Duaringa
Aboriginal Art Carnarvon Gorge
Is a small town (pop. 500) in central Queensland, Australia. The town lies on the Capricorn Highway, 116 kilometres west of Rockhampton. At the 2006 census, Duaringa had a population of 247. Duaringa was previously the administrative centre of the former Duaringa Shire Council, which became a part of the Emerald-based Central Highlands Regional Council upon amalgamation in March 2008. Although small in size, the town has a police station and courthouse, ambulance station, a hotel, post office and newsagency, a primary school, three churches, a sports complex, and a library. Duaringa previously had a general store and butcher shop, but both closed down in the mid 1990s. There was also a railway station but apart from the platform, it hadn’t been used for years and it was removed in 2007. After the removal, Queensland Rail upgraded the platform facilities for local passengers wishing to use the Spirit Of The Outback rail service which operates between Brisbane and Longreach.
The Dawson and Mackenzie Rivers flow to the east and north of the town respectively. Duaringa suffers from periodic droughts and floods, and experiences summer temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius. Duaringa is a significant centre for Aboriginal peoples and there is a former reservation at Woorabinda. Indigenous people were granted small parcels of land under Queensland native title legislation. There are Aboriginal rock art sites at Carnarvon National Park, south-west of Duaringa.
How Duaringa got its name
Dawson River near Moura
There are three versions on how the town came to be named Duaringa. The first reasoning behind the name is that it is derived from a word in the aboriginal language used in the Burnett River area – ‘djuaringe’, possibly meaning to turn oneself around. The second possibility is that the name is derived from the aboriginal words ‘D’warra D’nanjie’, meaning a meeting place on the swamp oaks. This is the most popular theory, and is in fact the official origin of the name Duaringa.
Duaringa Shire
Duaringa, a rural town of 250 people, is on the Capricorn Highway, 90 km south-west of Rockhampton. The origin of the name is obscure, possibly from an Aboriginal expression or based on the name of an early resident, Inga Anderson. In 1867 an inland railway from Rockhampton to Westwood was opened, and nine years later it was extended to Boollburra, a few kilometres east of the site which from that time was named Duaringa. By 1879 the railway had gone on to Emerald, crossing what became Duaringa Shire. The presence of the railway was accompanied by an influx of population, and the supervising local authority, the Banana Divisional Board, requested the severance of the Duaringa area. In 1881 the Duaringa Division was proclaimed.
Duaringa Hotel, ca. 1899
Most of the division’s area north of the railway was plains and lowlands with extensive brigalow, a hardy, shrubby acacia. To the south is the Blackdown tableland which merges with the Dawson Range. On the west is the Expedition Range. The main industry was pastoral, but in 1892 local coal deposits were mined about 15 km west of Blackwater. Several other mines around Blackwater were opened by 1905, and around Bluff during 1920-40. In 1949 Duaringa Shire was described in the Australian Blue Book:
The Shire of Duaring, besides being an extensive grazing area, has rich deposits of coal. Blackwater, a townhip with a population, has a large colliery – Fraser’s Balmoral Colliery. The township of Bluff, 106 miles west of Rockhampton, with a population of 200, has five collieries – Blue Colliery Co Ltd., Bluff Co-operative Distributors, Cambria Colliery, Exel Colliery, and Windsor Collierys. The output of coal from this area plays a very important part in the economic and industrial life, not only of the Shire of Duaringa, but of Rockhampton and Mount Morgan. With prospects of the recommencement of industrial development in Rockhampton it seems likely that coal from Duaringa Shire will play a very important part in any such project.
Duaringa has a population of 350 and is located on the Central railway, 65 miles from Rockhampton. Besides being the largest town in the Shire, it is also the seat of the Local Government. Beef produced in the area equals the best in the Commonwealth.
Loading supplies onto a wagon at the Duaringa Railway Station, Queensland, ca.1902
In the late 1950s Bowen Basin coal deposits were investigated, and various open cut mines were opened around Blackwater in the next few decades. Most are outside the shire, but Blackwater became their dormitory town. Railway line branches were opened to Cook and South Blackwater mines (1970), Gregory and Oakey Creek mines north of Blackwater (1979) and the Curragh open cut (1983), the last-mentioned being in Duaringa Shire. There was also considerable clearing of brigalow country under a development scheme begun in 1962, particularly north of the Capricorn Highway. The mining and land-clearing activity is reflected in the shire’s employment figures: in 2001 mining employed 28% of the total workforce, agriculture 14%, transport and storage 7% and construction 6%. The overall population was youthful, with 28.6% under 15 years old and 3.2% 65 years or more. Comparable percentages for the relevant statistical division were 23.4% and 10.5% respectively (Mount Morgan shire, a former mining area, had 19.4% who were 65 years or more). The shire’s main population centres were along the Capricorn Highway, in particular, Blackwater where the council offices are located. About 50 km south of Duaringa is the Woorabinda Shire, formerly Woorabinda Aboriginal community, established in 1927 when the Taroom settlement was removed from the Dawson River irrigation scheme.
Duaringa Tours and Attractions
Blackdown Tableland National Park
Blackdown Tableland National Park
Blackdown Tableland is an undulating plateau of sandstone which rises above the dry plains of Central Queensland to form the northern extension of the Central Highlands Sandstone Belt. The plateau is about 600 metres above the surrounding area and is bounded by precipitous cliffs 60 to 350 metres high. Woodlands, tall open forest and heath cover the tableland, which is dissected by deep gorges. In sheltered areas, ferns and mosses thrive in damp environments fed by the plateau’s streams. A number of species on the Tableland are found nowhere else, such as the Blackdown stringybark, a macrozamia, red bottlebrush, the Blackdown “monster” (a type of underground cricket), and a Christmas beetle. Stop and enjoy the view over the surrounding grazing lands from Horseshoe Lookout. Look for wildlife around the creeks or go spotlighting at night. Wildflower season is one of the best times to visit. Discover Aboriginal culture and see the stencil art along the Mimosa Creek cultural trail. Fit walkers can walk through open forest to a spectacular gorge at the bottom of Rainbow Falls. Cool off in the rock pool. Camping is allowed at the South Mimosa Creek camping area. The camping area is self-registration except during Easter, Christmas, school holidays and public holiday weekends, when pre-booking is essential via the QPWS Emerald office. Bookings are taken up to three months in advance for these times.
McKenzie Park
McKenzie Park
Among the many significant features of the peaceful town of Duaringa, you’ll find a rare type of Stringy Bark, known to the aborigines as “Budgeroo”, sporadically spread throughout the Mackenzie Park. As its name suggests, the Budgeroo tree or Duaringa Stringy Bark, scientifically named Lusicarpus augustifolius, has a stringy bark appearance, along with bushy foliage with small white flowers that bloom in the spring. The Budgeroo grows up to 10 metres tall and thrives in Duaringa’s deep blended sedimentary and red volcanic soils. While the Budgeroo tree is found in varying types throughout the region, the Duaringa Stringy Bark is a rare species found only in Duaringa township. While in Mackenzie Park enjoying a picnic in the shade of these Duaringa Stringy Barks, you can also soak up the atmosphere of the tranquil man-made waterfall and lagoon that gives locals and tourists a natural, peaceful place close to the town area. The waterfall’s water comes from the raw water line from the Dawson River. Water is continuously recycled through the pool with a submersible pump. The vegetation is still young and in time will create a lush oasis right in the heart of Duaringa. It is now a key feature of the town, often stopping tourists in their travels to camp beside the lagoon and gathering the locals together for community events. The Mackenzie Park waterfall is lit by night and creates colourful reflections on the sand and the lagoon. The full moon has a spectacular effect.
Duaringa Information Centre
Duaringa Information Centre
Situated in Mackenzie Park on the Capricorn Highway, you will find volunteers with all the information you need to explore the Duaringa and surrounding areas. The information centre was opened on 11th May 2002 as a part of the Duaringa Historical Village. There you will find replicas of aboriginal shelters and historical pieces donated by people in the area. The centre is run by volunteer staff who are a wealth of information. As the centre has varied opening hours, prior notification of bus tours would ensure that the centre is open for you.
Blackdown Tableland
The central attraction in the Duaringa area (apart from the pub, which has some sections dating back to the 1880s) is the Blackdown Tableland to the south-west of the hamlet of Dingo. The 23 000-hectare Blackdown Tableland National Park is characterised by waterfalls, dramatic cliffs, excellent bushwalks and Aboriginal rock art near the upper end of the Mimosa Creek. The Park has six major walks (all detailed in the Duaringa Shire Tourist Guide) including the Mimosa Creek Culture Circuit which passes the Aboriginal stencil art, the Rainbow Falls Walk, the Stony Creek Gorge Walk and the tracks around the Horseshoe Lookout.
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