL PARK 

ADELS GROVE 


L a w 

h 

n 

o 

s 

l 

G r 

471km to 

Tennant 

Creek 

N O R T H E R N T E R R I T O R Y 

o 

H i 

e 

Poeppel 

Corner 

l 

RIVERSLEIGH 

g 

n 

l 

o 

R i 

C 

r 

CAMOOWEAL 

URANDANGI 

r 

y 

MARREE 

v 

e 

e 

R 

e 

k 

i 

90 

MORNINGTON 

ISLAND 

BURKETOWN 

DOOMADGEE 

77 

93 

TIRRANNA 

r 

v 

70 

e r 


NATIONAL PARK 

G 

e 

o r g i 


NATIONAL PARK 

DAJARRA 

115 

n 

BIRDSVILLE 


ISLANDS 

GREGORY 

DOWNS 

MOUNT 

ISA 

R i v e r 

BEDOURIE 

C o o 

p e r 

r e 

C 

WAGGABUNDI 

GUNPOWDER 

e k 

h h a r d 

L e i 

c 

KAJABBI 

BOULIA 

S O U T H 


006 

90 

112 

105 

57 

129 

74 

118 

149 

87 

09 

44 

R 

v e r 

13 

60 

146 

90 

QUAMBY 43 

CLONCURRY 

119 

26 

DUCHESS 

MERTY MERTY 

G 

L 

U 

O F 

F 

KARUMBA 

229 

140 

LAKE 

MACHATTIE 

110 

192 

BURKE & WILLS 

JUNCTION 

o 

l 

C 

73 

244 53 

39 

164 

12 

191 

22 

08 

58 

113 

168 

153 

n 

11 

101 

253 

48 

c 

u r 

138 

105 

INNAMINCKA 

S 

McKINLAY 

209 

v e r 

r 

y 

BETOOTA 

m i t 

71 

R 

CAMERON 

CORNER 

h b u r n e 

NORMANTON 

N o r m a n 

MIDDLETON 

78 

KYNUNA 

COMBO 

WATERHOLE 

CONSERVATION 

PARK 

Haddon 

Corner 

R i v e r 


CROYDON 

JULIA 

CREEK 50 MAXWELTON 

D i a m a n t 

R i v e r 

i n a R 

NELIA 50 

i v e r 

C o o p 

WINDORAH 

e r C 

r e e k 

NOCCUNDRA 

TIBOOBURRA 

E i n a s l e 

i g h 

GEORGETOWN 


235 

118 

85 

58 131 

61 

47 

77 

DIAMANTINA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

109 

148 

112 

R i v e r 

164 

LARK 

QUARRY 

CONSERVATION 

PARK 

117 

266 

G i l b e r t 

R i v e r 

RICHMOND 

HUGHENDEN 

CORFIELD 

112 

STAMFORD 

WINTON 

STONEHENGE 

EROMANGA 

MUTTABURRA 

89 

OPALTON 

LONGREACH 

W i l s 

o n 

T h o 

JUNDAH 

i v e r 

R 

L y n d 

R i v e r 

R i v e r 

BLADENSBURG 

NATIONAL 

PARK 179 

LOCHERN 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

m s 

B a 

o n R 

r c o o 

WELFORD 

NATIONAL 

PARK 


196 

191 

114 

110 

150 

84 

74 

103 

92 

148 

49 

51 

380 

144 

14 

159 

125 

58 

50 

52 

93 

83 

67 

67 

12 

158 

69 

MAREEBA 

83 

CAIRNS 

108 

GORDONVALE 

CHILLAGOE 

ATHERTON 

83 

MOUNT GARNET 

45 

88 INNISFAIL 

RAVENSHOE 

i v e r 

R i v e r 

M 

MOUNT 

SURPRISE 

BLACKBRAES 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

94 

89 

225 

64 

EMMET 

YARAKA 

QUILPIE 

WANAARING 

i 

t 

c h 

o 

l 

B u 

e l 

o 

l 

i v e r 

R 

R 

UNDARA 

VOLCANIC 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

205 

03 

151 

104 

102 

52 

246 

10 

37 

v e 

i 

46 

TORRENS CREEK 

PRAIRIE 

ILFRACOMBE BARCALDINE 

JERICHO 

80 

ISISFORD 

MOSSMAN 

r 


GREENVALE 

52 

ADAVALE 

TOOMPINE 

34 

PORT DOUGLAS 

ARAMAC 

TULLY 

BALFE’S 

CREEK 

HOMESTEAD 

BLACKALL 

CHARLEVILLE 

CHEEPIE 

88 

i v e 

R 

P a r o o 

r 

H 

e 

IDALIA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

WYANDRA 

TAMBO 

r d 

48 COOLADDI 

99 

i v e r 

r b e 

PORCUPINE WHITE 

GORGE MOUNTAINS 

NATIONAL NATIONAL 

PARK PARK 

158 

PENTLAND 

43 

116 

27 

89 

05 

76 

47 

85 

63 

112 

100 

101 

248 

114 

MOORRINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

FOREST 

DEN 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

67 

22 

106 

209 

12 

r 

t 

R 

l 

A 

v e 

B u 

e 

c 

i 

r d 

W a 

r 

R 

R 

e 

v 

i 

R 

v 

r 

CARDWELL 

e 

INGHAM 

TOWNSVILLE 

r 

i v e r 

42 

AUGATHELLA 

C u 

CHARTERS 

TOWERS 

n d 

B e l y a 

87 53 

5 

55 

120 72 

98 

20 

23 25 

7 

THARGOMINDAH 

YOWAH CUNNAMULLA 

06 

13 

104 

68 

LAKE BINDEGOLLY EULO 

NATIONAL PARK 

163 

122 

119 

CURRAWINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

HUNGERFORD 

BARRINGUN 

79 

74 

108 

68 

217 

01 

200 

02 

07 

187 

101 

137 

o a 

l g 

R i 

o 

R i v 

v e r 

121 

119 

ALPHA 

MORANBAH 

BOWEN 

CLERMONT 

87 MORVEN 

44 MITCHELL 22 

TREGOLE 

NATIONAL MUNGALLALA 45 AMBY 

PARK 


e r 

r i e 

B i r 

360 

r 

W a 

134 

r 

84 91 

04 

209 

R i v e r 

N e b i n e 

S 

e r 

R i v 

u 

e g o 

t 

i v e 

R 


t 

204 

r 

e 

HEBEL 

BREWARRINA 

r 

168 

R 

i 

v 

e 

r 

SALVATOR 

ROSA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

210 

54 

LAKE 

MARABOON 

KA KA 

MUNDI 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

MT MOFFATT 

NATIONAL PARK 

109 

DIRRANBANDI 

66 

PROSERPINE 

CAPELLA 

52 

EMERALD 

67 

76 

SPRINGSURE 

210 

ROLLESTON 

CARNARVON 

GORGE 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

106 

281 

71 

40 

65 ROMA 

88 

BLACKWATER 

192 

INJUNE 

91 

SURAT 

MACKAY 

ST GEORGE 

NINDIGULLY 

203 

MUNGINDI 

P A C I F I C 

195 

O C 

141 

180 

E 

A N 

MOREE 

R 

1 

G

Legendary Outback 

In the face of extraordinary hardship and isolation the tenacity 

of Queensland’s Outback pioneers made dreams come true 

and forged the way for the dreams of future generations. 

Names such as Durack, Kidman, Miles and Howe join others 

that will forever stand in our nation’s history as the champions 

of the ‘lucky’ country. Their stories trace a common theme. 

These were the sons and daughters of immigrants who, with 

little more than hope and hard work, blazed the trail for the 

creation of new communities, economic wealth, and groundbreaking 

advancements in pastoral and mining industries, 

power generation, politics, aviation and medical services. 

01 


Tree bears fruit of the nation.................................................008 

02 


Queensland - built off the sheep’s back................................010 

03 

Captain Starlight 

Captain Starlight rogue legend of the cattle runs..................012 

04 

Cobb & Co. 

Cobb & Co. spins wheels of golden opportunity...................014 

05 

Durack Dynasty 

Durack takes on the test of endurance.................................016 

06 

Heritage Trees 

Living monuments honour defining moments.......................018 

OCKHAMPTON 

07 

Jackie Howe 

Shearer’s shirt turns to time-honoured symbol.....................020 

96 

GLADSTONE 

08 

Kidman 

From cowboy to national icon - the Kidman story.................022 

BILOELA 

BANANA 

MIRIAM VALE 

09 

John Campbell Miles and Mount Isa Mines 

Drifter discovers nation’s richest mineral deposit..................024 

TAROOM 

THEODORE 

MONTO 

EIDSVOLD 

GIN GIN 

GAYNDAH 

MUNDUBBERA 

BUNDABERG 

CHILDERS 

MARYBOROUGH 

10 

11 

Qantas 

Tyranny of distance no match for flying kangaroo.................026 

Royal Flying Doctor Service 

Angels of mercy - the ‘mantle of safety’................................028 

MILES 

KINGAROY 

CHINCHILLA 

127 

129 

DALBY 

84 

113 

OAKEY 

PITTSWORTH 

MOONIE 

MILMERRAN 

97 

INGLEWOOD 

OONDIWINDI 

TEXAS 

123 

TOOWOOMBA 122 

WARWICK 

TENTERFIELD 

GYMPIE 

NAMBOUR 

IPSWICH 

BRISBANE 

TWEED HEADS 

LISMORE 

BALLINA 

GRAFTON 

12 

13 

14 

School of the Air 

Will to educate traces century of challenge and change.......030 

The Rodeo 

Stockman traditions take centre stage.................................032 


Waltzing Matilda inspires nation’s pride.................................034 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Legendary Outback 007

01 

Tree 

Quirky fact : 

bears fruit of the nation 

After the Shearers’ Strike and subsequent events of 1891, Barcaldine 

elected the first Labor Member into any Australian Parliament. 

Curriculum Information 

Year 

Learning and Assessment (Political Systems) 

6 Democracy 

7 Defining Australia - Government (Federal, State, Local) 

Description 

The Tree of Knowledge at Barcaldine is perhaps Australia’s most famous tree. From early settlement days this 

majestic ghost gum, a Eucalyptus Papuana, attracted special attention becoming popular as a community 

meeting place. The tree was first known as the ‘Alleluia Tree’, so called because local members of the Salvation 

Army congregated to worship under its branches. Bullock drivers who were constantly on the move throughout 

Western Queensland also used the tree as place to gather and swap yarns and news from along the trails. 

However, the tree gained its enduring status as a historical landmark in May 1891, when Barcaldine became 

the centre for the ‘Great Shearers’ Strike’. Numbers vary, but it is thought that up to 3,000 striking shearers 

unified under the rebel ‘Eureka’ flag, to protest against poor working conditions and low wages. Thirteen of their 

leaders were subsequently arrested and sentenced to three-year terms of imprisonment. From this tumultuous 

period came the beginnings of what is now the Australian Labor Party. 

There were no organised political parties in those days. Instead, politically-minded citizens formed alliances on 

different issues as they arose. The Labor Party changed this by forcing non-Labor politicians to form political 

parties to oppose it. The Australian Labor Party was the nation’s first political party and is one of the oldest 

political parties in the western world. 

Beside the tree is a monument in the shape of a pair 

of shears which reads: 

Honour the men and women of the Labour 

movement who congregated in this area and, 

through their courage, determination and dedication 

to the principles, ideals and objectives of the labour 

movement, played a leading role in the formation of 

the Labor Party and further spearheaded the many 

reforms that resulted in the vastly improved way of 

life for the Australian people generally. 

Believed to be between 160 and 190 years old, 

the Tree of Knowledge was poisoned by parties 

unknown in 2006. The tree was removed and a 

sapling, propagated from the original, is now growing 

at the Australian Workers Heritage Centre. Ironically, 

the Tree of Knowledge also achieved National 

Heritage listing in 2006. A memorial has been 

erected to commemorate the history of the Tree of 

Knowledge and its significance to the Australian 

Labor Party, Barcaldine and Queensland. 


008 Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Legendary Outback

History - Barcaldine 

First residents: Iningai, Wadjabangai, Iiba, Iningas, Jagalingu, Jirandali, 

Mootaburra, Pitjara, and Kuungkari peoples 

European exploration: Thomas Mitchell, 1846 

European settlement: 1863 

Town gazetted: 1886 

History highlights: 

n Site of the Great Shearers’ Strike, 1891 

n Birth place of the Australian Labor Party 

n Home of the Australian Workers Heritage Centre 

Classroom Activities 

n Research and discuss the political environment at the time and the 

significance of the shearers’ strike 

n Research and discuss democracy and plant a Knowledge Tree in the 

school ground to remind present and future students of the historical 

significance of the birth place of Australian Democracy 

n Turn classroom into a mock Parliament creating your own 

parliamentary sittings (www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au) 

External Activities 

n Visit the Tree of Knowledge Memorial, on Oak Street in Barcaldine 

Best Experience 

Australian Workers Heritage Centre, Barcaldine 

91-96 Ash Street, Barcaldine QLD 4725 

Cost: Fees apply 

Hours: 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Saturday 

10.00am to 4.00pm Sunday 

Phone: (07) 4651 2422 

Email: barcy@australianworkersheritagecentre.com.au 

Website: www.australianworkersheritagecentre.com.au 

Additional Resources 

Barcaldine Shire Council Library 

Phone: (07) 4651 1170 

Email:barcylib@bigpond.com.au 

Queensland Environmental 

Protection Agency 

www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/heritage/ 

References 

New South Wales Department of Education 

www.cap.nsw.edu.au 


Protection Authority 

www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/heritage/ 

Barcaldine Shire Council 

www.barcaldine.qld.gov.au/ 

Commonwealth Department Environment, 

Water, Heritage and the Arts 

www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/ 

national/tree/index.html 

Further Information 

Australian Workers Heritage Centre 

PO Box 10, Barcaldine QLD 4725 

Phone: (07) 4651 2422 

Email: barcy@australianworkersheritagecentre. 

com.au 

Wanpa-rda Matilda Outback 

Educational Centre 

PO BOx 26, Barcaldine QLD 4725 

Phone: (07) 4651 2530 

Email: theprincipal@wanpardaeec.eq.edu.au 

Other Points of Interest 

n The Barcaldine and District Historical Museum, Barcaldine 

n Wanpa-rda Matilda Outback Educational Centre, Barcaldine 

n Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre, 

Longreach 

n Qantas Founders Museum, Longreach 

n Waltzing Matilda Centre, Winton 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


02 

Queensland 

Quirky fact : 

In the 1940s, Queensland’s sheep population 

had reached 25.6 million - an all time high. 

- built off the sheep s back 


Year 

Learning and Assessment (Time, Continuity and Change/Place & Space) 

6 Settlement Patterns - Sheep Farming 

7 The Changing Wool Industry - First Fleet to the Present 

Description 

Sheep arrived in Australia with the First Fleet in 1788. Governor Phillip brought a small flock of Merinos 

from the Cape of Good Hope, having purchased them en route to Australia as food supplies. However, 

with the arrival of new settlers and the opening up of vast tracts of land, sheep quickly grew into a valuable 

commodity. In addition to the Merino, other stock breeds were introduced and crossbred to suit Australian 

conditions. Before too long wool had become a staple industry for the new nation and rich part of its 

cultural heritage. 

Queensland’s sheep industry began in 1840 when the pioneer and grazier Patrick Leslie, along with his 

brothers, drove a flock of 4,000 ewes in lamb and 1,700 rams to the Darling Downs. Sheep breeders in the 

southern colonies doubted Queensland’s potential as a high grade wool producer because of the hot and 

often dry conditions. Some even thought the sheep might produce hair rather than wool. However, these 

ideas were dispelled as pastoralists prospered from the rich grazing land throughout the western regions 

and established one of the most successful industries for the state. 

Queensland’s sheep belt carves its way through the centre of the state, stretching from the northern 

border of New South Wales to the Gulf of Carpentaria - a distance roughly 1,200 km long and 800 km 

wide, it covers about 55 million hectares. The route is readily supplied with water from the Great Artesian 

Basin and not withstanding long periods of drought, this major resource has sustained the wool industry 

for almost 170 years. Unfortunately, as a result of low world demand and a flat market in the 1990s, 

and prolonged drought over recent years, sheep numbers have dwindled dramatically and the industry’s 

economic value has slipped to its lowest in 50 years. 


010 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Legendary Outback

History - Blackall 

First residents: Karendala, Kulumali, Ngandangara, Wadjalang, and 

Punthamara peoples 

European exploration: Major Thomas Mitchell, 1845/46 expedition 




n First town to start drilling an artesian bore back in 1885 

n Home of the Black Stump that marks the original Astro Station 

established in 1887 

n Site of Jackie Howe’s unbeaten shearing record with the blade shears 


n Collect information about the Australian wool industry. In groups 

brainstorm the hardships farmers have faced since the industry began. 

Each group identifies the single hardest thing faced. Write a short 

synopsis of your group’s findings and share it with the class 

n As a role-play create a television interview situation (chat show format). 

Interview a First Fleeter, Pioneer Pastoralist and Current Sheep Farmer 

about their roles in developing the wool industry. Video your work and 

play back to your year level or a whole school assembly 

n Write an original and factual acrostic for each of the following terms: 

Merino, grazier, wool, shearers 


The Blackall Woolscour is the last remaining steam-operated wool 

washing plant in Australia. This living museum is a direct link to Australia’s 

pioneering era. 

Blackall Woolscour Office and Visitor Information 

Short Street, Blackall QLD 4472 

Cost: Entry fees apply 

Hours: Guided tours operate hourly everyday from 

9.00am to 5.00pm 

Phone: (07) 4657 6042 

Email: blackallwoolscour@bigpond.com 

Website: www.btrc.qld.gov.au 


Department of Primary Industries 

www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/sheep/7925.html 

History of Wool Production 

www.awta.com.au/en/Home/Education/ 

Historical-Material/Brief-History-of-Wool-in- 

Autralia/Search-Brief-History/ 

References 

An Historic Sketch of Queensland Wool 

www.geocities.com/toby_meares2/075.htm 


www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/sheep/7925.html 

Blackall Council 

www.blackall.qld.gov.au/ 



www.epa.qld.gov.au 

Great Artesian Base 

Coordinating Committee 

www.gabcc.org.au/public/content/ 

ViewCategory.aspx?id=51 

ABC Western Queensland 

www.abc.net.au/local/ 

photos/2008/01/28/2148315.htm 


Australian Workers Heritage Centre 


Phone: (07) 4651 2422 

Email: barcy@australianworkersheritagecentre. 

com.au 


n The Barcaldine and District 

Historical Museum 

n Central West Aboriginal Co-op 

Red Shed, Barcaldine 

n Wanpa-rda Matilda Outback 

Educational Centre, Barcaldine 

n Black Stump, Blackall 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


03 

Captain 

Quirky fact : 

Starlight - rogue legend 

of the cattle runs 

Cattle duffing was very common. Many small farmers rounded up stray 

cattle to stock their own properties, changing brands or branding 

cleanskins. Most were also respectable members of the community. 


Year 

Learning and Assessment (Time, Continuity and Change) 

6 Frontier Conflict - Starlight Legend 

7 Rogue Legend - Defining Australia 

Description 

Harry Redford’s (Readford) bold exploits as a cattle duffer earned him an enduring place in Queensland 

history. The expert bushman and cattle drover turned his handy work to ill-gotten gain when, in 1870 he, 

along with a small group of hand-picked companions, stole 1,000 head of cattle from Bowen Downs. 

At that time, many properties were vast and Bowen Downs at roughly 1,744,000 acres (1 acre = 

0.404685 hectare) was one such property. It occurred to the 28 year-old Redford that stock from the 

property’s remote reaches could be stolen without detection. He and his gang erected cattle yards in a 

secluded area close to the Thomson River. When the yards were ready, they mustered small mobs from 

the station and when numbers reached about 300, they were driven south to a small holding property 

owned by Redford’s unsuspecting employer. 

When the cattle numbered 1,000 plans were made to drive them overland to South Australia, though two 

of Redford’s men refused to go, afraid they would not survive the largely uncharted journey. The mob 

moved along the Barcoo River and Cooper Creek and down the Strezlecki Track. Cattle were sold along 

the way and on reaching Adelaide the gang members split up and went their separate ways. 

The law eventually did catch up with Redford and his men and they were brought to trial at Roma. 

Nevertheless, much to the outrage of the Courts, all were found innocent by sympathetic juries. 

Redford’s exploits earned him the nickname Captain Starlight - the name of the fictitious central character 

in Rolfe Boldrewood’s Australian classic ‘Robbery Under Arms’ penned in the early 1880s. Although 

Redford’s criminal exploits made him famous, he was one of the first pioneers of the lower Cooper Creek 

and was the first to overland cattle down Strzelecki Creek. His skills as a great drover and his cattle 

drives of the early 1880s were matched only by other legendary Queensland drovers Patrick Durack and 

Nat Buchanan. 

Mustering at sunset 

012 


History - Longreach 

First residents: Iningai, Malintji and Kunngkari peoples 

European exploration: William Landsborough and Nat Buchanan in 

1861 




n Qantas (Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd.) hub 

established 1920 

n WWII US Flying Fortress bomber base, 1942 

n World’s first Flying Surgeon Service established in 1959 


n Develop a short script/play based on researched events and perform it 

for the class or year level 

n Create a ‘Wanted Poster’ for Captain Starlight and display these around 

the school as a way of creating interest in this iconic Australian character 

n Oral Reading/Class Novel - read a novel to the class which is 

indicative of the times 


Music Australia - Musical score and play 

www.musicaustralia.org/apps/MA?function=s 

howDetail&currentBibRecord=000042866387 

&itemSeq=&total=&returnFunction=getACopy 

&&sessionId= 

Moore - Family Tree and life history 

www.users.on.net/~moore/Moore/indiI04252. 

html 

References 

Westprint Maps 

J. Deckert 

Longreach Regional History 

www.longreach.net.au/lre_history.html 

Savannah Guides 

www.savannah-guides.com.au/page2-14.html 


Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and 

Outback Heritage Centre 

Landsborough Highway, Longreach QLD 4730 

Phone: (07) 4658 2166 

Email: museum@stockmanshalloffame.com.au 

www.stockmanshalloffame.com.au 


Redford’s most famous legacy in the Longreach district is ‘Starlight’s 

Lookout’ also known as Cassidy’s Knob. On this hill which rises gently 

over the surrounding plains, Redford is purported to have placed a man 

to keep watch while they were gathering cattle from Bowen Downs. 


Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback 

Heritage Centre, Longreach 


Cost: Entry fee applies 

Hours: 9.00am to 5.00pm daily 

Phone: (07) 4658 2166 


Website: www.stockmanshalloffame.com.au 



n Powerhouse Museum, Longreach 

n Longreach School of Distance Education, Longreach 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


04 

Cobb 

Quirky fact : 

& Co. spins wheels of 

golden opportunity 

In some very remote areas, change stations were known to 

serve passengers prickly pear jam and stewed galah! 


Year 


6 Developing the Economy - Transportation 

7 New Frontiers - Opening up the Outback 

Description 

The gold rush of the 1850s sparked a mass migration of hopeful prospectors to the rich diggings of central 

Victoria. Overnight new settlements sprang up to support the population growth and fast and reliable transport 

and communications became imperatives. Americans Freeman Cobb, John Murray Peck, James Swanton and 

John Lamber seized the opportunity to establish a stagecoach service from Melbourne to Castlemaine and the 

first Cobb & Co. run was made on 30 January 1854. Initially, the company imported its coaches, along with 

experienced drivers, from the USA and Canada. This experience gave Cobb & Co. a competitive edge as its 

drivers were faster than others, averaging 10 to 12 kilometres per hour with a team of five or seven horses. Teams 

were replaced with fresh horses at changing stations, which were generally located 25 to 40 kilometres apart. 

The roads were hard going. The coach body was suspended on thick strips of leather called thoroughbraces 

that would rock back and forth enabling the coach to negotiate the roughest conditions. However, motion 

sickness was common among the passengers. For this reason the changing stations, though often basic in 

their fare (meals of stew, salt beef or damper), were always a welcome break in the journey. 

Cobb & Co. followed the gold rushes. Routes 

opened to Gympie in 1869, Clermont and 

Copperfield in the 1870s, and Palmer River, Charters 

Towers and Croydon in the 1880s. Within twenty 

years, Cobb & Co. covered Queensland. Barcaldine, 

Longreach, Winton and Charleville became major 

depots for the company and Charleville was the 

Queensland base for its coachworks from the 1880s. 

In 1900 the Queensland operations comprised 39 

routes, averaging two services per week on each 

route covering 7,750 kms from railheads to distant 

communities in the Outback. A day’s journey would 

be around 80 kms, using 40 horses and six staff. 

Altogether, Cobb & Co. would harness 9,000 horses 

and travel over 31,000 kms every week. 

Cobb & Co. Coach Museum - display 

014 


History - Charleville 

First residents: Kunja, Wadjalang, Pitjara and Maranganji peoples 

European exploration: Edmund Kennedy,1847 

European settlement: 1860s 



n Home to Cobb and Co.’s largest and longest running coach making 

factory, 1890 

n First regular Qantas flights began from Charleville, 1922 

n Queensland’s first Steiger Vortex Rainmaking Gun introduced in 1902. 


n Study the descriptive and historical text and create a crossword from 

the main ideas 

n Design an advertisement which would encourage early settlers to use 

the Cobb & Co. Coach Line 

n Research the various Cobb & Co. routes and using mapping skills 

develop a map, which would clearly show all the major routes Cobb & 

Co. operated 


Cobb & Co. Museum - a campus of 

Queensland Museum, Toowoomba 

Phone: (07) 4639 1971 

Hours: 9.00am - 3.00pm weekdays 

Email: inquiries@cobbandco.qm.qld.gov.au 

Educational information and resources 

Queensland Museum 

Phone: (07) 3840 7555 

Email: inquirycentre@qm.qld.gov.au 

www.cobbandco.qm.qld.gov.au 

Cobb & Co Heritage Trail 

www.cobbandco.net.au/html/king.html 

References 

Cobb & Co. Heritage Trail 

www.cobbandco.net.au/html/king.html 


www.cobbandco.qm.qld.gov.au 



Cobb & Co. Museum 

27 Lindsay Street, Toowoomba QLD 4350 

Phone: (07) 4639 1971 

Email: inquiries@cobbandco.qm.qld.gov.au 


The Station Store Cobb & Co. Coach Tours 

Kinnon & Co. The Station Store 

126 Eagle St, Longreach QLD 4730 


Hours: 

9.00am to 5.00pm daily, Coach rides 9.30am, 11.30am and 

2.00pm weekdays (seasonal from March to October) 

Phone: (07) 4658 2006 

Email: thestationstore@aapt.net.au 


n The Australian Stockman’s Hall 

of Fame and Outback Heritage 

Centre, Longreach 

n Qantas Founders Museum, 

Longreach 

n Australian Workers Heritage 

Centre, Barcaldine 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


05 

Durack 

Quirky fact : 

Eromanga, in the Quilpie Shire, 

is the furthest town from the sea in Australia! 

takes on the test of endurance 


Year 


6 Forging New Frontiers - Discovering the Top End 

7 Economic Progress - Creating New Businesses 

Description 

“Cattle Kings ye call us, then we are Kings in Grass Castles that may be blown away upon a puff of wind” 

Patrick ‘Patsy’ Durack, pastoral pioneer, 1878. 

Patrick Durack was born in Ireland, the eldest son of eight children. His family, having survived the great famine 

of the 1840s, emigrated to New South in 1853 in the hope of new prospects and a better life. However, tragedy 

struck when Durack’s father was accidentally killed only weeks after their arrival, leaving the young man to 

support his large family. Durack worked hard and within two years purchased a small holding near Goulburn, 

where he continued to build his assets. 

By the early 1860s south-west Queensland was opening up and in 1863 the ambitious Durack, along with 

members of his family, set out with horses and cattle to establish a property in the emerging region. The 

undertaking almost cost his life. Overwhelmed by drought, all the stock perished and the men survived 

thanks only to the help of local Aborigines. Despite this initial setback, Durack returned in 1868 to establish 

Thylungra and Kyabra stations on a tributary of Cooper’s Creek. He pegged out claims across 17,000 square 

miles (44,030 km²), stocked and then sold them to friends and new settlers. Profits paid for other ventures - a 

butchery at Roma, holdings at Thargomindah, Adavale and Windorah, and hotels to service the influx of opal 

miners and Cobb & Co. services. 

By the close of the 1870s Durack 

was a wealthy man with substantial 

business interests in both New 

South Wales and western 

Queensland. 

Always in pursuit of new 

opportunities, Durack was keen 

to explore exciting prospects in 

the Kimberley district of Western 

Australia. In 1881 he and a 

long-time friend launched an 

expedition to the area. Durack’s 

brother, Michael, travelled ahead 

by ship with provisions for the 

mob’s arrival. Soon after 7,250 

head of breeding cattle and 200 

horses began the gruelling 3,000 

mile (4,828 km) trek. At a cost 

of £72,000 the journey was the 

longest cattle drive of its time, 

taking the mob almost two-and-ahalf 

years to reach its destination. 

Stockman’s Hall of Fame 

016 


History - Quilpie 



European exploration: Sir Thomas Mitchell, 1845/46 expedition 




n Home to the Durack and Costello families, 1868 

n Only ironstone boulder opal in the world discovered in 1871 

n Australia’s largest dinosaurs ‘Cooper’ and ‘George’ uncovered in the 

Quilpie Shire 2005 


n Partner up: Interviewer/Interviewee. Create a series of questions which 

paint a picture of the cattle drive. Share these with the class in a 

role-play situation as if you are in a television studio. Video your efforts 

n Research the cattle drive. Create a list of hardships they may have 

encountered on the drive 

n Write a diary for a week as if you were on the cattle drive 


Ray Station, via Quilpie 

Diamantina Development Road (between Quilpie and Windorah) 

Quilpie QLD 4480 


Hours: 7 days by prior arrangement with management 

Contact: Sandra and Mark Tully 

Phone: (07) 4656 4737 

Email: raystation@bigpond.com 

Website: www.raystation.com.au 


Kings in Grass Castles 

Australian biography 

Author, Mary Durack 

First published 1959 

www.amazon.com 


TV mini series 1998 

Available in DVD format 


References 

Quilpie Shire Council 

www.quilpie.qld.gov.au/page70.html 

Australian Dictionary of Biography 

Select Bibliography 

M. Durack, Kings in Grass Castles (Lond, 

1959). 

www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A040117b. 

htm 

Lure of the Land: a brief history of 

Quilpie Shire 

Lesley Jenkins (2001) 

www.southwestnrm.org.au/information/ 

downloads/Lure-of-the-Land.pdf 


Quilpie Museum and Visitor Information 

Centre 

51 Brolga St, Quilpie QLD 4480 

Phone: (07) 4656 2166 

www.quilpie.qld.gov.au 

Open weekdays 8.00am - 5.00pm 


n The Australian Stockman’s Hall 

of Fame and Outback Heritage 

Centre, Longreach 

n Qantas Founders Museum, 

Longreach 

n Australian Workers Heritage 

Centre, Barcaldine 


n Blackall Woolscour, Blackall 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


06 

Living 

Quirky fact : 

monuments honour defining moments 

Did you know there are three formally registered 

Trees of Knowledge in Queensland? They are located 

in Barcaldine, Camooweal and Birdsville! 


Year 

Learning and Assessment (Place and Space) 

6 Conservation - An Historical Issue 

7 Sustainability - Protection and conservation of environments 

Description 

Historic trees are a living but very vulnerable part of our heritage. Even though trees may live for hundreds 

of years, they eventually die. Trees of cultural and historical importance to Queensland are listed on the 

Queensland Heritage Register. These trees are connected to milestone events and significant people in history. 

Often the names of trees were repeated. For example, Queensland has several ‘Trees of Knowledge’. 

Burke and Wills Dig Tree - Thargomindah 

The Burke and Wills Dig Tree and Camp 65 celebrates early explorers Robert O’Hara Burke and William John 

Wills, who were the first Europeans to complete a north-south crossing of the Australian continent but died on 

the return journey. 

Tree of Knowledge - Barcaldine 

The Tree of Knowledge is where workers met during the Shearers’ Strike of 1891. The strike was a pivotal event 

that led to the formation of the Australian Labor Party. 

Moonah Creek ‘Hanging Tree’ - Ardmore Station, Mount Isa 

Tension between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples characterised the Queensland frontier as the 

competition for land and resources grew. At the turn of the 19th century local police hanged 15 Aboriginal 

people from this tree as a reprisal for a cattle spearing incident. 

The Robber’s Tree - Cunnamulla 

Local legend connects this tree with the story of a 

robbery in 1880, which had repercussions for the 

practice of capital punishment in Queensland. The 

ill-fated robbers were discovered hiding in the tree - 

betrayed by a faithful sheepdog. 

Heroes Avenue - Roma 

The Heroes Avenue of 93 bottle trees was planted 

by 1920 and was the initial memorial to those local 

men who fell during the First World War. Most of the 

original trees still remain. 

Other historic Queensland trees 

n Leichhardt Tree - Taroom 

n Kidman’s Tree of Knowledge near Birdsville 

n Tree of Knowledge - Camooweal 

n Hodgkinson’s Marked Tree - Mount Isa 

Dig Tree - Burke & Wills Trail 

018 


History - Thargomindah 

First residents: Wongkumara, Jandruwanta, Wadikali, Thereila, Bitjara, 

Karenggapa, Ngandangara, Punthamara and Kullili peoples 

European exploration: 1860 Burke and Wills South-North Expedition 




n Australia’s first hydro-electricity scheme in 1893 

n One of the first three places in the world to have electric street lighting 

in 1893 

n The Santos Jackson facility begins commercial oil production in 1981 


n Celebrate the biggest tree event in Queensland’s calendar by planting 

a tree in your school grounds (www.queenslandarborday.org) 

n Discover what special trees exist in your community and celebrate 

their significance with an activity or event 

n Design a poster which encourages students to plan, plant and care for 

native plants in their school grounds 


Burke and Wills Historical Society 

www.burkeandwills.net.au/ 

Source: Information, maps and images 



www.epa.qld.gov.au/cultural_heritage/ 

heritage_places/historic_trees/#mcht 

Source: Information, images 

References 




heritage_places/historic_trees/#mcht 


Thargomindah Visitor Information Centre 

Eccles Street, Thargomindah QLD 4492 

Phone: (07) 4655 3399 


The Dig Tree is situated 350 kilometres west of Thargomindah and is 

located on the Adventure Way. Visitors travelling along the Adventure Way 

can experience the Burke and Wills Dig Tree and the Thargomindah Hydro 

Power Plant. 


The Dig Tree, Cameron Corner, via Thargomindah 

The Dig Tree is located four to six kilometres southwest of Nappa 

Merrie Homestead, on a reserve for memorial purposes. The reserve 

is excised from Nappa Merrie Cattle Station, which comprises almost 

three-quarters of a million hectares of Channel Country. The homestead 

is close to the South Australian border, lying some 380 kilometres west 

of Thargomindah and 44 kilometres east of Innamincka. 

Cost: No fee applies - donations welcome 

Hours: Open year round 

Contact: Thargomindah Visitor Information Centre 

Phone: (07) 4655 3399 

Email: thargo.info@bigpond.com.au 

Website: www.bullooshire.net 


n Heritage Walk, Thargomindah 

n Artesian Bore, Thargomindah 

n Noccundra Hotel, Noccundra 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


07 

Shearer’s 

Quirky fact : 

shirt turns to 

time - honoured symbol 

Jackie Howe’s record stood for 50 years and was 

beaten by a shearer using electric shears. 


Year 

Learning and Assessment (Time, Continuity and Change/Culture and Identity) 

6 Influencing the Workers 

7 Working Class Traditions 

Description 

Shearer Jackie Howe was a legend of his time - a hero to the ‘working man’. Born in 1861, as a young man 

Howe was a natural athlete. He was tall and weighed around 114kg with hands “the size of a small tennis 

racket”, and he was fast. He excelled in track and field, and was known to run the 100 yard (91m) dash in just 

11 seconds. In his early career, Howe worked as a shearer at Killarney near Warwick in Queensland, learning 

his skills from Chinese shearers. Then, in the late 1870s after a season of shearing in New Zealand, he returned 

to Queensland and settled at Blackall where he quickly earned a reputation for his speed on the shears… and 

his fondness for proving a point! 

Howe was an active member of the Queensland Shearers’ Union and later, during the Shearers’ Strike of 1891, 

he became a member of the Union Party, a forerunner to today’s Australian Labor Party. However, these two 

passions - shearing and politics - were to fuse soon after and catapult the mighty Howe into legendary status. 

Traditionally, shearers wore long sleeved flannel shirts to soak up the sweat. While on the job, they would roll 

the sleeves up past their elbows but sheep often 

became entangled in the cloth. Howe designed a 

short sleeved singlet to overcome the problem and 

his wife Victoria, a dressmaker, kept them in ready 

supply. Little did they realise just how significant that 

singlet would become. 

In October 1892, Howe shot to fame when he 

smashed the record books with blistering feats over 

a two-week period. With shears not much bigger 

than a pair of scissors, he cropped 1,437 sheep in 

44 hours and 30 minutes. Then, only one week later, 

topped that again shearing 321 sheep in just seven 

hours and 40 minutes. It was said that other shearers 

tried to slow him down by tickling him and jumping 

on his back, but his back-to-back achievements 

would stand for 58 years and only then were broken 

by shearers using mechanical shears. The navy 

singlet worn by Howe was dubbed the ‘Jackie 

Howe’ and has endured for over a century as the 

signature uniform of the Aussie ‘working man’. 

Jackie Howe Sign 

020 


History - Blackall 



European exploration: Major Thomas Mitchell, 1845/46 expedition 




n First town to drill an artesian bore back in 1885 

n Home of the Black Stump that marks the original Astro Station 

established in 1887 

n Site of Jackie Howe’s unbeaten record with blade shears 


n Investigate the Jackie Howe legend and create a useful concept map 

with your findings 

n Collect a variety of pictures related to the shearers of the 1890s and 

beyond. Display these in the classroom 

n Look at the fashions for the time (1890s) and create a class fashion 

parade 


The Blackall Woolscour is the last remaining steam-operated wool 

washing plant in Australia. This complex is a living museum with a direct 

link to Australia’s pioneering era. 

Blackall Woolscour Office and Visitor Information 

Short Street, Blackall QLD 4472 


Hours: Open daily from 9.00am to 5.00pm 

Phone: (07) 4657 6042 

Email: blackallwoolscour@bigpond.com 

Website: www.btrc.qld.gov.au 



Australian biography 

Author, Mary Durack 

First published 1959 



TV mini series 1998 

Available in DVD format 


References 

H. J. Gibbney, Australian Dictionary of 

Biography 

P. J. Brixey, Jackie Howe: Australia’s All 

Time Champion Blade Shearer (Warwick, 

Qld, 1982) 

Barry R. Muir, JACK HOWE - The Man and 

the Legend, 

www.jackhowe.com.au 


Blackall Visitor Information Centre 

108a Shamrock St, Blackall QLD 4472 

Phone: (07) 4657 4637 

www.btrc.qld.gov.au 

Open weekdays 9.00am - 5.00pm 


n Pioneer Bore, Blackall 

n Historic Ram Park (Community Museum & Historic Park), Blackall 

n Black Stump, Blackall 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


08 

From 

Quirky fact : 

cowboy to national icon - 

the Kidman story 

The Kidman family still operates 19 pastoral stations and 

remains one of Australia’s largest beef producers! 


Year 


6 ‘Cattle King’ Legend 

7 The Making of a Cattle Empire 

Description 

Pastoralist Sir Sidney Kidman was born in 1857 near Adelaide and educated at private schools until he left 

home at age 13, with five shillings in his pocket, riding a one-eyed horse he had bought with his savings. He 

found work with a landless drover who moved his stock throughout the ‘corner’ country of New South Wales in 

search of unfenced runs and good feed. During this time Kidman befriended an Aboriginal man known as Billy 

and it was he who taught Kidman the tracking and bush skills that would found his future. For the rest of his life, 

Kidman always travelled the back-country with an Aboriginal guide and offsider. 

As Kidman matured, he continued to work for pastoralists until he had the money to buy a bullock team. From 

that time on he worked for himself, at first contracting to cart supplies in the country between the isolated 

settlements of the northern border regions of South Australia, Victoria and western New South Wales. Then 

later, when copper was discovered at Cobar in the early 1870s, Kidman opened a butcher shop to service the 

rapidly expanding district. This enterprise made enough money to establish Kidman as a large squatter. He 

grew his business by setting up coach services in western New South Wales and Western Australia. He also 

supplied horses to the British Army in India, and bought and sold cattle. 

Kidman married in 1885 and the following year bought his first station south-west of Alice Springs. He began 

buying a chain of stations stretching from the wet tropics of the Gulf of Carpentaria, south through western 

Queensland to Broken Hill, and across the border into South Australia. Many stations were located on the great 

rivers of western Queensland’s Channel Country and Corner Country. During the next decade he acquired a 

second chain of stations which ran from the Fitzroy River and Victoria River Downs in the north to the Flinders 

Ranges near Adelaide. Dubbed the ‘Cattle King’, by 1915 Kidman controlled pastoral country almost equal to 

the area of Victoria and was on his way to becoming a national icon. 

Elderslie Station 


022 


History - Bedourie 

First residents: Wangkangurru, Lanima, Kungalenja, Karanja, Mitaka, 

Jeljendi, Maiawali, and Wangkamadla peoples 

European exploration: Charles Sturt, 1845 

European settlement: early 1880s 



n Home of the Bedourie Camp Oven 


n In groups, brainstorm the importance of Sir Sidney Kidman to the 

cattle industry. Share the group ideas with the whole class 

n Create a Word Search from the text provided. Share it with a friend 

n Find out how meat makes its way to our table. The Australian Meat 

and Livestock Corporation has a selection of informative brochures 

which will help 


Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre, 

Longreach 



Hours: 9.00am to 5.00pm daily 

Phone: (07) 4658 2166 


Website: www.stockmanshalloffame.com.au 


The Diamantina Drover 

Lyrics by John Williamson 

www.lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/t/ 

thediamantinadrover.shtml 

www.fretplay.com/tabs/r/redgum/diamantina_ 

drover-crd.shtml 

Floods of Lake Eyre 

Dr Vincent Kotwicki 

www.k26.com/eyre/The_Lake/Data/Tributaries/ 

The_Diamantina_River/the_diamantina.html 

Australian Natural Resources Atlas 

www.anra.gov.au/topics/vegetation/extent/qld/ 

ibra-channel-country.html 

References 

S. Kidman & Co Ltd 

www.kidman.com.au 

Australian Dictionary of Biography 

www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/adbonline.htm 


Diamantina National Park 

Tourism Information 

Phone: 1300 794 257 

Email: tourism2@diamantina.qld.gov.au 

www.diamantina.qld.gov.au 

EPA Longreach 

Landsborough Highway 

PO Box 202, Longreach QLD 4730 

Phone: (07) 4652 7333 


n Big Red - Simpson Desert, 

via Birdsville 

n Diamantina National Park 

n Burke and Wills Dig Tree, 

Cameron Corner, via 

Thargomindah 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


09 

Drifter 

Quirky fact : 

Until becoming a city in 1968, 

Mount Isa was Queensland’s youngest town! 

discovers nation’s 

richest mineral deposit 


Year 


6 Miners Hall of Fame - John Miles 

7 Mineral Wealth - Discovering ‘The Isa’ 

Description 

John Campbell Miles was the prospector and pastoral worker who discovered the mineral deposits that 

established the famous Mount Isa Mine. Born in Melbourne in 1883, Miles had a restless and adventurous 

spirit. As a boy, he ran away from school, initially to work with a bootmaker, but soon moved on, taking up a 

number of jobs in quick succession, including as a ploughman, miner, carter, railway navvy, wild-pig hunter 

and windmill repairer. In 1907, at age 24, Miles rode his bicycle 1,500 miles (2,414 kms) from Broken Hill to the 

Oaks goldfield in north Queensland. His time there, though short and uneventful, would inadvertently lead to his 

discovery of Australia’s greatest mine of the 20th century. 

On leaving the Oaks, Miles worked as a farm labourer and spent the next decade drifting from station to station, 

continuing to fossick to supplement his income. In 1921, he decided to follow up on stories he had heard 

about gold on a cattle trail in the Northern Territory. Slowly travelling west he reached Camooweal where he 

met William Simpson of the Native Bee mine, who later became his partner - it was February 1923. Miles’ next 

camp was on the Leichhardt River where he prospected dark, mineralised samples before striking the Black 

Star lode. During this fossick Miles discovered the 

rich central lodes that would become the Mount Isa 

mineral field: the Black Star; Racecourse and Rio 

Grande. 

The find inspired a prospecting boom in the area. 

Among the new arrivals was William Corbould who, 

in January 1924, floated Mount Isa Mines Limited. 

Simpson and Miles each received 500 shares worth 

nearly £330,000. Sadly, Simpson was accidently 

killed only a few days later, while Miles continued to 

prospect in the area for another year. Unable to settle 

down, Miles maintained his wandering lifestyle and 

gradually sold his shares. By 1933 he no longer held 

interests in Mount Isa Mines. Miles died in 1965 and 

his ashes are buried in under a memorial clock tower 

in Miles Street, Mount Isa. 

Mount Isa miner, Mt Isa Mine 

024 


History - Mount Isa 

First residents: Kalkadunga, Wakabunga, Indjilandji, Wakaja, and 

Jaroinga peoples 


City proclaimed: 1968 


n World’s largest single producer of silver, copper, lead and zinc 

discovered in 1923 

n Declared the world’s largest city (total area 41,000 sq kms), 1968 

n Home to the world’s longest city street - 189 kms from Mount Isa to 

Camooweal 


n In groups investigate John Campbell Miles’ life and then write a round 

robin letter (one person writes a paragraph and passes it on) telling his 

life story in as much detail as possible 

n Plot on a graph the mineral development of all the resources 

discovered in Mount Isa from 1923 to 2008 

n Journal writing: ‘Something important I learned from today’s lesson 

is...’ 


Hard Times Mine at Outback at Isa 

Outback at Isa, 19 Marian Street, Mount Isa QLD 4825 

Hours: Daily showings 


Phone: (07) 4749 1555 or 1300 659 660 

Email: info@outbackatisa.com.au 

Website: www.outbackatisa.com.au 


Mineralogical Society 

New South Wales 

www.minsocnsw.org.au/newsletter/the_ 

history_of_mount_isa.htm 

Australian Prospectors and Miners 

Hall of Fame 

Mining Hall of Fame, Goldfields Highway, 

Kalgoorlie WA 6430 

Phone: (08) 9026 2700 

Email: education@mininghall.com 

www.mininghall.com 

References 

Geoffrey Blainey, Mines in the Spinifex 

(Sydney, 1960); Australian Dictionary of 

Biography,Vol.10 (Melbourne, 1986). 

Diane Menghetti, James Cook University 

Mining-Technology.com 

www.mining-technology.com/projects/ 

mount_isa_lead/ 

James Cook University 

www.micrrh.jcu.edu.au/Our-Region/mount-isa. 

html 

Outback at Isa 

www.outbackatisa.com.au/ 

AttractionsatOutbackatIsa.aspx 



Riversleigh Fossils Interpretive Centre and 

Mount Isa Tourist Information 

19 Marian Street, Mount Isa QLD 4825 

Phone: (07) 4749 1555 or 1300 659 660 



n Riversleigh Fossil Centre and Isa Experience Gallery - Outback at Isa, 

Mount Isa 

n Underground Hospital & Museum, Mount Isa 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


10 

Tyranny 

Quirky fact : 

of distance no match 

for flying kangaroo 

The entire Qantas A380 fleet is named after Australian aviation 

pioneers, including Nancy-Bird Walton, Charles Kingsford Smith, Reg 

Ansett, Hudson Fysh, Bert Hinkler, and the inventor of the black box 

flight recorder, David Warren. 


Year 

Learning and Assessment (Culture and identity) 

6 The Flying Kangaroo - An Australian Icon 

7 Defining Australia - Qantas recognised Worldwide 

Description 

Qantas is the world’s second oldest commercial airline. Its red kangaroo emblem is known throughout the world 

as Australia’s flagship airline carrier. Deeply rooted in Queensland’s Outback, Queensland and Northern Territory 

Aerial Services Ltd (Qantas) was founded in Winton in 1921 by former Australian Flying Corps officers Wilmot 

Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinness. They got the idea in 1919, after making a punishing 2,179 km journey from 

Longreach to Katherine in the Northern Territory, travelling on unmade surfaces in a Model T Ford. 

In 1920, backed by wealthy grazier Fergus McMaster, the pair purchased a war surplus Avro 504K biplane. 

Only one year later, the fledgling airline moved operations to Longreach to be more centrally located, and in 

1922 the company began its first scheduled mail and passenger services between Charleville and Cloncurry. 

The company expanded rapidly. With its growing fleet of aircraft the company supported the newly established 

Flying Doctor Service, carried mail between Darwin and Brisbane, experimented with international flights to the 

United Kingdom and by the end of its first decade, had not only opened its first capital city route to Brisbane, 

but also moved its head offices there. 

Throughout the 1940s, rapid technological advancement and improved ground facilities saw massive growth 

within the aviation industry. Taking full advantage of developments, Qantas continued its push into new domestic 

and international markets. In 1947, success brought changes in ownership with the Australian Government buying 

all Qantas shares. By the mid-1990s after 50 years in operation, the flying kangaroo had built an international 

reputation for safety and service and was one of the world’s largest airlines. In 1992 Qantas bought Australian 

Airlines to service its Asian routes 

and in 2004 launched low cost 

domestic carrier Jetstar. The 

immediate success of Jetstar 

saw the company rethink its Asia 

strategy and in 2006 replace 

Australian Airlines with Jetstar 

services. 

As an Australian-owned and 

operated company, Qantas has 

played an extraordinary part 

in Australian history. Through 

its services, the tyrannies of 

distance that face Australia, both 

domestically and internationally, 

have been largely overcome. 

747 Wing Walk, Qantas Founders Museum, Longreach 

026 





1861. 





established 1920 



Classroom activities 

n You are a word specialist. List all the words you can think of 

associated with Qantas 

n Write an acrostic poem which describes the development of the 

aviation industry in Australia, using the word Qantas 

n Write and perform a radio commercial that might have been used 

in the 1940s to encourage Australians to fly to various cities/towns 

around Australia 


Australian Government Culture and 

Recreation Portal 

www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/ 

aviation/ 

Source: history, links, images 

The Australian National Aviation Museum 

www.aarg.com.au/ourhistory.htm 

Source: History of Aviation 

State Library of New South Wales 

www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/ 

history_nation/aviation/index.html 


References 

Qantas History 

www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/index 




Qantas Founders Museum 

Longreach Airport 

Sir Hudson Fysh Drive, Longreach QLD 4730 

Phone: (07) 4658 3737 

Email: enquiries@qfom.com.au 

www.qfom.com.au 



Longreach Airport, Sir Hudson Fysh Drive, Longreach QLD 4730 


Hours: 9.00am - 5.00pm daily 

Phone: (07) 4658 3737 


Website: www.qfom.com.au 


n Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, Longreach 


n Australian Workers Heritage Centre, Barcaldine 


n Qantas Hangar, Cloncurry 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


11 

Angels 

Quirky fact : 

of mercy - the ‘mantle of safety’ 

Each year Royal Flying Doctor Service pilots fly the 

equivalent of 25 round trips to the moon! 


Year 


6 Medical Services in Outback Queensland 

7 Defining Australia - Visionary Provides Aerial Ambulance 

Description 

Reverend John Flynn was committed to the wellbeing of those who lived in remote Australia. A minister with the 

Presbyterian Church, Flynn had lived in the Outback for most of his life and first-hand experience had taught 

him much about the harsh conditions and daily struggles endured by people who lived and worked in the 

remote reaches of Queensland. Known as ‘Flynn of the Inland’, he set up hostels and bush hospitals to care for 

the sick but was always looking for ways to get medical support to small and isolated communities. 

In 1912, he established the Australian Inland Mission which cared for the spiritual, social and medical needs 

of people in the Outback. Then, in 1917, he received a letter from a young Army Lieutenant, Clifford Peel, 

a medical student with an interest in aviation. As a young airman and war hero, Peel suggested the use of 

aviation to bring medical help to the Outback. Sadly, Peel was shot down and killed but his idea, aided by 

Flynn’s dedicated campaigning, became the blueprint for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). For the next 

ten years, Flynn worked tirelessly for the cause, raising funds to provide a ‘mantle of safety’ for the people of 

the bush. His vision finally became a reality when a large bequest for ‘an aerial experiment’ enabled Flynn to 

get the Flying Doctor Service airborne. At this time, 

Flynn also met Hudson Fysh, a founder of Qantas. 

In 1927, Qantas and the Aerial Medical Service 

signed an agreement to operate an aerial ambulance 

from Cloncurry in Queensland with just two doctors 

providing the only medical care for an area of almost 

two million square kilometres. 

The RFDS’s first pilot, Arthur Affleck, flew in an 

open cockpit without the aid of maps, navigational 

instruments or radio, navigating by river beds, 

fences, telegraph lines and other familiar landmarks. 

Airstrips were usually cleared paddocks, dried river 

beds or claypans. Flights were normally made during 

daylight hours, although night flights were attempted 

in cases of extreme urgency. Fuel supplies were also 

carried on flights until fuel dumps were established 

at certain strategic outstations. Today, the RFDS 

fleet of 48 fully instrumented aircraft is fitted with 

the latest in navigation technology and flown by 

146 pilots. The service cares for almost 240,000 

patients. As a mark of his enormous contribution to 

the people of the Outback, Reverend Flynn appears 

on the Australian $20 note. 

RFDS Visitors Centre, Charleville 

028 


History - Cloncurry 

First residents: Wunumara, Waham, Maithakari, Kaladunga, Janda, 

Jalanga and Maijabi people 


1861 




n Involved with the beginnings of QANTAS, and the original QANTAS 

hangar is still in use at the aerodrome 

n The Royal Flying Doctor Service was founded here in 1928 

n WWII site of a major United States of America air base 


n Create a new Australian stamp which depicts the Royal Flying Doctor 

Service 

n Pretend you are a doctor working for the RFDS. Keep a diary for a 

very eventful week in your life 

n Write a script you would use on the telephone to persuade people to 

give a generous donation to the Royal Flying Doctor Service 


Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centre, Mount Isa 

The Mount Isa RFDS base operates a Visitors Centre which offers 

self guided tours incorporating a museum, aircraft display and video 

presentation. 

11 Barkly Highway, Mount Isa QLD 4825 

Cost: Donation suggested 

Hours: 9.30am to 4.30pm weekdays 

Phone: (07) 4743 2800 

Email: rfds_mtisa@rfdsqld.com.au 





aviation/ 









References 





Cloncurry Shire 

www.cloncurry.qld.gov.au 





Phone: (07) 4658 3737 



There are no pre-organised tours as the Centre is fully automated. 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


12 

Will 

Quirky fact : 

to educate traces century of 

challenge and change 

In the 1920s, Distance Education enabled women to 

take up official teaching positions within Queensland. 


Year 


6 Expanding our Knowledge Base - School of the Air 

7 Technological Revolution - Delivering Educational Outcomes 

Description 

Covering 1,727,000 square kilometres, Queensland encompasses more than a quarter of the Australian 

continent. Overcoming vast distances, even today, presents challenges for the families and communities that 

live and work in Queensland’s remote regions. One of the great challenges over the past century has been to 

provide education to the children of these areas - a task that has taken both determination and ingenuity. 

Initially, teachers would ride on horseback to the sheep and cattle stations and mining settlements. The travel 

was onerous and took many weeks. Teachers might only see their students three times each year and then, 

only for few days at a time. However, by the 1920s progress had seen further extensions to the railway and air 

services were introduced. Once large mail runs became smaller and more reliable, educational materials were 

able to be regularly supplied to children via the postal services. 

In 1922 the Primary Correspondence School (PCS) was established to deliver distance education. The school 

enabled women to take up official teaching duties for the first time and helped to address a teacher shortage due 

to the lack of available men after the First World War. The following year, the Domestic Science and Manual Arts 

service was launched using railway carriages as mobile classrooms. The scheme was so successful it operated 

until the late 1960s. Nevertheless, in 1960 outreach education was revolutionised when the first School of the 

Air opened at Cloncurry. For the first time, students could readily interact with their teachers and classmates via 

high frequency radio. Over the next 30 years, seven schools opened in major population centres throughout 

Queensland including Longreach, Mount Isa, Cairns, Charleville, Brisbane, Capricornia and Charters Towers. 

Today, thanks to information 

and communication technology, 

distance learners of the 21st 

century enjoy high standards of 

education delivered through the 

Schools of Distance Education. 

Entire courses and a wide range of 

interactive resources are delivered 

online, backed up with teacher 

support via telephone and email. 

School of Distance Education 

030 




European exploration: William Landsborough and Nat Buchanan 

in 1861 





established 1920. 




n Role-play: you are reading a story book to a Year 2 child on the School 

of the Air 

n You are interviewing a student from a cattle property on the School of 

the Air. Write a list of questions you would ask 

n Describe what you think the Longreach School of Distance Education 

may be like in 2025 


Longreach School of Distance Education 

The Longreach School of Distance Education is one of the largest 

classrooms in the world, providing education to the children of rural 

Australia. Tours of the centre include an on-air telephone lesson and 

viewing schoolwork prepared by the students. 


Hours: 9.00am to 10.30am weekdays. Closed during Christmas 

school holiday periods. 

Phone: (07) 4658 4222 

Email: tours1@eq.edu.au 

Website: www.longreacsde.eq.edu.au 





aviation/ 









References 









Phone: (07) 4658 3737 






n Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centres, Mount Isa and Charleville 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


13 

Stockman 

Quirky fact : 

Australia’s first Rodeo World Titles 

were held in Winton in 1958 

traditions take centre stage 


Year 

Learning and Assessment (Culture and Identity) 

6 Creating Legends - Rodeo Riders 

7 The Rodeo Industry - A Multi-Million Dollar Business 

Description 

So much of the Outback’s life and culture stems from the cattle industry. Pastoral grazing opened up new 

frontiers and helped to build the nation. Each year towns throughout western Queensland celebrate and pay 

tribute to the skills and strength of both man and beast when they gather for their local rodeos and musters. 

Spectators blend with contestants, decked out in uniform check shirts, blue jeans or moleskin trousers, Akubra 

hats and dusty RM Williams leather boots. Many contestants travel Australia and world-wide testing their 

opponents as they do the rounds of the circuit, pitching their skills against the best of them. 

Queensland stages two of the largest rodeos in the country - the Mount Isa Rotary Rodeo and the Warwick 

Rodeo. However, Outback communities everywhere turn up for their show - be it Richmond, Winton, or 

Cloncurry. In 2008, the Mount Isa Rodeo reached a milestone, celebrating its 50th year. Now the largest rodeo 

in the southern hemisphere, the week-long festival attracts over 25,000 visitors to the mining town and some of 

the top local and international competitors in the world, who vie for prize money of more than $200,000. Each 

ride is fast and furious, only lasting a few seconds before the steer, horse or bull has its way, so the action is 

always thrilling and competition is fierce. 

The Australian Professional Rodeo Association (APRA) was established in New South Wales in 1944 and is the 

national governing body for the professional side of the sport. The organisation is now based in Queensland on 

the Darling Downs. The APRA competition calendar runs for 11 months of the year, visiting all Australian states 

and territories with contestants competing in up to 13 events. 

Rodeo 

Mt Isa Rodeo 

032 


History- Mount Isa 




City proclaimed: 1968 


n World’s largest single producer of silver, copper, lead and zinc 

discovered in 1923 

n Declared the world’s largest city (total area 41,000 sq kms), 1968 

n Home to the world’s longest city street - 189 kms from Mount Isa to 

Camooweal 


n Create the front page of the “Mount Isa Gazette”. It contains: 

n A Human Interest Story: A local rider who becomes an 

internationally famous cowboy 

n An Advertisement: Advertising ticket sales to an upcoming Mount 

Isa Rodeo 

n A Profile: Of the wildest bull ever to appear at the rodeo 

n A Cartoon: Depicting the roughest horse ever let loose at the 

rodeo 


Australian Rodeo Heritage Centre 

A.P.R.A. 

PO Box 264, Warwick QLD 4370 

Phone: (07) 4661 8183 

Email: apra@prorodeo.asn.au 

www.prorodeo.asn.au/arhc/index.htm 

References 

The Australian Professional Rodeo 

Association 

www.prorodeo.asn.au/index.htm 

ABC Western Queensland 

www.abc.net.au/local/ 

photos/2008/08/09/2329972. 

htm?site=westqld 


Mount Isa Rotary Rodeo 

Buchanan Park, George Street 

Corner Sutton Street, Mount Isa QLD 4825 

Phone: (07) 4743 2706 

Email: enquiries@isarodeo.com.au 

www.isarodeo.com.au 


Mount Isa Rotary Rodeo, Mount Isa 

Buchanan Park, Corner George and Sutton Streets, Mount Isa QLD 4825 

Hours: Three-day event held annually on the second weekend of 

August 


Phone: (07) 4743 2706 

Email: enquiries@isarodeo.com.au 

Web: www.isarodeo.com.au 


n Hard Times Mine, Riversleigh Fossil Centre and Isa Experience Gallery 

- Outback at Isa, Mount Isa 

n Underground Hospital & Museum, Mount Isa 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


14 

Waltzing 

Quirky fact : 

Matilda inspires nation’s pride 

Despite being considered the unofficial national anthem of Australia, 

Waltzing Matilda was overlooked by the public as its choice for a 

national anthem in both 1974 and 1977. 


Year 


6 Music creates Legends 

7 Defining Australia - Musical Uniqueness 

Description 

The song ‘Waltzing Matilda’ embodies the Australian spirit and has played a significant part in defining the 

Australian character. Written by A.B. ‘Banjo’ Paterson in January 1895, the words were inspired when he 

was staying with the Macpherson family on Dagworth Station, north-west of Winton. Christina Macpherson 

is thought to have written the tune, adapting the Scottish march, ‘Thou Bonnie Wood of Craigielea’, to 

accompany the words. 

The phrase Waltzing Matilda is believed to have originated from German immigrants. Waltzing (auf der walz) 

meant ‘to go on the tramp’. In those days, apprentices would travel throughout Germany and to other 

European countries to gain experience in their trade, finding work with master craftsman and sleeping wherever 

they could. The word Matilda is from Teutonic origin meaning Mighty Battle Maiden - the name given to the 

women that followed the soldiers in the thirty year European war. The Matildas were like de-facto wives that 

kept their soldiers warm at night. The soldiers soon came to nickname their grey army coats Matildas and then, 

much later in Australia, Matilda was adopted as the name for a swag or blanket that was usually carried over 

the shoulder. Hence, Waltzing Matilda means to go 

walkabout looking for a job with your tools of trade 

and the things that keep you warm at night. 

Historians believe the song was first performed 

publicly at the North Gregory Hotel in Winton, on 

6 April 1895, apparently at a banquet for the then 

Premier of Queensland. 

There are various interpretations of the meaning 

behind the song, ranging from those that say it is 

based around the conflict of the Great Shearers’ 

Strike (1891 - 1894), to those that believe it was a 

simple ditty written by Banjo Paterson to win the 

admiration and eye of a woman. 

Waltzing Matilda Centre, Winton 

034 


History - Winton 

First residents: Koa, Malintji and Maiawali peoples 

European exploration: Ludwig Leichhardt, 1848 




n Opals discovered at Opalton in 1888 - the oldest opal mining venture 

in Australia 

n Site of Lark Quarry, the world’s only evidence of a dinosaur stampede 

n Home of the 20-30 tonne sauropod Elliot, Australia’s largest dinosaur 

skeleton discovered in 1999 


n Listen to a selection of traditional Australian songs and make a list of 

any locations that are mentioned in the lyrics. Try to pinpoint these 

locations on a map of Australia 

n You are an observer: You witness the singing of the song ‘Waltzing 

Matilda’ for the first time at the North Gregory Hotel in Winton. Give a 

critique of the song including how it was received by the locals 

n Write an alternative set of lyrics for the last verse of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ 


The Waltzing Matilda Centre, Winton 

50 Elderslie Street, Winton QLD 4735 



Phone: 1300 665 115 

Email: waltzing@matildacentre.com.au 

Website: www.matildacentre.com.au 



Music and words - various renditions 

www.hamilton.net.au/matilda.html 

References 

Forrest, P. & S., 2008, Banjo & Christina : 

the true story of Waltzing Matilda, Shady 

Tree: Darwin, N.T. 

Mango Grove Lyrics 

www.newmango.com/mangos/lyrics/lyrics_ 

waltzing.html 

National Library of Australia 

www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/1-Orig- 

Christina.html 

Roger Clarke’s Waltzing Matilda 

Home Page 

www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ 

WM/#Words 

The Australian National Anthem 

www.acn.net.au/articles/nationalanthem/ 


Waltzing Matilda Centre 

PO Box 286, Winton QLD 4735 

Phone: 1300 665 115 

www.experiencewinton.com.au 


n The Australian Age of Dinosaurs Foundation and Museum, Winton 

n Royal Open Air Theatre and Museum, Winton 

n Lark Quarry, Winton 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

Notes 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

036 


37 

Ancient Outback

a 

t 

i 

i 

COEN 

l 

i 

e 

k 

i 

n 

i 

YARRADEN 

A R I A 

COOKTOWN 

P E N T 

LAKELAND 

C A R 

N 

i 

c 

BOODJAMULLA 

(LAWN HILL) 

NATIONAL PARK 

ADELS GROVE 


L a w 

h 

n 

o 

s 

l 

G r 

471km to 

Tennant 

Creek 


o 

H i 

e 

Poeppel 

Corner 

l 

RIVERSLEIGH 

g 

n 

l 

o 

R i 

CAMOOWEAL 

URANDANGI 

038 

C 

r 

r 

y 

MARREE 

v 

e 

e 

R 

e 

k 

i 

90 

MORNINGTON 

ISLAND 

BURKETOWN 

DOOMADGEE 

77 

93 

TIRRANNA 

r 

v 

70 

e r 

G 

e 

o r g i 


NATIONAL PARK 

90 


NATIONAL PARK 

112 

105 

DAJARRA 

115 

n 

BIRDSVILLE 


ISLANDS 

GREGORY 

DOWNS 

MOUNT 

ISA 

R i v e r 

BEDOURIE 

C o o 

p e r 

r e 

C 

WAGGABUNDI 

GUNPOWDER 

e k 

h h a r d 

L e i 

c 

KAJABBI 

BOULIA 

S O U T H 


57 

129 

74 

118 

149 

87 

44 

R 

60 

v e r 

146 

90 

QUAMBY 43 

CLONCURRY 

119 

26 

DUCHESS 

MERTY MERTY 

G 

L 

U 

O F 

F 

KARUMBA 

229 

140 

LAKE 

MACHATTIE 

110 

192 

BURKE & WILLS 

JUNCTION 

o 

l 

C 

73 

244 53 

39 

164 

12 

191 

22 

58 

113 

168 

153 

101 

253 

n 

48 

c 

u r 

138 

105 

INNAMINCKA 

S 

McKINLAY 

209 

v e r 

r 

y 

BETOOTA 

m i t 

71 

R 

CAMERON 

CORNER 

h b u r n e 

NORMANTON 

N o r m a n 

MIDDLETON 

78 

KYNUNA 

COMBO 

WATERHOLE 

CONSERVATION 

PARK 

Haddon 

Corner 

R i v e r 


CROYDON 

JULIA 


D i a m a n t 

R i v e r 

i n a R 

NELIA 50 

WINDORAH 

NOCCUNDRA 

TIBOOBURRA 

E i n a s l e 

GEORGETOWN 


235 

118 

Outback Education Handbook | Ancient Outback 

85 

58 131 

61 

47 

77 

DIAMANTINA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

109 

148 

112 

R i v e r 

164 

i v e r 

LARK 

QUARRY 

CONSERVATION 

PARK 

117 

C o o p 

266 

e r C 

r e e k 

G i l b e r t 

i g h 

R i v e r 

RICHMOND 

HUGHENDEN 

CORFIELD 

112 

STAMFORD 

WINTON 

STONEHENGE 

EROMANGA 

MUTTABURRA 

89 

OPALTON 

LONGREACH 

W i l s 

o n 

T h o 

JUNDAH 

i v e r 

R 

L y n d 

R i v e r 

R i v e r 

BLADENSBURG 

NATIONAL 

PARK 179 

LOCHERN 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

m s 

B a 

o n R 

r c o o 

WELFORD 

NATIONAL 

PARK 


196 

191 

114 

110 

150 

84 

74 

103 

92 

148 

49 

51 

380 

144 

19 

159 

125 

18 

58 

50 

52 

93 

83 

67 

158 

69 

67 

MAREEBA 

83 

CAIRNS 

108 

GORDONVALE 

CHILLAGOE 

ATHERTON 

83 

MOUNT GARNET 

45 

88 INNISFAIL 

RAVENSHOE 

i v e r 

R i v e r 

M 

MOUNT 

SURPRISE 

BLACKBRAES 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

94 

89 

225 

151 

EMMET 

YARAKA 

QUILPIE 

WANAARING 

i 

t 

c h 

17 

64 

104 

o 

l 

B u 

e l 

o 

l 

i v e r 

R 

R 

UNDARA 

VOLCANIC 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

205 

37 

102 

52 

246 

v e 

i 

46 

TORRENS CREEK 

PRAIRIE 


JERICHO 

80 

ISISFORD 

MOSSMAN 

r 


GREENVALE 

52 

ADAVALE 

TOOMPINE 

34 

PORT DOUGLAS 

ARAMAC 

TULLY 

BALFE’S 

CREEK 

HOMESTEAD 

BLACKALL 

CHARLEVILLE 

CHEEPIE 

88 

i v e 

R 

P a r o o 

r 

H 

e 

IDALIA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

WYANDRA 

TAMBO 

r d 

48 COOLADDI 

99 

i v e r 

r b e 




PARK PARK 

158 

PENTLAND 

43 

116 

27 

89 

76 

47 

85 

63 

112 

100 

101 

248 

114 

MOORRINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

FOREST 

DEN 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

67 

22 

106 

209 

12 

r 

t 

R 

l 

A 

v e 

B u 

e 

c 

i 

r d 

W a 

r 

R 

R 

e 

v 

i 

R 

v 

r 

CARDWELL 

e 

INGHAM 

TOWNSVILLE 

r 

i v e r 

42 

AUGATHELLA 

C u 

CHARTERS 

TOWERS 

n d 

B e l y a 

87 53 

5 

55 

120 72 

98 

20 

23 25 

7 

THARGOMINDAH 


13 

104 

68 


NATIONAL PARK 

163 

122 

119 

CURRAWINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

HUNGERFORD 

BARRINGUN 

79 

74 

108 

68 

217 

15 

187 

200 

101 

137 

o a 

l g 

R i 

o 

R i v 

v e r 

121 

119 

ALPHA 

MORANBAH 

BOWEN 

CLERMONT 

87 MORVEN 


TREGOLE 


PARK 


e r 

r i e 

B i r 

360 

r 

W a 

134 

r 

84 91 

16 

209 

R i v e r 

N e b i n e 

S 

e r 

R i v 

u 

e g o 

t 

i v e 

R 


t 

204 

r 

e 

HEBEL 

BREWARRINA 

r 

168 

R 

i 

v 

e 

r 

SALVATOR 

ROSA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

210 

54 

LAKE 

MARABOON 

KA KA 

MUNDI 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

MT MOFFATT 

NATIONAL PARK 

109 

DIRRANBANDI 

66 

PROSERPINE 

CAPELLA 

52 

EMERALD 

67 

76 

SPRINGSURE 

210 

ROLLESTON 

CARNARVON 

GORGE 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

106 

281 

71 

40 

65 ROMA 

88 

BLACKWATER 

192 

INJUNE 

91 

SURAT 

MACKAY 

ST GEORGE 

NINDIGULLY 

203 

MUNGINDI 

P A C I F I C 

195 

O C 

141 

180 

E 

A N 

MOREE 

R 

1 

G

Ancient Outback 

From the weather-worn crags of sun-drenched escarpments 

to the treasures buried beneath the dry bed of a long lost 

inland sea, Queensland’s Outback tells of a land before time. 

Rich in its diversity, the traces of Gondwana and 144 million 

years of evolution are clearly visible to the keen explorer. 

Scratch the surface and the bones of dinosaurs readily reveal 

the secrets of one such ancient epoch. Rock wall markings 

carry the stories of ancestral connections to the earth’s oldest 

surviving culture. And on a star-lit night it is simply mindblowing 

to look up and know this vast land is only one small 

part of the great glimmering cosmos above. 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

Aboriginal Heritage 

Powerful images portray land of The Dreaming....................040 

Cosmology 

Heaven’s above - What’s that star?......................................042 

Dinosaurs 

Earth gives up its long lost giants.........................................044 

Dinosaurs of Richmond 

Marine reptiles surface after 100 million years.......................046 

Lark Quarry 

Dinosaur panic thunders down through the ages.................048 

OCKHAMPTON 

96 

GLADSTONE 

BILOELA 

BANANA 

MIRIAM VALE 

TAROOM 

THEODORE 

MONTO 

EIDSVOLD 

GIN GIN 

GAYNDAH 

MUNDUBBERA 

BUNDABERG 

CHILDERS 

MARYBOROUGH 

GYMPIE 

MILES 

CHINCHILLA 

KINGAROY 

NAMBOUR 

127 

129 

113 

MOONIE 

DALBY 

84 

OAKEY 

PITTSWORTH 

TOOWOOMBA 122 

IPSWICH 

BRISBANE 

97 

MILMERRAN 

WARWICK 

TWEED HEADS 

INGLEWOOD 

OONDIWINDI 

123 

TEXAS 

TENTERFIELD 

LISMORE 

BALLINA 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Ancient Outback 039 

GRAFTON

15 

Powerful images portray 

land of The Dreaming 

Quirky fact : 

The skeletal frames of gunyahs (stick shelters) 

can still be found in Queensland’s Outback. 


Year 


6 Aboriginal Culture - An Ancient Civilisation 

7 Combining Cultures - Defines Australia 

Description 

Australia’s Aboriginal heritage is one of the oldest in the world. Aboriginal people have occupied Australia 

from around 40,000 to 60,000 years ago. Prior to European arrival Aborigines lived in tribes and clans, their 

Country or territorial boundaries marked by geographical features of the area such as rivers and mountains. 

While sharing much in common, the land influenced each group’s distinct culture and heritage and gave rise to 

an extraordinary diversity among groups across the continent. For example, there were between 200 and 250 

spoken languages with more than 700 recorded dialects. 

Aboriginal people attribute their survival to living ‘as part of the land’ rather than ‘on the land’. This deep 

connection with the environment enabled them to observe and adapt to changing conditions. During the last 

60,000 years Australian Aborigines survived a major ice age and several other periods of climate change. 

All groups hunted and gathered their food, using tools fashioned from rocks, trees and plants. There was no 

written Aboriginal language. Traditions and histories were passed from one generation to the next through story 

telling, art and dance. Aborigines expressed art in many ways: through their dance and by painting their bodies 

to depict characters of The Dreaming, animals and events; through rock paintings, stencils and drawings; and 

as adornment to their instruments, tools and shields. They used ochre, a rock that is heavily enriched with iron 

oxide, to make paint. The ochre was ground into a powder and mixed with binding agents such as saliva, blood 

or animal fat. It was applied either by blowing it as a fine spray from the mouth, using a sharp or flattened end 

of a stick, or the fingers and hands. Another form of rock art involved engraving surfaces by pecking, grinding 

and abrading. Aboriginal art is often geometric. Circles, lines and dots were and still are commonly used along 

with figurative illustrations such as human and animal shapes, boomerangs and other tools, and animal tracks. 

Rock carving, Barcaldine 

Kronosaurus Korner, Richmond 

040 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Ancient Outback









n Birth place of the Australian Labor Party, 1891 



n Find out about the Traditional Owners of land where you live/where 

your school and community is located 

n Invite an Aboriginal Elder from your community to speak to the class 

about their history 

n Discover what significant Aboriginal sites are located in your 

community or close by 


Visit Baloon Cave Aboriginal Cultural Trail at Carnarvon Gorge. This 

1km return (45 minutes) is a short walk to a small sandstone overhang 

featuring stencilled Aboriginal rock art. Signs along the trail introduce 

aspects of traditional use of the area’s resources. The Karingbal and 

Bidjara people welcome visitors to Carnarvon Gorge - ‘Carnarvon Gorge 

is our country. The spirit of our people is at home here. We welcome you 

to this place’. 


Most historical Aboriginal sites are in protected areas with restricted 

access. 

Artesian Country Tours (departing from Barcaldine) offers guided tours 

to one of Australia’s oldest Dreamtime carving sites, lava blowholes, 

gorges, caves and desert springs. 



Hours: By appointment 

Contact: Tom Lockie 

Phone: (07) 4651 2211 

Email: tom@artesiancountrytours.com.au 

Website: www.artesiancountrytours.com.au 


Australian Institute of Aboriginal and 

Torres Strait Island Studies 

www.aiatsis.gov.au 

Australian Archaeological Association Inc. 

www.australianarchaeologicalassociation.com.au 

References 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 

Cultural Heritage Map of Queensland 

Department of Natural Resources and Water 

www.nrw.qld.gov.au/cultural_heritage/ 

Australian Government Department of the 

Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts 

Culture and Recreation Portal 


indigenous/ 

Research School of Physical Sciences and 

Engineering, Australian National University 

The Last Ice Age in Australia 

http://cos.anu.edu.au/Resources/Posters/ 

iceage.pdf 

Aboriginal Art Online 

www.aboriginalartonline.com/index.php 

Queensland Environmental Protection 

Agency - Parks and Forests 

www.epa.qld.gov.au/parks_and_forests/ 



Outback Education Centre 


Phone: (07) 4651 2530 

Email: the.principal@wanpardaeec.eq.edu.au 

www.wanpardaeec.eq.edu.au 

EPA Carnarvon Gorge (information centre) 

Carnarvon National Park, 

Via Rolleston QLD 4702 

Phone: (07) 4984 4505 

Open 8.00am - 5.00pm seven days a week 

www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/park/index. 

cgi?parkid=49 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Ancient Outback 041

16 

Heavens above - what’s that star? 

Quirky fact : 

Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park 

is actually a meteorite crater! 


Year 

Learning and Assessment (Earth and Beyond) 

6 Gravitational Attraction - Planets of our Solar System in fixed orbits 

7 Changing Planets - Geological Evidence 

Description 

Stars are burning balls of gas that convert hydrogen to helium through nuclear explosions. Our sun is a star. 

Stars form in nebulae - interstellar clouds of dust, hydrogen gas and plasma. Nebulae are star-forming regions 

where gas, dust and other materials ‘clump’ together to form larger masses, which eventually become big 

enough to form stars. Nebula is the first stage of a star’s cycle. 

There are different types of nebulae, they include: 

n Diffuse nebulae - are extended and contain no clear boundaries. 

n Emission nebulae - contain ionised gas (mostly ionised hydrogen) that produces spectral line emission. 

n Reflection nebulae - do not produce visible light but reflect light from nearby stars. 

n Dark nebulae - seen as dark clouds in front of more distant stars or in front of emission nebulae. 

n Planetary nebulae - form from the gaseous shells ejected from low-mass stars when they transform into 

white dwarfs. 

n Supernova remnants - form from ‘shells’ of gas when a star collapses in on itself. 

There are also different types of stars: 

n Open or galactic star clusters - a group of a few to a few thousand stars formed from the same giant 

molecular cloud, and loosely gravitationally bound together. 

n Globular star clusters - a spherical collection of tens of thousands of stars that orbits a galactic core as a 

satellite. These clusters are very tightly bound by gravity, giving them spherical shapes. 

n Single stars - like our sun are in a minority. Most stars are 

doubles, triples or quadruples but to the human eye they 

appear as one star. 

n Binary star systems - are two stars that have a relationship 

with one another, orbiting around a central point of gravity. 

About 70 per cent of stars have a companion star. 

n Double stars - are two stars that appear together in the 

sky but it is a ‘chance’ alignment. The stars may be many 

billions of kilometres apart. 

Stars are also different colours depending on their 

temperature. While all stars are extremely hot at the core, 

their surface temperatures vary. Blue stars are extremely hot 

(12,000º - 40,000º Celsius), yellow stars like our sun are in 

the mid range (6,000º-12,000º Celsius) and red stars are the 

coolest (1,000º - 5,000º Celsius). 

Cosmos Centre - stargazing 

042 




European exploration: Edmund Kennedy,1847 




n Home to Cobb & Co.’s largest and longest running coach-making 

factory, 1890 

n First regular Qantas flights began from Charleville, 1922 

n Queensland’s first Steiger Vortex Rainmaking Gun introduced in 1902 


n Create the solar system in your classroom 

n Find out quirky facts about planets in our solar system and how they 

got their names 

n Watch the Star Spangled Universe DVD 


Charleville, in Queensland’s Outback, is the ideal place on the planet to 

observe the Sagittarius arm of the Milky Way. The Cosmos Centre and 

Observatory offers nightly guided tours of the night sky using powerful 

Meade telescopes. By day an interactive display area contains movie 

presentations and interactive displays, plus a sun filter to enable visitors 

to view the sun through the telescopes. 


Cosmos Centre and Observatory, Charleville 

Qantas Drive (off the Matilda Highway), Charleville QLD 4470 


Hours: High Season (April - October) 1.00pm to 10.00pm 

Low Season (November - March) 1.00pm to 9.00pm 

Phone: (07) 4654 7771 

Email: cosmos@murweh.qld.gov.au 

Website: www.cosmoscentre.com 


South East Queensland Astronomical 

Society Inc 

www.seqas.org/Documents/Begin.pdf 

Education Queensland 

New basics Project - Pi in the Sky 

www.education.qld.gov.au/corporate/ 

newbasics/html/richtasks/year9/resourcesrt7. 

html 


Inquiry Centre 

PO Box 3300, South Brisbane BC QLD 4101 

Phone: (07) 3840 7555 


Source: Earth and Space Program 

Australian Astronomy 

www.astronomy.org.au 

NASA 

www.nasa.gov 

References 

Students for the Exploration and 

Development of Space (SEDS) 

www.seds.org/MESSIER/more/mw.html 

www.seds.org/ 

Sci-Tech Encyclopedia 

www.answers.com/topic/star-cluster 


Cosmos Centre and Observatory 

Qantas Drive, Charleville QLD 4470 

Phone: (07) 4654 7771 

Email: cosmos@murweh.qld.gov.au 

www.cosmoscentre.com 


n Save the Bilby Fund, Charleville 

n Land Management and Mulga Forest tours - Thurlby Station, Charleville 

n Myendetta Station, House of 100 Doors, Charleville 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


17 

Earth gives up its long lost giants 

Quirky fact : 

Muttaburrasaurus teeth were all replaced at the same time so the upper 

and lower jaws fitted together evenly. When its mouth was closed, 

the teeth came together like a pair of shears. 


Year 


6 Laying down of History - Fossil Remains 

7 Investigating Ancient Australia - Palaeontologists at Work 

Description 

The discovery of dinosaur remains dates back to 1865 when James Sutherland unearthed an ichthyosaurus on the 

Flinders River. The pieces of vertebrae were sent to the Museum of Victoria where their discovery was briefly noted 

in 1867. While waiting on the museum’s findings, Sutherland continued to uncover a more complete specimen, 

including a skull and many more vertebrae. Again, these were sent to Melbourne for further study. Despite a second 

paper in 1869 describing the new material, it was not until 1984 that Dr Mary Wade of the Queensland Museum 

published the finding of two skulls present in the material. Other palaeontology discoveries in the area include: 

n 1888 - other ichthyosaur material described as Ichthyosaurus Marathonensis was found at Marathon 

Station, east of Richmond. 

n 1899 - a scrap of a large reptile jawbone was identified by the Queensland Museum as the giant plesiosaur 

Kronosaurus. 

n Some 40 kms outside Hughenden a pterosaur skull and jaw fragment were found. 

n 1962 - a Muttaburrasaurus was collected from many fragments in a cattle yard on the Thomson River near 

Muttaburra. Many pieces had been souvenired by locals, but a public appeal soon saw these handed in to 

the museum. Throughout the 80s there were several other Muttaburrasaurus finds around Hughenden, the 

most recent being in 1987 when Dr Mary Wade discovered a second Muttaburrasaurus skull. 

n 1989 - One of the world’s best examples of an ankylosaur was found by Ian and Rob Ievers on Marathon 

Station at Minmi Crossing East of Richmond. The Minmi find is more than 90 per cent complete. 

n 1989 - The most complete skeleton of a Cretaceous pliosaur was also discovered on Marathon Station. 

Sauropods 

Sauropods are very large plant-eating dinosaurs with long necks and tails. Since 1932, the fossil bones of 

several individual sauropods have been found in the Flinders region of Queensland. They probably belonged to 

Austrosaurus. The remains of an Austrosaurus Mckillopi were discovered by the McKillop family on Clutha Station 

west of Richmond, in 1932, and were dated to be 100 million years old. Half of a cervical (neck) vertebra from 

another sauropod was found near Hughenden. It is similar to the vertebra of Brachiosaurus, a huge sauropod with 

long forelegs found in Africa and North America. The Queensland animal is known as the ‘Hughenden sauropod’. 

The size of the bones found suggests an animal 20 - 22 metres long and perhaps weighing up to 50 tonnes. It 

used its long neck to reach the lower branches of the trees. 

Muttaburrasaurus 

Muttaburrasaurus Langdoni roamed the Australian landscape approximately 100 million years ago during the 

Cretaceous Period. This dinosaur is thought to have been quite common and four specimens have been found 

in central and northern Queensland. Muttaburrasaurus Langdoni was first discovered in 1963 by grazier Doug 

Langdon, whose property was in the Channel Country of the Thomson River just outside the town of Muttaburra. 

A museum team collected five tonnes of rock material from the site and transported it to Brisbane. It took many 

years of painstaking work to piece together the bones and the study of the animal is still not complete. The team 

has no real idea of the environment in which Muttaburrasaurus lived because all four specimens from Queensland 

have been found in an area that was once covered by a vast inland sea. 

044 


History - Hughenden 

First residents: Dalleburra and Jirandali, Kutjala peoples 

European exploration: 

Lt Stokes, 1841 




n First entire Muttaburrasauras dinosaur found in Australia, 1987 

n First Bracelet horse race ever run in Australia, 1886 

ClASSROOM ACTIVITIES 

n Create a paper-mâché dinosaur from the very earliest period when its 

bones were found 

n You are a Palaeontologist writing a letter to the local paper explaining 

the importance of the local fossils and the need for the return of the 

bones which the locals have souvenired 

n Produce a postcard which depicts the dinosaur fossils of the local area 


Flinders Discovery Centre, Hughenden 

37 Gray Street, Hughenden QLD 4821 

Cost: Entry Fee applies 

Hours: Open daily from 9.00am to 5.00pm (December and January 

9.00am to 1.00pm) Closed some Public Holidays 

Phone: (07) 4741 1021 

Email: info@flinders.qld.gov.au 

Website: ww.hughenden.com 


n Kronosaurus Korner, Richmond 

n Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways, Winton 

n Riversleigh Fossil Fields, Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park 



Phone: (07) 3840 7555 


www.qm.qld.gov.au/features/dinosaurs/ 

South Australia Museum 

Fact sheet on Muttaburrasaurus 

www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/orig/pdf/dinosaurs. 

pdf 

ABC 

www.abc.net.au/dinosaurs/meet_the_dinos 

ABC - The Age of Reptiles 

www.abc.net.au/science/ozfossil/ageofreptiles/ 

eromanga/kronosaurus.htm 

Australian Museum 

Research Library enquiries: 

Phone: (02) 9320 6152 

Scientific enquiries: 

Phone: (02) 9320 6202 

www.lostkingdoms.com/facts/index. 

cfm#cretaceous 

Australian Dinosaur Story 


Environment and Heritage 

Email: heritage@environment.gov.au 


national/dinosaur-stampede/lark-quarry/larkquarry.html 

References 

Flinders Discovery Centre 

www.flinders.qld.gov.au 



queensland/giants.asp 



37 Gray Street 

Hughenden QLD 4821 

Phone: (07) 4741 1021 


www.hughenden.com 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


18 

Marine reptiles surface 

after 100 million years 

Quirky fact : 

The skull of a Kronosaurus can be 

up to 2.4 metres long! 


Year 


6 Queensland’s Past - Geological Evidence 

7 100 Million Years of History - Identifying Fossils 

Description 

The Kronosaurus Queenslandicus was a giant pliosaur - one of the largest marine reptiles ever known that lived 

in the vast inland sea that covered western Queensland between 110 and 100 million years ago. 

A ferocious hunter, the Kronosaurus is named after Kronos, the Greek god of time, who was so terrible that he 

ate his children. Kronosaurus is known from many specimens. It was between eight and 13 metres long, and 

had teeth were up to 25 centimetres long - the size of bananas. It roamed open oceans and the inland sea 

hunting ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, turtles and large fish, and was the most fierce and largest sea creature of 

its time. Kronosaurus has a skull up to 2.4 metres long. Kronosaurus swam through the water using its large 

flippers. It was not a particularly fast swimmer due to the size of its tail and body and it also had to surface 

regularly as it was an air-breathing marine reptile. 

To date, research has been unable to identify how the Kronosaurus reproduced. Most likely, they would have 

borne live young at sea, because the incredible size of the animal would have made it difficult to lay eggs on the 

shore. The ichthyosaur, another type of marine reptile alive at the time, had live births instead of laying eggs, so 

it is possible that Kronosaurus also made this adaptation to life in the ocean. Pliosaurs have no close relatives 

alive today. 

The first Kronosaurus Queenslandicus was discovered in 1889 by A. Crombie and was noted in 1924. 

However, the best specimen to date was discovered at Army Down Station, north of Richmond, in the 1930s 

and the area is also the location of the largest pliosaur fossil finds. 

Richmond pliosaur 

In 1990, whilst mustering cattle on their property, 

Marathon Station, near Richmond in northwestern 

Queensland, graziers Rob and Ian Ievers 

discovered a whole and intact skeleton. This find 

was identified by the Queensland Museum as 

being a 100 million year old marine reptile, and 

later named the Richmond pliosaur. 

The skeleton (not a dinosaur) is one of the best, 

most complete skeletons of its type in the world. 

The animal is as yet un-named, but scientists 

are currently working to fully understand and 

describe it. It belongs to the pliosauroid group, 

and was likely a member of the polycotylid 

family, a specialised pliosuaroid from the Early 

Cretaceous Period. At nearly 5m long, it had a 

relatively short neck, powerful set of flippers and 

a tail. It lived in the inland sea in Queensland 100 

million years ago. 

Kronosaurus Korner, Richmond 

046 


History - Richmond 

First residents: Oonoomurra, Mitjamba, Wanam and Jirandali peoples 

European exploration: William Landsborough, 1862 




n A service town to gold miners working the Woolgar Gold Field, 1880 

n Discovery of the first Kronosaurus Queenslandicus,1924 

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES 

n Using all the key elements of the text create a crossword puzzle to be 

used by a class group 

n Create a clay model which looks like a fossil from this period 

n Develop a pictorial time line to represent this period 


Kronosaurus Korner 

91-93 Goldring Street, Richmond QLD 4822 

Cost: Entry fee applies. Self-paced and self-guided tours are 

available 


Phone: (07) 4741 3429 

Email: enquiries@kronosauruskorner.com.au 

Website: www.kronosauruskorner.com.au 


n Flinders Discovery Centre, Hughenden 


n Riversleigh Fossil Fields, Boodjamullla (Lawn Hill) National Park 

n Australian Age of Dinosaurs, Winton 




Phone: (02) 9320 6152 


Phone: (02) 9320 6202 




Phone: (07) 3840 7555 



Earth Science Australia 

www.earthsci.org/index.html 




References 



queensland/giants.asp 




Richmond Shire Council 

www.richmond.qld.gov.au 





Kronosaurus Korner & Visitor 

Information Centre 

91-93 Goldring Street, Richmond QLD 4822 

Phone: (07) 4741 3429 

Email: enquiries@kronosauruskorner.com.au 

www.kronosauruskorner.com.au 

Richmond Shire Council 

50 Goldring Street 

PO Box 18, Richmond QLD 4822 

Phone: (07) 4741 3277 

Email: enquiries@richmond.qld.gov.au 

www.richmond.qld.gov.au 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


19 

Dinosaur panic thunders down 

through the ages 

Quirky fact : 

All up the tracks of 150 individual dinosaur 

were mapped at Lark Quarry! 


Year 


6 Fossilised Footprints - Ancient History 

7 Primeval Landscape - A Place to Explore 

Description 

Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways is the site of perfectly preserved fossilised footprints of a dinosaur stampede. 

The 3000 footprints, commonly known as the ‘Trackways’, are thought to have occurred 95 million years ago 

during the mid Cretaceous Period. At that time Lark Quarry was part of a great river plain, with sandy channels, 

swamps and lakes brimming with freshwater mussels, lungfish and crocodiles. Rainfall was over one metre per 

year, so the surrounding lowland forest was lush and green. 

Local station manager Glen Seymour first discovered the Dinosaur Trackways in the 1960s. He thought they 

were fossilised bird tracks, and showed them to local enthusiast Peter Knowles. What they were looking at 

was, and still is today, the world’s only recorded evidence of a dinosaur stampede. 

On the day the drama unfolded, herds of small two-legged dinosaurs came to drink at the lake. There were at 

least 150 dinosaurs of two different kinds - carnivorous coelurosaurs about the size of chickens, and slightly 

larger plant-eating ornithopods, some of them as large as emus. A huge meat-eating theropod, smaller than 

a Tyrannosaurus, approached the lake. It slowed, saw the other dinosaurs gathered at the water’s edge and 

began to stalk, then turned and charged. The stampeding herd of smaller dinosaurs left a chaotic mass of 

footprints in the mud as they ran to escape. 

The site where the dinosaur footprints were found was once a streambed leading into a lake. The water level had 

dropped, exposing mudflats. When the dinosaurs stampeded, they left footprints in the half dried and still plastic 

mud. Sun, wind and rain would normally destroy tracks like this. But just a few days after the footprints were 

made, it began to rain and the lake rose gently, covering the tracks with sandy sediments before the mud had 

dried enough to crack. The next flood buried them below a metre of sand and a metre of mud. Over time, more 

sediment was laid down and as millions of years passed the sediment layers were compressed to form rock. 

Lark Quarry 

Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways - Walkway 

048 


History - Winton 

First residents: Koa, Malintji and Maiawali people 

European exploration: Ludwig Leichhardt, 1848 



History Highlights: 

n Opals discovered at Opalton in 1888 - the oldest opal mining venture 

in Australia 

n Site of Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways, the world’s only evidence of a 

dinosaur stampede 

n Home of the 20-30 tonne sauropod Elliot, discovered in 1999. It was 

until recently known as Australia’s largest dinosaur skeleton 


n Explore the social, environmental and economic impact of Lark Quarry 

on the local area and its surrounds 

n Investigate and identify an action plan that would ensure Lark Quarry 

Dinosaur Trackways remain intact 

n After researching the subject, generate a class debate on the 

importance or otherwise of the Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways 


Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways, via Winton 

Lark Quarry Conservation Park, Jundah Road, via Winton QLD 4735 


Hours: Fully guided tours are available and Lark Quarry Dinosaur 

Trackways is open most days of the year 

Phone: 1300 665 115 or (07) 4657 1466 

Email: vic@matildacentre.com.au 

Website: www.dinosaurtrackways.com.au 


n Flinders Discovery Centre, Hughenden 


n Riversleigh Fossil Fields at Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park 

n Australian Age of Dinosaurs, Winton 


Australian Age of Dinosaurs 


Phone: (07) 4657 0414 

Email:info@australianageofdinosaurs.com 

www.australianageofdinosaurs.com 

University of Queensland 

Palaeontology Department 

Steve Salisbury’s Vertebrate Palaeontology & 

Biomechanics Lab 

www.uq.edu.au/dinosaurs 


Phone: (07) 3840 7555 


www.qmuseum.qld.gov.au 

South Australia Museum 

www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/pdf/dinosaurs 

Questacon 

www.questacon.edu.au/html/terrorsaurus 

ABC 

www.abc.net.au/dinosaurs/meet_the_dinos 

Dinosaur database 

www.arts-letters.com/dino2/ency 

Dinosaur encyclopedia 

www.isgs.uiuc.edu/dinos/de_4 

www.search4dinosaurs.com/pictures 

Australian Dinosaur Story 


Environment and Heritage 

Email: heritage@environment.gov.au 


national/dinosaur-stampede/lark-quarry/larkquarry.html 



Phone: (02) 9320 6152 


Phone: (02) 9320 6202 



Earth Science Australia 

www.earthsci.org 

References 

Encyclopedia of dinosaurs San Diego: 

Academic Press,1997 

Lark Quarry Conservation Park 

www.dinosaurtrackways.com.au 


Tourism Development Officer 

Winton Shire Council 


Phone: 1300 665 115 or (07) 4657 1188 

Email: vic@matildacentre.com.au 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

Notes 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

050 


51 

Natural Outback

a 

t 

i 

i 

COEN 

l 

i 

e 

k 

i 

n 

i 

YARRADEN 

A R I A 

COOKTOWN 

P E N T 

LAKELAND 

C A R 

N 

i 

c 

BOODJAMULLA 

(LAWN HILL) 

NATIONAL PARK 

ADELS GROVE 


L a w 

h 

n 

o 

s 

l 

G r 

471km to 

Tennant 

Creek 


o 

H i 

e 

Poeppel 

Corner 

l 

RIVERSLEIGH 

g 

n 

l 

o 

R i 

CAMOOWEAL 

URANDANGI 

052 

C 

r 

r 

y 

MARREE 

v 

e 

e 

R 

e 

k 

i 

90 

MORNINGTON 

ISLAND 

BURKETOWN 

DOOMADGEE 

77 

93 

TIRRANNA 

r 

v 

70 

e r 

G 

e 

o r g i 


NATIONAL PARK 

90 


NATIONAL PARK 

112 

105 

DAJARRA 

115 

n 

BIRDSVILLE 


ISLANDS 

GREGORY 

DOWNS 

MOUNT 

ISA 

R i v e r 

BEDOURIE 

C o o 

p e r 

r e 

C 

WAGGABUNDI 

GUNPOWDER 

e k 

h h a r d 

L e i 

c 

KAJABBI 

BOULIA 

S O U T H 


57 

129 

74 

118 

149 

87 

44 

R 

60 

v e r 

146 

90 

QUAMBY 43 

CLONCURRY 

119 

26 

DUCHESS 

MERTY MERTY 

G 

L 

U 

O F 

F 

KARUMBA 

229 

140 

LAKE 

MACHATTIE 

110 

192 

BURKE & WILLS 

JUNCTION 

o 

l 

C 

73 

244 53 

39 

164 

191 

22 

29 

12 

24 

58 

23 

113 

168 

153 

101 

253 

n 

48 

c 

u r 

138 

105 

INNAMINCKA 

S 

McKINLAY 

209 

v e r 

r 

y 

BETOOTA 

m i t 

71 

R 

CAMERON 

CORNER 

h b u r n e 

NORMANTON 

N o r m a n 

MIDDLETON 

78 

KYNUNA 

COMBO 

WATERHOLE 

CONSERVATION 

PARK 

Haddon 

Corner 

R i v e r 


CROYDON 

JULIA 


D i a m a n t 

R i v e r 

i n a R 

NELIA 50 

WINDORAH 

NOCCUNDRA 

TIBOOBURRA 

E i n a s l e 

GEORGETOWN 


235 

118 

Outback Education Handbook | Natural Outback 

85 

58 131 

61 

47 

77 

DIAMANTINA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

109 

148 

112 

R i v e r 

164 

i v e r 

LARK 

QUARRY 

CONSERVATION 

PARK 

117 

C o o p 

266 

e r C 

r e e k 

G i l b e r t 

i g h 

R i v e r 

RICHMOND 

HUGHENDEN 

CORFIELD 

112 

STAMFORD 

WINTON 

STONEHENGE 

EROMANGA 

MUTTABURRA 

89 

OPALTON 

LONGREACH 

W i l s 

o n 

T h o 

JUNDAH 

i v e r 

R 

L y n d 

R i v e r 

R i v e r 

BLADENSBURG 

NATIONAL 

PARK 179 

LOCHERN 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

m s 

B a 

o n R 

r c o o 

WELFORD 

NATIONAL 

PARK 


196 

191 

114 

110 

150 

84 

74 

103 

92 

148 

49 

51 

159 

380 

144 

125 

58 

50 

52 

93 

83 

67 

158 

69 

67 

MAREEBA 

83 

CAIRNS 

108 

GORDONVALE 

CHILLAGOE 

ATHERTON 

83 

MOUNT GARNET 

45 

88 INNISFAIL 

RAVENSHOE 

i v e r 

R i v e r 

M 

MOUNT 

SURPRISE 

BLACKBRAES 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

94 

89 

225 

151 

EMMET 

YARAKA 

QUILPIE 

WANAARING 

i 

t 

c h 

22 

64 

104 

o 

l 

B u 

e l 

o 

l 

i v e r 

R 

R 

UNDARA 

VOLCANIC 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

205 

37 

102 

52 

246 

v e 

i 

46 

TORRENS CREEK 

PRAIRIE 


JERICHO 

80 

ISISFORD 

MOSSMAN 

r 


GREENVALE 

52 

ADAVALE 

TOOMPINE 

34 

PORT DOUGLAS 

ARAMAC 

TULLY 

BALFE’S 

CREEK 

HOMESTEAD 

BLACKALL 

CHARLEVILLE 

CHEEPIE 

88 

i v e 

R 

P a r o o 

r 

H 

e 

IDALIA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

WYANDRA 

TAMBO 

r d 

48 COOLADDI 

99 

i v e r 

r b e 




PARK PARK 

158 

PENTLAND 

26 

43 

116 

27 

89 

47 

85 

79 

74 

25 76 

63 

112 

100 

101 

248 

114 

MOORRINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

FOREST 

DEN 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

67 

22 

106 

209 

12 

r 

t 

R 

l 

A 

v e 

B u 

e 

c 

i 

r d 

W a 

r 

R 

R 

e 

v 

i 

R 

v 

r 

CARDWELL 

e 

INGHAM 

TOWNSVILLE 

r 

i v e r 

42 

AUGATHELLA 

C u 

CHARTERS 

TOWERS 

n d 

B e l y a 

87 53 

5 

55 

120 72 

98 

20 

23 25 

7 

THARGOMINDAH 


13 

104 

68 

27 LAKE BINDEGOLLY EULO 

NATIONAL PARK 

163 

122 

119 

CURRAWINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

HUNGERFORD 

BARRINGUN 

108 

68 

217 

200 

20 

187 

101 

137 

o a 

l g 

R i 

o 

R i v 

v e r 

121 

119 

21 

ALPHA 

MORANBAH 

BOWEN 

CLERMONT 

87 MORVEN 


TREGOLE 


PARK 


e r 

r i e 

B i r 

360 

r 

W a 

134 

r 

84 91 

28 

209 

R i v e r 

N e b i n e 

S 

e r 

R i v 

u 

e g o 

t 

i v e 

R 


t 

204 

r 

e 

HEBEL 

BREWARRINA 

r 

168 

R 

i 

v 

e 

r 

SALVATOR 

ROSA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

210 

54 

LAKE 

MARABOON 

KA KA 

MUNDI 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

MT MOFFATT 

NATIONAL PARK 

109 

DIRRANBANDI 

66 

PROSERPINE 

CAPELLA 

52 

EMERALD 

67 

76 

SPRINGSURE 

210 

ROLLESTON 

CARNARVON 

GORGE 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

106 

281 

71 

40 

65 ROMA 

88 

BLACKWATER 

192 

INJUNE 

91 

SURAT 

MACKAY 

ST GEORGE 

NINDIGULLY 

203 

MUNGINDI 

P A C I F I C 

195 

O C 

141 

180 

E 

A N 

MOREE 

R 

1 

G

Natural Outback 

The bioregions of Queensland’s Outback support an 

innumerable array of wildlife, including unique or threatened 

species. The red sands of the Simpson Desert come alive as 

small nocturnal animals emerge from their daytime retreats 

to search for food in the cool night. Native and migratory 

birds flock to the billabongs and wetlands of the Channel 

Country in the hope of ready food supplies and the riparian 

tracts that fringe the inland rivers and streams act as safe 

havens for thousands of water and land-based creatures. 

Queensland’s Outback is acknowledged worldwide for 

its many protected areas and offers visitors unrivalled 

experiences of its native environment. 

20 

Artesian Basin 

Liquid gold - lucky country...................................................054 

21 

Bilbies 

Greater bilby fights the odds................................................056 

22 

Bioregions of Mid West Queensland 

Outback bioregions home to rare species............................058 

23 

Diamantina 

History and mystery of Queensland’s 

great Channel Country.........................................................060 

24 

Mining 

Outback mining a shining example of a rich land..................062 

OCKHAMPTON 

96 

GLADSTONE 

25 

26 

Opal Mining 

Fiery stone melts many hearts..............................................064 

Porcupine Gorge 

Ancient gorge forged through the wind and rain...................066 

BILOELA 

BANANA 

MIRIAM VALE 

27 

Queensland Power 

Thargomindah powers on....................................................068 

TAROOM 

THEODORE 

MONTO 

EIDSVOLD 

GIN GIN 

GAYNDAH 

MUNDUBBERA 

BUNDABERG 

CHILDERS 

MARYBOROUGH 

28 

29 

Riparian Habitats 

Rare beauty inspired by riparian eco-systems......................070 

Simpson Desert National Park 

A vast burnt land that beats with life and wonder.................072 

GYMPIE 

MILES 

CHINCHILLA 

KINGAROY 

NAMBOUR 

127 

129 

113 

MOONIE 

DALBY 

84 

OAKEY 

PITTSWORTH 

TOOWOOMBA 122 

IPSWICH 

BRISBANE 

97 

MILMERRAN 

WARWICK 

TWEED HEADS 

INGLEWOOD 

OONDIWINDI 

123 

TEXAS 

TENTERFIELD 

LISMORE 

BALLINA 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Natural Outback 053 

GRAFTON

20 

Liquid 

Quirky fact : 

gold - lucky country 

The Great Artesian Basin covers over 1,711,000 square kms and it has an 

estimated total water storage of 64,900 million megalitres (a megalitre is 

one million litres - about half the water in an Olympic swimming pool). 


Year 


6 Eco Warriors - Protecting Our Most Important Natural Resource 

7 Precious Water Resources - Renewable Futures and Global Responsibility 

Description 

The Great Artesian Basin is one of the largest artesian groundwater basins in the world. It underlies about 

one-fifth of Australia and extends beneath arid and semi-arid regions of Queensland, New South Wales, South 

Australia and the Northern Territory, stretching from the Great Dividing Range to the Lake Eyre depression. 

The basin was formed between 100 and 250 million years ago and consists of alternating layers of waterbearing 

sandstone aquifers and non-waterbearing siltstones and mudstones. The thickness of this sequence 

varies from less than 100 metres on the basin extremities to over 3,000 metres in the deeper parts of the basin. 

Individual bore depths vary up to 2,000 metres with the average being 500 metres. Some of the sandstone 

sequences contain oil and gas. 

Groundwater in the basin generally flows westward to the south-west but in the northern section they flow to 

the north-west and north. The rate at which water flows through the sandstones varies between one and five 

metres per year. Replenishment occurs through infiltration of rainfall into the sandstone aquifers mainly along 

the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range. Natural discharge occurs mainly from mound springs in the 

south-western area. Mound springs are natural outlets of the artesian aquifers from which groundwater flows to 

the surface. Dating of the artesian waters has given ages of almost 2 million years for the oldest waters, which 

occur in the south-western area of the basin. 

Water quality in the main aquifers is generally good although the pH may be very high, and high sodium 

levels make it generally unsuitable for irrigation. Water temperatures vary from 30 degrees Celsius to over 100 

degrees in its deepest parts. Total flows from the basin reached a peak around 1915. Since then, artesian 

pressure and water discharge rates have declined, while the number of bores has increased. 

Artesian Bore - sunrise 

054 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Natural Outback









n Birth place of the Australian Labor Party 



n Find out about the importance of the following: dams, maps showing 

rainfall, isohyets and irrigation schemes 

n Conduct a survey at your school to find out which natural resource the 

students consider the most important and why. Graph your results 

n Research the impact the decline of the Great Artesian Basin would 

have on Queensland and then the remainder of Australia 


Artesian Country Tours 


Cost: Fees apply (varies based on duration of tour) 


Contact: Tom Lockie 

Phone: (07) 4651 2211 

Email: tom@artesiancountrytours.com.au 

Website: www.artesiancountrytours.com.au 


Queensland Department of Natural 

Resources and Water - Fact sheet 

www.nrw.qld.gov.au/factsheets/pdf/water/ 

w68.pdf 

Australian Natural Resources Atlas - 

Queensland Allocation and Use 

www.anra.gov.au/topics/water/allocation/ 

qld/gmu-great-artesian-basin-westernqueensland.html 

Several sources and links available 

References 

Queensland Department Natural Resources 

and Water 

www.nrw.qld.gov.au/factsheets/pdf/water/ 

w68.pdf 

Natural Resources and Water 

Source: Brief historical reference plus 

photographs 

www.nrw.qld.gov.au/water/gab/ 

Barcaldine Shire Council 

www.barcaldine.qld.gov.au/ 


Natural Resources and Water Education 

Resources 

Phone: (07) 3237 1435 

www.nrw.qld.gov.au/education/index.html 


n The Barcaldine and District Historical Museum 

n Central West Aboriginal Co-op Red Shed, Barcaldine 

n Wanpa-rda Matilda Outback Educational Centre, Barcaldine 

n Tree of Knowledge Memorial, Barcaldine 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Natural Outback 055

21 

Greater 

Quirky fact : 

bilby fights the odds 

The bilby eats seeds using its long, skinny tongue to lick them from the 

ground. This feeding style means the bilby eats a lot of sand. In fact, 

20-90 per cent of its waste can be sand! 


Year 


6 Eco Warriors - Protecting the Bilby 

7 Sustain and Protect Bilby Habitat - A Global Responsibility 

Description 

The endangered greater bilby, Macrotis lagotis, is Australia’s ‘Easter Bunny’ and is the only surviving bandicoot 

in arid Queensland. As one of Queensland’s 12 endangered mammals, the bilby is the subject of intense 

research and conservation efforts. Its closest relative, the lesser bilby, is extinct. 

Rabbit-sized, the bilby has delicate features with a long-pointed nose, silky pale blue-grey fur with patches of 

tan, big ears and a crested black and white tail. It uses strong forelimbs and thick claws to dig for food and a 

sticky tongue to lick up seeds. The bilby carries its tail stiffly and its ears are almost transparent. Sharp hearing 

and a strong sense of smell are vital to their survival as they have poor vision. A nocturnal animal, the bilby 

feeds on seeds, insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, spiders and termites, fungi, and bulbs, while most of its 

water is extracted from its food rather than from drinking. 

Bilbies inhabit dry, hot areas and burrow among hummock and tussock grasslands and acacia shrub lands. 

Powerful diggers, they make burrows up to three metres long and almost two metres deep where they spend 

their daylight hours. The burrow contains no nesting material and the entrance is often against a termite mound 

or small shrub. In the deserts, its home is usually temporary and can change quickly depending on where it can 

find food. 

The bilby lives alone or in a pair and breeds throughout the year. Female bilbies have a backward-opening 

pouch with eight teats. One or two young are usually carried in the pouch at a time, although four have been 

recorded in the wild. Young stay in the pouch for 80 days. Bilbies put their young into burrows for about two 

weeks and return regularly to feed them. 

Queensland’s largest remaining wild group of bilbies lives in one area west of the Diamantina River. Charleville 

is home to the captive breeding program “Save the Bilby Fund”. The program is operated by the Queensland 

Environmental Protection Agency and releases captive-bred bilbies into a fenced wild enclosure within the 

Currawinya National Park. 

Bilby (supplied by EPA) 

Greater bilby fights the odds 

056 




European Exploration: Edmund Kennedy, 1847 




n The first scheduled Qantas passenger flights left from Charleville, 1922 

n Base for Cobb and Co.’s coach making business, 1890 

n Home of the Steiger Vortex Rainmaking Guns, 1902 


n National Threatened Species Day is held on 7 September each year to 

encourage the community to help conserve Australia’s unique native 

fauna and flora. For more information on how to become involved visit 

www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/ts-day/index.html 

n Write and present a skit that shows the importance of conserving the 

bilby and its habitat 

n Write the lyrics to a song which could become the theme song for the 

national preservation of the bilby 


Bilby Sanctuary, Charleville 

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service 

Warrego Highway, Charleville QLD 4470 

Cost: Fees apply and bookings are essential 

Hours: Nightly tours April to October 7.00pm. 

Phone: (07) 4654 1255 (ask for the Save the Bilby Fund) 

For tour bookings contact Charleville Visitor 

Information Centre (07) 4654 3057 


Northern Territory Department of Natural 

Resources, Environment and the Arts 

National Plan for the Protection of Bilby 

www.epa.qld.gov.au/publications?id=2129 

Dreamworld Wild Life For Kids 

Education Program 

Email: education@dreamworld.com.au 

Outback Now 

www.outbacknow.com.au/index.php?module= 

pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=37&pid=78 

Save the Bilby Fund 

www.savethebilbyfund.com 

References 



www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/ 

wildlife/threatened_plants_and_animals/ 

endangered/bilby 

Outback Now 

Bilby Brothers’ Aim 

By Lois and Chester Wilson 

www.outbacknow.com.au/index.php?module= 

pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=37&pid=78 


Charleville Visitor Information Centre 

Phone: (07) 4654 3057 

www.murweh.qld.gov.au 

Save the Bilby Fund 

PO Box 149, Charleville QLD 4470 

Phone: (07) 4654 1255 (ask for the Save the 

Bilby Fund) 

Email: bilby@epa.qld.gov.au 


n Cosmos Centre and Observatory, Charleville 

n Tregole National Park, west of Charleville 

n Thurlby Station tours, Charleville 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


22 

Outback bioregions home to rare species 

Quirky fact : 

Did you know the Flinders River is Queensland’s longest river? 


Year 


6 Eco Warriors - Protecting Important Flora and Fauna 

7 Balancing Act - Conserving and Protecting Environments 

Description 

Queensland has 13 bioregions and the mid-west comprises characteristic flora, fauna, and environmental conditions 

that create natural boundaries. Four bioregions lie within the mid-west: Einasleigh Uplands - Northeast; Gulf Plains - 

Northwest; Mitchell Grass Downs - South; and Desert Uplands - Southeast. 

Einasleigh Uplands 

The Einasleigh Uplands straddles the Great Dividing Range in inland Northeast Queensland. It covers 12,923,100 

hectares (7.5 per cent) of Queensland. The area is known as basalt gorge country. Basalt is lava that has weathered 

to form rich red or black volcanic soils. The major water catchments are the Burdekin and Flinders Rivers. The 

Einsleigh area is significant for macropods and has more species of rock wallaby than anywhere in Australia. 

Endangered animals include the red goshawk, gouldian & star finch and the golden-shouldered parrot. Rare species 

in the area are the black-necked stork, yellow-naped snake, ghost bat and the cotton pygmy-goose. This bioregion 

consists of a series of ranges and plateau surfaces, and contains eight protected national parks: 

n Bulleringa National Park 

n Chillagoe - Mungana Caves 

National Park 

n Dalrymple National Park 

n Great Basalt Wall National Park 

n Hann Tableland National Park 

n Porcupine Gorge National Park 

n Undara Volcanic National Park 

n Palmer River Goldfields 

Gulf Plains 

The Gulf Plains are characterised by gentle sloping sandstone tablelands along their eastern margin. The area 

covers 22,143,799 hectares (12 per cent) of Queensland. Population centres include Normanton, Burketown 

and Kowanyama. There is a small port at Kurumba where most of the regional fishing fleet is based and the 

Gulf and its estuarine wetlands support a strong fishing industry. The Gulf Plains are significant for the very large 

numbers of migratory waterbirds. The climate has a dry season during winter and a monsoonal wet season 

in summer. There are 36 rare and threatened fauna species of the Gulf Plains bioregion, including the radjah 

shelduck, masked owl, hawksbill turtle, and pygmy long-eared bat. The region contains four protected areas: 

n The Mitchell - Alice Rivers 

National Park 

n Staaten River National Park 

n Lawn Hill Resources Reserve 

n Bulleringa National Park 

Mitchell Grass Downs 

As the name suggests, this area is dominated by extensive grasslands of Mitchell grasses. The bioregion covers 

23,788,550 hectares (13.8 per cent) of Queensland. Soils are deep, heavy grey or brown clays often with a selfmulching 

and sometimes stony surface. Soils of the grassland plains are brown, cracking, and sometimes stony 

clay. Limestone and deeply weathered Cretaceous sediments, sometimes covered by superficial Quaternary 

deposits, form low hills and ridges. Towns within this bioregion include Longreach, Winton, Aramac, Hughenden 

and Boulia. The Mitchell Grass Downs spans the watershed separating many of Queensland’s northern flowing 

rivers from southern flowing rivers. These rivers supply most of the surface water through the Channel Country 

bioregion into the Lake Eyre Basin. The Flinders, McKinley and Gregory Rivers flow from the northern parts of the 

Mitchell Grass Downs into the Gulf of Carpentaria. Rivers that originate from the Mitchell Grass Downs are the: 

n Barcoo 

n Thomson 

n Diamantina 

n Hamilton 

n Burke 

n Georgina 

058 


Species include at least 54 mammals, 225 birds, 21 amphibians and 

110 reptiles. The native fauna has adapted to the open, seasonally arid 

grasslands. Birds are either seed or insect-eating ground dwellers such as 

the little button-quail, Australian bustard and singing bushlark, or migratory, 

visiting in the wet season to breed before the dry sets in again. Reptiles 

and small mammals live in the soil cracks and some mammals found only 

in this habitat include the Julia Creek Dunnart, narrow-nosed planigale, and 

Forrest’s mouse. Rare reptiles such as the bearded dragon, Collett’s snake 

or ‘Downs Tiger’ and the skink are also native to the region. 

Desert Uplands 

The Desert Uplands lie in central northern Queensland, straddling the 

Great Dividing Range between Blackall and Pentland. Sandstone ranges 

and sand plains dominate this bioregion and coal deposits can be found 

deep down. The Desert Uplands cover 7,032,297 hectares (4 per cent) 

of Queensland. Although not a true desert, the bioregion has desert-like 

characteristics. With a low rainfall the sandy soils are relatively infertile. 

Most of the Desert Uplands’ biodiversity appears to be intact, however 

of the region’s 21 rare flora species and 33 fauna species, six species of 

fauna - the Edgbaston goby, red goshawk, Gouldian finch, Allan’s lerista, 

star finch, and red-finned blue eye - are endangered and one species of 

flora - the Eriocaulon carsonii. The major communities of the bioregion 

are Barcaldine and Aramac and protected areas include: 

n White Mountain National Park 

n White Mountain Resource 

Reserve 



European exploration: Lt Stokes, 1841 



n Morrinya National Park 

n Forest Den National Park 





Queensland Natural Resources and Water 

www.nrw.qld.gov.au/vegetation/bioregions.html 


Agency 

Source: Wide range of information resources 


biodiversity/regional_ecosystems/desert_ 

uplands/introduction/ 

www.epa.qld.gov.au/register/p00716bt.pdf 


habitats/wetlands/wetland_management_ 

profiles/wetland_management_profiles__an_ 

overview/what_are_regional_ecosystems_res/ 

National Parks Association of Queensland 

Unit 9, 36 Finchley St, Milton QLD 4064 

Phone: (07) 3367 0878 

www.npaq.org.au/content/view/29/98/ 

Department Natural Resources and Water 

Source: Fact sheets on all environmental 

elements related to Queensland bioregions 

www.nrw.qld.gov.au/factsheets/index.php 


Source: Information and Fast Fact sheets 

www.anra.gov.au/topics/vegetation/pubs/ 

biodiversity/bio_assess_contents.html 


Source: Educational resources 

www.dpi.qld.gov.au/cps/rde/dpi/ 

hs.xsl/4790_8586_ENA_HTML.htm 

References 




biodiversity/regional_ecosystems/desert_ 

uplands/introduction/ 



Gray Street, Hughenden QLD 4821 

Phone: (07) 4741 1021 




n National Threatened Species Day is held on 7 September each year to encourage the community to help 

conserve Australia’s unique native fauna and flora. For more information on how to become involved visit 


n Become Weed Warriors and start a weed eradication program at your school (www.weedwarriors.net.au) 

n Play Weed Wipeout (www.weedscrc.org.au/for_schools/weedwipeout_flash.html) 


Porcupine Gorge, via Hughenden 

Kennedy Developmental Road (73 kms north of Hughenden), via Hughenden QLD 4821 

Cost: Entry to the park is free, however fees apply for camping 

Hours: Open 24 hours per day 

Contact: Information, access and maps available at www.epa.qld.gov.au/parks_and_forests/find_a_park_or_forest/ 


n White Mountains National Park, via Hughenden 

n Moorrinya National Park, via Hughenden 

n Diamantina National Park, via Bedourie 

n Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park, via Gregory 


23 

History 

Quirky fact : 

Did you know fish mysteriously appear in the 

Channel Country without apparent explanation? 

and mystery of Queensland’s 

great Channel Country 


Year 


6 Natural Resources Crusader - Global Responsibility 

7 Environmental Heritage - Defining Australia 

Description 

Diamantina National Park is considered to be amongst the top 20 most important national parks within Australia 

and lies in the heart of western Queensland’s Channel Country. In the east, the terrain takes in long weatherbeaten 

sandstone ridges that fall away to the flood plains and tributaries of the Diamantina River. Beyond the 

flood plains, Mitchell grass covers wide open gibber plains of cracked clay that stretch beyond the horizon 

to meet sand dunes in the west. Vast and abundant with rare flora and fauna, this diverse landscape was 

previously used as pastoral land, with its former European owners including the legendary Sir Sidney Kidman. 

In 1992, the Queensland Government resumed Diamantina Lakes as a high priority acquisition for national park 

protection, based on: 

n land and plant diversity; 

n highly distinctive bioregions of the Channel Country and Mitchell Grass Downs; 

n eight rare species - golden perch, a skink (Ctenotus schevii), freckled duck, peregrine falcon, plains 

wanderer, bilby, kowari and the shrub eremophia tetraptera; 

n the gorge where the Diamantina River (Mundaweera) cuts through limestone hills was listed as a site of 

national significance by the Australian Geographical Society; 

n several sites of cultural significance including Aboriginal rock paintings and the remnants of early European 

settlement including Mayne Hotel and 22 graves dated from 1884 to 1944; and 

n the many waterholes that were scenically diverse and provided excellent camp sites. 

The acquisition was merged with the Diamantina Gates National Park to create Diamantina National Park, a 

protected area of 500,000 hectares. 

The Channel Country is also known for 

its ‘rains of fishes’ - the sudden and 

mysterious appearance of fish, including 

spangled perch, desert rainbowfish 

and gudgeons, without any apparent 

source. The phenomenon is thought to 

be caused by fish, otherwise confined 

to waterholes for long periods of time, 

being flushed out and swept in many 

different directions, often into small, 

temporary tributaries. Nevertheless, some 

groups of fish have been found on high 

open ground. These fish are thought to 

have been picked up and then dumped 

by strong summer willy willies (dust 

whirlwinds), or forced up through dry 

ground by rare water spouts. 

Diamantina River - aerial 

060 











n Create a gallery-style art exhibition that displays original paintings from 

your class on the theme ‘National Parks’ 

n Journal Statement Starter: When I think about the rare flora and fauna 

in Diamantina National Park, I am surprised that… 

n Investigate, research and name the tourist attractions in Queensland 

that help to conserve the natural environment 


Diamantina National Park, via Bedourie or Boulia 

The park boundary is located 143 kms south-east of Boulia and 260 kms 

south-west of Winton. 



Contact: Information, access and maps available at www.epa.qld.gov. 

au/parks_and_forests/find_a_park_or_forest/ 

Important information 

n Roads are impassable in wet weather 

n Four wheel drive (4WD) only 

n Best time to visit is between April and October 

n Due to the remote location no facilities are available 





find_a_park_or_forest/diamantina_national_ 

park/ 

Tourism Queensland 

Source: General Outback Information 

www.adventureoutback.com.au 

References 

Barry, J.I., calling 8XD Diamantina 

Nolan, C., Sand Hills and Channel Country 


Visitor Information fact sheet 

Diamantina National Park 

Documenting a Democracy 

Queensland State Archives 

www.foundingdocs.gov.au/picturealbum. 

asp?aID=5 

Queensland Museum Publishing 

Johnson QM, J., Rains of Fishes 

Discovery Guide to Outback Queensland 


Diamantina National Park Tourism 

Information 

Phone: 1300 794 257 

Email: tourism2@diamantina.qld.gov.au 


EPA Longreach 

Landsborough Highway 

PO Box 202, Longreach QLD 4730 

Phone: (07) 4652 7333 


n Big Red - Simpson Desert, via Birdsville 

n Burke and Wills Dig Tree, Cameron Corner, via Thargomindah 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


24 

Outback 

mining a shining example 

of a rich land 

Quirky fact : 

Did you know Queensland leads the world in the production 

of metallic minerals such as copper, lead and zinc? 


Year 


6 Mineral Wealth - Balancing the Future 

7 Mineral Resources Boom - A Global Responsibility 

Description 

Queensland is rich in mineral and energy resources such as coal, gold, lead, copper, zinc, silver, nickel, tin, 

bauxite, uranium, industrial minerals, oil and gas. The Outback region contains some of the world’s richest 

copper, lead, and zinc deposits and is home to one of the largest mineral producers Xstrata, Mount Isa Mines. 

Queensland Copper Mines 

Great Australia Mine - Cloncurry Copper 

Ernest Henry discovered copper in 1867 while outcropping near Cloncurry. Full of optimism, he named his 

discovery ‘Great Australia’. From 1906 copper prices boomed and Cloncurry flourished. The railway extended 

to the town to meet demand but in 1920 prices crashed and ‘Great Australia’ ceased operations. Ernest 

Henry is still considered the ‘father’ of Cloncurry and the old mine boasts remnants of its heyday including 

Queensland’s oldest water-jacket smelter casing and Cornish boilers. 

Ernest Henry Mine - Cloncurry Copper, Gold 

The Ernest Henry copper-gold mine began commercial production in 1998. The plant provides for up to 10 

million tonnes of ore to be extracted annually, to produce 100,000 tonnes of copper and 125,000 ounces of 

gold. Almost 3,500 people were involved in building the mine at a cost of $310 million and ensuing regional 

development has included a water pipeline, electricity transmission lines, conversion of Mica Creek Power 

Station to gas generation, a new airport terminal and improved air services. 

Mount Isa Mine - Copper Lead Zinc Silver 

Xstrata Mount Isa Mines (MIM) began with the discovery 

of lead-zinc outcrops by John Campbell Miles in 1923. 

By 1941, large reserves of copper were found at Black 

Star mine and copper was smelted from 1943. Within 

two decades, new copper smelters saw the annual 

copper yield of Black Rock grow to twice the combined 

production of all other Australian mines. MIM developed 

the ‘Isasmelt’ process in the 1980s, increasing the 

annual lead output by over 200,000 tonnes. 

Xstrata MIM is Australia’s largest underground mine and 

one of the world’s largest mining operations. It ranks 

in the top three producers of lead, top five producers 

of silver, 10th largest source of zinc and 19th largest 

producer of copper. Xstrata MIM includes Enterprise 

Mine, Australia’s most recent and deepest underground 

copper mine and George Fisher Mine, one of the 

largest undeveloped lead-zinc deposits in the world. 

Mount Isa 

062 


History - Mount Isa 



European exploration: Burke and Wills, 1861 


Shire gazetted: 1963 


n Discovery of one of the world’s largest single deposits of copper, silver, 

lead and zinc, 1923 

n Declared the world’s largest city (area), 1968 

n Hosts one of the world’s richest and largest rodeos 


n Set up a display with examples of all the mineral resources being 

mined in Queensland 

n Draw up a table on Queensland Mining. In column 1, list all the 

minerals being mined in Outback Queensland. In column 2, list the 

flora and fauna which this may affect. In column 3, write suggestions 

to deal with this problem 

n Compare and contrast natural weathering and erosion in this region to 

erosion caused by the mining industry 



The Hard Times Mine Tour provides a unique first hand experience into 

the daily life and workings of an underground mine. 

19 Marian Street, Mount Isa QLD 4825 


Contact: 1300 659 660 or (07) 4749 1555 


Website: www.outbackatisa.com.au 

*check on the day for wheelchair access to mine 

4WD occasionally available 


n The Ernest Henry Mine Pit Tour, Cloncurry 

n Underground Hospital Museum, Mount Isa 

n Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centre, Mount Isa 


Language and Power in Nineteenth Century 

Mining: A View from North Queensland 

Source: Journal article by Jan Wegner; Journal 

of Australian Studies,1999 

www.questia.com/googleScholar. 

qst?docId=500182661 

Australian Bureau of Statistics 

www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/94713a 

d445ff1425ca25682000192af2/93136e734ff6 

2aa2ca2569de00271b10!OpenDocument 

MIM archives 

Source: Excellent information source 

http://archive.xstrata.com/mim/www.mim. 

com.au/copper.html 

Australian Mining History 1848 to 1999 

Source: Chronology of Australian mining 

www.readyed.com.au/Sites/minehist.htm 

Queensland Department of Mines and 

Energy 

Source: Educational resources 

www.dme.qld.gov.au/mines/mining_ 

awareness.cfm 

References 


Agency 


heritage_places/queenslands_mining_ 

heritage/#Mining%20memories 

Republic of Mining 

www.republicofmining.com 

About Australia.com 

www.about-australia.com/travel-guides/ 

queensland/outback-queensland/attractions/ 

mining-industry/ernest-henry-mine/ 

MIM 

http://archive.xstrata.com/mim/www.mim. 

com.au/ehm.html 

Mount Isa City Council 

www.mountisa@qld.gov.au 

Queensland Resources Council 

www.qrc.org.au/ 


Outback at Isa Riversleigh Fossils 

Interpretive Centre and Mount Isa 

Tourist Information 


Phone: (07) 4749 1555 or 1300 659 660 

Xstrata Mount Isa Mines Limited 

Private Mail Bag 6, Mount Isa QLD 4825 

Phone: (07) 4744 2011 

Email: communityinfo@isa.mim.com.au 

http://archive.xstrata.com/mim/ 

www.mim.com.au/index.html 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


25 

Fiery 

Quirky fact : 

stone melts many hearts 

When boulder opal is cut and polished some 

of the ironstone is always retained as a natural backing. 


Year 


6 Opal Mining - A Tourist Attraction 

7 Opals, A Natural Resource - Finding the Balance 

Description 

Australia produces 96 per cent of the world’s opals. Opal was first mined south of Quilpie in 1871, following its 

discovery at Listowel Downs near Blackall in 1869. Today, Quilpie remains the largest miner of opal and the only 

producer of the ironstone boulder opal. 

The opal fields of Queensland’s Outback follow a 300 km-wide belt of deeply weathered Cretaceous 

sedimentary rocks known as the Winton Formation. This belt extends a distance of about 1,000 kilometres from 

Hungerford on the New South Wales border, west of the townships of Cunnamulla, Quilpie, Longreach and 

Winton, to Kynuna. Boulder opal is unique to Queensland and widely distributed in the weathered sandstone 

rocks common to these areas. In general, finds can range in size from a few centimetres to three metres 

across. 

Opal acts as a lining between the concentric layers or cracks of ironstone. Sometimes it appears as a kernel 

in smaller concretions or nuts - hence the term ‘Yowah-nuts’. While boulder opal is only found in Queensland, 

other more common opal types include: 

n Matrix opal - where the opal occurs as a network of veins between grains of the host rock (ferruginous 

sandstone or ironstone); 

n Seam or band opal - usually found encased in ironstone; 

n Pipe opal - which may be up to several centimetres in diameter within the sandstone; and 

n Wood opal - sometimes found replacing woody tissue material. 

Large mines are mostly open-cut operations. Boulders are carefully removed from the ground for processing 

and heavy equipment is often used to open up old workings. Underground mining is also practised and shafts 

are sunk to detect any intersecting layers beneath the ground surface. Miners use light machinery to remove 

the boulders, at which point they are checked for opal content and sorted for sale or further processing. 

Fossicker 

Precious opals 

064 


History - Quilpie 



European exploration: Sir Thomas Mitchell, 1845/46 expedition 




n Invite a guest speaker from the Queensland Department of Mines and 

Energy to come and speak to the class 

n Think/Pair/Share: Think about the information you have been 

presented with regarding opal mining. Make notes on the important 

points. Discuss your ideas with a partner and record things of interest 

you shared 

n Read a daily newspaper and write down everything you can find 

related to mining in Queensland/Australia 


Gem Fossicking, Quilpie 

Quilpie has fossicking at Duck Creek and Sheep Station Creek opal 

fields. 

Quilpie Museum and Visitor Information Centre 

Brolga Street, Quilpie QLD 4480 

For information contact the Quilpie Visitor Information Centre for maps 

and permits or contact the Department of Mines and Energy at 

www.dme.qld.gov.au 

Cost: Fees and licenses apply 


Phone: (07) 4656 1133 

Email: information@quilpie.qld.gov.au 

Website: www.quilpie.qld.gov.au 

Please note: All mining activity is covered under Acts administered by 

the Department of Mines and Energy. Permission is required before 

entering an area held under mining tenure and a Prospecting Permit is 

usually required. 



Source: General Outback information 

www.adventureoutback.com.au 

The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom 

www.minerals.net/mineral/silicate/tecto/quartz/ 

images/opal/opalvary.htm 

Treasure Enterprises of Australia 

www.treasureenterprises.com/Gem%20 

Fossicking/gem_fossicking_information.htm 

References 

Queensland Department of Mines and 

Energy 

www.dme.qld.gov.au/mines/fossicking.cfm 

Opals Down Under 

www.opalsdownunder.com.au/articles/history. 

php 

Opal Bar Map 

www.opalbar.com.au/boulder.html 


Department of Mines and Energy 


Level 2, Mineral House 

41 George Street, Brisbane QLD 4001 

Phone: (07) 3237 1434 


n Gem fossicking, Opalton 

n Gem fossicking, Yowah 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


26 

Ancient 

Quirky fact : 

gorge forged through the 

wind and rain 

Sedimentary rocks are the second major rock group. They are cool 

rocks, meaning they form at the earth’s surface, mostly under water. 

They usually consist of layers or strata. 


Year 


6 Environmental Concerns - Eco Warriors 

7 Preservation of National Parks - Global Accountability 

Description 

Often known as the ‘Little Grand Canyon’, Porcupine Gorge National Park lies within the Savannah plains and 

extends for more than 25 kms along Porcupine Creek surrounded by open woodland and grassland. The creek 

cuts a meandering path through a deep canyon that reveals sedimentary rock strata spanning hundreds of 

millions of years. A thin, hard, basalt cap, the product of geologically recent lava flows, has protected much 

of the older underlying rock, but where this capping has been worn away, the scouring action of waterborne 

particles has excavated a deep chasm into the softer sandstone. The culprit, Porcupine Creek, reduces to a 

string of clear pools in winter and becomes a torrential cascade during the wet season (summer). 

In the wider section of the gorge, the eroding action of the creek has also created the Pyramid, a monolith of 

multicoloured sandstone rising from the floor of the gorge. Wind and water have coloured and sculpted the 

sandstone to form fluted channels, boulders, potholes and shallow caves. Permanent deep pools, each with its 

resident turtles, are lined with casuarinas (sheoaks) and melaleucas (paperbarks), while various eucalypts and 

acacias including the rare pink gidgee precariously root in the cliffs above. 

The gorge and surrounding area is rich with cultural history. Three traditional Aboriginal groups, the Gutjal, 

Jirandali and Mitjumba continue their traditional connections to Country within the park. The Tattoos, just a few 

kilometres up the road, is the site of Aboriginal and European carvings as well as spectacular rock formations. 

The gorge is home to currawongs, 

parrots and the occasional soaring 

bird of prey. Closer observation 

reveals a wide variety of birds 

including the black duck, redwinged 

parrot, black bittern and 

numerous honeyeaters. The gorge 

becomes a focal point for many 

animals in the dry season while 

others, such as the wallaroo, rock 

wallaby and rufus bettong, are 

permanent residents. 

Porcupine Gorge National Park 

066 




European exploration: Lt Stokes, 1841 











n EPA (www.epa.qld.gov.au) has developed SoE Online enabling the 

delivery of the most up-to-date environmental information statistics 

n Visit the Queensland Cyber Rangers website. Chat with park rangers, 

write a conservationist story, participate in interactive activities and 

artwork, and download conservation reports. 


Porcupine Gorge, via Hughenden 

Kennedy Developmental Road (73 kms north of Hughenden) 

via Hughenden QLD 4821 






n White Mountains National Park, via Hughenden 

n Moorrinya National Park, via Hughenden 





find_a_park_or_forest/porcupine_gorge_ 

national_park/ 


www.queenslandholidays.com.au/things-tosee-and-do/porcupine-gorge-national-park/ 

map.cfm 

Flinders Shire Council 

www.flinders.qld.gov.au 

References 


Porcupine Gorge National Park Information 

Brochure 

About.com: geology 

www.geology.about.com/cs/basics_roxmin/a/ 

aa011804b.htm 


Agency 


find_a_park_or_forest/porcupine_gorge_ 

national_park/ 



37 Gray Street 

PO Box 274, Hughenden QLD 4821 

Phone: (07) 4741 1021 

Fax: (07) 4741 1029 



QPWS Reef and National Parks Information 

Centre 

Old Quarantine Station 

Pallarenda Road, Townsville 

PO Box 5391, Townsville QLD 4810 

Phone: (07) 4722 5224 

Fax: (07) 4722 5222 

Email: tsv.infocentre@epa.qld.gov.au 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


27 

Thargomindah 

Quirky fact : 

powers on! 

Energy sources used to generate electricity include water, wind, sun, 

gas diesel fuel, tidal energy, waves and geothermal energy. 


Year 


6 Natural Resources - Provision of Energy 

7 Sustaining the Outback - Renewable Energy Schemes 

Description 

In 1891, the Bulloo Shire Council embarked on a project of drilling an artesian bore to provide Thargomindah’s 

town water supply. The water pressure was so strong that by 1893 it was decided to harness it as energy to 

drive a generating plant for the supply of electricity to the town. This formed the Thargomindah Hydro Electric 

Plant, a distinction that would mark it as the first town in Australia to have a hydro electricity plant and third in 

the world behind Paris and London to have street lighting generated by hydro power. The plant continued to 

supply electricity until 1951, when the Capricornia Electricity Board installed a diesel plant, which still operates 

today. 

In the early 20th century, Queensland was characterised by isolated urban areas, separated by large distances, 

with the majority of townships on the coast and in the southeast. Rural properties tended to be large and 

pastoral service towns were small. At the turn of the century private companies supplied power to Brisbane, 

Charters Towers and Rockhampton. During the following 20 years other major centres developed power 

stations, most of which were small thermal, diesel or gas engine driven plants. Up until the 1940s electricity 

generation remained largely in the hands of local government and private enterprise. However, during World 

War II all domestic resources were diverted into essential services and the war effort, and afterwards all of the 

generating authorities needed to replace and expand their generating equipment. 

The provision of electricity to rural areas became a major focus of the Electricity Commission during the 1950s 

and increasingly thereafter, supplies were delivered by large power stations located close to their power 

sources, with huge transmission networks. 

Indicative of its heritage, in 2002 as part of “Year of the Outback” celebrations, Thargomindah implemented two 

state-of-the-art renewable energy schemes that would place the town at the forefront of Australia’s 21st century 

power generation. 

Courtesy of Bulloo Shire Council 

Courtesy of Bulloo Shire Council 

Hydro power display 

Thargomindah powers on! 

068 


History - Thargomindah 

First residents: Wongkumara, Jandruwanta, Wadikali, Thereila, Bitjara, 

Karenggapa, Ngandangara, Kullili and Punthamara peoples 

European exploration: Vincent Dowling, 1859 




n Site of the Australia’s first hydro electric scheme, 1893 


n Create a Class Trivia Competition using all the factual information 

related to the generation of power to the Outback 

n Debate the difference between thermal, diesel or gas power versus 

nuclear power 

n List all the examples of renewable and non-renewable resources you 

can think of 


Hydro Power Plant 

Gilmour Street, Thargomindah QLD 4492 

Cost: Free Entry 

Hours: Daily from 8.30am to 5.00pm with a working display everyday 

Phone: (07) 4655 3399 

Email: thargo.info@bigpond.com.au 

Website: www.bullooshire.net 


n Leahy House, Thargomindah 

n Burke and Wills Dig Tree, Cameron Corner, via Thargomindah 


Queensland Energy Museum 

Source: Fact sheets,Teacher resources, 

Activities 

Queensland Energy Museum Inc. 

Phone: (07) 3854 1266 

Email: info@energymuseum.com.au 

www.energymuseum.com.au/06_education/ 

index.htm 

Resource and Land Management Services 

Source: Maps of resources 

www.rlms.com.au/products.asp 

Bibliography of Electricity Industry History 

and Heritage materials By MacLaren North, 

Heritage Consultant for EnergyAustralia 

January 2007 

www.ewh.ieee.org/r10/nsw/subpages/history/ 

bio_electrical_heritage.pdf 

Email: maclaren.north@gmail.com 


Agency 

Source: Many sources on sustainable energy 

www.epa.qld.gov.au/environmental_ 

management/sustainability/energy/ 

References 

Aussie Heritage 

Queensland History of Electricity 

www.aussieheritage.com.au/listings/qld/ 

Howard/HowardPowerStation/756 

Scholz Electrical 

www.scholzelectrical.com.au/history/history5. 

html 


Agency - Case Study in Alternative Energy 

Solutions 

www.epa.qld.gov.au/publications/p00382aa. 

pdf/Bulloo_Shire_Council_alternative_energy_ 

solutions.pdf 


Environmental Protection Agency 

Sustainable Industries 

Phone: (07) 3225 1999 

Email: sustainable.industries@epa.qld.gov.au 

www.epa.qld.gov.au/sustainable_industries 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


28 

Rare 

Quirky fact : 

beauty inspired by 

riparian eco-systems 

In 1997 there were 256 bird, 56 mammal, 94 reptile and 23 amphibian 

species recorded for the Mulga Land bioregion. The eucalypt woodlands 

showed the highest diversity of species. 


Year 


6 Natural Resources - Provision of Energy 

7 Sustaining the Outback - Renewable Energy Schemes 

Description 

The native bush that skirts many inland billabongs or stretches along the banks of inland rivers conjures up 

images of peace and quiet. However, these ‘riparian’ areas are in fact teeming with wildlife. Riparian describes 

the land that lies between the bed of any natural watercourse, creek, river or wetland and the surrounding 

terrain. They are narrow corridors that vary in width from just a few metres to more than one kilometre. 

A constant water supply combined with fertile alluvial soil and sand deposits create riparian conditions. These 

areas sustain a vast array of unique habitats for native plants and animals, as well as being highly valued for 

their agricultural benefits. The availability of water, shade, shelter and food not only supports resident wildlife but 

also many nomadic and migratory species. 

In Queensland’s Outback, open woodlands of large 

river red gum, coolibah and varieties of eucalypt 

commonly line the rivers and creeks. Shrubs provide 

a thick blanket of undergrowth and after periods of 

flooding, the ground becomes lush with grasses, 

sedges and forbs. Floods also bring hundreds 

of water birds including pelicans, herons, egrets, 

cormorants and spoonbills to roost in the trees or 

hunt for fish. Once the water subsides and waterholes 

become fished out, these birds move away. 

Riparian zones are home to birds, mammals, frogs, 

reptiles and invertebrates. Koalas are common in 

riparian woodlands. The hollows of trees provide 

breeding sites for brushtail possums, gliders, owls 

and insectivorous bats. Water rats fish in waterholes 

at night and by day nest in burrows and hollow 

logs. Small birds feed on insects prevalent in the 

undergrowth while the kingfisher feeds on small fish, 

crustaceans and water insects. Fallen timber and 

leaf litter provide habitat for invertebrates, frogs and 

reptiles and migratory animals such as flying-foxes, 

honeyeaters and some parrots travel long distances 

each year to seek out blossom-laden eucalypts. 

Riparian areas are fragile and can be easily 

damaged. Major threats include: over-grazing; 

clearing; feral animals and weeds; changes in water 

flow; pollution; and high recreational use. 

Riparian habitat in Western Queensland BP1319 

October00 Product of Habitat Case Studies 

Gregory River 

070 




European Exploration: Edmund Kennedy, 1847 




n The first scheduled Qantas passenger flights left from Charleville, 1922 

n Base for Cobb and Co.’s coach making business, 1890 

n Home of the Steiger Vortex Rainmaking Guns, 1902 


n In groups research the environmental factors that result in greater 

biodiversity from one region to another and then report your findings to 

the remainder of the group 

n Create a poster which depicts what the ‘Green Revolution’ means 

to you 






Parks and reserves within the region include Currawinya National Park, 

Hell Hole Gorge National Park, Lake Bindegolly National Park, Thruston 

National Park, Mariala National Park, parts of Welford National Park, Idalia 

National Park, Culgoa Floodplain National Park, part of Tregole National 

Park and Nocoleche and Peery Lake Nature Reserves. 


The Mulga Lands bioregion includes 253,000 sq. kms of land within 

both Queensland and New South Wales. Seventy-four per cent of 

the bioregion lies within Queensland. Major towns include Charleville, 

Cunnamulla, Bollon, St George, Quilpie, Hungerford in Queensland and 

White Cliffs, Wanaaring and Enngonia in New South Wales. 

All information courtesy of Australian Natural Resources Atlas 


www.actewagl.com.au/education/ 

default.aspx 

CSIRO 

www.csiro.au/places/QBP.html 

Greening Australia 

Source: Factsheet 

http://live.greeningaustralia.org.au/NR/ 

rdonlyres/43E8AEE6-0FAD-456E-973D- 

A8ECA414EA3B/2356/Riparianvegetation.pdf 


Agency 

Source: Factsheet Aquatic ecosystems - 

riverine habitat 

www.epa.qld.gov.au/register/p01258bm.pdf 

The Encyclopedia of Earth 

www.eoearth.org/article/Eastern_Australia_ 

mulga_shrublands 

South West NRM 

www.southwestnrm.org.au 

References 


Riparian Habitat in Western Queensland 

BP1319 October00 

Product of Habitat Case Studies 


www.anra.gov.au/topics/rangelands/overview/ 

qld/ibra-ml.html#natural 


Roma District Office 


36 Quintin Street, 

PO Box 981 Roma QLD 4455 

Phone: (07) 4622 4266 

Charleville Visitor Information Centre 

Phone: (07) 4654 3057 

www.murweh.qld.gov.au 


n Bilby Sanctuary, Charleville 

n Tregole National Park, via Morven 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


29 

A 

vast burnt land that beats with 

life and wonder 

Quirky fact : 

Canegrass thrives in arid environments because it is almost leafless, 

so water is not lost through evaporation. When it rains, the green stems 

direct moisture straight to the roots through photosynthesis. 


Year 


6 Conserving a Natural Biome 

7 Sustainability of a Natural Phenomenon 

Description 

At one million hectares, Simpson Desert National Park is Queensland’s largest protected area. At Poeppel 

Corner it meets South Australia’s Simpson Desert Conservation Park and the Northern Territory’s Simpson 

Desert Regional Reserve. The entire Simpson Desert covers more than 17 million hectares of Central Australia. 

Across the Simpson, parallel dunes run south-east to north-west, the dominant wind direction when they 

formed during the Pleistocene epoch about 80,000 years ago. Spaced about 1 km apart, dunes can extend 

200 kms. 

The range in temperature can be extreme. In the summer months temperatures average at 39 degrees but can 

reach up to 50 degrees, while in the winter morning temperatures can drop to zero. There is no surface water 

in the Simpson Desert and dust storms are common. The average annual rainfall is less than 150 mm. While 

it usually rains in short bursts from December to March, heavy falls and overflows from the Channel Country 

occasionally sweep across the plains quenching the dry rivers and creek beds that feed Lake Eyre. 

Bare, windswept crests stand atop slopes secured by spinifex and canegrass. Flat plains between dunes 

can be wind-polished gibber pebbles or mineral-encrusted claypans but many, surprisingly, support open 

shrublands of acacias, hakeas and grevilleas. Georgina gidgee, a rounded wattle tree, is found extensively in 

dune swales and is well known for its pungent odour after rain. 

Far from deserted, the Simpson Desert is home to hardy mammals, many reptiles and over 180 bird species. 

Sandhill canegrass shelters small birds. Lizards hide from predators in spiky, rounded clumps of lobed spinifex. 

Mulgaras, small and venerable carnivorous marsupials with a distinctive crest of short black hairs on their tails, 

burrow into dunes to escape the heat. 

Couple on Big Red sand dunes 

072 











n Invite a guest speaker from the Aboriginal community or National 

Parks and Wildlife to come and speak about the importance of 

maintaining the Simpson Desert in as pristine condition as possible 

n Make a list of the most important words in the main descriptive text 

n Create a PowerPoint which gives a visual image of the landscape, plus 

the most important flora and fauna, in the Simpson Desert 


Big Red, Simpson Desert National Park 

The Simpson Desert National Park is Queensland’s largest national park, 

and 80 kilometres west of Birdsville 


Hours: Open 24 hours 



Important information 

n The Simpson Desert National Park is vast and remote and should be 

accessed by 4WD only. 

n All visitors must check their travel plans with local authorities i.e. EPA, 

Police and Wirrarri Information Centre 

n From Birdsville take the Birdsville Track to Big Red (35 kms). 


n Diamantina National Park, via Bedourie 

n Burke and Wills Dig Tree - Cameron Corner, via Thargomindah 




Source: Many sources of information 


find_a_park_or_forest/simpson_desert_ 

national_park/#park_features 

The Encyclopedia of Earth 

Source: Many sources and additional reference 

material 

www.eoearth.org/article/Simpson_desert 

World Wildlife Organisation 

Source: Many sources 

www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/ 

profiles/terrestrial/aa/aa1308.html 

Diamantina Shire Council 

www.diamantina.qld.gov.au/ 

Diamantina Touring 

Source: History of European explorers of the 

region. Excellent source for bioregional (land 

systems) information 

www.diamantina-tour.com.au/outback_info/ 

simpson_desert/european_exploration/ 

european_exploration.htm 

References 



www.epa.qld.gov.au 

National Geographic 

www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/ 

profiles/terrestrial/aa/aa1308.html 


Environmental Protection Agency, Birdsville 

Cnr Billabong Boulevard and Jardine Streets, 

Birdsville QLD 4482 

Phone: (07) 4656 3249 or (07) 4656 3272 

Wirrarri Visitor Information Centre 

Billabong Boulevard, Birdsville QLD 4482 

Phone: (07) 4656 3300 

Email: wirrarri.centre@bigpond.com 


Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Townsville 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

Brisbane 


............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

Notes 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................................ 

074 


75 

Travel Itineraries

a 

t 

i 

i 

COEN 

l 

e 

k 

i 

n 

i 

YARRADEN 

A R I A 

COOKTOWN 

P E N T 

LAKELAND 

C A R 

N 

i 

c 

h 

o 

s 

l 

o 

n 

Poeppel 

Corner 

R i v 

BOODJAMULLA 

(LAWN HILL) 

NATIONAL PARK 

ADELS GROVE 


L a w 

n 

G r 

471km to 

Tennant 

Creek 


H i 

e 

l 

l 

C 

CAMOOWEAL 

URANDANGI 

r 

MARREE 

e 

e 

e 

k 

RIVERSLEIGH 

g 

o 

r 

y 

R 

i 

90 

MORNINGTON 

ISLAND 

BURKETOWN 

DOOMADGEE 

77 

93 

TIRRANNA 

r 

v 

70 

e r 


NATIONAL PARK 

G 

e 

o r g i 


NATIONAL PARK 

DAJARRA 

115 

n 

R i v e r 

BIRDSVILLE 


ISLANDS 

GREGORY 

DOWNS 

BEDOURIE 

C o o 

p e r 

r e 

C 

WAGGABUNDI 

GUNPOWDER 

e k 

h h a r d 

L e i 

c 

KAJABBI 

BOULIA 

S O U T H 


076 

90 

112 

105 

57 

129 

74 

118 

MOUNT 

ISA 

149 

87 

44 

R 

60 

v e r 

146 

90 

QUAMBY 43 

CLONCURRY 

119 

26 

DUCHESS 

MERTY MERTY 

G 

L 

U 

O F 

F 

KARUMBA 

229 

140 

LAKE 

MACHATTIE 

BURKE & WILLS 

JUNCTION 

110 

192 

o 

l 

C 

73 

244 53 

39 

164 

12 

191 

22 

58 

113 

168 

153 

101 

253 

n 

48 

c 

u r 

138 

105 

INNAMINCKA 

r 

S 

v e r 

y 

McKINLAY 

209 

BETOOTA 

m i t 

71 

R 

CAMERON 

CORNER 

h b u r n e 

N o r m a n 

MIDDLETON 

78 

KYNUNA 

COMBO 

WATERHOLE 

CONSERVATION 

PARK 

Haddon 

Corner 

R i v e r 


D i a m a n t 

R i v e r 

i n a R 

R i v e r 

i v e r 

C o o p 

WINDORAH 

e r C 

r e e k 

NOCCUNDRA 

TIBOOBURRA 

E i n a s l e 


235 

118 

85 

58 131 

61 

NORMANTON 

47 

77 

DIAMANTINA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

109 

148 

CROYDON 

JULIA 


112 

NELIA 50 

164 

LARK 

QUARRY 

CONSERVATION 

PARK 

117 

266 

84 

G i l b e r t 

i g h 

R i v e r 

CORFIELD 

112 

STAMFORD 

STONEHENGE 

MUTTABURRA 

89 

OPALTON 

LONGREACH 

LOCHERN 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

W i l s 

o n 

T h o 

JUNDAH 

i v e r 

R 

L y n d 

R i v e r 

R i v e r 

BLADENSBURG 

NATIONAL 

PARK 179 

m s 

B a 

o n R 

r c o o 

WELFORD 

NATIONAL 

PARK 


196 

191 

114 

110 

150 

74 

02 

103 

92 

148 

GEORGETOWN 

49 

51 

159 

380 

144 

125 

58 

50 

52 

83 

67 

67 

i v e r 

R i v e r 

M 

BLACKBRAES 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

94 

89 

225 

RICHMOND 

HUGHENDEN 

WINTON 

151 

64 

104 

WANAARING 

i 

t 

c h 

e l 

EMMET 

YARAKA 

o 

l 

B u 

o 

l 

i v e r 

R 

R 

UNDARA 

VOLCANIC 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

205 

102 

52 

v e 

i 


JERICHO 

80 

ISISFORD 

MOSSMAN 

r 


GREENVALE 

52 

TOOMPINE 

34 

i v e 

R 

P a r o o 

r 

H 

e 

IDALIA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

i v e r 

r b e 




PARK PARK 

158 

PENTLAND 

116 

27 

89 

47 

63 

112 

100 

101 

248 

114 

MOORRINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

FOREST 

DEN 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

67 

22 

106 

r 

PORT DOUGLAS 

MAREEBA 

83 

CAIRNS 

108 

GORDONVALE 

CHILLAGOE 

ATHERTON 

83 

MOUNT GARNET 

45 

88 INNISFAIL 

RAVENSHOE 

MOUNT 

SURPRISE 

01 

246 

43 

79 

108 

68 

t 

ARAMAC 

209 

12 

200 

TULLY 

R 

i v 

l 

A 

B u 

c 

i 

e 

e 

r d 

r d 

W a 

r 

R 

R 

e 

v 

i 

R 

v 

r 

CARDWELL 

e 

r 

i v e r 

INGHAM 

42 

C u 

n d 

B e l y a 

87 53 

101 

o a 

o 

l g 

R i 

R i v 

v e r 

121 

119 

e r 

B i r 

ALPHA 

r i e 

r 

W a 

r 

R i v e r 

N e b i n e 

S 

e r 

R i v 

u 

e g o 

t 

i v e 

R 


t 

204 

r 

e 

HEBEL 

BREWARRINA 

r 

168 

R 

i 

v 

e 

r 

SALVATOR 

ROSA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

MORANBAH 

BOWEN 

CLERMONT 

LAKE 

MARABOON 

KA KA 

MUNDI 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

MT MOFFATT 

NATIONAL PARK 

DIRRANBANDI 

PROSERPINE 

CAPELLA 

EMERALD 

76 

SPRINGSURE 

ROLLESTON 

CARNARVON 

GORGE 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

106 

MUNGINDI 

P A C I F I C 

BLACKWATER 

ADAVALE 

AUGATHELLA 

158 

40 

187 

INJUNE 

109 

84 91 

93 

01 From 

85 

87 

91 

MORVEN 

Brisbane 

CHARLEVILLE 

44 

MITCHELL 22 

QUILPIE 74 CHEEPIE 

88 

TREGOLE 

69 


02 

37 

PARK 

65 ROMA 

EROMANGA 

48 COOLADDI 

99 

76 

5 

55 

120 72 

98 

20 

23 25 

7 

THARGOMINDAH 


13 

04 177 

104 

68 


NATIONAL PARK 

To Brisbane 

163 

122 

119 

CURRAWINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

HUNGERFORD 

BARRINGUN 

217 

03 

BALFE’S 

CREEK 

46 

TORRENS CREEK 

PRAIRIE 

HOMESTEAD 

BLACKALL 

WYANDRA 

TAMBO 

137 

TOWNSVILLE 

CHARTERS 

TOWERS 

360 

209 

134 

03 

210 

54 

BOLLON 

210 

113 

52 

67 

281 

71 

ST GEORGE 

88 

66 

04 

192 

195 

SURAT 

O 

C E 

MACKAY 

141 

180 

NINDIGULLY 

203 

A N 

MOREE 

R 

1 

G

Travel Itineraries 

There’s nothing like first-hand experience to reinforce 

learning. The lesson ideas in this guide are just a glimpse 

of the fascinating world of knowledge that awaits the 

inquisitive traveller in Queensland’s Outback. This section 

offers teachers four detailed excursion plans designed to 

excite and inspire students, through encounters that are 

both adventurous and enlightening. Queensland’s Outback 

is expansive, so each itinerary is focused on a different 

sub-region and has been developed to offer unique 

journeys of discovery that cover all of the highlights along 

the way. The itineraries can be adjusted if needed, simply 

talk to the coach operator for more details. 

There’s nowhere quite like it. The people, places and wide 

open spaces of Queensland’s Outback offer you unique 

experiences like no other. So go on - adventure out there! 

Travel and Safety Information................................... 078 

01 

02 

03 

04 

Itinerary 1 

Longreach Explorer - Camping Safari............................ 079 

Itinerary 2 

Way out in Winton - Camping Safari.............................. 084 

Itinerary 3 

Mount Isa Outback Tour - Camping Safari...................... 089 

Itinerary 4 

South West Safari Tour - Camping Safari....................... 094 

OCKHAMPTON 

96 

GLADSTONE 

Tour Operators 

Kangaroo Bus Lines...................................................... 099 

Down Under Tours........................................................ 100 

TAROOM 

BILOELA 

BANANA 

THEODORE 

MONTO 

EIDSVOLD 

GAYNDAH 

MUNDUBBERA 

MIRIAM VALE 

GIN GIN 

BUNDABERG 

CHILDERS 

MARYBOROUGH 


Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and 

Outback Heritage Centre............................................... 101 


Outback Education Centre............................................ 101 

GYMPIE 

MILES 

CHINCHILLA 

KINGAROY 

NAMBOUR 

127 

129 

DALBY 

84 

JONDARYAN 

113 

PITTSWORTH 

MOONIE 

TOOWOOMBA 122 

IPSWICH 

BRISBANE 

97 

MILMERRAN 

WARWICK 

TWEED HEADS 

INGLEWOOD 

OONDIWINDI 

123 

TEXAS 

TENTERFIELD 

LISMORE 

BALLINA 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Travel Itineraries 077 

GRAFTON

Travel and Safety Information 

Travelling in Queensland’s Outback is similar to most road-trips with 

towns and fuel stops rarely more than 200 kilometres apart. Sealed 

highways and township roads are available throughout the region. 

The following information answers some commonly 

asked questions about travelling in Queensland’s 

Outback, however should you have further questions, 

please speak with your tour organiser or the Visitor 

Information Centres (see back page) in the towns you 

will be visiting. 

Medical facilities 

In the same respect as getting fuel, you will find that 

most towns in Queensland’s Outback have either 

hospitals or private health care centres. These towns 

also have an ambulance service to assist you with 

any problems. A list of hospitals and private health 

care clinics can be found at: http://www.health.qld. 

gov.au/healthservices/byFacility.asp. 

There are also three Royal Flying Doctor Service 

bases in Queensland’s Outback. They are located 

in Charleville, Longreach and Mount Isa. The Royal 

Flying Doctor Service provides 24 hour emergency 

service to victims of illness or accident who are in a 

serious or potentially life threatening condition. 

Mobile Phone Coverage 

Longreach, Mount Isa and Charleville have coverage 

from most networks. Outside of these three towns 

only the Telstra Next G network is available, usually 

within a 20km radius of towns. Public phones are 

available in all towns and satellite phones and UHF 

radios are recommended for extended travel. 

Litter 

Help us keep Queensland’s Outback clean for future 

visitors by properly disposing of your rubbish. 

Animals 

If you see stock or wild animals near the road, slow 

down, they have a habit of crossing in front of you! 

Wild animals like emus and kangaroos can be seen 

throughout Queensland’s Outback, especially one 

hour either side of sunset and sunrise. 

Station Properties 

Many roads cross station properties and have gates 

across them. The rule of the Outback is to leave 

gates in the same way that you find them, ie. if the 

gate is closed when you get there, close it again after 

you drive through or, if the gate is open when you 

arrive, leave it open. 

Road Conditions 

For current road reports please contact the RACQ 

on 1300 130 595 or the Visitor Information Centre in 

the town that you will be visiting. As road conditions 

cannot be accurately predicted please contact the 

Visitor Information Centres close to the time of your 

journey. 

Weather Conditions 

Outback summers are hot but much less humid than 

on the coast and more bearable. Most attractions, 

facilities and transport are air-conditioned. Storms 

and heavy rains can occur during summer and minor 

flooding can cause some towns to become cut off 

for a few days, but this is all part of the adventure of 

Queensland’s Outback. The most temperate weather 

occurs between the beginning of April and the end of 

October. 

It is recommended in all seasons to drink plenty of 

water regularly and protect your skin from burning. 

Seek shade when outside, cover up with clothing 

and wear a sun protective hat, sunglasses and SPF 

30+ sunscreen. 

Outback Road 

078 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Travel Itineraries

01 

Longreach 

Explorer - Camping Safari 

7 Days/6 Nights ex Brisbane from $794* per student 

Australia’s colourful heritage comes to life as you travel into the 

heart of Queensland’s Outback to Longreach. Here the pioneering 

spirit is retold through the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, and 

the Qantas Founders Museum. Imagine the dust-covered faces of 

old drovers as you stare into the crackling flames of a camp fire on 

the banks of the Thomson River. Trace the footsteps of the infamous 

Captain Starlight. And step back in time as you board a Cobb & Co. 

coach for the ride of a lifetime. 

Day 1 - Brisbane to Mitchell 

Journey 

Morning 

Afternoon 

n Brisbane to Toowoomba......................................................approx 126km/1 hr, 50 mins 

n Toowoomba to Miles..........................................................approx 210km/2 hrs, 40 mins 

n Miles to Mitchell.................................................................approx 228km/2 hrs, 50 mins 

We begin the day with an early departure from Brisbane en route to Toowoomba. Following 

a pleasant 1hr 50 min drive, we will enjoy morning tea at Picnic Point, located on the edge 

of the Great Dividing Range in Toowoomba. 

Next we will travel to Miles, where lunch will be provided in a local park. Miles was originally 

named Dogwood Crossing and was established on a track blazed by the explorer Ludwig 

Leichhardt in 1884. 

After lunch we continue our journey to our overnight stop at Mitchell, known as the 

Gateway to Queensland’s Outback. The town, on the banks of the Maranoa River, was 

named in honour of Sir Thomas Mitchell whose exploration of south-west Queensland led 

to the establishment of several towns in the region. On arrival we will set up camp. If time 

permits, we will visit the Great Artesian Spa. 

Experience: The Great Artesian Spa, 2 Cambridge Street, Mitchell. Ph: (07) 4623 8171 

The Great Artesian Spa promises a unique Queensland’s Outback experience. There are two large 

pools of thermal mineralised artesian waters to enjoy. One spa has naturally heated waters from 

the Great Artesian Basin. The other pool is designed for those who prefer a cooler experience. 

On return to our camp, it’s time for a campsite dinner followed by showers and a well 

deserved night’s sleep. 

Our campsite: Major Mitchell Caravan Park, Warrego Highway, Mitchell. Ph: (07) 4623 8177 

(Included Meals: Morning Tea; Lunch; Dinner) 


Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Travel Itineraries 079

Day 2 - Mitchell to Longreach 

Journey 

Morning 

Afternoon 

Early Evening 

n Mitchell to Augathella................................................... approx 182km/2 hrs, 10 mins 

n Augathella to Blackall................................................... approx 219km/2 hrs, 35 mins 

n Blackall to Longreach.................................................. approx 214km /2 hrs, 30 mins 

We are up early this morning for a hearty campsite breakfast. Everybody chips in to help pack 

up the campsite and we continue our journey towards our next overnight stop at Longreach. 

We will arrive in Augathella for a refreshing morning tea. Augathella, with its fascinating history 

of bushrangers, bullockies and bullock teams, has some memorable Outback experiences 

Our lunch break is scheduled in Blackall. Famous for many reasons, blade shearer Jack 

Howe put Blackall on the map in 1892 when he set a world record by shearing 321 

sheep in seven hours and 40 minutes. It took 58 years for anyone to match this feat. It’s 

also the home of the Black Stump which marks the original Astro Station established in 

1887. Anything west of this point is said to be ‘beyond the black stump.’ 

We will arrive in the legendary town of Longreach late afternoon and set up camp. 

Campsite dinner tonight, followed by showers and bed. 

Our campsite: Discovery Holiday Parks, 12 Thrush Road, Longreach. Ph: (07) 4658 2667 

(Included meals: Breakfast; Morning Tea; Lunch; Dinner) 

Day 3 - Sightseeing in and around Longreach 

Highlights 

Morning 

Afternoon 

n Longreach School of Distance Education 

n Qantas Founders Museum 

n Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame 

We are up early this morning for a hearty campsite breakfast. Today we get the chance to 

explore Longreach, its pioneering history and its unique Queensland’s Outback attractions. 

Experience: Longreach School of Distance Education, Sir James Walker Drive, 

Longreach. Ph: (07) 4658 4215 

At the Longreach School of Distance Education you will learn how students who live 

in Queensland’s most remote regions go to school. Follow the fascinating history of 

Distance Education from the way it used to be to what it has become today. 

A morning tea stop is scheduled after our visit. 

Experience: Qantas Founders Museum, Longreach Airport, Sir Hudson Fysh Drive, 

Longreach. Ph: (07) 4658 3737 

They say Longreach is where Australia learned to fly. Now find out how at the Qantas 

Founders Museum. Visit the original 1922 Qantas hangar and explore a range of the 

original Qantas aircraft, including a decommissioned 747 and 707. 

Option: Add Wing Walk experience. 

We return to our campsite for lunch. 

Experience: Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, Landsborough Highway, Longreach. 

Ph: (07) 4658 2166 

The Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame is the best place in the country to learn about 

the nation’s pioneering history and the great contributions of Australian stockmen 

and women. See the RM Williams Outback Show featuring Rusty Frame, a true 

Queensland’s Outback character and legend. 

Evening Experience: Sunset River Cruise, Thomson River, Longreach. Ph: (07) 4658 2322 

Discover the Thomson River on the MV Longreach Explorer. We cruise along the Thomson 

River before dinner at the campsite. Learn about the water systems of Queensland’s 

Outback and how they sustain the pastoral growth of Queensland and Australia. 



080 



Journey 

Morning 

Afternoon 

Evening 

n Longreach to Barcaldine................................................. approx 107km/1 hr, 15 mins 

n Barcaldine to Ilfracombe.................................................................approx 80km/1 hr 

n Ilfracombe to Longreach...........................................................approx 27km/30 mins 

After another campsite breakfast, we venture to the neighbouring Queensland’s 

Outback towns of Barcaldine and Ilfracombe. 

Experience: Tree of Knowledge Memorial and Australian Workers Heritage Centre, 

94 Ash Street, Barcaldine. Ph: (07) 4651 2422 

Visiting the Tree of Knowledge Memorial and the Australian Workers Heritage Centre, 

we pay tribute to our early history. Barcaldine is home to the infamous Shearers’ Strike 

of 1891. The location of the Tree of Knowledge Memorial is known as the place where 

the Labor Party was formed. 

Enjoy a picnic lunch at Barcaldine before journeying 28km to Ilfracombe. 

Experience: Machinery Mile, (The Ilfracombe Historical Society Incorporation), 

Main Avenue, Ilfracombe. Ph: (07) 4658 1553 

We have time to explore Machinery Mile, one of the best and most extensive historic 

machinery displays in Australia. Visitors can expect to see many forms of old 

machinery, including a 1917 Ruston Proctor Tractor (one of only three of this model left 

in the world), and the Steam Devil, a big excavator driven by a three horse powered 

steam engine which runs along one railway line. Made in 1880 and sold in 1882, it 

would be safe in saying this excavator is the only remaining one of its kind in existence. 

Also see the 12 tonne Stuart Tank that has been converted to a dozer, the first series 

grader made by Caterpillar in 1935, plus an early 1900 Lacre Light Truck, and a 1914 

Republic Truck. 

Suggested Experience: Longreach Primary School, Longreach. 

Before departing on your Queensland’s Outback adventure, why not contact the 

teachers and students at the Longreach Primary School. This afternoon could then be 

spent meeting the students and learning why they enjoy life in Queensland’s Outback. 

Back to the campsite for dinner and bed. 

Our campsite: Discovery Holiday Parks, 12 Thrush Road, Longreach. 

Ph: (07) 4658 2667 


Tree of Knowledge, Barcaldine 



Highlights 

Morning 

Afternoon 

Evening 

n Cobb & Co. Coach Ride 

n The Station Store 

n Starlight’s Lookout 

After our campsite breakfast, we have the opportunity to experience some Queensland’s 

Outback adventure activities. 

Experience: Australian Agricultural College, Landsborough Highway, Longreach. 

Ph: (07) 4658 4699 

A tour of the Australian Agricultural College includes a sheep shearing demonstration, a 

visit to the College’s cattle breeding program and the sharing of first hand accounts of 

living on the land from College students. Lunch will be at the College. 

Experience: Kinnon and Co - Cobb & Co. Coach Ride, 126 Eagle Street, Longreach. 

Ph: (07) 4658 2006 

Experience an afternoon tour and ride on a Cobb & Co. Coach, which were the lifeline of 

Queensland’s Outback for communication and transport until motor vehicles arrived in 

1924. Visit the Station Store, which was an original Cobb & Co. stop, where you will see 

a video of the History of the Cobb & Co. as well as get a chance to step on board a horse 

drawn carriage. 

Afterwards - Drive out to Starlight’s Lookout, where the infamous cattle rustler Harry 

Redford staked his men to avoid capture. 

Share your day’s experiences during dinner at your campsite. 



Day 6 - Longreach to Mitchell 

Journey 

Morning 

Afternoon 

Early Evening 


n Barcaldine to Blackall..................................................... approx 107km/1 hr, 15 mins 

n Blackall to Mitchell...................................................... approx 399km /4 hrs, 40 mins 

Up early this morning for our campsite breakfast. Today we say goodbye to Longreach 

and begin our journey home. We depart Longreach for our travel to Barcaldine where 

we have our morning tea and comfort stops. 

Lunch will be at Blackall. We depart Blackall for our journey to Mitchell which will be our 

overnight stay. 

We arrive at Mitchell for our campsite dinner. 

Our campsite: Major Mitchell Caravan Park, Warrego Highway, Mitchell. Ph: (07) 4623 8177 


Day 7 - Mitchell To Brisbane 

Journey 

Morning 

Afternoon 

n Mitchell to Miles........................................................... approx 228km/2 hrs, 50 mins 

n Miles to Toowoomba.................................................... approx 210km/2 hrs, 40 mins 

n Toowoomba to Brisbane................................................. approx 126km/1 hr, 50 mins 

We enjoy our last campsite breakfast then continue our journey home to Brisbane. We 

will stop for morning tea en route to Miles. 

We arrive in Miles for a picnic lunch then make our way towards Toowoomba. If time 

permits, we will call at the Cobb & Co. Museum for a tour. 

Late Afternoon We leave Toowoomba and make our way back to Brisbane. We should arrive in 

Brisbane at approximately 6.30pm. 

082 


l 

i 

e 

k 

i 

n 

i 

e r 

ARCHER RIVER 

Tour Inclusions: 

n All coach travel in a 53 seater, air-conditioned luxury tour coach 

with seatbelts 

n Coach features: TV, DVD, radio, P.A. and CD player 

n Tent accommodation throughout 

n Full catering kitchen COOKTOWN and caterers for all meals 

as specified 

n Entrance 

LAKELAND 

fees to all attractions and experiences as specified 

Items not included: 

MOSSMAN 

PORT DOUGLAS 

n Crockery, cutlery and tea towel 

83 

n Sleeping bag MAREEBA and pillow 

108 

n Items CHILLAGOE of a personal nature 

83 

n Personal travel insurance 

45 

88 INNISFAIL 

68 

Tour Highlights: 

TULLY 

S L A 

79 

148 

n Great Artesian UNDARA Spa, Mitchell CARDWELL 

89 VOLCANIC 

NATIONAL 

n School of PARK Distance 108 Education, Longreach 

225 

INGHAM 

n Qantas Founders THE LYND JUNCTION Museum, Longreach 

GREENVALE 

52 

n Australian BLACKBRAES Stockman’s Hall of Fame, Longreach 

NATIONAL 

380 

PARK 

N Dn Sunset Cruise, Longreach 

200 

n Tree of Knowledge 246 Memorial, Barcaldine 

BOWEN 

n Australian Workers Heritage BALFE’S Centre, 134 Barcaldine 


GORGE MOUNTAINS CREEK 

CHARTERS 

n Machinery NATIONAL Mile, NATIONAL IlfracombeTOWERS 

PARK PARK 

158 

PENTLAND HOMESTEAD 

n Australian Agricultural College, Longreach 

49 

46 


50 n Cobb & Co. Coach TORRENS CREEK Ride, Longreach 

R i v e r 

0 MAXWELTON 

R 

NELIA 

LE 

ION 

164 

i v e r 

LARK 

QUARRY 

NSERVATION 

PARK 

117 

C o o p 

266 

WINDORAH 

e r C 

r e e k 

NOCCUNDRA 

COEN 

YARRADEN 

E i n a s l e 

G i l b e r t 

i g h 

R i v e r 

CORFIELD 

STAMFORD 

Relevant Fact Sheets: 

MOORRINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

1 - 8, 10 - 12, 15, 20 

WINTON 

MUTTABURRA 

89 

OPALTON 

LONGREACH 

W i l s 

o n 

T h o 

104 

STONEHENGE 

JUNDAH 

i v e r 

R 

L y n d 

R i v e r 

R i v e r 

BLADENSBURG 

NATIONAL 

PARK 179 

LOCHERN 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

m s 

B a 

o n R 

r c o o 

WELFORD 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

i v e r 

E E N S L A N D 

196 

191 

84 

114 

110 

150 

74 

103 

92 

51 

144 

125 

58 

50 

52 

83 

67 

112 

67 

94 

151 

R i v e r 

M 

64 

i 

t 

205 

c h 

102 

52 

e l 

EMMET 

YARAKA 

o 

l 

B u 

o 

43 

l 

116 

27 

89 

i v e r 

R 

R 

v e 

i 

r 

PRAIRIE 

ISISFORD 

112 

47 

63 

100 

ARAMAC 

ILFRACOMBE 

BARCALDINE 

JERICHO 

80 

101 

i v e 

R 

P a r o o 

248 

114 

r 

H 

e 

IDALIA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

r b e 

FOREST 

DEN 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

67 

22 

106 

209 

12 

r 

t 

R 

l 

A 

v e 

B u 

e 

c 

i 

r d 

BLACKALL 

TAMBO 

r d 

W a 

r 

R 

R 

e 

v 

i 

R 

v 

e 

r 

r 

i v e r 

42 

R i 

o 

n d 

B e l y a 

87 53 

101 

v e r 

121 

119 

360 

ALPHA 

r 

W a 

r 

R i v e r 

N e b i n e 

S 

u 

e g o 

t 

i v e 

R 

t 

204 

r 

e 

r 

168 

R 

i 

v 

e 

r 

SALVATOR 

ROSA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

MORANBAH 

CLERMONT 

54 

LAKE 

MARABOON 

KA KA 

MUNDI 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

MT MOFFATT 

NATIONAL PARK 

PROSERPINE 

CAPELLA 

52 


67 

76 

SPRINGSURE 

71 

ROLLESTON 

CARNARVON 

GORGE 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

106 

281 

192 

P A C I F I C 

O C 

MACKAY 

ADAVALE 

AUGATHELLA 

158 

40 

187 

INJUNE 

109 

84 91 

93 

85 

87 

91 

MORVEN 

CHARLEVILLE 

44 

MITCHELL 22 

QUILPIE CHEEPIE 

TREGOLE 

69 

74 

88 

141 

NATIONAL 

MUNGALLALA 45 

AMBY 

37 

PARK 

65 

ROMA 

EROMANGA 

48 COOLADDI 

99 

76 

159 

209 

TOOMPINE WYANDRA 

210 

210 

195 

SURAT 

34 

5 

55 

120 72 

98 

20 

23 25 

7 

THARGOMINDAH 


13 

177 

113 

180 

104 

68 


88 

NATIONAL PARK 

NINDIGULLY 

163 

203 

122 

119 

CURRAWINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

HUNGERFORD 

BARRINGUN 

E 

A N 

ROCKHAMPTON 

196 

TAROOM 

129 

bookings and enquires 

Kangaroo Bus Lines 

382 Morayfield Road, 

Morayfield Qld 4506 

Phone: (07) 5498 6466 

Email: info@kangaroobuslines.com.au 

BILOELA 

BANANA 

THEODORE 

MILES 

97 

Conditions: *Tour prices are valid 

until December 2010, however should 

participating accommodation and 

attractions operators increase their rates, 

the tour operator reserves the right to 

adjust prices accordingly. The quoted 

price is based on a minimum group of 25 

students with 2 teachers travelling free of 

charge. Where the group size is less than 

25 students, the tour price will increase. 

Prices are available on application. 

GLADSTONE 

Charleville 

EIDSVOLD 

GAYNDAH 

MUNDUBBERA 

CHINCHILLA 

DIRRANBANDI 

INGLEWOOD 

GOONDIWINDI 

66 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | TEXAS 

LISMORE 

HEBEL 

Travel Itineraries 083 

MUNGINDI 

123 

127 

MONTO 

KINGAROY 

DALBY 

84 

JONDARYAN 

113 

PITTSWORTH 

MILMERRAN 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

MIRIAM VALE 

GIN GIN 

WARWICK 

CHILDERS 

TENTERFIELD 

Townsville 

BUNDABERG 

GYMPIE 

NAMBOUR 

TOOWOOMBA 122 

Rockhampton 

Brisbane 

MARYBOROUGH 

IPSWICH 

BRISBANE 

TWEED HEADS 

BALLINA

02 

Way 

out in Winton - Camping Safari 


Queensland’s Outback is renowned for its remarkable dinosaur fossil 

discoveries. Journey back one hundred million years to the time 

of Gondwanaland through the towns and surrounds of Winton and 

Richmond. Here you’ll find fantastic insights into a time when giant 

prehistoric animals ruled the plains and huge reptilian fish infested 

the ancient inland sea. Learn why the landscape looks so much like 

the Savannah lands of Africa, and travel into more recent history 

with a visit to the world’s only museum dedicated to a song – the 

Waltzing Matilda Centre. 

Day 1 - Brisbane to Mitchell 

Journey 

Morning 

Afternoon 

n Brisbane to Toowoomba................................................. approx 126km/1 hr, 50 mins 

n Toowoomba to Miles.................................................... approx 210km/2 hrs, 40 mins 

n Miles to Mitchell.......................................................... approx 228km/2, hrs. 50 mins 

We begin the day with an early departure from Brisbane en route to Toowoomba. 

Following a pleasant 1hr 50 min drive, we will enjoy morning tea at Picnic Point, located 

on the edge of the Great Dividing Range in Toowoomba. 

Next we will travel 2 hrs 40 mins to Miles, where lunch will be enjoyed in a local park. 

Miles was originally named Dogwood Crossing and was established on a track blazed 

by the explorer Ludwig Leichhardt in 1884. 

After lunch we continue our journey to our overnight stop at Mitchell, known as the 

Gateway to Queensland’s Outback. The town, on the banks of the Maranoa River, was 

named in honour of Sir Thomas Mitchell whose exploration of south-west Queensland 

led to the establishment of several towns in the region. On arrival we will set up camp. 

If time permits, we will visit the Great Artesian Spa 

Experience: The Great Artesian Spa, 2 Cambridge Street, Mitchell. 

Ph: (07) 4623 8171 

The Great Artesian Spa promises a unique Queensland’s Outback experience. There are 

two large pools of thermal mineralised artesian waters to enjoy. One spa has naturally 

heated waters from the Great 

Artesian Basin. The other pool is 

designed for those who prefer a 

cooler experience. 

Evening 

On return to our camp, it’s time 

for a campsite dinner followed 

by showers and a well deserved 

night’s sleep. 

Our campsite: Major Mitchell 

Caravan Park, Warrego Highway, 

Mitchell. Ph: (07) 4623 8177 

(Included Meals: Morning Tea; 

Lunch; Dinner) 

Great Artesian Spa. 

084 


Day 2 - Mitchell to Longreach 

Journey 

Morning 

Afternoon 

Evening 

n Mitchell to Augathella................................................... approx 182km/2 hrs, 10 mins 

n Augathella to Blackall................................................... approx 219km/2 hrs, 35 mins 

n Blackall to Longreach.................................................. approx 214km /2 hrs, 30 mins 

We are up early this morning for a hearty campsite breakfast. Everybody chips in to help pack 

up the campsite and we continue our journey towards our next overnight stop at Longreach. 

We will arrive in Augathella for a refreshing morning tea. Augathella, with its fascinating 

history of bushrangers, bullockies and bullock teams, has some memorable 

Queensland’s Outback experiences. 

Our lunch break is scheduled in Blackall. Famous for many reasons, blade shearer Jack 

Howe put Blackall on the map in 1892 when he set a world record by shearing 321 

sheep in seven hours and 40 minutes. It took 58 years for anyone to match this feat. It’s 

also the home of the Black Stump which marks the original Astro Station established in 

1887. Anything west of this point is said to be ‘beyond the black stump.’ 

We will arrive in the legendary town of Longreach late afternoon and set up camp. 

Campsite dinner tonight, followed by showers and bed. 


(Included Meals: Breakfast; Morning Tea; Lunch; Dinner) 

Day 3 - Longreach to Winton 

(180km/2 hrs, 10mins) 

Highlights 

Morning 

n The Waltzing Matilda Centre 

n Winton’s Musical Fence 

n Arno’s Wall 

After breakfast, we break camp and make our way to Winton. The town is best known as the 

place that AB (Banjo) Paterson wrote “Waltzing Matilda” in 1895, whilst staying outside Winton. 

The first performance of the ballad was reported to be at Winton’s North Gregory Hotel on 6 

April of the same year. Winton is recognised as the ‘home’ of Australian bush poetry, hosting 

the annual Bronze Swagman Award, one of the country’s most prestigious literary awards. 

Afternoon Experience: The Waltzing Matilda Centre, Elderslie Street, Winton. Ph: (07) 4657 1466 

The Centre is dedicated to the nation’s favourite unofficial anthem “Waltzing Matilda”. 

The song, penned by Banjo Paterson, embraces Australian culture and the Centre uses 

technology and interactive displays to interpret the song. 

Lunch will be at the Coolabah Café, Waltzing Matilda Centre. 

Experience: Winton’s Musical Fence and Arno’s Wall Winton. Ph: (07) 4657 1466 

Now for something completely different! This segment of the journey takes you to a musical 

fence! You will not only see it, you can play it too, and no one will tell you to keep the noise 

down. Winton’s Musical Fence was designed by Australian composer Graeme Leak, as a 

purpose-built wire fence that can be plucked and bowed like a giant stringed instrument. It 

is believed to be the only permanent musical fence installation in the world. Then it’s off to 

Arno’s Wall where a sewing machine, car door, and even a microwave make for unusual wall 

hangings. Arno Grotjahn’s wall, which is about two metres high and 70 metres long, contains 

almost every household item you can imagine including the kitchen sink! 

Early evening 

We check in to our campsite at Windermere Station, a 30,000 acre working cattle 

station located in the heart of Waltzing Matilda and Dinosaur Country. You’ll learn about 

the history of this part of Australia and experience the wide open spaces. Tonight we 

enjoy a camp oven dinner at the campsite. 

After dinner, if time permits we will experience The Royal Theatre Open Air Picture Show 

which screens movies with a difference! Recline in deck chairs under the stars as you enjoy 

a taste of what it was like to go to the movies in Queensland’s Outback in the 1950’s. 

Our campsite: Windermere Station, via Winton. Ph: (07) 4657 0359 



Day 4 - Windermere Station and surrounds 

Highlights 

Morning 

Afternoon 

n Stockman Museum 

n Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways 

After our campsite breakfast, we step back in time and walk through the Stockman 

Museum, housed in the original stockmen’s quarters of “Windermere.” Inside you will 

see how the stockmen lived and some of the tools they used in day to day life. 

You will get an insight into the management of the station, as well as the ever-changing 

landscapes. There is also plenty of animal life to be found while driving around the 

property, such as Brahman cattle, quarter horses and all the family pets. 

We have lunch at the campsite, then we visit Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways. 

Experience: Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways, Jundah Road via Winton. Ph: (07) 4657 1188 

Cast back about 100 million years in time, as we travel to Lark Quarry. Thousands of 

perfectly preserved footprints record the world’s only evidence of a dinosaur stampede. 

The Trackways feature 3,300 footprints, made by 200 individual dinosaurs and tell a 

story of a few fatal moments all those millions of years ago. The significance of the 

site also inspires the stampede scene in the Steven Spielberg’s movie “Jurassic Park”. 

Experience the Quarry with a guided tour of the landscape around the trackways. 

We return to Windermere Station for dinner and overnight camp. 

Our campsite: Windermere Station, via Winton. Ph: (07) 4657 0359 


Day 5 - Winton to Longreach 

(180km/2 hrs, 10 mins) 

Highlights 

Morning 

Afternoon 

086 

n Starlight’s Lookout 

n School of Distance Education 

n Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame 

We have breakfast at our campsite then bid Windermere farewell and head back to Longreach 

with a stop en-route at Starlight’s Lookout. The lookout is named after the infamous cattle 

duffer Harry Redford and offers expansive views of the land “Captain Starlight” once travelled. 

Experience: School of Distance Education, Sir James Walker Drive, Longreach. 

Ph: (07) 4658 4215 

At the Longreach School of Distance Education you will learn how students who live 

in Queensland’s most remote regions go to school. Follow the fascinating history of 

Distance Education from the way it used to be to what it has become today. You may 

even get the chance to interact with students during a lesson. 

Check into Discovery Holiday Parks, and set up camp. Lunch will be at the campsite. 

Experience: Qantas Founders Museum, Longreach Airport, Sir Hudson Fysh Drive, 

Longreach. Ph: (07) 4658 3737 

They say Longreach is where Australia learned to fly. Now find out how at the Qantas 

Founders Museum. Visit the original 1922 Qantas hangar and explore a range of the 

original Qantas aircraft, including a decommissioned 747 and 707. 

Option: Add Wing Walk experience. 

Experience: Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, Landsborough Hwy, Longreach. 

Ph: (07) 4658 2166 

Discover the history behind some of Australia’s bravest and most intrepid explorers - the 

stockmen, women and Aborigines of early pioneering Australia at the Australian Stockman’s Hall 

of Fame. The themes cover exploration, discovery, settlement, development of Queensland’s 

Outback properties and industries, living in Queensland’s Outback and the stock worker. 




Day 6 - Longreach to Mitchell 

Journey 

Morning 

Afternoon 

Evening 


n Barcaldine to Blackall..................................................... approx 107km/1 hr, 15 mins 

n Blackall to Mitchell...................................................... approx 399km /4 hrs, 40 mins 

We are up early this morning for our campsite breakfast. Today we say goodbye to 

Longreach and begin our journey home. We depart Longreach and travel to Barcaldine 

(approx 107km) for our morning tea. 

Lunch will be at Blackall. 

We depart Blackall for our journey to Mitchell which will be our overnight stay. 

Arrive Mitchell for campsite dinner. 

Our campsite: Major Mitchell Caravan Park, Warrego Highway, Mitchell. 

Ph: (07) 4623 8177 


Day 7 - Mitchell To Brisbane 

Journey 

Morning 

Afternoon 

Afternoon / 

Evening 

n Mitchell to Miles...............................................................approx 228km/2 hrs, 50 mins 

n Miles to Toowoomba.........................................................approx 210km/2 hrs, 40 mins 

n Toowoomba to Brisbane.................................................... approx 126km/1 hr, 50 mins 

We enjoy our last campsite breakfast this morning, before continuing our journey home to 

Brisbane. We will stop for morning tea en-route. 

We arrive in Miles for a picnic lunch then make our way towards Toowoomba 

If time permits, we will call at the Cobb & Co. Museum for a tour. 

We leave Toowoomba and make our way back to Brisbane. We should arrive in Brisbane 

at approximately 6.30pm. 

Cobb & Co. Museum, Toowoomba 


l 

i 

e 

k 

i 

n 

i 

a 

e r 

p 

HER RIVER 

e r 

AXWELTON 

IA 50 

K 

RRY 

VATION 

K 

7 

4 

66 

WINDORAH 

e r C 

96 

r e e k 

CUNDRA 

91 

COEN 

YARRADEN 

TIBOOBURRA 

E i n a s l e 

COOKTOWN 

n Full catering kitchen and caterers for all meals as specified 

i g h 

68 

TULLY 

79 

148n Great Artesian Spa, Mitchell 

UNDARA 

CARDWELL 

89 VOLCANIC 

n School of NATIONAL Distance Education, Longreach 

PARK 

108 

225 

INGHAM 

n Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, Longreach 


GREENVALE 

n Qantas Founders 52 Museum, Longreach 

BLACKBRAES 

NATIONAL 

380 

PARK 

G i l b e r t 

R i v e r 

CORFIELD 

112 

STAMFORD 

WINTON 

STONEHENGE 

EROMANGA 

088 

MUTTABURRA 

89 

OPALTON 

LONGREACH 

W i l s 

o n 

T h o 

JUNDAH 

i v e r 

R 

L y n d 

R i v e r 

R i v e r 

m s 

B a 

o n R 

r c o o 

i v e r 

R i v e r 

M 

i 

t 

QUILPIE 

LAKELAND 

c h 

e l 



NATIONAL 

PARK 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

158 

PENTLAND 

EMMET 

YARAKA 

o 

l 

B u 

o 

l 

i v e r 

R 

R 

v e 

i 

r 


L A N D 

200 

n Waltzing Matilda 

246 

Centre, Winton 

n Musical Fence and Arno’s 

BALFE’S 

Wall, 134 Winton 

CREEK 

n Windermere Station, Winton 

114 

110 

150 

84 

74 

103 

92 

49 

LOCHERN 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

51 

BLADENSBURG 

NATIONAL 

PARK 179 

WELFORD 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

E N S L A N D 

159 


n All coach travel in a 53 seater, air-conditioned luxury tour coach 




125 

n Entrance fees to all attractions and experiences as specified 


MOSSMAN 

PORT DOUGLAS 


n Sleeping bag and pillow 

83 

MAREEBA 

n Items of a personal nature 

108 

CHILLAGOE 

83 


45 

88 INNISFAIL 


144 

58 

50 

52 

83 

67 

67 

94 

64 

205 

102 

52 

116 

27 

89 

46 

TORRENS CREEK 

PRAIRIE 

ILFRACOMBE 

BARCALDINE 

JERICHO 

80 

ISISFORD 

47 

63 

100 

ADAVALE 

ARAMAC 

85 

CHARLEVILLE 

74 CHEEPIE 

88 

TOOMPINE 

34 

i v e 

R 

P a r o o 

248 

114 

r 

H 

e 

IDALIA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

r b e 

MOORRINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

FOREST 

DEN 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

67 

22 

209 

r 

t 

B u 

HOMESTEAD 

BLACKALL 

12 

48 COOLADDI 

99 

R 

l 

A 

v e 

e 

c 

i 

WYANDRA 

r d 

TAMBO 

r d 

W a 

r 

R 

R 

e 

v 

i 

R 

v 

e 

r 

r 

i v e r 

42 

AUGATHELLA 

CHARTERS 

TOWERS 

Relevent Fact Sheets: 

10 - 12, 14 - 15, 18 - 19, 24, 26 

93 

158 

69 

151 

104 

37 

43 

76 

112 

101 

106 

R i 

o 

n d 

B e l y a 

87 53 

5 

55 

120 72 

98 

20 

23 25 

7 

THARGOMINDAH 


13 

104 

68 


NATIONAL PARK 

163 

122 

119 

CURRAWINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

HUNGERFORD 

BARRINGUN 

101 

ALPHA 

MORANBAH 

BOWEN 

CLERMONT 

87 

MORVEN 

44 

MITCHELL 22 

TREGOLE 

NATIONAL 

MUNGALLALA 45 

AMBY 

PARK 

DIRRANBANDI 

PROSERPINE 

CAPELLA 


SPRINGSURE 

ROLLESTON 

INJUNE 

MUNGINDI 

MACKAY 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Travel Itineraries 

217 

187 

137 

R i v 

v e r 

121 

119 

e r 

360 

r 

W a 

r 

84 91 

177 

209 

R i v e r 

N e b i n e 

S 

e r 

R i v 

u 

e g o 

t 

i v e 

R 


t 

204 

r 

e 

r 

168 

R 

i 

v 

HEBEL 

e 

r 

SALVATOR 

ROSA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

210 

54 

LAKE 

MARABOON 

KA KA 

MUNDI 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

MT MOFFATT 

NATIONAL PARK 

109 

66 

210 

113 

52 

67 

76 

CARNARVON 

GORGE 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

106 

281 

71 

40 

192 

91 

65 

ROMA 

88 

P A C I F I C 

195 

SURAT 

O C 

141 

180 

NINDIGULLY 

203 

E 

A N 

MOREE 

ROCKHAMPTON 

196 

TAROOM 

129 

GOONDIWINDI 

BILOELA 

BANANA 

THEODORE 

MILES 

97 

123 





Phone: (07) 5498 6466 













MONTO 

EIDSVOLD 

GAYNDAH 

MUNDUBBERA 

CHINCHILLA 

127 

INGLEWOOD 

TEXAS 

GLADSTONE 

KINGAROY 

DALBY 

84 

JONDARYAN 

113 

PITTSWORTH 

MILMERRAN 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

Charleville 

MIRIAM VALE 

GIN GIN 

WARWICK 

CHILDERS 

TENTERFIELD 

Townsville 

BUNDABERG 

GYMPIE 

NAMBOUR 

TOOWOOMBA 122 

Rockhampton 

Brisbane 

MARYBOROUGH 

IPSWICH 

BRISBANE 

TWEED HEADS 

LISMORE 

BALLINA

03 

Mount 

Isa Outback Tour - Camping Safari 

6 Days/5 Nights ex Cairns from $762* per student 

The stark and striking ochre surroundings of the Mount Isa region epitomise 

the image of Queensland’s Outback – this truly is ‘Sunburnt Country’. v 

Beneath its crusty exterior there are plenty of treasures to be found. 

Discover the burial grounds of ancient beasts that once roamed the land. 

Delve underground on a working mine tour, experience an underground 

hospital built during WWII and be amazed by hidden lakes and dams. 

Day 1 - Cairns to Croydon 

Journey 

Morning 

Afternoon 

Evening 

n Cairns to Mamu....................................................................approx 120km/1hr, 40 mins 

n Mamu to Mt Surprise.........................................................approx 225km/2 hrs, 40 mins 

n Mt Surprise to Croydon.....................................................approx 240km/2 hrs, 40 mins 

Our exciting journey begins early today, travelling south to the region’s newest rainforest 

experience, the Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway. Here your driver will take you on a 

series of magnificent boardwalks and viewing platforms which traverse the canopy level 

of the World Heritage Wooroonooran National Park. 

Experience: Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway, Wooroonooran National Park, on the 

Palmerston Highway. Ph: (07) 4064 5294 

The Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway is a spectacular walk through the canopy of 

World Heritage rainforest. With a 350 metre long elevated walkway through the canopy, 

a cantilever, a 37 metre observation tower and more than 1200 metres of walking 

tracks, it’s an exhilarating experience. The area has cultural significance to the Ma Mu 

Aboriginal people. 

We then head west across the Atherton Tablelands with its lush scenery. Passing 

Ravenshoe we say goodbye to the rainforest and busy east coast and start our 

Queensland’s Outback experience. After lunch we continue on via Mt Surprise before 

travelling through the Gulf 

Savannah country, which 

attracted many people and rapid 

town developments during the 

gold rush. 

Croydon is our overnight 

destination – during its 

heyday Croydon was one of 

Queensland’s biggest towns. 

After arriving, cool off with a 

swim at Lake Belmore, before a 

spectacular sunset viewed from a 

peaceful lookout over Croydon. 

Our campsite: Croydon Gold 

Caravan Park, Aldridge Street, 

Croydon. Ph: (07) 4745 6238 

(Included Meals: Lunch; Dinner) 

Nandroya Falls Tree, Wooroonooran National Park. 


Day 2 - Croydon to Lawn Hill National Park 

Journey 

Morning 

Afternoon 

n Croydon to Normanton........................................................approx 150km/1 hr, 40 mins 

n Normanton to Gregory Downs..........................................approx 295km/3 hrs, 45 mins 

n Gregory Downs to Adel’s Grove............................................approx 90km/1 hr, 50 mins 

This morning we continue along the Matilda Highway, passing the township of 

Normanton before stopping at the Burke and Wills Roadhouse. From here we traverse 

the Wills Development Road, making a stop at Gregory Downs. We pass by the old 

Gregory Downs Hotel, originally built to serve passengers on the coach run from 

Burketown, before arriving at the picturesque Gregory River for a relaxing BBQ lunch. 

We arrive this afternoon at Adel’s Grove – a great place to unwind. Adel’s Grove 

Camping Ground is an eco-sensitive tourist park on Lawn Hill Creek, located 10 

kilometres downstream from Lawn Hill National Park. Adel’s Grove is set among a 

plantation of exotic trees initially grown by the French Botanist Albert de Lestang over 

80 years ago. Enjoy a BBQ dinner here tonight before retiring to your campsite. 

Our campsite: Adel’s Grove Camping Ground, Lawn Hill Creek. Ph: (07) 4748 5502 

(Included Meals: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner) 

Day 3 - In Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park 

Highlights 

Morning 

Afternoon 

Evening 

n Interpretive tour of Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park 

n Canoeing in Lawn Hill Gorge 

n Swimming in Lawn Hill Creek 

Enjoy breakfast at Adel’s Grove before joining your guide for an interpretive tour of 

the flora, fauna and landscape of Boodjamulla National Park. Learn about the area’s 

indigenous history and the events which have caused the formation of the spectacular 

Lawn Hill Gorge. 

We then enjoy a picnic lunch before our afternoon is spent canoeing through the calm 

waters of Lawn Hill Gorge. Enjoy a swim in the spring fed waterway of Lawn Hill Creek. 

Experience: Boondjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park, via Gregory Downs 

Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park is one of Queensland’s most scenic national 

parks, featuring spectacular gorge country, sandstone ranges and significant fossils. 

Lawn Hill Gorge is formed by Lawn Hill Creek, which is fed by numerous freshwater 

springs from the limestone plateau to the west. The Waanyi Aboriginal people have 

strong cultural ties with the park. 

Tonight we enjoy dinner at Adel’s Grove before retiring to our tented accommodation. 

Our campsite: Adel’s Grove Camping Ground, Lawn Hill Creek. Ph: (07) 4748 5502 


Lawn Hill Gorge, Lawn Hill National Park 

090 


Day 4 - Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park to Mount Isa 

(330km/5 hrs) 

Highlights 

Morning 

Afternoon 

Evening 

n Outback at Isa – (Riversleigh Fossil Centre; 

The Isa Experience Gallery; Hard Times Mine) 

Enjoy breakfast at Adel’s Grove before our early departure to the World Heritagelisted 

Riversleigh Fossil Fields – site of some of Australia’s most significant reptile and 

mammal fossil deposits, believed to date back to between 15 and 25 million years. 

Experience: Riversleigh Fossil Fields, Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park, 

via Gregory Downs 

Afterwards we continue on the trip to Mount Isa, one of the largest cities in the world 

with an area of 41,000 square kilometres. 

Experience: Outback at Isa, 19 Marian Street, Mount Isa. Ph: (07) 4749 1555. 

Our first stop in Mount Isa is Outback at Isa – home to the Riversleigh Fossil Centre 

and the site of fossilised flesh-eating kangaroos, giant carnivorous emus and twometre 

tall wombats. The centre interprets the fossils extracted from the nearby World 

Heritage-listed Riversleigh Fossil Fields. From here, head through the Isa Experience 

Gallery where you can see, hear and feel the history of Mount Isa come to life in the 

interactive gallery. 

Enjoy lunch at the Outback at Isa complex then it’s time to don your hard hat and get 

set to go underground. See how the miners used to work in the Hard Times Mine. The 

mine provides a rare opportunity to experience first-hand the daily life and workings of 

an underground mine. 

You will then be taken to AAOK Moondarra Caravan Park to enjoy dinner and retire to 

your accommodation. 

Our campsite: AAOK Moondarra Caravan Park, 1 Lake Moondarra Road, Mount Isa. 

Ph: (07) 4743 9780 


Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centre, Mount Isa 


Day 5 - In Mount Isa 

Highlights 

Morning 

Afternoon 

Evening 

n Mount Isa School of the Air 

n The Royal Flying Doctor Service 

n Mount Isa Underground Hospital and Museum 

This morning enjoy breakfast at your Lake Moondarra accommodation before we 

learn what it is like to go to school when you live in a remote region when you visit 

the Mount Isa School of the Air. See first-hand how students learn and attend classes 

through the school. 

Experience: Mount Isa School of the Air, 137-143 Abel Smith Parade, Mount Isa. 

Ph: (07) 4744 8333 

We then visit The Royal Flying Doctor Service – an icon of Queensland’s Outback 

offering an insider’s view of managing the logistics when doctors and medical staff are 

called to emergencies in some of Australia’s most remote areas. 

Experience: The Royal Flying Doctor Service, 11 Barkly Highway, Mount Isa 

Ph: (07) 4743 2800 

We enjoy a picnic lunch today in Mount Isa. Our last attraction of the day is a tour of the 

Underground Hospital. In 1942 the Japanese bombed Darwin and it was feared Mount 

Isa could be next. The Mount Isa Hospital Board acted quickly to build an underground 

hospital to care for any casualties. Fortunately the hospital was never used and today 

stands as a wonderful exhibit of hospitals of the 1940s. 

Experience: Mount Isa Underground Hospital and Museum, Joan Street, Mount Isa. 

Ph: (07) 4749 0281 

Tonight, enjoy dinner at your Lake Moondarra accommodation before retiring to your tent. 

Our campsite: AAOK Moondarra Caravan Park,1 Lake Moondarra Road, Mount Isa. 

Ph: 07 4743 9780 


Day 6 - Mount Isa to Townsville 

Journey: 

Morning 

Afternoon 

n Mount Isa to Richmond:............................................... approx 405km/4 hrs, 40 mins 

n Richmond to Townsville:............................................................. approx 500km/6 hrs 

Take an early breakfast at your Lake Moondarra accommodation before departing 

on our journey to Townsville. We stop off at Kronosaurus Korner (Dinosaur Centre) in 

Richmond which houses an extensive display of local fossils from the Cretaceous inland 

sea that covered a large section of Queensland approximately 120 million years ago. 

Experience: Kronosaurus Korner, 91-93 Goldring Street, Richmond. 

Ph: (07) 4741 3429 

Inside Kronosaurus Korner you will find the only centre in Australia primarily dedicated 

to displaying marine reptiles, as well as a very special dinosaur. Minmi, with impressions 

of its fossilised skin, is considered to be Australia’s best-preserved dinosaur skeleton. 

The Richmond Pliosaur, Australia’s best vertebrate fossil and one of the world’s best 

Pliosaur skeletons, is also housed here. 

Enjoy lunch here at the Moonrock Café and Bakery (own expense) before departing on 

the final leg of our journey to Townsville. We arrive in Townsville late afternoon which 

marks the end of our amazing 6-day experience in Queensland’s Outback! 

(Included Meals: Breakfast) 

092 


t 

i 

i 

k 

i 

n 

i 


n All coach travel in a 48-53 seater, air-conditioned luxury tour coach 


n Coach features: DVD entertainment, reclining seats, and extra leg room 

n Camping equipment (please provide own sleeping bag, pillow, linen etc) 

n 5 nights camping accommodation in Croydon, Adel’s Grove 

and Moondarra 

n Meals – 5 x breakfasts, 4 x lunches, 5 x dinners 

n All entrance and admission fees to Mamu Rainforest Canopy 

Walkway; Outback at Isa; Underground Hospital; School of the Air; 

Royal Flying Doctor Service; Kronosaurus Korner 

n National Parks and Wildlife fees 


n Transfers to Cairns/from Townsville 

n Accommodation in Cairns/Townsville 

n Personal camping equipment (sleeping bag, pillow, linen etc) 

n Lunch at Moonrock Café and Bakery (Day 6) 

n Any additional food, beverages, souvenirs, personal WEIPA purchases, etc. 


Down Under Tours Australia 

PO Box 5670, Cairns Qld 4870 

Phone: (07) 4035 5577 

Email: groups@downundertours.com 

Web: www.downundertours.com 


until 31 March 2010, however should 





price is based on a minimum group of 

40 students. Teachers’ prices available 

on request. Where the group size is 

less than 40 students, the tour price 

will increase. Prices are available on 

application. Itinerary times are suggested 

only and are subject to change. 


n Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway, Wooroonooran National Park 

n Outback at Isa (includes Hard Times Mine, Riversleigh ARCHER RIVER Fossil Centre, 

Isa Experience Gallery), Mount Isa 

n Underground Hospital and Museum, Mount Isa 

n School of the Air, Mount Isa 

n Royal Flying Doctor Service, Mount Isa 


COEN 

YARRADEN 


9, 13, 17, 22, 24, 26 

A R I A 

P E N T 

LAKELAND 

COOKTOWN 

C A R 

oloola 

N 

i 

c 

L a w 

h 

n 

o 

l 

MORNINGTON 

ISLAND 

Townsville 


ISLANDS 

Rockhampton 

Charleville 

BURKETOWN 

Brisbane 

DOOMADGEE 

77 

93 

TIRRANNA 

s 

G r 

o 

H i 

e 

l 

g 

n 

l 

o 

R i 

BOODJAMULLA 

(LAWN HILL) 

NATIONAL PARK 

ADELS GROVE 


471km to 

Tennant 

Creek 

E R R I T O R Y 

Mt Isa 

Longreach 

C 

r 

v 

e 

CAMOOWEAL 

URANDANGI 

r 

y 

e 

e 

R 

k 

RIVERSLEIGH 

i 

90 

r 

v 

70 

e r 

G 

e 

90 


NATIONAL PARK 

112 

o r g i 

105 

GREGORY 

DOWNS 

DAJARRA 

115 

n 

57 

a 

129 

74 

118 

MOUNT 

ISA 

149 

87 

WAGGABUNDI 

GUNPOWDER 

44 

h h a r d 

R 

60 

L e i 

c 

v e r 

KAJABBI 

G 

90 

QUAMBY 43 

CLONCURRY 

119 

58 

26 

DUCHESS 

L 

U 

O F 

F 

KARUMBA 

153 

229 

140 

110 

192 

o 

l 

C 

n 

c 

u r 

r 

S 

v e r 

y 

m i t 

71 

BURKE & WILLS 

JUNCTION 

138 

105 

R 

McKINLAY 

209 

h b u r n e 

N o r m a n 

R i v e r 

R i v e r 


R i v e r 

JULIA 

CREEK 

50 MAXWELTON 

E i n a s l e 


235 

NORMANTON 

77 

78 

148 

CROYDON 

112 

G i l b e r t 

i g h 

R i v e r 

L y n d 

R i v e r 

R i v e r 

STAMFORD 

M 

BLACKBRAES 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

i 

t 

c h 

e l 

l 

MOSSMAN 


GREENVALE 

52 

PORT DOUGLAS 

CARDWELL 

INGHAM 

KYNUNA 

84 

360 

CORFIELD 

COMBO 

Queensland’s CONSERVATION Outback Education Handbook | Travel Itineraries 093 

WATERHOLE 

MORANBAH 

PARK 

NELIA 

50 

164 

150 

74 

148 

GEORGETOWN 

49 

380 

144 

83 

112 

67 

89 

225 

RICHMOND 

HUGHENDEN 

64 

R 

UNDARA 

VOLCANIC 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

246 

v e 

i 

79 

r 

MAREEBA 

83 

CAIRNS 

108 

GORDONVALE 

CHILLAGOE 

ATHERTON 

83 

MOUNT GARNET 

45 

88 INNISFAIL 

RAVENSHOE 

MOUNT 

SURPRISE 

108 

68 

205 248 

H 

e 

r b e 



NATIONAL 

PARK 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

158 

PENTLAND 

MOORRINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

FOREST 

DEN 

NATIONAL 

r 

t 

200 

TULLY 

R 

i 

v e 

B u 

r d 

BALFE’S 

CREEK 

r 

HOMESTEAD 

46 

TORRENS CREEK 

43 PRAIRIE 

e 

R 

v 

e 

TOWNSVILLE 

r 

CHARTERS 

TOWERS 

o 

d 

a n 

R i 

v e r 

134 

S 

u 

t 


t 

e 

r 

R 

i 

v 

e 

r 

BO 

PR

04South West Safari Tour - Camping Safari 


Take a journey to the ‘natural’ Outback of Queensland’s South West. 

Be enthralled by the historic sound and light show at The Big Rig in 

Roma. Discover the universe at the Charleville Cosmos Centre and 

Observatory. Visit the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Centre, home of 

the ‘Save the Bilby’ Fund. Discover the valuable service that the Royal 

Flying Doctor Service delivers to the people of Queensland’s Outback. 

Gain an understanding of how children in remote areas learn through 

the School of the Air. Experience life on a 45,000 hectare working sheep 

and cattle station. Camp out every night under clear skies, where the 

stars seem to stretch forever. 

Day 1 - Brisbane to Roma 

Journey 

Morning 

Afternoon 

n Brisbane – Toowoomba.......................................................approx 126km/1 hr, 50 mins 

n Toowoomba to Chinchilla..................................................approx 165km/2 hrs, 10 mins 

n Chinchilla to Roma.............................................................approx 186km/2 hrs. 20 mins 

We begin the day with an early departure from Brisbane en route to Toowoomba. 

Following a pleasant 1hr 50 min drive, we will enjoy morning tea at Picnic Point, located 

on the edge of the Great Dividing Range in Toowoomba. 

We continue travelling on to Chinchilla, known as the ‘Melon Capital’ of Australia 

where 25 percent of Australia’s total watermelon crop is produced. Our lunch stop 

will be at Chinchilla. 

After lunch we head towards Roma, known as the cradle of Australia’s oil and gas 

industry, and home to the Big Rig. We arrive in Roma late afternoon and check into our 

campsite for dinner. 

Evening Experience: Big Rig Night Tour, Warrego Highway, Roma. Ph: (07) 4622 4355 

History is brought to life at the “Big 

Rig”, the town’s major tourist attraction, 

paying tribute to Roma’s oil and gas 

industry that began back in 1900. 

Through a theatrical presentation with 

pyrotechnics, computer lighting and 

a digitally mastered soundtrack, a 

night show dramatically recreates this 

remarkable story of Australia’s oil and 

gas. 

Our campsite: Roma Aussie Tourist 

Park, 6 Bowen Street, Roma. 

Ph: (07) 4622 6464 

(Included Meals: Morning Tea; 

Lunch; Dinner) 

Picnic Point, Toowoomba 

094 


Day 2 - Roma to Charleville 

Journey 

Morning 

Afternoon 

Evening 

n Roma to Morven................................................................approx 177km/2 hrs, 10 mins 

n Morven to Charleville.............................................................approx 91km/1 hr, 15 mins 

Breakfast will be at the campsite before we begin our journey to Charleville. We will 

stop en route to experience the unique Morven Museum, a must-see collection of 

handcrafted, perfectly recreated miniature buildings from the bark and slab hut days of 

early Queensland’s Outback settlement, as well as an original kerosene tin hut. 

We arrive in Charleville for a picnic lunch. Charleville is the largest town in the south 

west of Queensland’s Outback region where in 1890, Cobb & Co. based their largest 

coachmaking factory in Australia. We check into our campsite accommodation after 

lunch, then head out to the Cosmos Centre and Observatory. 

Experience: Day Visit: Cosmos Centre and Observatory, Qantas Drive, Charleville. 

Ph: (07) 4654 7771 

The Cosmos Theatre is the venue for two movie presentations. First, Aboriginal 

Dreamtime Cosmology, which tells the story of the Rainbow Serpent and the creations 

of planet Earth. Next, Chain of Wonders, a mini IMAX experience on the formation of the 

Universe, hosted by two Queensland’s Outback characters. 

Following dinner, we return to the Cosmos Centre to be guided through the night sky. 

Experience: Night Visit: Cosmos Centre and Observatory, Qantas Drive, Charleville. 

Ph: (07) 4654 7771 

Experienced guides take visitors on a tour of Queensland’s Outback night sky. You 

will have the opportunity to view distant stars, planets and star clusters through three 

powerful Meade 12 inch telescopes. 

Our campsite: Bailey Bar Caravan Park, 196 King Street, Charleville. 

Ph: (07) 4654 1744 


Cosmos Centre, Charleville 


Day 3 - Charleville to Cunnamulla 

(200km/2 hrs, 20 mins) 

Highlights 

Morning 

Afternoon 

Afternoon / 

Evening 

n School of the Air 

n Charleville Royal Flying Doctor Base 

n Nardoo Station 

We have breakfast at campsite, before packing up ready to begin our day’s activities. 

This morning we have a visit to the School of the Air and learn how these vital services 

have sustained Queensland’s Outback communities for generations, then it’s on to the 

Charleville Royal Flying Doctor Base. 

Experience: Charleville School of Distance Education, Parry Street, Charleville. 

Ph: (07) 4654 4172 

The Charleville School of Distance Education (incorporating Charleville School of the Air) 

was established in 1966 in conjunction with the Royal Flying Doctors Service. Teachers 

conduct daily telephone lessons for prep, primary and secondary children, and the 

preschoolers have two lessons a week. To assist teachers with daily lessons, families are 

supplied with a specially designed telephone and headset by the school. 

Experience: Charleville Royal Flying Doctor Base, Old Cunnamulla Road, Charleville. 

Ph: (07) 4654 1233 

At the Royal Flying Doctor Service Centre you will discover the valuable service, both 

past and present, that the doctors deliver to the people of Queensland’s Outback. An 

introductory film introduces you to the service. Extensive displays of past and present 

equipment provide a fascinating insight into the history of this unique Outback service. 

We enjoy a picnic lunch before heading off to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Centre, 

Charleville for a special afternoon visit. 

Experience: Queensland Parks and Wildlife Centre, 1 Park Street, Charleville. 

Ph: (07) 4654 3057 

Meet with the local QPWS Ranger to hear about the rehabilitation program for bilbies, 

and Charleville’s role in this. Learn why the bilby is an endangered species and what 

efforts are being made to save Australia’s bilby population. 

We continue on our journey to Cunnamulla and Nardoo Station where we will be 

staying for the next two nights. Nardoo is a 45,000 hectare working sheep and cattle 

station just 38km north of Cunnamulla on the Matilda Highway. It is famous for its distinctive 

“Outback Spa”. Enjoy a soak in the artesian waters before or after your hearty bush dinner. 

Our campsite: Nardoo Station, Matilda Highway, Cunnamulla. Ph: (07) 4655 4833 


Day 4 - In Cunnamulla 

Highlights 

Morning 

Afternoon / 

Evening 

n Aldville Station 

n Sheep shearing demonstration 

n Nardoo Station 

We start the day with a ‘Good morning’ breakfast at our campsite. 

Today we head into Cunnamulla and then out to Aldville Station. 

Experience: Aldville Station, via Cunnamulla. Ph: (07) 4655 4814 

Aldville Station is a 30,000 hectare sheep and cattle station which offers visitors 

a chance to experience the real Queensland’s Outback. Participate in a shearing 

demonstration and learn about the significance of the wool industry in Australia. 

We enjoy a picnic lunch at the station, before returning back to Nardoo Station. 

You will have some free time to explore, visit the livestock, or try your hand at fishing if 

you can find a flowing stream or river. 

Tonight, we relax by the campfire for a delicious dinner. 

Our campsite: Nardoo Station, Matilda Highway, Cunnamulla. Ph: (07) 4655 4833 


096 


Day 5 - Cunnamulla to Jondaryan 

Journey: 

Morning 

Afternoon 

Evening 

n Cunnamulla to Bollon.........................................................approx 181km/2 hrs, 10 mins 

n Bollon to St George.............................................................approx 113km/1 hr, 20 mins 

n St George to Moonie.........................................................approx 189km/2 hrs, 15 mins 

n Moonie to Jondaryan...........................................................approx 154km/1 hr, 50 mins 

After breakfast we have an early start leaving Nardoo Station behind to commence our 

trip back east along the Balonne Highway. 

Morning tea stop will be at Bollon. On the banks of Wallam Creek, Bollon is the habitat 

of a large koala population which thrives on the abundant red river gums in the area. 

More than 110 species of birds have been recorded in the area. 

Picnic lunch will be at St George, often referred to as an ‘Oasis’ or ‘the inland fishing 

capital of Queensland’, St George is situated on the picturesque banks of the mighty 

Balonne River. 

We call in at Moonie for a brief comfort stop, before continuing our journey via Dalby 

to Jondaryan. 

We arrive at our overnight stop at Jondaryan Woolshed where you get to sleep in the 

woolshed for the night. Located in the heart of the Darling Downs, Jondaryan Woolshed 

is of great historical interest, featuring historic buildings, machinery, equipment and 

collections which have been restored over the past 30 years. 

Dinner will be served at our overnight campsite. 

Our campsite: Jondaryan Woolshed, Evanslea Road, Jondaryan. Ph: (07) 4692 2229 


Day 6 - Jondaryan to Brisbane 

Journey: 

Morning 

10.30am 

n Jondaryan to Brisbane.......................................................approx 168km/2 hrs, 25 mins 

After an early breakfast we bid goodbye to Jondaryan Woolshed and begin our journey 

home to Brisbane. We travel via Toowoomba, Queensland’s Garden City, then on 

to Ipswich, home of ‘The Workshops Rail Museum,’ an interactive campus of the 

Queensland Museum. 

Our Queensland’s Outback adventure comes to an end as we arrive back in Brisbane. 


Jondaryan Woolshed 


l 

k 

i 

n 

i 

r 

v e r 

CHILLAGOE 

TTABURRA 

89 

CH 

E 

M 

i 

t 

EMMET 

YARAKA 

QUILPIE 

83 

n All MAREEBA coach travel in a 53 seater, air-conditioned luxury tour coach 

108 

68 

n Full catering TULLY kitchen and caterers for all meals as specified 

79 

ISISFORD 

MOSSMAN 

ADAVALE 

23 25 

7 

YOWAH 

CUNNAMULLA 

13 

104 

68 


NATIONAL PARK 

ARING 

c h 

o 

l 

B u 

e l 

l 

R 

v e 

i 

r 

217 

098 

PORT DOUGLAS 

BOWEN 


BALFE’S 

134 


GORGE MOUNTAINS CREEK 

CHARTERS 

NATIONAL n Big NATIONAL Rig Night Tour, Roma 

TOWERS 

PARK PARK 

158 

n PENTLAND Cosmos HOMESTEAD Centre and Observatory – 

PROSERPINE 

46 Day and Night Tour, Charleville 


TORRENS CREEK 

43 PRAIRIE 

R 

o 

i v e r 


JERICHO 

80 

85 

CHARLEVILLE 

74 CHEEPIE 

88 

TOOMPINE 

34 

i v e 

R 

P a r o o 

r 

H 

UNDARA 

CARDWELL 

9 VOLCANIC 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

108 


25 

INGHAM 


GREENVALE 

52 

KBRAES 

IONAL 

ARK 

1 

64 

104 

205 

37 

102 

72 

52 

246 

116 

27 

89 

76 

47 

122 

CURRAWINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

HUNGERFORD 


83 


45 

88 INNISFAIL 

BLACKALL 

48 COOLADDI 

99 

R i v e r 

e g o 

e 

IDALIA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

r b e 

r 

t 

R 

B u 

r d 

WYANDRA 

i 

l 

A 

v e 

e 

c 

i 

TAMBO 

r d 

W a 

r 

e 

200 


55 

63 

112 



n Entrance fees to all attractions and experiences as specified 


n Sleeping bag and pillow 

n Items of a personal nature 

100 

101 

248 

114 

67 

22 

106 

209 

12 

R 

R 

e 

v 

i 

R 

v 

r 

AUGATHELLA 

BARRINGUN 

e 

r 

i v e r 

42 

ALPHA 

HEBEL 

MORANBAH 

CLERMONT 

87 

MORVEN 

44 

MITCHELL 22 

TREGOLE 

NATIONAL 

MUNGALLALA 45 

AMBY 

PARK 

DIRRANBANDI 

CAPELLA 

EMERALD 

SPRINGSURE 

ROLLESTON 

BLACKWATER 

INJUNE 

MUNGINDI 

P A C I F I C 

n School of the Air, Charleville 

MACKAY 

n Royal Flying Doctor Service, Charleville 

n Queensland Parks and Wildlife Centre – Home of the ‘Save the 

MOORRINYA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

360 

Bilby’ Fund, Charleville 

n Nardoo Station, Cunnamulla 

FOREST 

DEN 

n Aldville NATIONALStation, Cunnamulla 

PARK 

n Jondaryan Woolshed, Jondaryan 

SURAT 

NINDIGULLY 

MOREE 

ROCKHAMPTON 

TAROOM 

GOONDIWINDI 

BILOELA 

BANANA 

THEODORE 

MILES 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Travel Itineraries 

BREWARRINA 

BOURKE 

C u 

n d 

B e l y a 

87 53 

101 

o a 

l g 

R i 

o 


ARAMAC 

5, 6, 16, 21, 23, 25, 27 - 29 

187 

98 

119 

137 

R i v 

B 

v e r 

121 

119 

e r 

o 

r i e 

B i r 

g 

r 

W a 

r 

84 91 

177 

209 

R i v e r 

N e b i n e 

S 

e r 

R i v 

u 

e g o 

t 

i v e 

R 

t 

204 

r 

e 

r 

168 

R 

i 

v 

e 

r 

SALVATOR 

ROSA 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

210 

54 

LAKE 

MARABOON 

KA KA 

MUNDI 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

MT MOFFATT 

NATIONAL PARK 

BOLLON 

109 

210 

113 

52 

67 

76 

CARNARVON 

GORGE 

NATIONAL 

PARK 

106 

281 

71 

40 

ST GEORGE 

88 

66 

192 

91 

65 

ROMA 

195 

O C 

141 

180 

E 

203 

A N 

196 

129 

97 

123 

MONTO 

BUNDABERG 

GIN GIN 

CHILDERS 

Townsville 

EIDSVOLD Mt Isa 

GAYNDAH 

Rockhampton 

MARYBOROUGH 

MUNDUBBERA Longreach 

CHINCHILLA 

127 

MOONIE 





Phone: (07) 5498 6466 













INGLEWOOD 

TEXAS 

INVERELL 

GLADSTONE 

KINGAROY 

DALBY 

84 

JONDARYAN 

113 

PITTSWORTH 

MILMERRAN 

MIRIAM VALE 

GLEN INNES 

Charleville 

WARWICK 

TENTERFIELD 

Brisbane 

GYMPIE 

NAMBOUR 

TOOWOOMBA 122 

IPSWICH 

BRISBANE 

TWEED HEADS 

LISMORE 

BALLINA 

GRAFTON

Travel and Safety Information 

Travelling in Queensland’s Outback is similar to most road-trips with 

towns and fuel stops rarely more than 200 kilometres apart. Sealed 

highways and township roads are available throughout the region. 

The following information answers some commonly 

asked questions about travelling in Queensland’s 

Outback, however should you have further questions, 

please speak with your tour organiser or the Visitor 

Information Centres (see back page) in the towns you 

will be visiting. 

Medical facilities 

In the same respect as getting fuel, you will find that 

most towns in Queensland’s Outback have either 

hospitals or private health care centres. These towns 

also have an ambulance service to assist you with 

any problems. A list of hospitals and private health 

care clinics can be found at: http://www.health.qld. 

gov.au/healthservices/byFacility.asp. 

There are also three Royal Flying Doctor Service 

bases in Queensland’s Outback. They are located 

in Charleville, Longreach and Mount Isa. The Royal 

Flying Doctor Service provides 24 hour emergency 

service to victims of illness or accident who are in a 

serious or potentially life threatening condition. 

Mobile Phone Coverage 

Longreach, Mount Isa and Charleville have coverage 

from most networks. Outside of these three towns 

only the Telstra Next G network is available, usually 

within a 20km radius of towns. Public phones are 

available in all towns and satellite phones and UHF 

radios are recommended for extended travel. 

Litter 

Help us keep Queensland’s Outback clean for future 

visitors by properly disposing of your rubbish. 

Animals 

If you see stock or wild animals near the road, slow 

down, they have a habit of crossing in front of you! 

Wild animals like emus and kangaroos can be seen 

throughout Queensland’s Outback, especially one 

hour either side of sunset and sunrise. 

Station Properties 

Many roads cross station properties and have gates 

across them. The rule of the Outback is to leave 

gates in the same way that you find them, ie. if the 

gate is closed when you get there, close it again after 

you drive through or, if the gate is open when you 

arrive, leave it open. 

Road Conditions 

For current road reports please contact the RACQ 

on 1300 130 595 or the Visitor Information Centre in 

the town that you will be visiting. As road conditions 

cannot be accurately predicted please contact the 

Visitor Information Centres close to the time of your 

journey. 

Weather Conditions 

Outback summers are hot but much less humid than 

on the coast and more bearable. Most attractions, 

facilities and transport are air-conditioned. Storms 

and heavy rains can occur during summer and minor 

flooding can cause some towns to become cut off 

for a few days, but this is all part of the adventure of 

Queensland’s Outback. The most temperate weather 

occurs between the beginning of April and the end of 

October. 

It is recommended in all seasons to drink plenty of 

water regularly and protect your skin from burning. 

Seek shade when outside, cover up with clothing 

and wear a sun protective hat, sunglasses and SPF 

30+ sunscreen. 

Outback Road 

078 


Kangaroo Bus Lines - Advertisement 

Kangaroo bus lines 

Kangaroo Bus Lines is a family owned and 

operated business, which has been servicing South 

East Queensland for over thirty years. 

We pride ourselves on presentation and 

customer satisfaction. Our coach fleet, one of 

the most modern in South East Queensland, is 

complemented by our professional tour drivers who 

pay careful attention to our passengers needs. 

Our touring coaches are air-conditioned and have a 

comprehensive rage of features including reclining 

seats, panoramic windows, DVD and stereo 

systems and large luggage compartments. Air-bag 

suspension ensures a smooth and comfortable 

ride while seatbelts are fitted for added passenger 

safety. We have a range of vehicles to suit the 

size and demand of every group. Vehicles range 

from the 31 seatbelt equipped mini coach to 53, 

57 and 65 seatbelt equipped coaches. We have 

also recently added a fully equipped wheelchair 

accessible touring coach to our fleet. 

Kangaroo Bus Lines has the knowledge and 

experience to assist schools in creating memorable 

tours to various locations Australia wide. A camping 

safari offers a unique, educational and cost effective 

way to experience Australia’s more distant and 

remote places of interest. Like all Kangaroo tours, our 

camping safaris offer flexibility and diversity to ensure 

your tour objectives are achieved. Let our friendly Tour 

Department co-ordinate the bookings for all of your 

accommodation and attractions, making it a hassle 

free experience. In addition to organised educational 

activities, our safaris allow your group to experience 

the natural wonders of the Australian bush. 

Kangaroo Bus Lines’ coaches are ideal for camp 

touring, with a fully functional mobile kitchen, tents, 

tables and stools as standard onboard equipment. 

Freshly prepared meals daily ensure students and 

teachers receive a healthy menu tailored to suit 

every itinerary. With all of our catering provided by 

our experienced in-house cooks and equipment 

owned by the company, we always endeavour to 

provide groups with our most competitive prices. 


382 Morayfield Road, Morayfield Qld 4506 

Phone: (07) 5498 6466 


Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Tour Operators 

099

Down Under Tours - Advertisement 

Down Under Tours 

At Down Under Tours we abide by the motto 

“Our People make the difference”. From our 

accommodating driver/guides and dynamic 

marketing personalities working on the front line 

of our company to our friendly reservations staff, 

operations team and dedicated administrative 

people working behind the scenes, it is our people 

who define our standards of quality and consistency. 

With bases in Cairns and Alice Springs, Down 

Under Tours has enjoyed significant growth in 

our eighteen years of operation. The company’s 

increasing success is reflected in our workforce, 

which has grown and flourished from 18 in 1990, 

to 115 in 2008. 

Down Under Tours sets itself apart from our 

competitors with a huge range of superior vehicles 

and exceptional customer and client service. Our 

fleet of 56 modern, luxury vehicles range from 

7-seater 4WDs to 53-seater touring coaches, as 

well as a specialised wheelchair-equipped vehicle. 

Our vehicles are designed to ensure maximum 

comfort and safety, with features including large 

tinted windscreens and panoramic side windows to 

provide exceptional viewing; air-conditioning; seat 

belts and reclining seats in every vehicle configured 

44 seats and over. Selected vehicles are equipped 

with TV/DVD and in some, toilet facilities. 

From our Cairns base, we conduct extensive 

charter services throughout Tropical North 

Queensland to Cape Tribulation, the Tablelands, 

Outback mining towns, and south along the east 

coast. Our experienced charter department can 

assist with all transport requirements from itinerary 

planning, airport and dinner transfers, special 

interest groups, series groups, extended touring 

and Conferences and Incentives. 

Our Down Under by appointment private touring 

program provides luxury touring options for the 

discerning traveller, with a selection of itineraries to 

choose from. 

Our FIT day touring program is one of the most 

extensive in the region, incorporating Kuranda, 

Cape Tribulation and the Atherton Tablelands. 

There are touring options for every traveller, from 

the budget conscious to clients who want every 

detail taken care of. 

From our Central Australian base, we provide a 

highly professional, flexible and comprehensive 

coach charter service around Central Australia 

(Alice Springs, Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon), 

through the Northern Territory and beyond. We can 

cater for all your group needs, from transfers and 

day touring to both large and small conference and 

incentive groups. Renowned locally, nationally and 

internationally for first class customer service and 

unsurpassable professionalism, we can take care 

of all your group charter needs in Central Australia. 

With such an incredible variety of touring 

options available, Down Under Tours remains 

the unparalleled choice for outstanding travel 

experiences in the region. 

Down Under Tours Australia 

PO Box 5670, Cairns Qld 4870 

Phone: (07) 4035 5577 

Email: groups@downundertours.com 

www.downundertours.com 

100 Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Tour Operators



Special offer for Queensland school students in Year 6 and 7 in 2009! 

The Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre is Australia’s premier Outback heritage 

institution. In Queensland’s central western town of Longreach, the centre provides visitors with a spectacular 

Queensland’s Outback experience. Since opening in 1988 the Hall has hosted over 1,200,000 visitors. 

As part of the Queensland’s Outback Education program, the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame will 

entitle each student in years 6 and 7 from Queensland to become members of the Hall at no cost. They 

will receive various benefits as members of the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame including: 

n Annual membership card 

n Free entry to the Hall 

n Quarterly newsletter 

n Invitations to attend special events 

n Discounts on Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame retail items 

n Free admission to the R.M. Williams Outback Stockman’s Show 

n 50% discount on travel bookings with Greyhound Australia 

(Terms and conditions apply). 

Members are also invited to volunteer time or resources to assist with 

many of the projects and the continual development of the Museum. 

Members’ support is greatly appreciated and is essential to retain 

Australia’s rural heritage for generations to come. 

Students will be able to sign up for this new educational experience 

and great offer by visiting www.stockmanshalloffame.com.au or 

emailing membership@stockmanshalloffame.com.au 

Wanpa-rda Matilda Outback education centre 

The first of its kind in Queensland, the centre is located in the picturesque grounds of the Australian Workers 

Heritage Centre in Barcaldine. The facility provides the base from which to explore the many sites of educational 

significance identified in this truly unique region of Australia. 

The Wanpa-rda Matilda Outback Education Centre services and facilities include: 

n Modern air-conditioned dormitory styled accommodation for 

60 students plus carers 

n Excellent kitchen and dining facilities- self catering or full 

catering organised if required 

n Free entry to the Australian Workers Heritage Centre and 

grounds, featuring picnic and BBQ facilities on the banks of the 

bore-fed billabong 

n Undercover outdoor recreation area with BBQ facilities 

n An on-site Education Officer providing full planning support and 

assistance with designing an itinerary, all bookings, catering and 

local tours to suit individual requirements 

n A fully kitted camping trailer that allows for up to 50 students to go bush 

overnight 

n Curriculum packages designed to maximise and enhance your students’ 

Outback Experience and assist in achieving Essential Learnings for all students 

n Leadership camps and activities available all year round catering for Prep to 

Year 12 students 

For more information please visit www.wanpardaeec.eq.edu.au 

Queensland’s Outback Education Handbook | Education Offers 

101

Visitor Information Centres 

ARAMAC 

Aramac Post Office 

P: (07) 4651 3147 

E: admin_office@aramac.qld.gov.au 

BARCALDINE 

Visitor Information Centre 

P: (07) 4651 1724 

E: barcinfo@bigpond.com 

BEDOURIE 


P: 1300 794 257 

E: tourism2@diamantina.qld.gov.au 

BIRDSVILLE 

Wirrarri Visitor Information Centre 

P: 1300 794 257 

E: info@diamantina.qld.gov.au 

BLACKALL 


P: (07) 4657 4637 

E: info@blackall.qld.gov.au 

BOULIA 

Min Min Encounter and Information 

Centre 

P: (07) 4746 3386 

E: tourism@boulia.qld.gov.au 

CHARLEVILLE 


P: (07) 4654 3057 

E: tourism_murweh@murweh.qld.gov.au 

CLONCURRY 

Mary Kathleen Park and 


P: (07) 4742 1361 

E: gail_mkparkcloncurry@bigpond.com 

CUNNAMULLA 


P: (07) 4655 8470 

E: cunnamullainfo@paroo.qld.gov.au 

HUGHENDEN 


P: (07) 4741 1021 

E: info@flinders.qld.gov.au 

ILFRACOMBE 

Wellshot Centre 

P: (07) 4658 3551 

E: admin@ilfracombe.qld.gov.au 

ISISFORD 

Isisford Shire Council 

P: (07) 4658 8900 

E: isisfsc@bigpond.com 

JULIA CREEK 


P: (07) 4746 7690 

E: tourism@mckinlay.qld.gov.au 

LONGREACH 


P: (07) 4658 4150 

E: visitinf@longreach.qld.gov.au 

MOUNT ISA 

Outback At Isa 

P: (07) 4749 1555 

E: info@outbackatisa.com.au 

QUILPIE 


P: (07) 4656 2166 

E: information@quilpie.qld.gov.au 

RICHMOND 

Kronosaurus Korner 


P: (07) 4741 3429 

E: enquiries@kronosauruskorner.com.au 

TAMBO 


P: (07) 4654 6082 

E: tambolibrary@bigpond.com 

THARGOMINDAH 


P: (07) 4655 3399 

E: thargo.info@bigpond.com 

WINDORAH 


P: (07) 4656 3063 

E: windorah_library@bigpond.com 

WINTON 

Waltzing Matilda Centre 

P: 1300 665 115 

E: vic@matildacentre.com.au 

This sign denotes genuine, quality visitor information centres. These centres have achieved specified industry 

standards and are recognised within their region as genuine, quality information providers.

For more information please check our website at:

Outback Education Handbook PDF - Tourism Queensland

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?