Visit Longreach: Heart of outback Queensland

Do you know where Longreach, Queensland is?

If you look at a map of Queensland

you will see Longreach is basically in the centre of the state.

Little wonder some call Longreach the heart of outback Queensland.

Longreach is renowned throughout Australia as a great tourist spot. As retirees enjoying travel we looked forward to seeing what things we could do in Longreach.

So where exactly is Longreach?

Longreach is in the heart of outback Queensland, on the Tropic of Capricorn.

It is fair to say Longreach is a long way from:

Brisbane – 1,175 kilometres north east

Mt Isa – 648 kilometres to the west

Rockhampton – 686 kilometres to the east

The photo above was taken outside Longreach, on our way North. On the horizon you can just see a homestead. I think you would agree, the landscape is what we’d call “flat as”.

Needless to say, Longreach is in Outback Queensland. When we were in the supermarket at Longreach the shop assistant told us that some people fly in by helicopter, from their properties, and do a really big grocery shop. We noticed many of the grocery shelves had sections empty. This same shop assistant said the supermarket received stock by truck three times per week. Having said that, we must say we have been able to buy everything we need. So, while we know we have driven a long way from Brisbane to get here, these stories reinforce that Longreach is remote. And, we guess, these stories reflect life in outback Queensland.

3 Longreach attractions:

Qantas Founders Museum

We visited the  award winning museum, and the original hanger, at Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach.

The Qantas Founders Museum is a not for profit organisation.

In 1919 the Great Air Race from London to Sydney was announced. Two of the founders of Qantas, Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinness, were WW1 Veterans. They had both been in the Australian Flying Corp, and were experienced pilots. Due to their experience, they were selected to map and find landing strips between Longreach and Darwin. They drove a Model T Ford all that way (like the car in the photo below). What a feat, given there were hardly any roads or bridges on this route back then. This was when the two realised air travel would transform this country. With Fergus McMasters, the three went on to form Qantas.

Below is a photo of a replica of the first Qantas plane, bought in 1920.

Qantas’ inagural flight was between Charleville and Cloncurry. Initially, Qantas transported people, food, mail, produce and supplies to outback communities. Qantas even assisted in emergencies. Over the years Qantas continued to expand and develop.

The original hanger was built in 1922, pictured below.

Below is a photo of the first of eight aircraft constructed in the hanger pictured above.

Qantas grew and went on to become a respected and successful international airline.

Below is a photo of a Qantas Boeing 747, in the grounds of the Qantas Founders Museum. The Boeing 747 transformed air travel and made flying a possibility for the general public.

You can inspect a 707 / 747 on a Jet Tour. And, if you don’t mind heights, why not add a Wing Walk to the Tour?

Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre.

The Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre was one of those iconic outback tourist attractions that everyone seems to have heard about. Everyone seems to have visited, or have had family members who have visited this famous Longreach attraction. It was certainly on our “to do list”.

As we drove into the grounds, we passed the huge, life sized figurine “The Ringer” (see feature photo). Straight away we were impressed by this award winning statue. In case your wondering, a Ringer is a person who looks after livestock.

As we approached the entrance we were met with a Brahman steer and a horse. Tourists were invited to pat the animals and have a photo taken. Of course, we didn’t let the photo opportunity go by. We chose to have a photo with the Brahman steer, after being reassured he had been hand raised and was extremely quiet.

The Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame is a memorial to the pioneers who settled and developed the Australian Outback. The large, modern facility houses wonderful exhibitions telling stories of outback life all the way from Aborigines thousands of years ago, through to modern Australia as we currently know it now.

The exhibitions provide a glimpse of what settlers and pioneers had to contend with living in the harsh and difficult outback environment. There are said to be over 1200 items on display.

The major themes throughout the museum include displays about Aborigines, explorers, stock workers, and pastoralists. There are multiple “Unsung Hero” stories hung for reading throughout the museum. In addition, there is an eclectic mix of objects and displays, adding to the outback story.

In the photo below, you can see the display paying tribute to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

We attended the Outback Stockman’s Show and dinner.

We enjoyed a display of horsemanship (see photo below).

Plus, a description about why Brahman cattle do far better in the outback conditions was really interesting. We also saw sheep dogs yard sheep; and dogs in a competition jumping onto the back of a truck.

Longreach School of Distance Education

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the Longreach School of Distance Education, even though it was school holidays, and the school was closed. We were given an informative talk, saw videos about what happens at the school, and a tour of the school.

Our tour guide gave us a wonderful insight into the challenges of teaching by distance education.

The tour guide had lived on a 25,000 acre property, which is consider a small holding for this area. She lived 160 kilometers from Longreach.  The guide spoke about the challenges she experienced teaching her two children primary school lessons at home:

• She had to dedicate 5 hours per day to teaching her children, plus spend time preparing lessons
• Teaching the children was in addition to her work on the farm, and the usual home duties.
• It was difficult being both the teacher and the Mum. One child wasn’t motivated to learn and always was wanting to go outside.
• It was stressful, hoping her children were keeping up with other students
• She had to understand the full syllabus herself, so she could supervise the teaching
• Her children attended boarding school in Rockhampton and Yepoon for secondary school.

The tour guide told us about how the school taught the students via distance education. The photo below shows a teachers room. The students are taught over the internet, in small groups online. A paper teaching package is needed, as there can be computer breakdowns and the internet can drop out.

The teacher works at an interactive board, that the children can see at home. If the teacher wants to talk privately with a student they have the capacity to do so.

The students are taught for a period, four times per week.  This gives the parents one day in the week to travel to town for shopping and attend appointments. The parents supervise the lessons for the remainder of the day. Some families employ a governess, so the mother is free from the responsibility of teaching.

The guide told us that the school draws the “local” students from a geographical area twice the size of Victoria.

In the photo below you can see pins on the board, indicating where distance education students are located. You can also see the old hand held means of communicating with the students, prior to computers.

A number of times per year the children attend “mini school”.  The children then attend school in Longreach for a week and stay in the accommodation photoed below.  The children also attend excursions.

We came away very impressed with the school. We were also aware of what we, in suburbia, take for granted. The challenges to ensure children in the bush gain an education is enormous.

This post provides merely a glimpse of what is on offer in Longreach. There is far more for tourists to do and see in Longreach, than is listed in this blog post.

Longreach has a big tourism industry. If you are interested in an outback holiday, exploring outback heritage and history, than Longreach offers excellent choices.

If you stay in Longreach for a period, and visit many of the tourist attractions on offer, the cost will add up. Check out the entrance fee costs to the attractions in the links above. Remember, you can get a multi day pass, called the Longreach Legends Pass, if you want to see a number of the main attractions. This way you will get a discount. Plus, if eligible, always ask for a concession / senoir’s concession.

It’s a long way to Longreach. Make sure you allocate plenty of time to see the amazing tourist attractions Longreach has on offer.

The fabulous history; the inspiring people; the insights into current challenges and way of life in an outback country town made our visit to Longreach really memorable. If you get the chance, make sure you visit Longreach.

Travel safely

Cheers from Estelle and Greg – Retirees Enjoying Travel