Windorah, Queensland
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Named after the local Aboriginal word for "Big Fish", Windorah is one of three towns in the Barcoo Shire in south-west Queensland, Australia.
Located 35 km downstream from where the Thomson and Barcoo Rivers join to form the multi-channelled Cooper's Creek, Windorah is known as "The Heart of the Channel Country" and offers a welcome and interesting stop off for travellers to Birdsville, Bedourie, Longreach and points West. While the Shire covers an area of 60,901km², the town boasts a small population of 60 people, with a further 40 living at surrounding stations.
Sheep and cattle grazing are the main stay of the district, however recently oil and gas industries have developed in the area. Many locals also work on the Shire Council and the Dingo Barrier Fence.
Windorah boasts diversity of many aspects:
- Temperature - maximums in summer head towards 50 degrees C, minimums in winter are below 0 degrees C
- Rainfall - recorded falls between low of 86 mm and high of 988 mm for a year
- Other Weather - 25 morning frosts in 1977, 10 dust storms in 1987 and 4 hail storms in 1985
- Landscape - Rocky outcrops, multiple sand hills and black soil flood plains make up most of the surrounding area
- Water Supply - usually either famine or flood, during a wet year the Cooper may flood more than a half a dozen times, during the dry it becomes a chain of waterholes
External links
- Official site: The Windorah Development Board (http://www.windorah.net/)