Central mid-west that is, to the town of Charleville, approximately 750 kilometres west of Brisbane, on the banks of the Warrego River.
Geographically speaking, Charleville is at the centre of the outback universe, standing at the crossroads of the Mitchell and Warrego Highways, the two arteries that feed the heart of western Queensland.
Charleville is a comfortable drive from Longreach, Roma and Quilpie, and enroute to Birdsville, making the town a convenient base for an outback adventure and a popular stopover on the way to the iconic Birdsville races in September.
There’s no shortage of tourists who take advantage of Charleville’s central location. From grey nomads to young families, who come from across Australia, chasing the illusive mixture of hospitality and history that’s so abundant in Queensland’s outback.
As far as regional towns go, Charleville makes a great first impression - the dirt is Outback red, the horizon never-ending and the town centre is charming.
Much of the town’s charm can be put down to post-war wool prosperity, which showered Charleville in infrastructure, amenities and architecture.
When the shearers moved onto greener pastures, they left behind a picture-postcard town for the 3,500 locals who call Charleville home.
But Charleville is so much more than just a pretty façade, it’s steeped in history - and more than just shearing history.
Charleville’s influence stretches far, with connections to Queensland Rail, Qantas, The Royal Flying Doctor Service, World War One, filled with museums and attractions that tell this story. Consider this town a history book laid open for discovery.
Depending how long you have to spend in Charleville, there’s accommodation to suit your stay, with plenty of motels, cabins, caravan parks and camp sites to choose from.
If you want a place that’s just far enough out of town to feel like the country, but close enough that you can still see the neighbours, choose Cobb & Co Caravan Park on Ridgeway Street.
Like most accommodation in the outback, it’s motel-style with all-important air-conditioning and friendly staff.
The only surprise is the sulphuric water, which runs hot 24 hours, casting a pungent aroma which ironically leaves your hair fragrance free and soft.
Water is a recurring theme in this outback town and despite how dry the landscape looks at the moment, there’re plenty of reminders that the weather is volatile in the west. The Warrego River is known to inundate Charleville in the blink of an eye (of a storm).
One of the best ways to acquaint yourself with the town is to meander along the Warrego River walk which takes you along the banks of the river, across the flood plains and through channels.
Time your walk for sunset to soak up all the colours of the outback from the viewing deck about half way along.
The town centre (at the corner of Willis and Alfred St) is a history-buff’s dream, with historic pubs on every corner to inspect – all in the name of chasing classic architecture of course.
Hotel Charleville fires up on a Saturday afternoon with weekly guinea pig races.
Fed a diet of carrot and corn pre-race, the guinea pigs move at pace down a custom made race track to a fired-up crowd.
You can hold your fascinators and form guides for this day at the track, but you’ll want to bring a competitive attitude to cheer on your guinea pig of choice.
From Hotel Charleville, wander a block or so to the iconic Hotel Corones for a coldie. Heritage listing saved this pub from destruction and its magnificent bar is currently being restored to its former glory.
It’s the nightlife outside of the pubs that’s worth staying up for. After the sun sets, the sky lights up and there’s so little artificial light or pollution in the outback that you get a clear view of the stars.
Charleville Cosmos Centre is an astronomer’s dream and every night the roof rolls back to expose three Meade telescopes which can spot a globular cluster light-years away.
Every night the sky-guides explain what you can see and share their knowledge with detailed scientific interpretation about the planets, open clusters, globular clusters and coloured stars.
Even with the naked eye, prepare to be blown away by the brightness of the night sky.
By day, it’s worth setting aside an hour to discover the nearby Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centre which opened to the public in October 2014.
The interactive displays show how the RFDS grew from its humble beginnings in Cloncurry in 1928 to take care of the health of remote Australians.
Even though the distances are long in the outback, be sure to make the most of your central location and visit Cunnamulla and Eulo, 200 kilometers south of Charleville.
The scenery is quite different from Charleville and the red dirt gradually turns into sun-kissed grass.
It’s unexpected to find a spa in the middle of the outback, especially not one so highly praised for its age-defying and rejuvenating qualities. Enter the Artesian mud baths in Eulo.
The artesian mud found in this area is estimated to be 20,000 years old, rich with silica, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron and zinc, the combination of which leaves your skin feeling tighter and silkier.
From a private bath tub at this open air spa, you can soak up both the mud and the landscape and come away feeling years younger.
It goes without saying that Outback Queensland is full of surprises.
If you haven’t put red dirt on your wheels recently, isn’t it time to be mesmerised and inspired by Outback Queensland?
To book your Outback Queensland holiday go to www.queensland.com
By: Hannah Statham
Getting there:
If you can’t spare the time for long haul drive to the outback, The Westlander pulls into the town centre twice weekly and Qantas operates a direct service from Brisbane daily.Stay:
Cobb & Co Caravan Park - www.caravanparkscharleville.com.au/Do:
Charleville Cosmos Centre - www.cosmoscentre.com/homeRoyal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centre - www.flyingdoctor.org.au/
Artesian mud baths – www.artesianmudbaths.com.au/
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