CAMOOWEAL, QUEENSLAND

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A small roadside township near the Qld-NT border. It is the most westerly town in Queensland, being only 13 km from the NT border. The road to the town from Mount Isa, known locally as 'Tojo's Highway', was built during World War II with American funds as a link between the southern states and the theoretical 'front line' in the Northern Territory. Very little maintenance has been done and it is today one of if not the worst bitumen road in Australia.
Location: 330 km south of Burketown; 188 km from Mount Isa; 440 km from the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory; 236 metres above sea-level.
Origin of name: reportedly derived from an Aboriginal word, language and dialect unknown, indicating strong wind.
Brief history: explorer William Landsborough was the first European to pass through the Camooweal area (1862) while he was looking for Burke and Wills. His reports led to the area being settled by pastoralists but it wasn't until 1884 that the town of Camooweal was gazetted. Today the town is little more than a stopover point before crossing into the Northern Territory for the long drive to the Stuart Highway.
Natural features: Camooweal Caves National Park (8 km south)
Built features: Freckleton's Store (c.1900)