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HUGHENDEN
The Overlander's Way traces the paths of our droving heroes who herded their cattle from Queensland through to the grazing lands in the Northern Territory. This is a land of vast cattle stations, rugged plains and dramatic basalt landscapes, magnificent gorges and abundant wildlife, big skies and far horizons. Its people are friendly and always eager to share colourful stories about their home over a brew.
East of Richmond lies the town of Hughenden, famous for the discovery in nearby Muttaburra of the first entire dinosaur skeleton ever found in Australia. The original skeleton is now on display in the Brisbane museum, but a 14 metre replica of the MUTTABURRASAURUS, known as "Hughie", is the centrepiece of the Dinosaur Centre in Hughenden. White settlement in the area began in 1864, and in those early pioneering days, Hughenden was home (albeit briefly) to a well known character named HARRY MORANT. But 1905 was the turning point in the history of the town: the railway arrived, ensuring the continuing prosperity of the area. Today the town is a service and administrative centre for the surrounding Flinders Shire, which is one of the largest shires in Queensland. In fact, at over 41,000 square kilometres, the Flinders Shire is larger than the Netherlands, but has a population of less than two thousand people!
The area around Hughenden is volcanic basalt country, rich in gemfields and littered with fossils and dinosaur remains. Visitors can fossick for gems, and fossils can be found in many of the creek beds surrounding the town. If you enjoy four-wheel driving, here you will be taken aback by the panoramic views and lookouts and the diverse range of flora, fauna, rocks and soils. Hughenden is surrounded by four National Parks, including the dramatic Porcupine Gorge, known as the 'little Grand Canyon'. This park hosts the annual 'Porcupine Gorge Challenge', and eight kilometre cross-country foot race which is accompanied by a suitable amount of fun and festivities.
