DIRRANBANDI

This rural town of 640 people is south of St George on the Castlereagh Highway and 600 kilometres south-west of Brisbane. The town was surveyed in 1885 and is a renowned wool-growing, beef and cotton production region thanks to nearby Cubbie Station, the largest irrigated cotton farm in the southern hemisphere, which has the potential to produce 330,000 bales. Located on the Balonne Minor River, Dirranbandi is a popular destination for camping and fishing for yellowbelly and Murray cod, and a levee bank protects the town in flood time. The Centennial Walk between the Post Office and Main Street shares the community’s history through mosaic storytelling. The Dirranbandi Show is a celebrated event held in April each year, and the community also hosts an annual Polocrosse Carnival in July. Local attractions include Railway Park, the site of the last mail train to operate in the country, and the Culgoa Floodplain National Park is a great spot for birdwatching, with more than 150 species calling it home.