Tara and District

Tara and District From oil wells, our camel and yabbie races, to B&S Balls and botanic gardens of rare Australian flora, our district gives travellers a unique and different experience.

We reckon it’s because we’re off the major highways, but less than an hours drive from Dalby and Chinchilla.

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Tara • Meandarra • Moonie • Glenmorgan Tara • 1,000

Glenmorgan • 20

We’re a small rural town off the main highways south of the Warrego Highway. You can reach us directly from Dalby or Chinchilla. Our lagoon is a fitness precinct, a popular local site for walking and cycling. Along the interpretive walkway is an abundance of birdlife creating an ideal site for fishing and camping. Take the ‘Tara Yesteryears by Shank’s Pony’ tour to discover some things about us you may not know. Original Hugh Sawrey paintings can be seen in the Commercial Hotel and we’re home to Barbara Geisel, an internationally acclaimed wool artist. If you really want to experience life on the Western Downs we recommend you join in on one of our many celebrations such as our art showcase, campdrafts, polocrosse, gymkhanas, horse racing and sheep dog trails. You’ll be surprised by the different ethnic backgrounds that make up our community.

To celebrate our diversity, we’ve tied camel races in with a festival of culture. Many of us cook our national dishes at this event and we offer free camping for visitors. Check out our calendar of events to get the dates of our celebrations.

We may be named ‘the End of the Line’ at the railway station, but our community spirit is alive and well. Don’t miss Monty’s Garage Vintage Car Museum with vehicles from the 1920s to 1960s. If you’ve never been to a botanic garden in the bush, then visit us at Myall Park Botanic Garden, an internationally recognised botanic garden.

Over the years our founder David Gordon and numerous volunteers have developed an unusual botanic garden of semi-arid flora, some of which were developed here, including the Robyn Gordon Grevillea.

Meandarra • 100 We’re a small community on the banks of the Brigalow Creek, a popular camping location where you’re welcome to share in our fishing (as long as you only take what you eat), view the koalas and our rare water lilies. One thing you won’t miss in town is the ANZAC Memorial Museum where we’ve spent over 30 years collecting military artefacts from our local war veterans, including a Canberra Bomber, Grant Tank and a Water Buffalo from the South West Pacific Campaign. Enjoy our local humour and have your photo taken with ‘Me and Darra’ a statue located just outside the museum. Get an insight into the courting life of country bachelors and spinsters and head to the Meandarra Crazy Cockies B&S Ball, don’t forget the black tie!

Moonie • 40 You can’t miss us, as we’re one of the only major cross roads from Dalby through to Outback Queensland & New South Wales. We have a superb petrol station and pub stop with affordable meals and good accommodation. Don’t forget to read the funnies painted on our toilet doors. Across the road is the Rural Transaction Centre consisting of local arts and crafts and an interpretative signage walkway of our town and oil history. What you may not notice initially is our oil field-the first of Australia’s commercial fields, established back in 1961. The Moonie Yabbie Races are a great time to visit, so join us with a tab on the race and a coldie as we overlook a brilliant Western Downs sunset and discuss the giant cod we’re going to catch tomorrow.

Our art gallery is a nice retreat from the midday sun. We’re off the beaten track, so follow the signs 7km north-west of Glenmorgan. You can bring your van, camp or stay in an onsite cottage or the renovated shearer’s quarters.

The Gums A small settlement and an iconic crossroads to the west of Tara with a petrol station. Take a break here and call your friends and tell them, ‘we’re just at The Gums’.

Hannaford Originally called Red Hill, we’re renamed after settler Samuel Hannaford and located north-west of the Gums.

We have a historic museum and if you love horses, bring your family to our annual Gymkhana and family fun day.

Inglestone We’re a small settlement about 40km south of Meandarra.

Try your swing on our 9 hole rural golf course.

Westmar Our town name was derived from a fuel depot owned by the Western and Maranoa Transport companies. The first half of Western and Maranoa were joined to form Westmar.

See the larrikin murals painted on our water tanks.

Flinton In Flinton we’re a nice quiet rural settlement where you’re welcome to camp on the banks of the Moonie River. But watch out over the Easter long weekend when we really let our hair down at the Flinton Races, dubbed the ‘Melbourne Cup of the West’.

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Tara Festival of Culture & Camel Races

Things to see and do...

Join us in a 3 day celebration of multiculturalism, with our biennial Festival of Culture & Camel Races. It’s a jam packed weekend featuring cuisine from around the world, cultural entertainment, camel racing and much more. Get into the spirit of the festival and wear your favourite cultural costume to our Friday night do. The excitement continues through Saturday and Sunday with performing arts, music, demonstrations, roving entertainers, creative arts, team challenges and more.

 Take a stroll through Tara Lagoon Parklands adjoining Settlers Park and the Walk of Remembrance Garden

Bloomin’ Creative Showcase Join us in May for our professional one week biennial showcase of local arts, ranging from paintings, silver and beaded jewellery, wooden carved figures, wool pictures, photography, floral arrangements, cross stitch, pottery and quilt display.

You’ll be inspired by the creations of our working artisans!

Moonie Yabbie Races As the crowd of up to 350 people unite at the Moonie Sports Club in their fine fashion flair of colour, the local yabbies are in the docks awaiting for their first leg of 8 races. Our annual November activity is a fun filled popular event with a big screen to ensure you don’t miss the winning race, particularly the Moonie Cup! Grab a syndicate of 6-10 friends and buy one of our fine bred yabbies, to be part of the auctioneers call.

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 Learn all about the proud history of the area with a visit to the Tara & District Historical Museum  Ask us about the collection of Hugh Sawrey Paintings on display at the Commercial Hotel  See Barbara Geisel Wool Pictures by appointment, phone 4665 3285  Take the Meacle Family Walkway along Brigalow Creek and see rare water lilies and maybe even a koala  Visit the Tara Scout Den, a replica of the first scout cabin built in the United Kingdom  Explore the history of Tara and take the Yesteryears by Shanks Pony tour of town  Visit Meandarra ANZAC Memorial Museum and browse an extensive collection of local military history  Take the Moonie Heritage Trail  Marvel at the larrikin murals at Moonie Crossroads  Enjoy 130 hectares of internationally recognised garden at Myall Park Botanic Garden  Stop at Monty’s Garage Vintage Car Museum and behold the large collection of restored vintage cars  Visit the Historic Railway Siding ‘End of the Line’ in Glenmorgan and learn all about the town’s past  Learn the history of Hannaford at Hannaford Museum ...why not tick them off as you go

Tara Town

What to do in a day...

Start your morning venture at Tara Lagoon Parklands by taking the Tara Lagoon Walkway. Take time to admire the birdlife and discover more about the natural environment by reading the interpretative panels set alongside the path.

Reward yourself with a freshly brewed coffee at one of our cafes, whilst you plan the rest of your day. Drop into the Customer Service Centre and collect a copy of our self guided tour, Tara Yesteryears Trail by Shanks Pony and discover the town’s characteristics of days gone by.

We recommend you visit these destinations in Tara

Purchase a picnic lunch from one of our local eateries and relax in the attractive native garden of Grevillea Park while you choose how to explore the outer surrounding area.

Our friendly locals will be keen to say g’day, so stop and hear a yarn or two. Don’t forgot to visit our local stores and peruse the merchandise, you might be surprised at what you find.

Pay your respects to our local diggers by strolling through the Walk of Remembrance Garden, continuing across the bridge into Settlers Park, where you can capture the perfect snapshot of one of our striking sunsets in the background of the lagoon.

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Tara Lagoon Walkway

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Settlers Park

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Walk of Remembrance Garden

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Hugh Sawrey Paintings (Commercial Hotel)

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Tara & District Historical Museum

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Barbara Geisel Wool Pictures

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Tara Scout Den

Did you know?

Moonie is home to Australia’s first commercial oil field.

It’s said the art work in the Commercial Hotel in Tara by renowned Aussie painter, Hugh Sawrey, were painted by the artist himself in order to retain his ute at the time.

Complete the day with a country meal at one of our dining rooms, followed by a peaceful stroll under the night sky.

Old Hospita

Showground Rd

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Sara St

Benn St

Gill St

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Milne St Milne St

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Surat Devel

opmenta

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Smallacom

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Beardmore

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