Cooladdi is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

and rural

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...

in the

Shire of Murweh The Shire of Murweh is a local government area in the Maranoa district, which is part of South West Queensland, Australia. The administrative centre and largest town in the shire is Charleville. In June 2018, the Shire of Murweh had a populatio ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. The town is 88 kilometres (54 mi) west of

Charleville Charleville can refer to: Australia * Charleville, Queensland, a town in Australia **Charleville railway station, Queensland France * Charleville, Marne, a commune in Marne, France *Charleville-Mézières, a commune in Ardennes, France ** C ...

on the road to

Quilpie Quilpie ( ) is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Shire of Quilpie, Queensland, Australia. In the , Quilpie had a population of 595 people. The town is the administrative centre of the Shire of Quilpie, Quilpie ...

, 122 kilometres (75 mi) to the west. Cooladdi is situated west of the city of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

and 706 kilometres (438 mi) west of

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

. Claims have been made that Cooladdi is Australia's smallest town by population. In 2015, the population was 3 (down from 4 in 2013), all of whom lived at the general store.

Geography

The town is in the centre of the locality. The Western railway line passes from east to west through the town and locality. The locality was served by a number of railway stations (from east to west): * Nimaru railway station (now abandoned) () * Coothalla railway station () * Loddon railway station (now abandoned) () *Cooladdi railway station serving the town () *Yalamurra railway station (now abandoned) () The

Diamantina Developmental Road The Diamantina Developmental Road is a gazetted road in Queensland, Australia, that runs from Charleville in the south-central part of the state to Mount Isa in the north-west. Route description The road passes through the towns of Quilpie ...

(which forms part of the 1578 kilometre (980 mi)

Warrego Way The Warrego Way is an Australian road route from Brisbane to Birdsville in Queensland. Using the Warrego Way, it is 1578 km from Brisbane to Birdsville. The recommended journey time, allowing for some sightseeing, food and rest (including o ...

State Strategic Touring Route between

and

Birdsville Birdsville is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Diamantina, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Birdsville had a population of 110 people. It is a popular tourist destination with many people using it as a starting point acro ...

) also passes from east to west through the town and locality.

History

Gunya (also known as Kunya, Kunja, Kurnja) is an

Australian Aboriginal language The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...

spoken by the Gunya people. The Gunya language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the

Paroo Shire Council The Shire of Paroo is a local government area in South West Queensland, Australia. The administrative centre is the town of Cunnamulla. The Paroo Shire covers an area of . In the , the Shire had a population of 1,679. The region incorporates t ...

, taking in

Cunnamulla Cunnamulla () is a town and a locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. It is south of Charleville, and approximately west of the state capital, Brisbane. In the , Cunnamulla had a population of 1,140 people. Geography Cunnamulla ...

and extending north towards

Augathella Augathella is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Murweh, Queensland, Australia. Geography Augathella lies on the Matilda Highway, is north of the town of Charleville, west of Roma and west of Brisbane (Queensland's capital). The to ...

, east towards Bollon and west towards

Thargomindah Thargomindah (frequently shortened to Thargo) is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Bulloo, Queensland, Australia. The town of Thargomindah is the administrative centre for the Shire of Bulloo. In the , Thargomindah had a population of ...

. The railway station was originally called ''Yarronvale'' after a local pastoral station with the town taking its name from the railway station. However, it was renamed in 1913 to ''Cooladdi'', an Aboriginal word meaning ''black duck'', to avoid confusion with the pastoral station, which was 15 miles away. Cooladdi was a railhead for the local pastoral community. At one time, Cooladdi had a school, post office, and police station with a population of about 270 people. As the railway line extended further west, Cooladdi's role and population declined. The Cooladdi State School originally opened on 19 March 1926 as a Provisional School with 9 students under teacher A.W. Marsh. In 1933 a new school building was constructed and the school redesignated as a State School. The school closed on 3 May 1974. Now the closest schools ar
Charleville State SchoolSt. Mary's School
an
Charleville State High School
in

, 88 Kilometres (54 mi) to the east. In 2015, the population was 3 (down from 4 in 2013), all of whom resided at the general store. In the the locality of Cooladdi had a population of 16 people.

Economy

There are a number of homesteads in the locality: * Allambie () * Auburn Vale () * Auburn Vale () * Bodouna () * Boin () * Coolabah () * Coolabah () * Cooladdi Park () * Cungella () * Glenallen () * Inkerman () * Loddon () * Merigol () * Monamby () * Mount Pleasant () * Nimboy () * Weaner Creek () * Wooyenong () * Yarronvale ()

References

External links

* {{Shire of Murweh Ghost towns in Queensland Shire of Murweh Localities in Queensland

Geography

History

Economy

References

Further reading

External links