Thargomindah Queensland

It was another long day driving 325km from the Dig Tree to Thargomindah. There weren’t many stopping opportunities, just some photos of the road and a few things along the way. It was an ever changing landscape with evidence of the recent floods very noticeable in the surrounding green tinge and washouts.

The yellow flowers along the 14km of the Cooper Creek delta after the floods was an amazing sight.

This is oil and gas country as well as water bores and we could see a few of these from the road.

It’s 2pm when we drive into Thargomindah.  When the town came into existence in the 1870s the town's main activities were servicing the stations at Bulloo Downs and Durham Downs. Later it became an important stopover for carriers taking wool from Queensland to the steamers which travelled down the Darling River from Bourke to South Australia.

We stopped to have a look at the town's artesian bore that was drilled in 1891  to a depth of 795m. By 1893 the water had came to the surface delivering hot clean water. The town used that water pressure to drive a generator to supply electricity to street lights. This was Australia's first hydro-electricity scheme and the worlds’ 3rd city after London and Paris!  The system operated until 1951. Today the bore still provides the town's water supply, producing around 1,300 cubic metres of water a day. The water reaches the surface at 84°C.

There is a display in a replica of the original hydropower plant shed. You would usually need a swipe card from the Tourist Information Centre, but due to flood damage at other historical sites in the town, it appears to be free at the moment. We decide to leave a donation instead.

We drive into town to the Old Jail. The cells were constructed in 1930 of cypress pine with a galvanised iron roof and line with hardwood. 

We took a look at Pelican Point on the Bulloo River.. no pelican spotted but we did see some at he Dig Tree this morning.

Then went to The Old Thargomindah Hospital, opened in 1888 and built from mud bricks, a reminder of the scarcity of materials on the edge of the desert. The bricks were made from the black soil taken from the banks of the Bulloo River. The bricks were left to dry and, amusingly, they were walked over (you can still see it) by local dogs and cats and even emus. It is now a museum with displays showing the harshness of the outback in the old days.

It was now time to find our spot for the night in the free camping area just out of town on the Cunnamulla Road…

What 325km looks like in Australia