A Brief History of Cunnamulla

This is work in progress and the history of the land upon which Cunnamulla is built spans back more than 40,000 years.

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, all whom have a deep attachment to the Paroo Shire. We hold in respect the Kunja, Kooma, Budjiti, Bidjara, Kullilli, Mardigan & Murrawarri peoples and their elders past, present and emerging.

The word ‘Cunnamulla’ is widely accepted to be an Aboriginal term, probably from the Kunja language, meaning either ‘big waterhole’ or ‘long stretch of water’. The town was named by Cobb & Co when they established a base at the local waterhole.

We have a rich history dating back thousands of years.

The traditional owners of the land are the Kunja people, who speak the Gunya language. The Kunja lived in harmony for millennia and have a deep spiritual connection to the land, which is reflected in their cultural practices, Dreamtime stories, and oral traditions. They developed a deep understanding of its plants, animals, and seasons. They hunted, fished, and gathered food from the land, and it was carefully managed to ensure its sustainability for future generations.

Prior to European arrival, the Cunnamulla area was part of a vast network of trade routes and ceremonial paths used by Indigenous language groups across the Australian continent. These routes facilitated the exchange of goods, knowledge, and cultural practices, fostering connections between different Aboriginal nations.

In 1846 Sir Thomas Mitchell passed through the area while searching for a route to the Gulf of Carpentaria. In 1847 Edmund Kennedy, who had been Mitchell’s second-in-command, revisited the area and found that the Victoria River was actually the Barcoo which flowed into Cooper Creek.
The history of the Cunnamulla area from this point, becomes a complex and challenging one. It is a story of dispossession, violence, and resilience. However, it is also a story of survival and hope.

In 1862 William Landsborough explored the area and provided positive reports of the richness of the land. Pastoralists soon followed; they were attracted by fertile land and access to the water from the Warrego River.
A town soon sprung up and by the 1860s It had quickly grown into a service centre for the surrounding pastoral stations, providing essential goods and services to the settlers and drovers passing through the area.

The Cunnamulla Post Office opened in 1868. The townsite was surveyed in 1869 and that same year a Court House was built. The local primary school was opened in 1877 and The Paroo Shire Offices opened in 1879.
On 3 September 1879, Cobb & Co. drove the first coach through from Bourke. Cunnamulla was one of many settlements which grew up in South-West Queensland as a result of the activities of Cobb & Co. It is the only one to have survived.

By 1880 the town had a population of around 200. That year saw a bank robber caught at the Robber Tree. He was tried and sentenced to death and was the last person to be hung for the crime of armed robbery with wounding in Queensland.

In the 1880s more farmers moved into the area and found the open plains to be perfect for sheep grazing. The town grew and by 1884 the Cunnamulla Express was being published.

The first artesian bore was sunk in 1889 and grazing and the pastoral stations started spreading throughout the region. The explosion of pastoral stations unfortunately had a devastating impact on the Kunja people.
But not only the Kunja peoples, other Aboriginal language groups who lived within the Paroo Shire included the Kooma, Budjiti, Mardigan, Kullilli, Murrawarri and Bidjara peoples. These groups share a common culture and have close ties to the Kunja people. Many were dispossessed of their land and forced to work on the stations, this forced coming together of different language groups caused further problems.

As the town grew, so did its infrastructure. The Anglican Church was consecrated in 1896 and the first mass at the Catholic Church was held in 1898. The railway from Charleville reached the town in 1899, connecting Cunnamulla to the broader rail network in Queensland. By 1903 the town had reticulated water courtesy of the artesian bore and in 1915 the Catholic primary school opened its doors.

Cunnamulla experienced periods of economic prosperity, particularly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the wool industry was booming. However, like many rural towns, it also faced challenges such as droughts, economic downturns, and changes in agricultural practices that impacted the local economy.

In the early 1900s, the Queensland government began to implement assimilationist policies, which aimed to remove Aboriginal people from their traditional lands and culture. Many Kunja and other traditional owners were removed and forced to move to fringe camps outside of town, where they lived in poverty and squalor.

Despite the hardships they faced, the Indigenous people of this area have maintained a strong cultural identity. They continue to practice traditional language, customs, and ceremonies.

A new Civic Centre was opened in 1960 and in 1967 the first Cunnamulla-Eulo Festival of Opals was held.

Cunnamulla has a rich cultural heritage, with a strong tradition of outback hospitality and a vibrant community spirit. It has also been immortalized in Australian literature and film, most notably in the iconic Australian folk song “Cunnamulla Fella.”

In 1990 the town was devastated by a flood which saw the Warrego River reach 10.15 metres a levy was planned and constructed to protect the town, but in recent decades, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in land management and conservation. Indigenous land management practices, such as controlled burning and traditional ecological knowledge, have been increasingly acknowledged for their effectiveness in promoting biodiversity and mitigating the risk of wildfires.

In the summer of 2012/2013, dubbed The Angry Summer by the Climate Commission, the temperature in Cunnamulla reached a new recorded high of 47°C.
Whilst grazing and farming are still vital to our town, tourism has been recognised as an additional important direction for our future and the new hot springs joined with the many other artesian experiences in our region bring people from near and far to enjoy all our shire has to offer.

Today, our region has become a melting pot of diverse cultures, with Indigenous Australians, European settlers, and migrants contributing to our character. We are working together to acknowledge the history and differences we have experienced but bring our community together to make this an amazing place for our children and children’s children.

Welcome to Paroo