Guide to Isisford Queensland Australia

Located in ‘The Outer Barcoo’ Isisford was established in 1877 by William and James Whitman who were travelling through the country. When crossing the Barcoo River, they broke an axle on their wagon and decided to stay nearby. They built a store, hotel, butchery, saddlery, and blacksmith shops.

The establishment was called Whittown but the name was changed in 1878 to 1879 to Isisford after the ford in the river and proximity of Isis Downs Station homestead. ‘Isis Downs’ was named after the Isis River in England. The Barcoo River was once called the Victoria River but changed to the Aboriginal name Barcoo meaning ‘Ice on Water’.

Isisford is the inspiration for many of A.B. ‘Banjo’ Paterson’s works such as the Bush Christening and Clancy of the Overflow. Explorer Sir Thomas Mitchell passed through this way on his 1845 expedition and named a small lagoon five kilometres east south-east of Isisford after his head black tracker, Yuranaigh.

Major industries are sheep and cattle production with tourism on a steady increase. The major employers in the area are the local Council and the wool industry.

A sense of the history of Isisford can be gleaned from a visit to the town’s museum which is located behind the Shire Hall in the main street. The museum is a photographic collection of memorabilia of the town and the surrounding region and as such is a record of the way this town developed.

The Outer Barcoo Interpretive Centre (opening in July 2006) traces the natural evolution of the Outer Barcoo region from 100 million years ago through to the present day.