Cunnamulla, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Cunnamulla (Aboriginal meaning "long stretch of water") is a small town that lies on the Warrego River
in south west Queensland
, Australia
, 206 kilometres (128 mi) south of Charleville
, and approximately 750 kilometres (466 mi) west of the state capital, Brisbane
.
Cunnamulla is situated at the intersection of the Mitchell Highway
and the Balonne Highway
. At the 2006 census
, the town had a population of 1,217.
Cunnamulla is the administrative centre for the Paroo Shire, which also includes the townships of Wyandra
, Yowah and Eulo
, and covers an area of 47617 square kilometre. Major industries of the area are wool, pig and kangaroo hunting, and hospitality industry.
Cunnamulla's indigenous community
suffers from a high level of domestic violence according to a report of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Task Force on Violence.
s intersected. The town itself came into being in the late 19th century as a coach stop for Cobb and Co
coaches. A town survey was conducted in 1868, the same year a courthouse was built. A railway to the town was completed in 1899.
It has also been stated that the very first interstate game of Rugby League (between New South Wales and Queensland) was played between Cunnamulla and Bourke.
Warrego River
The Warrego River is situated in south west Queensland and north west New South Wales, Australia. It is the northernmost tributary of the Darling River....
in south west Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 206 kilometres (128 mi) south of Charleville
Charleville, Queensland
Charleville is a town in south western Queensland, Australia, 758 kilometres by road west of Brisbane . It is the largest town and administrative centre of the Murweh Shire, which covers an area of 43,905 square kilometres...
, and approximately 750 kilometres (466 mi) west of the state capital, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
.
Cunnamulla is situated at the intersection of the Mitchell Highway
Mitchell Highway
The Mitchell Highway is a major rural highway in Australia, travelling through central and northern New South Wales and south central Queensland. The highway starts from its northern end in Queensland with the Landsborough Highway near Augathella and continues south to Charleville and Cunnamulla...
and the Balonne Highway
Balonne Highway
The Balonne Highway, a state highway of Queensland, is the continuation westward of the Moonie Highway from the town of St George to its termination at Cunnamulla. It follows the Balonne River for the most part and is named after it. There are no settlements of any real size between St George and...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, the town had a population of 1,217.
Cunnamulla is the administrative centre for the Paroo Shire, which also includes the townships of Wyandra
Wyandra, Queensland
Wyandra is a town in outback western Queensland, Australia in the Paroo Shire Local government area. Wyandra is located on the Matilda Highway, 827 kilometres west of the state capital, Brisbane and 110 kilometres north of Cunnamulla...
, Yowah and Eulo
Eulo, Queensland
Eulo is an opal-mining town in south-western Queensland , in Paroo Shire, 64 km west of Cunnamulla and 887 km west of Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Eulo and the surrounding area had a population of 108. Eulo has a school, one pub and a small general store as well as Outback Petrol. The general...
, and covers an area of 47617 square kilometre. Major industries of the area are wool, pig and kangaroo hunting, and hospitality industry.
Cunnamulla's indigenous community
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
suffers from a high level of domestic violence according to a report of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Task Force on Violence.
History
The area's first European explorer was Thomas Mitchell who passed through the region in 1846. A settlement arose here because there was a reliable waterhole where two major stock routeStock route
In Australia, the Travelling Stock Route is an authorised thoroughfare for the walking of domestic livestock such as sheep or cattle from one location to another...
s intersected. The town itself came into being in the late 19th century as a coach stop for Cobb and Co
Cobb and Co
Cobb and Co is the name of a transportation company in Australia. It was prominent in the late 19th century when it operated stagecoaches to many areas in the outback and at one point in several other countries, as well....
coaches. A town survey was conducted in 1868, the same year a courthouse was built. A railway to the town was completed in 1899.
It has also been stated that the very first interstate game of Rugby League (between New South Wales and Queensland) was played between Cunnamulla and Bourke.
Cultural references
- Cunnamulla was the subject of a 2000 documentary film of the same name by Dennis O'RourkeDennis O'RourkeDennis O'Rourke is an Australian documentary filmmaker.- Biography :For most of his childhood, Dennis O'Rourke lived in a small country town, where his parents ran a failing business, until he was sent to a Catholic boarding school for his secondary education...
, in which he followed several members of the community as they went about their daily lives. - Cunnamulla is the main setting for Henry LawsonHenry LawsonHenry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
's short story "The Hypnotised Township" from his anthology The Rising of the Court, and Other Sketches in Prose and Verse. - The song "The Cunnamulla Fella", written by Stan CosterStan CosterStan Coster OAM was an Australian country music singer-songwriter. His songs were regularly performed by Slim Dusty and other singers. He is the father of country music singer Tracy Coster.-Life and career:...
and sung by Slim DustySlim DustyDavid Gordon "Slim Dusty " Kirkpatrick AO, MBE was an Australian country music singer-songwriter and producer, with a career spanning nearly eight decades. He was known to record songs in the legacy of Australian poets Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson that represented the Australian Bush...
, is commemorated by a statue in the town centre.