quilpie

This iconic outback town played an important part in the history of the Quilpie Shire, as it was once the central business center. The town is named after Ada Constance Stevens (wife of Ernest James Stevens). The Stevens family had the Tintinchilla (later Milo) pastoral run in the area. There is a story that the origin of the name is that Ada lost her hat veil (Ada-veil) when the Milo road crosses Blackwater Creek. Town and suburban lots in the town of Adavale were sold on 9 February 1881 at Charleville The town was a thriving center but, in 1917, the Western railway line did not come to the town as expected but passed further to the south where the new town of Quilpie was created along the railway line, and soon became the major town in the region while Adavale diminished. In 1930, it was decided that the seat of local government should move from Adavale to Quilpie and the Shire of Adavale was renamed the Shire of Quilpie. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adavale

Thompson and Hulse, shearing contractors, took up a lease of land in 1935 and built a wool scour. Mark A Hulse J. P. originally from England - "The Home" - operated the business. Mark lived with his wife and family in Jaburi Street Quilpie. The wool scour used the water from the bore sunk in 1933, to wash the wool. The scour provided off-season employment for Quilpie shearers. During World War 2 the large wool scour shed was used as a training center by the Quilpie Section of the Volunteer Defence Force. The site of the wool scour was near the junction of the present-day airfield runways. The sinking of the dam by the bullock team, the transporting to this site of the steam engine by camel train, the collection of heavy equipment such as ships tanks, wash boxes, and a centrifugal dryer, and the use of steam power before electricity came to Quilpie, is a measure of the ingenuity and enterprise of our forebears. Source: monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/landscape/settlement/disp...

Quilpie is located 953 km west of Brisbane via Toowoomba, Roma and Charleville. It is 210 km west of Charleville. The town's name is taken from a Margany Aboriginal word for the largely nocturnal bird, the "stone curlew". Beyond the town and the tiny settlements of Toompine and Eromanga lie the deserts and marginal lands of western Queensland with their endless sand dunes, scrubby mulga and gidgee vegetation, dirt roads heavy with bulldust, annual rainfall of less than 350 mm and summer temperatures which have been known to reach 47°C (116.8°F). The Quilpie district is known for its opals and is one of the world's leading providers of boulder opals. Boulder opals are recognised as being particularly beautiful as they are backed by ironstone. The Bulloo River is an ideal spot to birdwatch and enjoy the natural sounds of the bush. Source: www.aussietowns.com.au/town/quilpie-qld