Unlike many outback towns which have grown up like topsy, Windorah's wide streets are laid out in a very orderly right angled grid, and, with only two exceptions, all bear people's names. I was never able to get to the bottom of that!
Another thing which struck us was the fact that for a town of so few permanent residents, those who do chose to make this place home are very well catered for in terms of local infrastructure, but we'll come to all that shortly.
Firstly, a spot of history and some general information.
What we know today as Windorah came into existence more or less by accident. The town began when the enterprising Whitman brothers were caught in an 1870's flood. They took refuge on a stony point on high ground, and, after finally managing to sell the goods they had been hawking through the outback, they decided to this would be a good place for a store. I'll have a bit more to say about this later.
Things progressed, and in 1880 the original town name of Stony Point was changed and Windorah (meaning 'big fish') was gazetted as a town. But in true outback Aussie fashion, this event had been preceded by the building of the town's first pub,The Western Star. And, in what we have come to recognise as true Queensland style, it burnt down in 1957! The temporary structure which replaced it is still used as the bar today.
Windorah, together with Jundah and Stonehenge, is one of the only three towns located in the vast expanse of the Barcoo Shire, a sprawling local government district which covers over 60,000 square kilometres of Central Western Queensland and is recognised as one of the most remote in Australia.
The 2016 census put the population of the entire Shire at 267. This same census counted 115 living permanently in Windorah. I suspect that this number may have dropped slightly, but in any event this is anything but a large town!
Sheep and cattle grazing are the mainstay of the district, however, recently oil and gas industries have developed in the area. These provide much of the local employment, together with the Shire Council and maintenance of the Dingo Barrier fence. It was also obvious to us that the Barcoo Shire is doing much to encourage increasing tourism with the provision of excellent facilities such as the caravan park we were enjoying.
Mind you, the climate out here can be a bit daunting. As Wikipedia notes:
"Windorah is diverse in many aspects. The temperature may range from maximums in summer that approach 50 °C to minimums in winter that are below 0 °C. The annual rainfall has recorded falls between a low of 86 mm and a high of 988 mm. Other weather extremes include 25 morning frosts in 1977, 10 dust storms in 1987 and four hailstorms in 1985."
It has been said that towns do not come much more 'outback' than Windorah. Hear, hear!
We did our 'town tour' mostly on foot, but on our way back from the Nature Drive to Cooper's Creek we did stop on the outskirts of town to take a closer look at two roadside features which could have not been more different.
For some bizarre reason the good folk of Spinifex Downs felt the need to advertise their property by adding a sign to this old truck and then not only installing a dummy driver, but adorning the bonnet and tray with pigs! Pigs and Windorah just don't quite seem to fit, but there you are, at least Spinifex Downs is on the map for all who come to Windorah.
The next item of interest on this approach into the town serves a much more serious purpose. These are the collection dishes of Windorah's solar power station, one quite different from that we had seen at White Cliffs...apart from anything else, this one is operational!
A large sheltered information board on the opposite side of the road tells the story
For some bizarre reason the good folk of Spinifex Downs felt the need to advertise their property by adding a sign to this old truck and then not only installing a dummy driver, but adorning the bonnet and tray with pigs! Pigs and Windorah just don't quite seem to fit, but there you are, at least Spinifex Downs is on the map for all who come to Windorah.
The next item of interest on this approach into the town serves a much more serious purpose. These are the collection dishes of Windorah's solar power station, one quite different from that we had seen at White Cliffs...apart from anything else, this one is operational!
A large sheltered information board on the opposite side of the road tells the story
and, on the other side, provides a very clear explanation of how and why.
I've been a bit lazy. I'll let the photos tell the story.
This is a seriously natty bit of kit and is no slouch when it comes to output.
So, why is this here?
Really remote towns like Windorah are off the grid. According to what I read, Ergon Energy has been working at implementing viable alternatives to diesel power generation. Windorah was chosen as the town in which to install this solar plant for three reasons.
It has the right number of residents, is located in an area which has high solar radiation (it averages seven to eight sunshine hours per day over nearly 200 days of the year!) and the old diesel power plant can be easily integrated with the new technology.
All very smart and entirely practical. I suspect that before too much longer we will see many more of these plants throughout the region.
For the remainder of the town tour by the Mobile Marshies we eschewed technology and reverted to the use of our own energy. With the Cruiser parked back at camp we set off on foot north-east along the divided carriageway of Albert Street.
We were heading to what could loosely be called the Windorah CBD. In doing so we did pass this old town residence, and with my eye for the odd or different,
I was struck by the fact that in the back shed of what looked to be a house on its last legs, there was a speed boat of all things. 'Poor Bugga' indeed, but this was a good indication of the fact that there is often plenty of water in Cooper's Creek (or whoever lives here has completely lost it...I preferred the former!)
As we crossed Virtue Street, the 'town centre' lay ahead of us,
Here we firstly came to the service station
complete with its own cafe (and two hopefully happy customers). In addition to all that one would expect to buy at a place like this, the 'servo' also stocks a wide selection of groceries, magazines, gifts, camping gear and bait....one of Windorah's two all purpose stores!
On the opposite side of the road what began life in the mid 60's as a cafe has now been taken over by the very active Windorah Development Board and serves the community as its Post Office.
This non-descript building next to the Post Office almost skipped my attention, but it does have a history. Now a private residence for a pioneering family of the area, this was originally The Cosmopolitan Hotel. We'll come to the real pub in a moment.
Across the road stands another building which could reasonably claim to be Windorah's foundation. After being caught in the floods, this is the spot where, in the early 1900's, the Whitman brothers built and stocked their shop.
The original building, which is still part of these premises, was made of pise (rammed earth).The remainder of the present day store is a story in itself. It was one of the first steel buildings in the area, and, believe it or not, all the material used was imported directly from England. That's enterprise for you!
This shop still supplies a whole range of goods and provides very desirable competition for the service station.
And now for the real pub. The Western Star hotel is another of the town buildings with a story to tell. As I have mentioned previously it rose here first in 1878. Since then all the buildings associated with this watering hole have burnt down at some time or other. Believe me, this is 'so Queensland'!
The present establishment (now much better fire protected) includes the adjoining quite up-market Sandhill Grill. We didn't quite manage to have a meal here, but that's another story I'll share shortly.
Beyond the pub, at the intersection of Albert and Maryborough Streets, the green oasis of Rabig Park (named after a prominent local) provides a cool leafy picnic spot
and a covered kiddies' playground, seen here looking back along Albert Street.
On the median strip at this end of the street stands a memorial which is a stark reminder of the unforgiving nature of the Australian outback.
The plaque tells the sad story. What it doesn't mention is that Constable Callaghan actually fell for
the trap for young players in the outback.....he became lost and was not carrying any water. What a miserable way to die, slowly and alone.
Looking in the opposite direction across the seemingly never ending expanses of bitumen at this same intersection, is another town feature which was once associated with law and order.
It is hard to believe that this is Windorah's first Court House. It was moved here in the 1960's from its previous location in the yard of the Police Station where it was being used to house spare parts for trucks.
In recent years this quaint old building was home to a local legend, Kevin 'Tarpot' Oates, who sadly died last year, but fortunately not before he featured in that wonderful ABC programme 'Back Roads'.
As these signs attest, this corner is the point in town where travellers coming in from the east along Maryborough Street turn right to head on out along Albert Street, past the caravan park and on to points beyond in 'the middle of nowhere'.
Sensibly, this main thoroughfare is home to the Windorah Visitor Information Centre (the parked vans were a real giveaway!),
and the adjoining town museum.
Before getting there we did pass this information board raised on the edge of Rabig Park, one
which presents a succinct snapshot of this fascinating little town. This just another example of the efforts being taken by the Barcoo Shire to encourage and inform tourists.
When we wandered into the Visitor Information Centre
we were greeted by yet another surprise....two golf buggies on the front verandah. Odd we thought. Why would local golfers stop in here before or after a round?
Nothing of the kind......a quick glance at the attached notice made their purpose clear. This charmingly phrased invitation was yet another tourist directed initiative. No mention was made of lost balls.....that's pretty hard to do on the Windorah golf course!
Needless to say we were not at all surprised to find that the staff inside this well stocked building were effusively welcoming and most obliging. The colourful 'Information and History Walk Around Windorah' brochure, which was quickly thrust into my hands, is without doubt one of the best we have ever come across and another big tick for the Windorah Development Board.
This old photo on the wall caught my eye,
and with a few steps we were out in the adjoining garden, where beyond the brush wurlie under the shade tree, we could see the bow of the boat in question protruding past the shrubs.
And there it was....what tales this hull could tell!
In the same well kept garden this old slab hut
now serves as the Whitula Gate Museum.
It's story was also to be found on the wall of the Information Centre.
I must say that any objective assessment of the rear
and interior of this old building demands the comment that it is all a bit of a dusty clutter. I rather suspect that this museum remains a work in progress.
The surrounds have also become the resting place for a somewhat eclectic assortment,
but the one which really caught my eye was the outback 'dunny' complete with its longdrop and 'spiders'. I was instantly reminded of my childhood in Port Lincoln where any night time visit to our outside loo was never made without a torch and a rolled up newspaper.....the one used to see them, and the other to dispatch any lurking redbacks.
From the museum we strolled further along the wide expanses of Maryborough Street
where the tall communications tower stood over the first 'normal' Police Station sign we had seen in this part of the world.
If Albert Street could be considered the town CBD, Victoria Street is home to Windorah's community services beginning with the Primary Health Centre,
followed by the two storey Windorah State School,
where I was fascinated to see that part of the playground was not only under cover, but was enclosed with protective mesh and flywire.
Undercover is certainly the way to go in places like this where the temperatures can soar to unbearable heights. Opposite the school this huge open shed
provides shade for all using the courts beneath it. The myriad of lines marked on the surface indicated that this was definitely a multi-use facility.
Next to the school and just past the school residence, the cross atop the gable indicated that this building was a place of worship....in this instance Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Mind you it can be a long time between communions for the faithful. Mass is celebrated here only every second month, and then by a priest who travels in from Charleville.
Behind the Recreation Centre, and facing out onto Edward Street we found the open ground
which is the rather barren looking town oval complete with rugby goal posts and a cement cricket pitch. I would not fancy being on the wrong end of a vigorous tackle on this unforgiving ground!
Beside the oval stands what is the most impressive building in town, the modern and elegant
Windorah Community Centre built here by the Barcoo Shire Council in 2009 to replace the old hall which had reached its use-by date. The design and planning of this marvellous facility which includes a hall and stage, meeting rooms, kitchen and bar areas, toilets, showers and a gym, was undertaken with significant community input. It really is a credit to the Shire.
By the time we made our way back along Edwards Street towards another of Windorah's visitor accommodation facilities, Cooper Cabins,
we were attracting plenty of passengers. We had not yet resorted to fly nets, but the time was fast approaching.
In addition to the nine cabins of this complex
this facility includes a licensed restaurant and bar for guests (but only for guests),
and some wonderfully bright bougainvillea in the surrounding gardens, but it was the notice at the entrance which really caught my attention.
Could anything be plainer than this??
I did wonder why it had been necessary to post something so blunt, but all became clearer when later on, standing in the bar of the pub, I listened to two blokes who had just arrived in town on motor cycles from Birdsville. They were complaining bitterly that they could not find the accommodation they would have preferred. Needless to say, when asked if they had thought to book ahead, the answer was an indignant "No". Some folk just seem to forget where they actually are!
For a town of its size, Windorah is well served with churches....here we have St Clare's Anglican which was brought to the town by the Bush Brothers in 1972. Like its Catholic counterpart this too is serviced from Charleville.
As a final snippet from our town jaunt, I have to share this with you, a shot of the home opposite our caravan park, an unremarkable building in most aspects but one.....
..........its name. Indisputable!
At the outset of our Windorah adventures, I mentioned that my beloved travelling companion had insisted that our 'Cane Toad' Queensland flag was flown from the moment of our arrival.
State of Origin was on, and as the sun set in a golden glow through the trees of our park, we off down the road to the Western Star
where, it seemed, a goodly percentage of the town and its visitors had congregated to have a few drinks and watch the game. As well as those out the front
and gathered around the large fire pit at the back of the pub,
there were quite a few in the bar, including us, unexpectedly!
Earlier that day we had popped in here and tried to book a table in the Sandhill Grill only to be told by the Irish backpacker behind the bar that a reservation would be unnecessary. You guessed it......as we joined the thong pouring out of the caravan park, all headed for the hotel, I had a bad feeling about what was to come.
Sure enough, when we got there, the tables in the Grill were all completely occupied. I was livid. To give him his due, when the fact that I was breathing fire and smoke attracted the attention of the pub owner, our backpacking friend did own up to his error with profuse apologies.
So instead of having a 'fine dining' night in Windorah, Liz and I had no choice but to take up two stools at the bar, (did I mention it was bloody cold!) where I have to admit we did enjoy a great feed and had a very good vantage point from which to watch the unfolding contest on the big screen.
But this sad story of dining desires dashed does come with a positive postscript........the barman did admit that he had never before heard of State of Origin nor had any idea of the interest it creates. He told us he had learnt a very sharp lesson and complemented his apologies with several rounds of free drinks (which I suspect he funded from his own pocket). He turned out to be a really pleasant bloke and I soon forgave his ignorance!
Well, dear readers, that is our (very long) take on Windorah. As you have probably gathered by now we both just loved the town, its surrounds and all that was on offer here.
I know I have waxed lyrical about the endeavours of the Barcoo Shire Council in relation to the caravan park, the Information Centre and so on, and I must preemptively comment at this stage that this good impression was more than supported by what we were to find at our next stop, the not too distant town to the north, Jundah.
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