Australian Outback Travel Guide

Windorah
Channel Country

With a panorama of giant red sandhills, Windorah is located in the heart of the Channel Country, beside Cooper's Creek. It doesn't get much more Outback than here, with its stunning vistas, picturesque ruins and historical sites.

Windorah's history is linked with Isisford for it was the Whitman brothers who established both towns. Originally known as Stony Point, its current name is the Aboriginal word for 'place of large fish'. This relates to Cooper's Creek, which is formed by the junction of the Thomson and Barcoo Rivers just south of Jundah. Cooper Creek at Windorah is a top fishing spot, ideal for birdwatching and enjoying watersports with a waterhole about 19 kilometres in length and up to 10 metres deep. The channels can spread floodwaters up to 100 kilometres wide as they flow towards Lake Eyre.

A scenic 12 kilometre nature drive from town to Cooper's Creek gives a view of the area with all its diversity. Magnificent red sandhills are situated just to the west of town.

Windorah's main industry is cattle grazing, due to the abundance of Mitchell Grass and other herbage that is available especially after floods.

Windorah Attractions

J.C. Ruins

John Costello was empowered by John Collin and Son of Melbourne to secure land for the Collins family. It was during one of these early exploring trips that John stopped here and carved his initials (or was it J.C. for John Collin) on the famous JC tree while he was waiting for his billy to boil.

A hotel was built nearby at a later date, and when Surveyor G.T. Weale laid out a township in 1884, he gave it the name Canterbury, because the Post Master General's Department would not accept J.C. as a town name. The township and the run was officially named Canterbury, but the hotel continued to be referred to as The J.C..

The hotel and township of Canterbury have long disappeared and all that is left is the small remains and cemetery. The tree on which John carved his initials has long gone.

The hotel was a pisé building, the rammed earth walls were marked and painted to resemble larger rectangular stone blocks.

Red Sandhills

The Red Sandhills ten kilometres west of Windorah on the Birdsville Road are the reddest that you will find anywhere. They may not be very high, but they are worth stopping to admire, especially for photographers. The sandhills continually change colours throughout the day. The best time to see them is at sunset. It's an ideal place to have a drink or two and watch the sun go down and the moon come up at the same time. Along with the sounds of silence, the view and your own company - what better way to take away the stress.

The children will also use up their excess energy running up and sliding down the sandhills. And don't worry, the red sand brushes off.

Windorah Nature Drive

The Windorah Nature Drive is a 12 kilometre off-road drive from Windorah to Coopers Creek that passes through a variety of country including Gidgee woodlands, Spinifex grasslands and floodplains to finish the drive at Coopers Creek. There are around 38 different flora with common name plates as well as a number of points of interest along the way. The drive will join the Quilpie Road at the bridge over Coopers Creek.

Pick up a fact sheet from the Information Centre before you leave. Although called a 'drive' it is a good easy afternoon walk for hikers. Just ask at the Information Centre if you need to be dropped off at the start or picked up at the finish.

Windorah Weather - Average Temperatures and Rainfall