Jundah

Jundah is the administration centre of the Barcoo Shire. With a population of approximately 100 people it is the largest of the three towns within the Shire. The district was originally settled by the Durack and Costello pioneering families in 1880. For 20 years or so over the turn of the century it was a thriving opal mining area, but lack of water caused work on the mines to cease. With the introduction of heavy machinery, the opal mines are once again attracting interest. Sheep and cattle are the main supporting industries in and around Jundah. Jundah is just two and half hours south-west of Longreach and three and a half hours north-west of Quilpie, and 30 kilometres above the junction of the Barcoo and Thomson Rivers where they form Cooper Creek. The Thomson River, one kilometre out of town, provides a scenic fishing and recreational area with panoramic river drives. The river carries a variety of fish including yellowbelly, catfish and bream. Yabbies caught in the local waterholes along the river provide an entree to an evening meal or just a quick snack. Jundah's Historical Museum is a window into the early pioneering times of the district. Other points of interest in the town include the Jundah Post Office with its beautiful shopfront mural and the Galaxy Opal, one of the world's largest Boulder Opals which was unearthed in the Jundah area. Welford National Park, located 45 kilometres south-east of Jundah, covers 124,000 hectares of nature's diverse landscapes. Among the native animals is the rare yellow-footed rock wallaby which makes its home in the park's northern and eastern sections.