In the heart of mulga country, way out west in Queensland, cosmic Charleville wears its history well. Bev Malzard enjoyed the surprises the town had to offer.

Evening Star Tourist Park.

Once the sun went down, the temperature dropped to a hard chill, and the sounds of silence engulfed us. Looking up, the sky had become an upside down crater, full to the brim with bright, clear stars. A jarring sound came from the distant highway and a thin film of light from a road train’s headlights startled our peripheral vision.

We had entered Charleville’s Cosmos Centre and Observatory, a neat piece of Outback architecture that looks like a posh shed, to observe the night sky.

We had entered Charleville’s Cosmos Centre and Observatory, a neat piece of Outback architecture that looks like a posh shed, to observe the night sky.

As we walked to the rear of the building, the roof slid back to reveal the sky. We sat, now outdoors on chairs around the perimeter fence of the space and most of us were wrapped in blankets. It felt so homely, so ordinary. But we were experiencing something extraordinary.

The powerful telescopes were set to show us the mystery and beauty of the southern night sky. Shuffling up to the ‘scopes’ dragging our blankets, we took turns to look to the stars – and how wondrous they appeared via that tiny little peep hole. The rings of Saturn were as clear as ribbons and, as we were instructed by a guide, we searched for other planets that were easily identified that night. All in all, the evening was a celebration of one of Australia’s great attractions and sharing it with other people, a lovely, bonding experience. And the night sky never looked more beautiful.

By day the Cosmos Centre is bustling with visitors with exhibitions and displays to view and interactive activities to interest children. At dusk you’ll meet a few kangaroos feeding and greeting on the lawn outside the centre.

Charleville is on the banks of the Warrego River about 800km north-west of Brisbane. Towards the end of the 1880s the town was thriving and boasted its own brewery, 10 hotels and 500 bullock teams. Cobb & Co saw Charleville as a major stock route and started its coach-building factory there in 1893. The streets are wide and proud, quiet in the middle of a sun-drenched weekday but there is a whisper on the breeze of an ancient rumble of bullock teams coming through.

Heritage trail

The town has a heritage trail (and you can buy a Heritage audio download for your MP3 player for $5) that introduces visitors to many quirky aspects of its history:

The Vortex Gun (in Bicentennial Park), built in 1902 is a 5m long ‘gun’ that created much excitement and anticipation of changing the weather. There was an unsuccessful attempt at rain-making as the guns were charged with gunpowder and fired upward. After several attempts to create rain, not a drop fell, and the experiment was abandoned.

Historic House Museum is charming with loads of great stuff to look at – machinery, photographs, clothes, jewellery. It is run by volunteers. I love old homes and what the goods left from the past tell. And what I couldn’t recognise, George, one of the volunteers patiently explained to me. We sat in the old parlour of the house and George gave us a tender rendition of Johnny Cash’s ‘Ruben Jane’ and ‘Wildwood Flower’ on an auto harp which is a variation on the zither. George has a self-taught gift; I left with a little tear in my eye.

Hotel Corones is a classic. Greek migrant Harry Corones landed in Australia penniless. He worked hard, and worked his way from Sydney to Brisbane and then opened a Greek cafe in Charleville in 1909. He built this spectacular, glamorous hotel when the wool and cattle boom was on and the establishment was host to elegant balls, cabarets, weddings, official political functions and hosted not only travelling salespeople but the elite cattle and wool families from outlying districts. It’s worth a visit and an afternoon tea of scones and jam in the old dining room on the ‘Stories & Scones Tour’. Look at the detail – tiles, woodwork, stained glass – now a shadow of their former beauty but hanging on for dear life.

Amy Johnson, the famous aviatrix, landed nearby to Charleville in 1930 and spent the night at Hotel Corones. There are links with aviation pioneers here. The Sydney-London flight landed in Charleville in 1919 and Qantas’ first fare-paying service took off in 1922.

Bilby Tours will steal your heart. Charleville Bilby Experience season runs from 2 April – 8 October. I listened to the talk on bilbies at the centre and then got to see our most rare and endangered animals up close and personal. The night tour allows you to observe the marsupial bilbies.

The Evening Star Tourist Park is one cool place to camp close to town. Set on Thurlby Station of 13,500 hectares, there are powered sites, disability access facilities, a campfire every night – and pets are welcome!

Walk around town and see the variety of architecture from colonial, to Federation style and art deco. You can plot the wealth trail by the amount of fine buildings here.

A good Thai meal in the Outback? I wasn’t too hopeful until I tried my pad Thai at Young Tiger at the Warago Club in town. Sensational food and it was the first time I’ve eaten deep fried chocolate spring roll. Don’t knock it until you try it.

At Bailey Bar Caravan Park you can kick back and relax and meet up with many, many other ‘nomads’ enjoying a shady park, good sites, entertainment at night and an evening round a campfire eating damper and home-cooked meals.

If you fancy more traditional accommodation the, Mulga Country Motor Inn is spick and span and just the ticket for a good night’s sleep – remember this is the Outback and it’s ever so quiet. (What was that rustling noise outside my window? Maybe a wallaby?)

Charleville like most of the Outback towns in Queensland is hospitable, interesting and begging to be discovered. (Go between April and October otherwise it gets far too hot to handle.) Qantaslink flies to Charleville and Queensland Rail’s The Westlander travels to Charleville from Brisbane..

Visit: www.queenslandholidays.com.au and
www.charlevilletourism.com.au/cosmos_website/cosmostourism/youngtiger.htm