Charleville

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Charleville Outback Beds

Located 750km west of Brisbane, in the Mulga Country of Outback Queensland, Charleville is located on the banks of the Warrego River and is an outback destination with much to see and do for today's traveller. Steeped in iconic history the area was first explored by Edmund Kennedy in his 1847 expedition to determine whether the rivers of the area (Warrego and Barcoo) flowed south into the channel country or north to the Gulf of Carpentaria.

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Settlement began in the 1860s with the first pub/general store established in 1866 near Gowrie's Crossing, a permanent water hole establishing the town as a major stock route; from there the town developed with Charleville being gazetted in 1868.

The iconic Cobb & Co coaches relocated their coach building business to Charleville, moving from the coast as the timber required for the building of coaches was structurally better in the west as it was less prone to cracking/splitting. While the move was good for the manufacturing side of the business, the expansion of the rail network during the late 1860s was the beginning of the decline of the coach transport and the rail link to Brisbane was seen as the better option; this rail route is still operational today.

Also notable is that Qantas first scheduled air service was between Charleville and Cloncurry in 1922. Today, the town still holds strong links to taviation as it is the Queensland base for not only the Royal Flying Doctor Service but also the School of Distance Education (Also known as the School of the Air).

Things to See & Do

  • The Royal Flying Doctor Service
  • The School of Distance Education
  • Historical House
  • Steiger Gun
  • Fauna Display

Charleville Visitor Information