Augathella is a rural town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

in the

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

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , the locality of Augathella had a population of 328 people.

Geography

Augathella lies on the

Matilda Highway Landsborough Highway is a highway in western Queensland, Australia, running in the northwest–southeast direction from Morven to Cloncurry. The Landsborough Highway runs through vast tracts of land that was once occupied by William Landsborou ...

, is north of the town of Charleville, west of

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

and west of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

(Queensland's capital). The town lies on the banks of the

Warrego River The Warrego River is an intermittent river that is part of the Darling catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, which is located in South West Queensland and in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The Warrego River is the north ...

. Grazing is still the predominant industry of the area.

History

Aboriginal people

''Bidjara'' (also known as ''Bidyara, Pitjara,'' and ''Peechara'') 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 Bidjara people. The Bidjara language region includes the local government areas of the

, particularly the towns of Charleville, Augathella and Blackall as well as the properties of Nive Downs and

Mount Tabor Mount Tabor ( ; ; ), sometimes spelled Mount Thabor, is a large hill of biblical significance in Lower Galilee, Northern District (Israel), northern Israel, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, west of the Sea of Galilee. In the Hebrew Bi ...

. '' Gungabula'' (also known as ''Kongabula'' and ''Khungabula'') is an

of the headwaters of the Dawson River in

Central Queensland Central Queensland is an imprecisely-defined geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Cap ...

. The language region includes areas within the local government area of

Maranoa Region Maranoa Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in South West Queensland, Australia. The town of Roma, Queensland, Roma is the administrative headquarters of the region. In the , the Maranoa Region had a population of 1 ...

, particularly the towns of Charleville, Augathella and Blackall and as well as the

Carnarvon Range The Carnarvon Range is a mountain range in Central Queensland, Australia. It is a plateau section of the Great Dividing Range. The Carnarvon Range is 160 km in length. Geography North eastern parts of the range have formed a plateau kno ...

. Gunya (Kunya, Kunja, Kurnja) is an

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 of Paroo had a population of 1,679 people. Geography ...

, taking in

Cunnamulla Cunnamulla () is a town and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. It is south of Charleville, Queensland, Charleville, and approximately west of the state capital, Brisbane. In the 2021 Au ...

and extending north towards Augathella, 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 , the locality of Thargomindah h ...

British colonisation

The first British explorer to enter the region was

Edmund Kennedy Edmund Besley Court Kennedy J. P. (5 September 1818 – December 1848) was an explorer in Australia in the mid-19th century. He was the Assistant-Surveyor of New South Wales, working with Thomas Mitchell (explorer), Sir Thomas Mitchell. Kenned ...

, whose 1847 expedition encountered an Aboriginal community who communicated the words "Yo, Yo" to express affirmation. Kennedy subsequently called the creek where he found this community Yo Yo Creek. Pastoralists started to take land in the region in early 1862 with the arrival of James Norman, who took up vast leaseholds on behalf of Joseph Fleming and Adeline Dollman. Norman established the Burenda, Yo Yo and Augathella properties. Aboriginal resistance to colonisation in the region was notable in that several victories were achieved against the paramilitary units of the

Native Police Australian native police were specialised mounted military units consisting of detachments of Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal troopers under the command of European officers appointed by British colonial governments. The units existed in va ...

on the upper Warrego and Ward rivers. However, in 1864 a Native Police barracks was built on Yo Yo Creek, and

punitive expedition A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong beha ...

s under officers such as Sub-Lieutenant Carr crushed any further resistance.

Augathella township

The town, built up gradually over what was Kunja tribal territory, came into being initially as a resting place for bullock teams lying at the convergence of three bullock tracks from Morven,

Tambo Tambo may refer to: People * Adelaide Tambo (1929–2007), South African anti-apartheid activist * Dali Tambo (born 1959), South African anti-apartheid activist, TV presenter and also son of Oliver Tambo and Adelaide Tambo * Oliver Tambo (1917� ...

, and Charleville. Originally called Burenda it was renamed Ellangowan (still the name of the local watering hole) and when gazetted in 1883 called Augathella. This is apparently an

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

word meaning "camp on a waterhole", referring the

. A service centre sprang up to service their needs and the needs of the burgeoning grazing industry. Burenda Post Office opened on 1 September 1869. It was renamed Ellangowan in 1877 and Augathella in 1883. Augathella Provisional School opened on 1 January 1884. On 7 August 1893 it became Augathella State School. On Sunday 10 July 1892 St Luke's Anglican church was officially opened by

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Nathaniel Dawes. A new church was built at a cost of £8300 and dedicated in 1957. On 1 October 1928 Rev W.C. Radcliffe officially opened the Augathella Presbyterian Church. The 1956 film

Smiley A smiley, sometimes called a smiley face, is a basic ideogram representing a Smile, smiling face. Since the 1950s, it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram or as a form of communication, such as em ...

was based on Moore Raymond's novel of the same name, which was set in a fictionalised version of Augathella. The town's service centre was bypassed by the new

during the 1980s. Some new businesses have slowly encroached back onto the highway frontage. Augathella and the surrounding district suffered extensive flood damage in April 1990 when the Warrego River burst its banks and flooded the town with more than 50 houses inundated. The Augathella Library opened in 2000. Augathella Cosmos Meatant Country

Since 2011 the main street of the town has been marked by 4.5m steel and copper giant sculpture of a

meat ant The meat ant (''Iridomyrmex purpureus''), also known as the gravel ant or southern meat ant, is a species of ant Endemism, endemic to Australia (island), Australia. A member of the genus ''Iridomyrmex'' in the subfamily Dolichoderinae, it was ...

- in a reference to its former junior football team, named the "Mighty Meat Ants".

Demographics

In the , the town of Augathella had a population of 395 people. In the , the locality of Augathella had a population of 449 people. In the , the locality of Augathella had a population of 328 people.

Heritage listings

There are a number of heritage-listed sites in Augathella, including: Within the town: * Catholic School, Annie Street * Hospital, Cavanagh Street * Queensland Country Women's Association, Cavanagh Street * Rodeo Grounds, Elmes Street * Augathella Water Tower, Forest Street * Kenniff Tree, Jane Street (corner of Cavanagh Street) * Arts and Craft Centre (former Helton's Building), Main Street * Butcher shop, Main Street * Police station, Main Street * Post office, Main Street * Town hall, Main Street * War Memorial Hill, Main Street * Ellangowan Hotel, Main & Annie Streets * St Luke's Anglican Church, 61 Main Street * Old Water Tower, Nelson Street * Cemetery, off Russell Street * Augathella Race Course, off West Street Within the locality: * Fig Tree Spring Stockyards, Carnarvon Station * Ralph's Bore & Upper Warrego Police Barracks site, Dooloogarah Carnarvon National Park Road * Dingo Fence Section, Mount Tabor

Education

Augathella State School is a government primary (Early Childhood to Year 6) school for boys and girls at Cavanagh Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 44 students with 4 teachers and 4 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent). Augathella State School is part of Education Queensland's Charleville Cluster and is supported by the Darling Downs South West regional team which is based in

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...

. There is no secondary school in Augathella. School Bus Route S279 conveys students from Year 7 to Year 12 into Charleville to attend Charleville State High School.

Amenities

The Murweh Shire Council operates the Augathella Library on Main Street, Augathella. The Augathella branch of the

Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...

has its rooms at 101 Cavanagh Street. St Luke's Anglican Church is at 61 Main Street () and holds services on the 2nd Sunday of each month. There is a growing arts centre in the town, public swimming pool, a bowls club, and

polocrosse Polocrosse is a team sport that is a combination of polo and lacrosse. It is played outside, on a field (the pitch), on horseback. Each rider uses a cane or fiberglass stick to which is attached a racquet head with a loose, thread net, in which ...

teams.

Events

There is an annual rodeo. There is also a Christmas Celebration in Meat Ant Park every December.

Media

Augathella is serviced by: * Radio 4VL (Resonate Radio) – 106.1 FM * The

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

transmits

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

and its sister channels ABC Kids/

ABC TV Plus ABC Family is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television (Australian TV network), ABC Television network. The television channel, channel broadcasts a range of f ...

ABC Me ABC Entertains is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was launched on 4 December 2009 as a children's channel called ABC3. It was rebranded on 19 September 2016 to ABC ME. It rebra ...

and

ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...

to Augathella through its relay station, ABAAQ at 25°48′23″S 146°35′21″E (old Charleville–Augathella Road) * The

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

and its sister stations 7two and

7mate 7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a c ...

transmit to Augathella through its regional area affiliate, ITQ * The

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

and its sister channels

9Gem 9Gem is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, launched by the Nine Network in September 2010. The channel provides general entertainment and movie programming, from which the original name "GEM" is derived. History The la ...

and

9Go! 9Go! is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Nine Network on 9 August 2009, replacing Nine Guide. It is a youthful channel that offers a mix of comedy, reality, general entertainment, movies, anima ...

transmit to Augathella through its regional area affiliate,

Imparja Television Imparja Television (IMP) is an independent Australian television station servicing over , across six states and territories: Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. It is based in Alice Spri ...

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...

and its sister channels

10 Bold 10 Bold Drama (set to rebrand as 10 Drama in 2025) is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It originally launched on 26 March 2009 as One HD with a focus on broadcasting sports-based programming and eve ...

and

10 Peach 10 Peach Comedy (set to rebrand as 10 Comedy in 2025) is an Australian free-to-air television channel operated by Network 10. It was launched on 11 January 2011 as Eleven. It is owned by ElevenCo, which was established as a joint venture betwee ...

transmit to Augathella through its regional area affiliate, CDT * The

Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from tax revenue. SBS operates six TV channels (SBS (Australian TV chann ...

and its sister channels

SBS Viceland SBS Viceland (stylised as SBS VICELAND) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). It began as SBS TWO on 1 June 2009, and was branded as SBS 2 between 2013 and 2016. On 8 April 2017, SBS V ...

SBS World Movies SBS World Movies is an Australian free-to-air television channel showing international movies. The channel features foreign language films, documentaries, independent, annual films, art films and mainstream cinema and interviews with intern ...

and

SBS Food SBS Food (formerly Food Network) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel airs programs about food and cooking, from cultures around the world. History SBS first ...

also transmit to Augathella

Attractions

Augathella is the permanent home of the

Q150 Q150 was the sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) of the Separation of Queensland from New South Wales in 1859. Separation established the Colony of Queensland which became the State of Queensland in 1901 as part of the Federation of Australia ...

Shed that travelled around the state in 2009 as part of the Q150 Celebrations providing each community it visited a night of entertainment. Communities toured included: Mount Isa, Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Maryborough, Blackall, Augathella, Cherbourg, Warwick, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Transport

Augathella is situated on the junction of the

Landsborough Highway Landsborough Highway is a highway in western Queensland, Australia, running in the northwest–southeast direction from Morven to Cloncurry. The Landsborough Highway runs through vast tracts of land that was once occupied by William Landsboro ...

from Morven and the

Mitchell Highway Mitchell Highway is an outback state highway located in the central and south western regions of Queensland and the northern and central western regions of New South Wales in Australia. The southern part of Mitchell Highway forms part of t ...

from Charleville. Augathella is served by

Greyhound Australia Greyhound Australia is an Australian coach operator that operates services in all mainland states and territories. It is owned by Entrada Travel Group. The company was established in 1928 and is not affiliated with similarly named companies ...

who operates Gx493 between

and

Mount Isa Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive mines in world history, based on co ...

and its return service, Gx494 which stops at the BP Roadhouse on the Highway. Augathella Aerodrome has a sealed runway, . It is operated by Murweh Shire Council.

In popular culture

Augathella is the destination of cattle drovers in the Australian folk song Brisbane Ladies. This song is alternately called "Augathella Station".

References

External links

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Augathella
{{authority control Towns in Queensland South West Queensland Shire of Murweh Localities in Queensland