Thargomindah
Queensland
Outback roadhouse of Thargomindah
Thargomindah is located in Queensland
Thargomindah
Thargomindah
Coordinates27°59′32″S 143°49′11″E / 27.9922°S 143.8197°E / -27.9922; 143.8197 (Thargomindah (town centre))
Population270 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density0.0177/km2 (0.0460/sq mi)
Established1860s
Postcode(s)4492
Elevation130 m (427 ft)
Area15,213 km2 (5,873.8 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Bulloo
CountyWellington
State electorate(s)Warrego
Federal division(s)Maranoa
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
29.5 °C
85 °F		 16.1 °C
61 °F		 300.4 mm
11.8 in
Localities around Thargomindah:
Eromanga Eromanga Quilpie
Noccundra Thargomindah Yowah
Bulloo Downs Hungerford Eulo

Thargomindah /ˈθɑːrɡoʊmɪndə/ (frequently shortened to Thargo) is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Bulloo, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] The town of Thargomindah is the administrative centre for the Shire of Bulloo.[4] In the 2016 census, Thargomindah had a population of 270 people.[1] It was founded on Wongkumara and Kalali territory.

On 17 April 2020, the Queensland Government decided to reorganise the nine localities in the Shire of Bulloo, resulting in six localities. Thargomindah, previously being 43.0 square kilometres (16.6 sq mi) of the area immediately surrounding the town of Thargomindah, was enlarged through the incorporation of all of Bullawarra (except for a small portion in the south of Bullawarra which was absorbed into Bulloo Downs), all of Dynevor and all of Norley, creating a locality of 15,213 square kilometres (5,874 sq mi).[5][6][7]

Geography

Thargominah is located in South West Queensland on the Adventure Way, approximately 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) west of the state capital, Brisbane, and 200 kilometres (120 mi) west of the town of Cunnamulla.

The town of Thargomindah is the administrative centre for the Shire of Bulloo.[4] It lies on the Bulloo River in the centre of the locality.[8]

Five main roads radiate from the town:[8]

Thargomindah is part of the Channel Country where the rivers are mostly dry riverbeds except for seasonal flooding. The locality contributes to three major drainage basins:

The Bulloo River flows through the locality from the north-east (Quilpie) through the town and exits the locality to the south-west (Bulloo Downs).[8]

The land is principally used for low density cattle grazing.[8] The Dynevor Downs homestead is located on the Cunnamulla Road (28°05′28″S 144°21′31″E / 28.0911°S 144.3585°E / -28.0911; 144.3585 (Dynevor Downs Homestead)).[9]

Lake Bindegolly National Park is located in the east of the locality (28°00′31″S 144°11′38″E / 28.0086°S 144.1939°E / -28.0086; 144.1939 (Lake Bindegolly National Park)).[10] A portion of the Currawinya National Park is on the south-eastern boundary of the locality (28°12′15″S 144°31′45″E / 28.2041°S 144.5293°E / -28.2041; 144.5293 (Currawinya National Park)), although the bulk of that national park was in adjacent Hungerford.[9]

Lake Bullawarra is in the northwest of the locality (27°53′23″S 143°35′57″E / 27.8898°S 143.5993°E / -27.8898; 143.5993 (Lake Bullawarra))[11] approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) NW of the town and is a nationally important wetland. It is a habitat for a vulnerable species, the Major Mitchell's cockatoo.[12]

History

Tourist information

Thargomindah lies on the traditional lands of the Kalali people who seemed to have had a close association with the Wongkumara, Margany and Badjiri peoples from neighbouring regions along the Bulloo and Wilson Rivers. The Margany language (also known as Maranganji),[13] the Badjiri language and the Kalali language (Galali) are now mostly extinct, although some revitalisation projects have been commenced.[14]

The Thargomindah area was first explored by the British in the early 1860s by colonist Vincent James Dowling, who established the Thargomindah pastoral property in 1865 with his brother John Dowling. Violence with the Aboriginal people soon ensued and John was killed. In retribution, the Kalali were pursued by Vincent Dowling and a Native Police detachment under Sub-Inspector James Gilmour from the Yowah barracks. A large massacre of the Kalali subsequently occurred at and around the nearby Thuringowa waterhole.[15][16][17][18] Recent research has shown that there was no massacre of Kullilli (Kalali) in 1865.[19]

After the massacre, a new Native Police barracks called the Bulloo Barracks was established on Dowling's property at a crossing of the Bulloo River. From the 1870s, the town of Thargomindah developed around these barracks.[20][21][22][23] Thargomindah is an Aboriginal word meaning echidna.[2]

A post office was established in 1870 and a telegraph line connected the town to Cunnamulla in 1881.[23]

Thargomindah Provisional School opened on 1 April 1884. In 1892 it became Thargomindah State School.[24]

The 1890s saw the town prosper as the service and administrative centre of a pastoral district.[23] An extension of the Western railway line to the town was planned for many years; however it never eventuated. The railway did reach Cunnamulla in 1898 and Quilpie in 1917.[23]

Thargomindah was one of the first towns in Australia to produce hydroelectric power from 1898 until 1951. The old bore into the Great Artesian Basin was a source of energy when electric street lights were lit and coupled to a turbine driven by the bore's natural water pressure. The generator was taken from a unit powered by a steam engine and purchased by the Bulloo Divisional Board becoming the first municipality owned power plant. After that power was supplied by diesel generators until 1988, when the town was connected to the state power grid via Cunnamulla. The power station is still operating with a daily opening to the public.[25]

St Edmund's Anglican Church at 60 Dowling Street (27°59′47″S 143°49′22″E / 27.9963°S 143.8229°E / -27.9963; 143.8229 (St Edmund's Anglican Church)) was dedicated on 22 October 1960 by Archbishop Reginald Halse. Its closure on 28 May 2003 was approved by Venerable Gary Frederick Harch, Archdeacon of the West. It is now used as a private home.[26][27]

At the 2006 census, Thargomindah had a population of 203.[28]

In the 2016 census, Thargomindah had a population of 270 people.[1]

On 17 April 2020 the Queensland Government decided to reorganise the nine localities in the Shire of Bulloo, resulting in six localities. Thargomindah, previously being 43.0 square kilometres (16.6 sq mi) of the area immediately surrounding the town of Thargomindah, was enlarged through the incorporation of all of Bullawarra (except for a small portion in the south of Bullawarra which was absorbed into Bulloo Downs), all of Dynevor and all of Norley, creating a locality of 15,213 square kilometres (5,874 sq mi).[5][6][7]

Heritage listings

Thargomindah has a number of nearby heritage-listed sites, including:

Facilities

An information centre is located at 37 Dowling Street, Thargomindah. The building is a renovation of a children's hostel which was built in early 1960, it then became a block of flats and ended up being an empty run-down building until converted to a very modern facility containing the Visitor Information Centre, Library and Coffee Shop. The hostel was used for children who lived in remote properties where they would board at the hostel during the week, returning home on the weekends to their families.

The Information Centre contains brochures, pamphlets and maps on the South West Queensland corner and surrounding areas. It is the first place where people stop when they visit Thargomindah to get the latest road conditions, directions, places to stay, things to see and do and the latest information on events.

Bulloo Shire Council operates Thargomindah Library at Shire Office, Dowling Street, Thargomindah.[32]

Thargomindah has two fuel stations; Thargo Motors which is open Mon to Fri and Sat mornings and Thargo Roadhouse which has 24 hour fuel using an EFTPOS facility.

Accommodation consists of the Oasis Motel, Bulloo River Hotel Motel, Explorers Caravan Park and Napunyah Caravan Park.

Dining out options are the Oasis Motel, Bulloo River Hotel Motel, Coffee on Dowling and Thargo Roadhouse.

Education

Thargomindah State School is a government primary (Early Childhood to Year 6) school for boys and girls at Dowling Street (27°59′43″S 143°49′36″E / 27.9952°S 143.8267°E / -27.9952; 143.8267 (Thargomindah State School)).[33][34] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 24 students with 3 teachers and 5 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[35]

The nearest government secondary (8–12) school is Cunnamulla P–12 State School.[8]

Water

Hot water bore hole into the Great Artesian Basin

Thargomindah has a pressurised hot spring from a bore into the Great Artesian Basin and has produced hydroelectric power from the basin in the past. After 2 years of drilling, a good supply of water was found in 1893. The temperature was 86 °C (187 °F). In 1924, it was recorded that the bore had a daily output of 2,500 cubic metres (88,000 cu ft) and today of 1,300 cubic metres (46,000 cu ft) at 84 °C (183 °F). There is a plentiful water supply for the population and the arid area available for irrigation in front and backyards and public warm showers are provided.

    Transport

    Thargomindah Airport is located to the north of the town on Kerr Street (27°59′14″S 143°48′56″E / 27.9872°S 143.8156°E / -27.9872; 143.8156 (Thargomindah Aerodrome)). It is operated by the Bulloo Shire Council and there are 2 scheduled flights from Brisbane each week on Regional Express Airlines. There is a sealed runway 1,463-metre (4,800 ft) long and an unsealed runway 846 metres (2,776 ft) long.[36] It was completely rebuilt in 2018.

    The Dynevor Downs Airport (ICAO: YDNV) is located immediately to the east of the Dynevor Downs Homestead (28°05′28″S 144°22′10″E / 28.0912°S 144.3695°E / -28.0912; 144.3695 (Dynevor Downs Airport)) with three unsealed runways (north–south, east–west, and NE–SW), the longest being 1,050 metres (3,440 ft), the others being about 800 metres (2,600 ft).[37]

    Climate

    Thargomindah has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh), very closely bordering on a hot arid climate (BWh), which is found in the western part of the shire. Summers are sweltering and generally dry except when monsoonal incursions into the continent bring heavy rain, whilst winters are warm and dry with cool to cold mornings.

    Climate data for Thargomindah
    Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
    Record high °C (°F) 48.8
    (119.8)    		 46.0
    (114.8)    		 43.8
    (110.8)    		 38.9
    (102.0)    		 32.2
    (90.0)    		 30.4
    (86.7)    		 28.5
    (83.3)    		 36.3
    (97.3)    		 39.2
    (102.6)    		 41.2
    (106.2)    		 45.4
    (113.7)    		 45.0
    (113.0)    		 48.8
    (119.8)
    Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 38.5
    (101.3)    		 36.0
    (96.8)    		 33.5
    (92.3)    		 29.5
    (85.1)    		 23.8
    (74.8)    		 20.0
    (68.0)    		 20.1
    (68.2)    		 22.9
    (73.2)    		 27.8
    (82.0)    		 31.1
    (88.0)    		 33.8
    (92.8)    		 36.4
    (97.5)    		 29.5
    (85.1)
    Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 25.5
    (77.9)    		 24.0
    (75.2)    		 21.2
    (70.2)    		 16.6
    (61.9)    		 10.6
    (51.1)    		 7.5
    (45.5)    		 6.7
    (44.1)    		 8.3
    (46.9)    		 12.8
    (55.0)    		 16.6
    (61.9)    		 20.6
    (69.1)    		 23.0
    (73.4)    		 16.1
    (61.0)
    Record low °C (°F) 17.2
    (63.0)    		 12.3
    (54.1)    		 9.4
    (48.9)    		 6.5
    (43.7)    		 1.0
    (33.8)    		 −0.8
    (30.6)    		 −0.9
    (30.4)    		 0.1
    (32.2)    		 4.7
    (40.5)    		 6.2
    (43.2)    		 9.7
    (49.5)    		 13.7
    (56.7)    		 −0.9
    (30.4)
    Average rainfall mm (inches) 39.1
    (1.54)    		 47.9
    (1.89)    		 45.5
    (1.79)    		 17.5
    (0.69)    		 14.4
    (0.57)    		 16.7
    (0.66)    		 13.6
    (0.54)    		 8.0
    (0.31)    		 9.8
    (0.39)    		 14.1
    (0.56)    		 40.7
    (1.60)    		 30.3
    (1.19)    		 300.4
    (11.83)
    Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 3.6 4.5 4.4 1.4 2.8 3.9 3.5 2.0 2.6 3.4 5.5 4.4 42
    Source: [38]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Thargomindah (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
    2. 1 2 "Thargomindah – town in Shire of Bulloo (entry 33819)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
    3. ↑ "Thargomindah – locality in Shire of Bulloo (entry 50494)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
    4. 1 2 "About Council". Bulloo Shire Council. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
    5. 1 2 "Job number 19-068: Bullawarra, Bulloo Downs, Cameron Corner, Dynevor, Noccundra, Nockatunga, Norley, Thargomindah". Recent place name decisions. Queensland Government. 17 April 2020. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
    6. 1 2 "Proposed Locality names and boundaries for the Shire of Bulloo" (PDF). Queensland Government. 22 November 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
    7. 1 2 "Locality names and boundaries for the Shire of Bulloo" (PDF). Queensland Government. 17 April 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
    8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
    9. 1 2 "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
    10. ↑ "Lake Bindegolly National Park – national park in the Shire of Bulloo (entry 39522)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
    11. ↑ "Lake Bullawarra – lake in the Bulloo Shire (entry 5058)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
    12. ↑ "Rare or threatened animals of Lake Bullawarra DIWA nationally important wetland". WetlandInfo. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
    13. ↑ "Margany". State Library of Queensland. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
    14. ↑ "Native Title – Kullilli Bulloo River Aboriginal Corporation RNTNC". Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
    15. ↑ Tolcher, Helen (1997). Conrick of Nappa Merrie, a pioneer of Cooper Creek (PDF). Swan Hill: Itter.
    16. ↑ "THE STORY OF JOHN CONRICK, PIONEER". The News. Vol. I, no. 12. South Australia. 6 August 1923. p. 10 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved 30 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
    17. ↑ "THE STORY OF JOHN CONRICK, PIONEER". The News. Vol. I, no. 18. South Australia. 13 August 1923. p. 9 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved 30 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
    18. ↑ "Thouringowa Waterhole". Colonial Frontier Massacres in Australia, 1788-1930. University of Newcastle. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
    19. ↑ Dillon, Paul, The Murder of John Francis Dowling and the Massacre of 300 Aborigines, Connor Court Publishing, 2019.
    20. ↑ "CUNNAMULLA". The Queenslander. Vol. IX, no. 39. Queensland, Australia. 31 October 1874. p. 9. Retrieved 4 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
    21. ↑ "AROUND THE CAMP FIRE". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Vol. LXXIV. Queensland, Australia. 7 May 1954. p. 6. Retrieved 4 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
    22. ↑ Durack, Mary (1959). Kings in Grass Castles. London: Constable & Co.
    23. 1 2 3 4 Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) (2002). Heritage Trails of the Queensland Outback. State of Queensland. pp. 114–115. ISBN 0-7345-1040-3.
    24. ↑ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
    25. ↑ Miller, Simon (13 June 2012). "Drilling for electricity? Thargomindah's hydroelectric dream 1898". John Oxley Library blog. State Library of Queensland. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
    26. ↑ "Closed Churches". Anglican Records and Archives Centre. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
    27. ↑ "St Edmund's Anglican Church – Former". Churches Australia. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
    28. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Thargomindah (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
    29. ↑ "Dr Ludwig Becker's Grave (entry 601359)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
    30. ↑ "Burke and Wills Dig Tree (entry 601073)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
    31. ↑ "Noccundra Hotel (entry 600361)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
    32. ↑ "Thargomindah Library". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
    33. ↑ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
    34. ↑ "Thargomindah State School". Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
    35. ↑ "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
    36. ↑ "Aerodrome". Bulloo Shire Council. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
    37. ↑ "Dynevor Downs Airport". Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
    38. ↑ "Climate statistics for Thargomindah". Bureau of Meteorology. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
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