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Quilpie, QLD

Looking for colour? In these parts there’s plenty of it, to be found both in the stories relating to the early settlement of the region and also that precious ‘colour’ of boulder opal, which is sought from beneath the surface of the bush earth. Quilpie is best known as an opal town. It is often referred to as the home of the ‘Boulder Opal’ as the area is the largest producer of this type of opal in the world.

quilpie

Queensland is the world’s only producer of ironstone boulder opal and the Quilpie mining district is the largest boulder opal producer in the State with approximately 200 leases currently being worked. Opal produced in the Quilpie Shire finds its way to not only jewellery houses in Australian capital cities, but also to stores in Tokyo, Osaka, New York, Hamburg, Paris, London and Geneva.

Located 980 kilometres west of Brisbane and 208 kilometres west of Charleville, Quilpie is the commercial and social centre of the Quilpie Shire. The name of the town was derived from the Aboriginal word ‘Quilpeta’ meaning Stone Curlew.

Relatively young, Quilpie was declared an official town on 29 April 1917. In the same year the railway line from Charleville to Quilpie was completed. Quilpie is rich in grazing history beginning with the pioneering efforts of families such as the Costello’s, Tully‘s and Duracks.

Quilpie is located on the banks of the Bulloo River in the famous Channel Country of western Queensland. The shire is supported through primary industries such as sheep, cattle grazing, oil, gas and opal mining. Apart from these main industries Quilpie Shire houses a keen and talented artistic community.

Nearest Airport: Quilpie

Where to stay?

Experiences

  • 18-35's
  • Caravan and Camping
  • Farm/Station
  • Rural/Country
  • Historic/Heritage
  • Remote
  • Self-Drive
  • Soft Adventure

Popular Activities

  • Bird Watching
  • Bush Walking
  • Sightseeing
  • Swimming
  • Adventure
  • Fishing
  • Outback
  • Fossicking

About Quilpie

  • Locality: Urban locality
  • Quilpie Postcode: 4480
  • State: Queensland
  • Region: Outback Queensland
  • Latitude: -26.61306
  • Longitude: 144.2672
  • Elevation: 202m
  • Population: 595
  • Median Income: $38012
  • Area (Sq/km): 17846.691
  • Timezone: Australia/Brisbane

Accommodation In Quilpie

Discover some of the accommodation in and around Quilpie

Explore The Outback

Australia has a vast remote interior, much of it largely untouched. By night, the outback is deathly quiet, with the only light provided by the stars and the moon - a perfect oportunity for stargazing. Explore the isolated heart of the country, meet and connect with Aboriginal people and experience one of the oldest living cultures in the world. Go ‘walk-about’ and immerse yourself with Australia’s endless outback horizons.

Outback Experiences

Luxe Accommodation

Enjoy a distinctly Australian luxury experience, such as the unforgettable reefs, islands, beaches and coast; rugged mountain ranges, rainforests and vast national parks; and the many vibrant food and wine regions. Take a once in a lifetime adventure and discover the sheer indulgence of experiencing the wonders of Australia in style and stay in total luxury.

Australia has wide variety of accommodation options to suit most budgets and travelling preferences. Choose from luxury lodges, boutique hotels, serviced apartments, motels, bed and breakfasts, caravan parks as well as youth and backpacker hostels.

Accommodation

Glasshouse Mountains

The Glasshouse Mountains in the hinterland of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast are actually the cores of 20 million year old volcanoes. The sides of the volcanoes have eroded away leaving only the hardened rock spiremountain cores we see today. Learn more about this awe-inspiring landscape.

Glasshouse Mountains