Guide to Surat Queensland Australia

Surat is a small town on the Balonne River, 78 kilometres south of Roma on the Carnarvon Highway. It has about 400 people, a main street of old timber buildings and a lovely stretch of river. Its place in history is secure: the last Cobb and Co coach service in Australia ran from here in 1924, and the old company store is now one of the best small museums in the Queensland bush.

Known For

• The Cobb and Co Changing Station museum
• A riverside walk on the Balonne
• Free camping and fishing at Fishermans Park

The town gave its name to the Surat Basin, the huge geological formation beneath this part of Queensland that holds coal, gas and artesian water.

Things To Do in Surat

Cobb and Co Changing Station

Built on the site of the store where coaches changed horses, the museum has a replica coach, displays on the coaching era and local history, a regional art gallery and a 25,000-litre aquarium of fish from the Balonne, including Murray cod. Entry is free.

The river walk

A two-kilometre path follows the bank from the main street, past picnic areas and fishing spots, beneath river red gums full of corellas and galahs.

Fishing

The Balonne here is known for yellowbelly and Murray cod. Fishermans Park, on the northern side of the bridge, allows free camping for self-contained travellers beside the water.

The Cobb and Co Way

A signposted drive of 76 kilometres follows the route of the last coach run to Yuleba, passing old changing stations and a memorial cairn.

Heritage buildings

The main street has a timber shire hall, old shops and a hotel from the early 1900s, and a short heritage walk links them with the riverside.

On the river

Boat ramps above and below the weir give access to long, quiet reaches of the river for fishing and paddling. The banks are lined with river red gums, coolibahs and flocks of noisy corellas.

Surat Basin country

Drives west towards Glenmorgan and Myall Park Botanic Garden, or north to Roma, cross open grazing country and brigalow, with wildflowers after rain.

Where To Stay

Surat has a motel, a hotel, a caravan park and the free camp at Fishermans Park.

Eat & Drink

The hotel serves meals, and the main street has a cafe and store.

History

The town was surveyed in 1849 and named by the surveyor after his former home in India. It is one of the oldest towns in the south-west. The final coach left for Yuleba on 14 August 1924, defeated at last by the motor car.
Before the railway reached Roma, Surat was the administrative centre of the Maranoa, with the district’s first courthouse and post office. Wool, cattle and, more recently, cotton and gas have kept it going.

Getting to Surat

Surat is about an hour south of Roma and an hour and a quarter north of St George on the Carnarvon Highway.