Key Facts

How old?

Traditional aboriginal groups lived and travelled within the shire for tens of thousands of years.  European settlement began soon after exploration of the district in 1858.

How Big?

The townships of Cunnamulla, Eulo, Yowah and Wyandra cover an area of some 4.76 million hectares.

Temperature averages by month and year!!!!

How Hot?

Hottest Temperature recorded was 46.9 degrees celcius on 04 January 1973.

How Cold?

Coldest temperature recorded was -2.2 degrees celcius on 26th January 1971.  (Yes January!)

How Many?

The Paroo shire includes Cunnamulla, Eulo, Yowah and Wyandra and has a population of approximately 2180 people.  Cunnamulla’s is the largest town in the shire with a population of approximately 1500.

Local Industries

Local industry is heavily focused on primary produce.  The major industries include:

·         Wool

·         Meat sheep

·         Cattle

·         Goats

·         Cotton

·         Table grapes

·         Asparagus

·         Commercial wildlife harvesting

·         Opals

·         Organic farming

·         Bee keeping

·         Regional tourism

Local Wildlife

The area is abundant with native Australian wildlife.  While you’re in the area expect to see:

·         Emus

·         Kangaroos and wallabies

·         Dingoes

·         Goannas

·         Echidnas

·         Koalas

·         Brolgas (large grey cranes)

·         White Corellas

·         Over on quarter of Australia’s native bird species

·         Many species of frogs

·         Snakes

Interesting Facts

Last man hanged

In 1880, Joseph Wells was the last man hanged in Queensland for armed robbery. Joseph Wells, robbed the Queensland National Bank and after he fled the scene, decided to hide in a Pine tree – aptly named today “The Robbers Tree”. Unfortunately, for Joseph Wells, his loyal dog revealed his location to the police when he sat by the tree waiting for his master.  Despite protests by the local community including his victim in the robbery, Joseph Wells was hanged for his crime.


WWII Airfield

After the bombing of Darwin during WWII, part of Bowra Station (just outside Cunnamulla) was resumed by the government to create an airfield.  The site was chosen because Cunnamulla lies approximately half way between Melbourne and Darwin and the native vegetation on the property provided excellent camouflage for the planes.  The airfield was constructed by American forces who carted water from the bore at Bowra 24 hours a day.  This same airfield now serves as Cunnamulla Airport.


Last town standing

Of the many settlements established by Cobb and Co. Coaches throughout the Australian outback during the 1800’s, Cunnamulla is the only one to survive, boasting a current population of approximately 1,500.


See more than a quarter of Australia’s native bird species

Set deep in rugged mulga country, Bowra Station (located just 16 kms from Cunnamulla) is internationally recognized as an avian hotspot. Because of its unique location southern, desert and eastern range birds overlap in the district. More than 220 native species have been identified at Bowra, representing over a quarter of all the bird species regularly recorded in Australia.


Outback treasure

Yowah is a small opal mining town located 160km from Cunnamulla. The town is famous for the Yowah Nut Opal and Ironstone Matrix Opal, which are unique to the area.

Yowah nuts are ironstone concretions resembling ‘nuts’ which contain precious opal in their centre. Upon cracking or slicing the Yowah Nut, the precious opal is revealed.

Opal was first discovered at Yowah more than 100 years ago. It is the oldest producing opal field in Australia. The original mining leases and claims are still being mined today. In the early years, miners could only work the fields when there was rainfall. When the water ran out

they had to leave. Nowadays there is an artesian bore to supply water year round.


Dinosaur country

110 million years ago, the shallow Eromanga Sea covered much of inland Australia. The outback town of Cunnamulla, today stands where the cold waters of the Eromanga once teemed with ancient marine reptiles and prehistoric creatures.

Deep below the town, lie remnants of the past. The world’s largest underground river, the Eromanga Basin, flows right beneath the dusty red streets of Cunnamulla. It provides the town with its only reliable water source.

The Eromanga Basin is a subdivision of the Great Artesian Basin, which collectively is the largest and deepest artesian basin in the world.

For over 100 years bores have been used to access the waters of the Great Artesian Basin. The area around Cunnamullla is dotted with free flowing bores, which use gravity to draw the water to the surface.

Water from the Eromanga Basin is rich in minerals. Paleontologists have proven that much of the sediment deposited in the water supply originated from animal and plant matter that existed between 130 and 95 million years ago, a period when dinosaurs and their marine equivalents dominated the Western Queensland landscape.

Essentially water from the Eromanga Basin is saturated with microscopic fragments of Titanosaur Sauropods, Theropods, Plesiosaurs, Kronosauruses and Pliosaus (to name a few), which were all prolific in the area.

The area has international significance for its gas and oil deposits as well as magnificent fossils, footprints and relics.