A short trip to Eulo

We are now in Bourke, New South Wales, 260 km south of Cunnamulla, Queensland.    That was 260 km without fuel pumps, but we had filled up in Cunnamulla, so not a problem for us.    It is so important in Australia to make sure you have enough fuel before you travel anywhere in the country.    

We did not travel to Thargomindah, 200 km west of Cunnamulla.   Our original intention was to travel west to Quilpie from Charleville and then down to Thargomindah but we could see we were running out of time to attempt that loop.    However to travel 200 km to Thargomindah, stay the night, and then travel back to Cunnamulla seemed a bit wasteful of fuel.   

So we compromised and travelled 67 km west to Eulo, and spent a few hours there.   It is now a very small town, but with heaps of character.

It probably started off as a pastoral town, with a bit of opal mining as well.  It was also situated near a water hole on the Paroo River, and was on the road to far west Queensland.

The Diprotodon, not a real one thank goodness.   Diprotodons are giant wombat like marsupials and lived in Queensland about 1.6 million years ago.   Skulls and skeletons, plus hair and foot impressions have been found near Eulo.    They were donated to one of the museums in Australia.

The Paroo River, which in times of drought is a series of muddy pools of water.    Someone built a weir here so it looks like a very large muddy river.    This is the last river in west Queensland that runs into the Darling River.

The main street of Eulo, which was full of caravans and motor homes when we arrived there.

The old Post Office, which is now a store plus opal place.    I bought a bottle of locally produced honey.  There was also a leather shop in the town, so I purchased a leather belt, at great cost, I might add.   But it is a lovely belt.

An air raid shelter, about 83 years old.    Not that anyone during World War II expected the Japanese army to arrive in Eulo, however the town was underneath the flight path from Sydney to Darwin.

This high wheeled truck was used to travel across shallow rivers and was only recently replaced by a modern truck.

One of the original churches.

The old prison.

There were other places of note in the town.    The Eulo Queen Hotel which was named after a very fiesty woman who was one of the early owners of the hotel.   The hotel also runs the motel and caravan park next door.

There is an artesian mud bath establishment on the edge of the town, which is very popular and expensive, no doubt.

We drove for a few more kilometres until we came to an artesian mud spring.   This mud spring is one of the release valves for the Great Artesian Basin.   As the underground pressure grows, mud is forced up through fissures in the ground.   The mounds have jelly-like tops.    

The mud spring mounds lie on the edge of the Great Arterial Basin, which is much shallower than the centre of the basin.   

Some of the water on the edge of the basin also filters into rivers.    The deepest parts are in the centre of the basin, which is where the water is the hottest.    The water in the basin filters through sand and sandstone which purifies it, however it still smells of sulfur and can be salty.

On Sunday afternoon, I visited the old railway station, which showed a documentary film about the building and the running of the railway to Cunnamulla.   Passenger trains stopped running here in 1994 although freight trains continued until 2011.    The line ran from Brisbane, via Ipswich, Toowoomba, Roma, Charleville and terminated in Cunnamulla.     It was a crucial link for people living in here.

The railway station.

Metal sculptures depicting the local band which met the trains on important occasions.

The Paroo Progress Association organised the 'Cunnamulla off the rails 3D light and sound spectacular' through fund raising plus applications for funding from the Queensland Government.    A huge shed was built beside the railway station, which was fitted out with a very wide screen, and comfortable lay back armchairs.   It was quite an experience.

 One thing I will not miss, is the smell of sulphur every time I turn on the hot water tap, and sometimes even the cold water tap.