Australian Outback Travel Guide

Channel Country
Outback Queensland

The Channel Country is estimated to be around 280,000 sq kms, with about 70% of that area being in South West Queensland, with the remainder extending into South Australia and New South Wales. The country is defined by its massive flood plains, and when in flood the watercourses overflow into distributaries and channels, with some reaching up to 80kms across.

The main watercourses are the Diamantina River, Georgina River, Cooper Creek and Bulloo River. On the rare occasions when the rivers are in massive flood, they discharge into Lake Eyre, Coongie Lakes and Goyders Lagoon, all across the state borders from Queensland.

The primary land use in the Channel Country is cattle grazing, with its treeless plains highly regarded as it can produce rich cattle fattening pastures. The first European pastoralists began settling into the area in the 1870's, with one of the first settlers being Patrick Durack who later settled in the Kimberley Region is Western Australia. A fascinating insight of the times is "Kings in Grass Castles" written by Patrick's grand-daughter Mary Durack, as she retraces the hard times of first settling into the Channel Country, followed by the Kimberley.

The Channel Country offers a great Outback adventure where you can experience life on a working station, try your hand at fishing or birdwatching along the billabongs, rivers and lakes, and ease your sore muscles after a hard day in a hot artesian spring. The area is also home to the famous Birdsville Races, a country horse race meet where people come from all over Australia to experience this unique event.

Regions of the Channel Country

Situated on a sand dune over looking the Eyre creek flood plain, Bedourie is an historic Outback town, startling life in the 1880s as a major watering and rest stop for drovers and cattle and serviced by Cobb and Co coaches.

You do not get much more Outback than Birdsville, situated between the sands of the Simpson Desert and the gibber plains of Sturt's Stony Desert. It is best known for its famous pub and of course the Birdsville Races where the town swells from around 120 people to 6,000 in 2 days.

First settled in the 1860's, Charleville is rich in pastoral history and was the base for Cobb and Co's largest coach making factory in Australia.

Jundah was originally settled by the Durack and Costello pioneering families in 1880, and for 20 years or so over the turn of the century it was a thriving opal mining area.

With a panorama of giant red sandhills, Windorah is located in the heart of the Channel Country, beside Cooper's Creek.