Thargomindah

Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:GeoGroup Template:Infobox Australian place Thargomindah Template:IPAc-en (frequently shortened to Thargo) is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Bulloo, Queensland, Australia.<ref name="qpnt">Template:Cite QPN</ref><ref name="qpnl">Template:Cite QPN</ref> The town of Thargomindah is the administrative centre for the Shire of Bulloo.<ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the Template:CensusAU, the locality of Thargomindah had a population of 243 people.<ref name=Census2021/>

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 Template:Convert 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 Template:Convert.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Geography

Thargominah is located in South West Queensland on the Adventure Way, approximately Template:Convert west of the state capital, Brisbane, and Template:Convert west of the town of Cunnamulla.

The town of Thargomindah is the administrative centre for the Shire of Bulloo.<ref name=":3" /> It lies on the Bulloo River in the centre of the locality.<ref name="globe2" />

Five main roads radiate from the town:<ref name="globe2">Template:Queensland Globe</ref>

• the Bundeena Road goes west to Noccundra
• the Quilpie Road goes north-east to Quilpie
• the Cunnamulla Road (also known as the Bulloo Developmental Road and the Adventure Way) goes east to Yowah and Eulo and beyond to Cunnamulla
• the Hungerford Road goes south to Hungerford
• the Bulloo Downs Road goes south-west to Bulloo Downs

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:

• in the south-east, creeks flow into the Paroo River system in the Murray-Darling basin
• in the centre, creeks flow into the Bulloo River system in the Bulloo-Bancannia drainage basin
• in the north-west, creeks flow into Wilson River system in the Lake Eyre basin

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).<ref name="globe2" />

The land is principally used for low density cattle grazing.<ref name="globe2" /> The Dynevor Downs homestead is located on the Cunnamulla Road (Template:Coord).<ref name=":03">Template:Queensland Globe</ref>

Lake Bindegolly National Park is located in the east of the locality (Template:Coord).<ref>Template:Cite QPN</ref> A portion of the Currawinya National Park is on the south-eastern boundary of the locality (Template:Coord), although the bulk of that national park was in adjacent Hungerford.<ref name=":03"/>

Lake Bullawarra is in the northwest of the locality (Template:Coord)<ref>Template:Cite QPN</ref> approximately Template:Convert NW of the town and is a nationally important wetland. It is a habitat for a vulnerable species, the Major Mitchell's cockatoo.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

File:ThargomindahOutbackInfo.jpg

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),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the Badjiri language and the Kalali language (Galali) are now mostly extinct, although some revitalisation projects have been commenced.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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 Dowling was killed. In retribution, Vincent Dowling and a Native Police detachment under Sub-Inspector James Gilmour from the Yowah barracks pursued the Kalali. These forces massacred a large number of Kalali people near the Thuringowa waterhole.<ref name="tolcher">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A recent publication disputes these accounts of the massacre.<ref>Dillon, Paul, The Murder of John Francis Dowling and the Massacre of 300 Aborigines, Connor Court Publishing, 2019.</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="herqldout">Template:Cite book</ref> Thargomindah is an Aboriginal word meaning echidna.<ref name="qpnt" />

A post office was established in 1870 and a telegraph line connected the town to Cunnamulla in 1881.<ref name="herqldout" />

Thargomindah Provisional School opened on 1 April 1884. In 1892 it became Thargomindah State School.<ref name="qfhs">Template:Citation</ref>

The 1890s saw the town prosper as the service and administrative centre of a pastoral district.<ref name="herqldout" /> 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.<ref name="herqldout" />

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 in Queensland. 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

St Edmund's Anglican Church at 60 Dowling Street (Template:Coord) 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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 Template:Convert 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 Template:Convert.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

Demographics

In the Template:CensusAU, the town of Thargomindah had a population of 203 people.<ref name="Census2006">Template:Census 2006 AUS</ref>

In the Template:CensusAU, the locality of Thargomindah had a population of 270 people.<ref name=Census2016>Template:Census 2016 AUS</ref>

In the Template:CensusAU, the locality of Thargomindah had a population of 243 people.<ref name=Census2021>Template:Census 2021 AUS</ref>

Heritage listings

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

• Bulloo River, Bulloo Downs: Dr Ludwig Becker's Grave<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
• Nappa Merrie Station, Durham: Burke and Wills Dig Tree<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>
• Wilson Street, Noccundra: Noccundra Hotel<ref>Template:Cite QHR</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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 (Template:Coord).<ref name="SchoolList2018">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 24 students with 3 teachers and 5 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).<ref name="ACARA2018">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The nearest government secondary (8–12) school is Cunnamulla P–12 State School.<ref name="globe2" />

Water

File:ThargomindahHydro.jpg

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 Template:Convert. In 1924, it was recorded that the bore had a daily output of Template:Convert and today of Template:Convert at Template:Convert. 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 (Template:Coord). 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 Template:Convert long and an unsealed runway Template:Convert long.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was completely rebuilt in 2018.

The Dynevor Downs Airport Template:Airport codes is located immediately to the east of the Dynevor Downs Homestead (Template:Coord) with three unsealed runways (north–south, east–west, and NE–SW), the longest being Template:Convert, the others being about Template:Convert.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.

External links

• {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}

• Bulloo Shire
• Thargomindah on Action Graphics
• Thargomindah on WalkAbout
• Hydro Power Plant
• Brisbane Electricity Supply Company and City Electric Light Company correspondence, State Library of Queensland. Includes telegrams regarding the installation and maintenance of electricity in Thargomindah