QI Tour - Cunnamulla to Thargomindah (Day 26)

Our departure from Cunnamulla was delayed for a short visit back into town for Sue to have a look in at the Cunnamulla Hot Springs. Since "that thing" we have been reluctant to use a lot of shared facilities but the baths here were a new thing since our last visit. Worth a look apparently. Placed high on the bank above the Warrego and under the shade of some big River Red Gums, it looks an ideal place to soak in the soothing hot waters of the GAB. A little pricey for my liking.

Fueled up, we headed west on the Adventure Way, further into the Outback.

Eulo was our only stop on the journey and one of those where you admire the folks who remain and fight on but its obvious that sooner or later, the European history of this place which dates back to the 1860's, will come to a close. The Post Office, Police Station and General Store have been permanently closed. There is no fuel available. Its 25 years since environmentalists forced the ending of the World Lizard Racing Championships which had been a major tourist attraction for 30 years. Probably fitting that we stopped first to see Kenny, the smiling diprotodon. 

Still going is Paroo Leather, where you can purchase exquisite, hand made leather products from Tom and Helen Rosenow. Tom is a lovely bloke and we chatted for some time about his work and his town. His livelihood is totally dependent on the passing trade and its been a tough season but he just engages a slow smile and carries on the conversation.

Across the road is the Eulo Queen Hotel, a rebuild from the original which burnt down. Isabel Gray was the lady in question, who was born and raised in Switzerland, was well educated and spoke several languages ... and then was "sent to Australia" in 1868. Subsequent descriptions of her probably explain why! Married three times, she owned and ran the hotel, made her money trading opal found on the Yowah fields to the north with men in need of hospitality and built up a wild reputation. If the grog in the bar didn't lubricate opals from the men's safe keeping, then the entertainment her selection of "girls" provided did. The self-declared Queen of Eulo was often in trouble with the constabulary but even the loss of her liquor licence didn't stop her. She simply transferred the licence to a puppet among the staff and continued straight on.

Larger than life, she was a bawdy schemer, always on for a good time which always involved grog, sex and a profit. After her third husband died, ending a fractious relationship which began with her having the advantage of a 24 year age gap (him 29, her 53), better roads and a decline in opal prices and aging removing her charm, she went broke and left town, eventually dying in a the mental ward in a Toowoomba, in poverty and madness.

The current owner opened the pub for us and although his taciturn nature and grumbling about the lack of trade was a far cry from the ebullience reputed to have been Isabel's stock in trade, the seeking of profit was the same. Two cans of beer cost us $20. As another local said, "he chases them away".

Up the street, past all the other closed businesses and services, you pass a rather flash looking church. Apparently God is still a going concern in Eulo, ironic as that seems. There is also a rather pessimistic air raid shelter, built during the second world war to save the locals from Japanese aircraft. How they could have penetrated this far inland is a mystery?  Further on, The Eulo Queen Opal Centre is worth a visit. It trades on the name in legend only and is a stand alone business which offers good prices for various presentations of opals. There are also local history books and merch available, they serve a decent cup of coffee and are up for a chat. Their trade, apparently, is still going strong. I wonder why?

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today's photos

Back on the narrow bitumen for the last two thirds of the trip to Thargomindah, there was little variation to the scenery or the level of road kill. There are some places that just take perseverance to reach. Our first impressions of "Thargo" were positive, from the welcome at the information centre through to service at the pub, where we washed down the road miles after setting up at out digs, a brief drive down to the Bulloo River and a picnic spot called Pelican Point.