township

Burleigh Heads, or simply Burleigh to locals, sits like a cool comma between Surfers Paradise to the north and Coolangatta to the south. It’s a picturesque punctuation mark along the Gold Coast and most definitely somewhere to pause. The Burleigh foreshore is home to towering fragrant pine trees characteristic of the coast . Source: www.destinationgoldcoast.com/places-to-see/burleigh-heads

The Aboriginal Dreaming Story of Burleigh Head "Jellurgal (Burleigh Head) was once a flat and unbroken stretch of sand dunes. The Creation Spirit, Jabreen, transformed it into a rocky outcrop. One day his pathway led him to the ocean beach where he took a long swim to the horizon and back. Emerging from the water, Jabreen, a giant of enormous stature, rose up to his full height and raised his arms skywards. As he did, the level ground followed his hands upwards to the level of his fingertips, thus forming the headland of Jellurgal with the rocky fingers pointing seawards." Source: www.aussietowns.com.au/town/burleigh-heads-qld

The Quilpie Shire has a long railway history with Quilpie being at the end of the Western railway line. The line was destined for the township of Adavale, but this did not eventuate instead, it was redirected to the settlement now know as Quilpie. Construction on the new railway line commenced 1911 and reached the site of Quilpie in 1917. The first passenger service commenced in 1935 and by 1951 two passenger trains per week ran between Charleville and Quilpie. In the late 1950’s “The Flying Flea” as they called it, was an engine and a couple of coaches, to Quilpie. It was supposed to be the fastest timed passenger train in Queensland. Older residents have told stories of how they used to catch this train for sporting events in Charleville. Prior to 1930, Quilpie was within the Shire of Adavale, headquartered at Adavale. However, the decision to route the railway line through Quilpie rather than Adavale had led to a population drift away from Adavale making Quilpie the larger town. On 17 July 1930, there was a re-organisation of local government in the district, resulting in the abolition of the Shire of Adavale and the creation of the Shire of Quilpie with Quilpie as its headquarters. Source: www.outbackqueensland.com.au/attractions/quilpie-shire-ra...

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