For most grey nomads, a huge part of the joy of taking the Big Lap is discovering the sometimes amazing history of the places they visit. And on that score – and most others – the tiny town of Bogantungan in Queensland’s Central Highlands doesn’t disappoint.
Driving into the community of just a few houses, visitors could be forgiven for thinking that not much ever happens here. But back in 1960, the place was making headline news … for all the wrong reasons.
It was just west of the town that on February 26 of that year, the Midlander passenger train crashed after a bridge over the flooded Medway Creek collapsed as it was passing over. Several carriages dropped into the water and four passengers and three crew members were killed, and another 43 people were injured.
The Bogantungan Railway station is now a museum. PIC: Central Highlands Development Corporation
Today, the Bogantungan Railway Station has become a small historical museum with a memorial, and interpretive panels recalling one of Queensland’s worst ever rail disasters, along with memorabilia from that fateful day.
There is a very highly regarded ‘donation’ camp next to the old station where grey nomads and others can pull up for a night or two while they explore.
Bogantungan is located just off the Capricorn Highway about an hour west of Emerald. A few kilometres to the west of town is the Drummond Range Lookout which offers impressive views over the mountains and surrounding country.
Fossickers visiting the area may discover gemstones. PIC: Central Highlands Development Corporation
For many grey nomads, a stop here is also a chance to seek out gemstones on the nearby fossicking fields. There are, of course, other camping opportunities at established fossicking areas such as the Willows and Glenalva.
And there are a number of caravan parks located in communities across the entire gemfields area.
While the name Bogantungan may seem less than flattering given the rise of the term ‘bogan’ in recent years, the town was actually called after a combination of the Aboriginal words ‘bogan’ meaning ‘grass’ and ‘tungan’ meaning ‘tree’.
It began life as a place where workers building the Central Western railway line were temporarily housed … but the settlement persisted after the railway was built.
Hard as it is to believe, the town was once hopping. Back in the day, it boasted around 30 hotels, several churches, and was home to thousands of people. Bogantungan Post Office opened in 1881 and eventually closed in 1982.
Put simply, Bogantungan is one of those unexpected pleasant surprises that make taking the Big Lap so special.
