AT LEAST one rural homestead felt the worst effects of what the Bureau of Meteorology described as an “astronomical” dump of rain across Queensland’s broader south east in the final days of a wet summer.
D’Arcy Davidson’s family property “Kington” is situated about 40km south of The Gums and spans the head of Hayes Creek, which runs into the Moonie River.
By midnight on Thursday his home was shin-deep in water after 147mm of rain fell over “Kington” and an already waterlogged Hayes Creek in little more than a couple of hours.
“We generally get our rain from the west but when it comes from the east you know it’s going to be pretty wet,” Davidson said.
“The house flooded a little bit higher in 2008 and I remember being told at the time that was a once-in-a-lifetime event, but here we are again.”
Davidson said his family was “better prepared” this time around, moving vehicles and working dogs to higher ground and closing up sheds to stop tools and debris from floating away.
But nothing could be done to prevent water coming through the family living room, while a downhill worker’s cottage shifted on its stumps as water gushed through.
Location of Hayes Creek within the Moonie River catchment. IMAGE: BOM / Google
“There’s going to be a pretty big cleanup around the house and there’ll be a lot of fences to fix but I suppose it’s not too bad,” Davidson said.
Household mud bath aside, Moonie and surrounds are among a vast number of southern rural Queensland districts enjoying an excellent season for livestock. Catchments and dams are full from Warwick to Charleville and beyond.
But many crop growers in the Maranoa and Darling Downs are experiencing the awkward problem of having had too much rain.
SLIDESHOW– Homestead flooded south of The Gums
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Countless sorghum crops which were ready for harvest will have to go past their prime with heavy machinery unable to operate in sopping wet blacksoil paddocks.
West of the widely reported Lockyer Valley and Sunshine Coast hinterland deluge, Dalby and surrounds had up to 125mm according to rain gauge aggregator Oz Forecast.
Warra and Chinchilla had 115mm and there was talk of more than 200mm in areas north of town. Miles recorded 91mm and Dulacca a whopping 153mm.
THE biggest annual sporting event to hit the tiny town of Jandowae in recent years will return next month when the home town Fishhooks host the Dalby Diehards in a preseason rugby league clash.
Since it began six years ago, the exhibition match between the two neighbouring towns has drawn crowds of close to a thousand people, roughly the size of Jandowae’s population itself.
Fishhooks spokesman Ben Davison said in a few short years the friendly fixture with Dalby had brought an exciting element of sporting tribalism to Jandowae, which hasn’t fielded a team for the regular rugby league season in 54 years.
“One of the best things about this game is that the people that come and watch – you’d never expect them to come to a footy game – but they come because they just love that they’ve got someone to cheer for – a jersey to cheer for,” Davison said.
“And it’s really tough footy. It’s sort of like a State of Origin mentality, playing against your mates from down the road.
“Plenty of fellas say it’s probably they toughest game they play for the year, even though it’s only a trial game. Guys just wanna belt their mates and get one over them.”
For the first time this year, a women’s game will be held as a curtain raiser for the open men’s game.
Jandowae has fielded a full squad of girls ready to capitalise on the support of a passionate home crowd when they host their sisters from down the road in Dalby.
SLIDESHOW – Miles and Jandowae women’s teams in a warm up match ahead of next month’s game against Dalby
“This is the first time Jandowae has had a women’s team and it’s an idea that just came about. A few girls said they’d give training a go, we got good numbers and it just went from there,” Davison said.
“They’re all different ages but they’re all keen as. There’s a few from Dalby and Toowoomba who are originally from Jandowae and they drive back out for training.
“Some of them might have even been joking about playing when the idea came up, but when they came to training they just loved it and kept coming back.”
BATTLERS PLAY TO DEFEND TROPHY DOMINANCE
The dominance displayed by the Reserve-grade only Taroom Wandoan Battlers throughout 2021 left many wondering whether the twin town team, given the opportunity, could have won the premier competition.
The boys in white and blue were undefeated from 20 games last year and claimed the Lindsay Williams Shield, the Terry Charles Cup and the Reserve-grade premiership in a season for the local history books.
And with 30 players consistently turning up for preseason training, assistant coach Brian Argus said the club was keen to defend its humble trophy cabinet.
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“Last year we probably had the calibre to play A-grade,” Argus said.
“This year we’ve lost four or five of our most experienced players but there are plenty of new young fellas turning up, so I suppose it’s their turn now.
“We’ve got both the Lindsay Williams and Terry Charles this year (competitions in Wandoan and Taroom respectively) so that’s a big start to the year for us.
“We’re looking good. Unfortunately we’re going to have to pick a squad of 20 from about 30 blokes for the two tournaments. I suppose it’s a good problem to have as a coach but we want to keep everybody keen and have a good strong season again this year”.
The Chinchilla Bulldogs senior squad is consistently getting good numbers at preseason training
BULLDOGS SHOW PRESEASON PROMISE
The Chinchilla Bulldogs are getting numbers to preseason training not seen for years as the proud club looks to rebuild to its historical strength as consistent premiership contenders in the Roma Rugby League competition.
The squad relished the opportunity over the weekend to host a preseason trial game against Toowoomba Brothers.
A wild electrical storm which swept across the north of Chinchilla as the game got underway made for some surreal scenes, as lightning strikes lit up Bulldog Park throughout the first two quarters.
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Plenty of fitness training in recent weeks appeared to be showing results on the field, but coach Tim Keating said more defensive drill work was needed as the regular season approached.
“Our fitness was one of our plusses and guys were pushing up on the football,” Keating said.
“We’ve still got to work on our discipline a bit and getting numbers in the tackles. It was good to get a bit of a gauge on where we are for this time of year.
“It’s definitely been a good start in terms of getting numbers to training but there’s still plenty of room for more fellas.”
The final score was 26-10 to Toowoomba Brothers.
The Bulldogs will host A-grade and Reserve-grade trial matches between Pittsworth and Miles respectively on the afternoon of Saturday, March 12, before heading up to Taroom to contend for the Terry Charles Cup on March 26.
A wild lightning storm swept across the north of Chinchilla on Saturday as their trial game with Toowoomba Brother got underway
IT’S playtime in the Senex Energy sponsored Wandoan Photo Challenge, which is now open for entries.
Kids at Play and Adults at Play are this year’s new categories.
Wandoan Photo Challenge coordinator Helen Golden said the categories would show people from Wandoan and surrounds playing just as hard as they work.
She said it also showed the crossover between work and play in everyday life in the country.
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“We want to show how good life out here is and to capture the unique experiences that we enjoy, many of which our city cousins don’t get,” Helen said.
“Most of us have great memories of town family or friends coming out for things that you just don’t get in the city, whether it’s mustering on horses, kids playing in the puddles after a drought breaking rain or going to the Wandoan Camel Races.
“Play is intrinsic to our health and happiness for children and adults alike.
“You really can’t beat the wide-eyed wonder of a toddler who has just blown bubbles for the first time or the grins of stockies cooling off in a trough with a beer after a long day in the saddle.”
SLIDESHOW OF PREVIOUS YEARS’ ENTRIES
Senex community relations manager Trevor Robertson said the Play categories helped show another side to life in the Wandoan region.
“As part of the community, Senex is delighted to once again support one of the most popular competitions in the region,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the vibrant and unique nature of the local community shine through in the work of talented regional photographers.”
For all non-play photos, there is also the regular Small Town, Big Country category.
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Wandoan Photo Challenge’s social media is up and running so don’t forget to follow on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to see some great shots each day!
REPRESENTATIVES from civil and electrical contractors hoping to secure potentially lucrative deals to help build a large wind farm near Jandowae have toured the site and heard directly from developers about their requirements for the project.
Developers of the Wambo Wind Farm are also inviting community members to learn more about the project at a drop in session to be held on Wednesday, March 2, between 8am and 2pm at the Jandowae Library.
The project has now secured approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) and developer, Cubico Sustainable Developments, appears on track to begin construction during the second quarter of this year.
Prospective civil and electrical contractors visit the site of the Wambo Wind Farm
Cubico this month hosted a site visit for prospective civil and electrical contractors wishing to tender for work on the project, which is expected to employ up to 200 workers during construction and a further 20 for ongoing maintenance and operation.
Between 80 and 84 wind turbines are planned to be built across a 13,000 hectare site, about 15 kilometres north east of Jandowae in the Western Downs region. The EPBC allows for up to 110 turbines.
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Cubico says, once completed, the wind farm is expected to generate 550MW of electricity for the national grid, which is enough to power 170,500 homes annually and offset more than 1.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Representative from Cubico and its partners, Renewable Energy Partners (REP) and Powerlink, are carrying out ongoing wind monitoring and investigations around the site.
The wind farm is expect to be completed and operational some time in 2024.
AS IT notches up its twentieth year of operation, one of Australia’s largest privately owned fresh water fish farms has shifted its focus solely to the production of the country’s aquatic icon – the Murray Cod.
Until recently Condabilla Fish Farm, located halfway between Chinchilla and Condamine, grew Murray Cod as well as Silver Perch and Jade Perch to sell to domestic markets down the east coast.
But now Condabilla managers are riding a growing wave of demand for the bush seafood, which is native to their area and being served up at fine dining restaurants in cities around Australia at an increasing rate.
“The Murray Cod is an iconic Australian fish and they’re now appealing to a much wider market,” said Condabilla manager Mark Oliver (pictured above).
“In the last five years or so there’s been a lot of effective marketing of Murray Cod, helped along by television shows like Masterchef and My Kitchen Rules, and the species is becoming a much more mainstream product.
“They’re fetching a superior price to perch and they’re being sold in fine dining restaurants throughout Australia, so we decided to make Murray Cod our sole focus.”
Condabilla Fish Farm owner Greg Bender
Condabilla Fish Farm was purchased in 2019 by Greg and Maryann Bender, who decided to diversify from their Hopeland-based crop growing operation and take a dive into aquaculture.
Greg Bender said gradual machinery improvements around the farm and nurturing Condabilla’s small team of experienced staff had ensured the new family venture was professionally enjoyable and financially viable.
“The business was up for sale, it was up and running and the staff were happy to stay,” Greg said.
“A lot of ground work had gone into it, so we were just happy to continue and see where it progresses. We inherited a good consultant and a good farm manager in Mark Oliver with the fish expertise, so Maryanne and I are happy to take orders to fix things and improve things and do what we’re told.”
Greg’s qualifications as an electrician are also put to effective use at the farm, where water movement and oxygenation machinery runs around the clock, fed by generators and solar panels.
“It’s not quite as simple as raising livestock, where everyone’s got a good handle on how to do it efficiently,” he said.
“There’s no shortage of demand for Murray Cod – it’s about fine tuning the economics of producing.”
Condabilla manger Mark Oliver at purge tanks used to cleanse fish
With the demand for Murray Cod comes the demand for workers at Condabilla.
Manager Mark Oliver said the team was always on the lookout for employees willing to come aboard to help ensure volumes of quality produce can continue to increase.
“We like the artisanal side of this sort of farm and I think people appreciate that we keep a very strong eye on quality,” he said.
“We don’t use a lot of automation, every fish is individually inspected, and we have that quality benchmark that we try to adhere to above everything else.”
Aquaculture technician Cathie McDermott inspects fish quality under the microscope
Condabilla currently produces about 1.5 tonnes of fish per week and aims to increase output to 2.5 tonnes per week.
Most produce is sent to markets in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, but fresh fish is also retailed locally at the Purple Cow Butchery in Chinchilla.
Seafood lovers can also buy a box from the farm gate, and Condabilla cod periodically appears on the menu at local restaurants including the Condamine Hotel and the Chinchilla RSL.
“For people who haven’t had it before, there’s still the connotation that it’s a fresh water fish so it’s going to taste a bit muddy,” Mark Oliver said.
“But with cod, if farmed correctly, there’s absolutely no off or muddy flavour whatsoever. It’s a nice, white textured fish with a nice fatty profile and has a very, very nice taste.”
Condabilla Murray Cod can be purchased locally from the farm gate, or from the Purple Cow Butchery at Chinchilla
Condabilla’s location near the banks of the Condamine River, and generally mild weather conditions, provide a highly suitable environment to breed the native Murray Cod.
“The way we culture fish is quite different to most other aquaculture facilities,” Mark Oliver said.
“Most other pond-based facilities grow fish in one hectare or smaller ponds and the fish free range in the pond, but we have raceways in which the fish grow.”
Condabilla production manager Scott Valler grading Murray Cod fingerlings
“We grow them in purposely housed raceways, but the ponds themselves are a lot larger (up to 6 hectares).
“We don’t actually exchange water but we have an amount of biomass, and the waste that the fish they produce primes that 6 hectare system.
“We’re basically creating our own little ecosystem in there, so there’s no discharge back into the environment.”
Moving forward, Mark said the biggest challenge for Condabilla would be to continue growing at a sustainable level to meet increasing demand for Murray Cod around Australia.
“Competition for us isn’t a big thing because the Murray Cod market is far from saturated. Demand is outstripping supply all the time,” he said.
“As the market shifts towards fine dining and into a more of premium product, our competitors might not even be Murray Cod, but other products in seafood and other protein such as beef.”
A WEEKEND of rodeo action on the Western Downs has brought champion rider Courtney Banks a step closer to defending her Division 1 title in the Queensland Barrel Racing Association (QBRA) circuit.
Close to 3,000 spectators came through the gates and 400 more watched online as the Chinchilla Show Golden Times Rodeo returned with thousands of dollars in prize money up for grabs.
The rodeo was held alongside one of the QBRA’s jackpot events, where Banks (pictured above) clocked one of the fastest times of the weekend with a blistering 16.7 seconds in the barrel racing arena.
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It wasn’t enough to win the event but Banks, from Oakey, treated her runs mainly as an opportunity to exercise her trusty gelding, “Topsey” by champion sire Acres Destiny, ahead of this year’s QBRA season.
“I’m justing getting my horse fit for rodeo this year and jackpot events are good for doing that, to get them going,” Banks said.
“He’s very versatile but he’s not quite fit yet, so he should hopefully get better during the year. I’m very happy with him. He’s getting up there, but I’ve got to keep going with him.”
Courtney Banks, from Oakey, is the reigning QBRA Division 1 champion
SLIDESHOW: Images by Liz Speed Photography. Visit Liz’s website and Facebook page.
The Chinchilla Gold Times Rodeo is usually held as part of the Chinchilla Melon Festival, which was due happen this month but was called off due to uncertainly during the organising period.
There was full gamut of rodeo events on Friday night with dozens of competitors nominating in open and novice barrel racing, bronc riding and bull riding events.
Event director Brent Cann said with such a huge number of spectators turning out, it was pleasing to put some quality rodeo action on display ahead of a second event to be held in May during the Chinchilla Show.
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“Chinchilla is usually very good. There’s a lot of rodeo supporters around the area and plenty of people from out of town. It’s good to bring people out to the country to enjoy community events in little towns,” Cann said.
“We added a few things this year. We had the big screen up on display and live streaming of the event online and there were people watching from all around Australia, New Zealand and even the USA.
“We combine with the Chinchilla Show Society but there’s only about three or four of us organising the rodeo and competition side of things, and we’re really happy with out it went.”
Veteran rodeo clowns Evan Patch (Roma) and Col Grealy (Miles) entertained the crowds at the 2022 Chinchilla Show Golden Times Rodeo
GOVERNMENT-enforced coronavirus quarantine will from today be handled solely within the Wagner accommodation facility being built west of Toowoomba.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Deputy Premier Steven Miles visited the 1000-bed facility at Wellcamp this morning to declare “what is effectively the end of hotel quarantine in Queensland”.
The Wagner Corporation began building the accomodation facility in October last year and already 500 spaces are ready to be used by people needing to quarantine. The remaining 500 spaces will be ready by April.
“We need to make sure that we’re absolutely prepared for the future and this regional quarantine facility is state of the art,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
She said that the facility incorporated “all of the learnings that we have learnt over the last two years of the pandemic – things such as security cameras, ventilation, making sure that families feel comfortable and safe”.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Deputy Premier Steven Miles at the Wagner quarantine facility at Wellcamp
At the height of the quarantine period up to 22 hotels throughout South East Queensland were being used by international and domestic travellers entering the state.
A total of nearly 128,000 people have undergone hotel quarantine and Ms Palaszczuk said the very last guest would be released into the community about 3pm this afternoon.
But with Queensland borders open and coronavirus cases now widespread throughout the state, there’s scepticism about the extent to which the Wellcamp quarantine facility will remain necessary.
“The Australian Government is about to open international travel. There are going to be a lot more flights coming into Queensland,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“There is going to be seasonal workforces where their vaccination rates do not meet the TGA requirements. There are going to be people who are unvaccinated coming in.
“Let me assure the public this facility will be put to very good use.”
The Wellcamp quarantine facility can so far accommodate 500 people, while another 500 spaces will be available by April
The government has also been heavily criticised for refusing to reveal how much taxpayer money has been spent on the project, saying the cost of the deal was “commercial in confidence”.
Under the government’s arrangement with the Wagner Corporation, the facility will be leased and staffed at taxpayers’ cost for a minimum period of one year.
Mr Miles said roughly 60 people had already been housed at the Wellcamp quarantine facility, and that it would be equipped to accommodate “base capacity as well as surge capacity”.
“The current guests are a mix of travellers and mariners, but we anticipate an ongoing number of arrivals, particularly from countries where their vaccines aren’t recognised by our TGA and therefore will be required to quarantine, as well as farm workers from other countries that haven’t been able to access vaccinations,” Mr Miles said.
“Throughout this project you’ve seen different governments take different approaches. Our government has taken an approach of being prepared for whatever might come.
“Other governments have taken a wait and see approach, and that has cost us dearly at various different points.”
Observing a traditional smoking ceremony at the Wellcamp quarantine opening were (L-R) QFES quarantine management taskforce commissioner Joanne Greenfield, Deputy Premier Stephen Miles, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Wagner Corporation chairman John Wagner, QPS Commissioner Katarina Carroll and QPD Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski
Wagner Corporation chairman John Wagner said up to 400 workers will have worked to build the quarantine facility by the time it’s constructed, and that 85 percent of contractors and materials were sourced from the Tooowoomba region.
“In think today is very much a day when you will be proud to be a Queenslander and I’d like to congratulate the Queensland Government for their commitment and intestinal fortitude to go it alone with a facility such as this, which is without a doubt the most advanced quarantine accommodation facility in the country and probably the world,” Mr Wagner said.
THE Liberal National Party has preselected Chinchilla-based geologist and farming industry advocate Bryson Head to run for the Queensland seat of Callide in the upcoming state by-election.
Sitting MP Colin Boyce last July announced he would be nominating to contest the seat of Flynn at the federal election, in a move that will force Callide residents to vote for their new state MP by June.
The Caller spoke exclusively with Bryson Head, 26, who grew up on a family cropping farm north of Brigalow and currently works as a fly-in-fly-out geologist at a Bowen Basin coal mine.
His family’s involvement with politics and agriculture goes back generations – his grandfather was a councillor with the former Mount Perry Shire and his parents met at a National Party conference in Dalby in the 1980s.
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While still a relatively young political aspirant, Head said his experience in QUT student politics, his managerial involvement with prolific farming lobby group Green Shirts Movement and his previous position with the National Recovery and Resilience Agency had given him enough understanding of government and politics to effectively represent Callide in the halls of Queensland Parliament.
“I thought I’d put my hand up because I’ve always been a proud advocate for my community and for regional Queensland,” Head told the Caller.
“I’m an energetic and enthusiastic person with an incredible amount of passion for this region. I’ve been around the political process for a number of years now and understand the game.
“I know that I’ve got a lot to learn but I also know that I need to reach out to people and rely on different people in the community who’ve been around for longer than me, and I’m not afraid to do that.”
LNP candidate Bryson Head on his family’s farm north of Brigalow
After graduating from QUT with a Bachelor of Science (majoring in earth science), Head spent time working in the resources sector in Canada and the Hunter Valley before last year taking up a role in Anglo American’s coal mining operations around Moranbah.
He purchased a house in Chinchilla and said his original long term plan was to balance a geology career with his family’s farming operations in Brigalow, before a calling to the political sphere grew stronger.
“I’ve been involved with the LNP since I graduated high school because of my agricultural roots. I want a future in agriculture and I also care about people in the agricultural industry succeeding, and want people in regional Queensland to succeed,” Head said.
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While at university Head helped establish what was called the QUT Rural Students Club, and he said that project inspired his belief that more open communication between country and city folk was the best way to help progress Queensland’s diverse community.
“The idea of the club was to bring country kids together in Brisbane but also to give city kids an opportunity to come out and see the country,” Head said.
“We’d go to places like the Goondiwindi B&S or the Flinton races and on the way out they’d be looking around at paddocks, like a big crop of sorghum, and they’d say ‘what’s that?’. Just having those conversations helps to give people some perspective.
“The more people are involved and engaged in things, and the more people care about not only their own community but the region and the state as a whole, I think the more we can nut out some of the tougher issues.”
The Electoral District of Callide. IMAGE: Electoral Commission Queensland
The seat of Callide has just shy of 34,000 constituents and spans roughly 74,000 square kilometres between Calliope in the north and Chinchilla in the south.
It’s forever been a firmly held LNP seat. Mr Boyce amassed a 15.3 percent margin at the 2020 Queensland Election, and before his tenure the local MP was LNP Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney.
Asked about his priorities for Callide if elected this year, Bryson Head said the state government needed to address hospital resourcing, infrastructure and crime.
“Every community is different and has its own needs, but there’s still some overlapping issues and health care is a big one,” he said.
“In Chinchilla we’re lucky in a lot of ways with the services we have, but a maternity service hardly exists. Yet when Chinchilla was half the population there was a full maternity service.
“In the north of the electorate – places like Biloela, Monto and Eidsvold – there’s an even greater need for better health care.
“The figures on how often ambulance runs come into the area are huge because the hospitals just aren’t staffed appropriately and don’t have the facilities. I think this is a priority.
“Some of the communities have had population decline and people ask me how would I fix that. The reality is, who would want to move to those places if they don’t have adequate services? You fix the services and then you look at enticing people to come.”
THE highest standard of rugby union ever seen on the Warrego Highway will headline the inaugural Festival of Rugby in Roma on Saturday night, when the Queensland Reds take on the NSW Waratahs at the home ground of the Roma Echidnas.
The Festival of Rugby is an evolution of the longstanding Roma Rugby 7s tournament, which welcomes roughly 40 teams from across Queensland for a social competition.
This year the event, sponsored by coal seam gas company Santos, has $25,000 in prize money up for grabs and will also host a preseason trial game between the Reds and the Waratahs.
Big names in Australian rugby, past and present, are in Roma for the tournament. Guest speaker at the “Echidnas Long Lunch” on Friday was Wallabies coach David Rennie while MC for the weekend is Australian rugby great Tim Horan.
Current rugby stars taking the field tonight include Wallabies players James O’Connor, Jordan Petaia and Taniela Tupou.
Below is a gallery of social photos from the first day of the Festival of Rugby. Follow the Country Caller for more coverage of the event.
SOME of the biggest names in Australian rugby will play before bush crowds in Roma this Saturday night, as the town hosts a trial match between the Queensland Reds and the NSW Waratahs to coincide with the annual Santos Roma Rugby 7s competition.
Veteran play maker James O’Connor has been named as Reds fly half and will be joined in the Queensland backline by fellow Wallabies star Jordan Petaia, playing on the wing.
Fast footed front row icon Taniela Tupou, nicknamed the Tongan Thor, will start the trial game on the bench alongside Darling Downs rugby products Harry Hoopert and Mac Grealy.
Also from the Darling Downs, Hamish Stewart will start at inside centre. See the full Reds and Waratahs team lists below.
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The annual Roma Rugby 7s competition this year evolves into the inaugural Santos Festival of Rugby, now a two day event from February 11-12, held at the grounds local rugby club, the Roma Echidnas.
Social and competitive teams from across Queensland will be taking part before the exhibition trial match between the Reds and Waratahs on Saturday night, kicking off at 7.30pm.
WATCH: Country Caller coverage of 2021 Roma 7s tournament
Reds head coach Brad Thorn said: “We’re excited to be playing in Roma this weekend.
“Off the back of our Reds to Regions visits, we’re looking forward to strengthening our connection with regional communities across Queensland.
“The Waratahs will provide tough competition. With the season kicking off next week it’ll be a good contest between both sides.
“It’s great we can support country towns and the people who live there by playing games like this – as the Queensland Reds, it’s who we represent,” said Thorn.
