FIND CUNNAMULLA

A living reminder of the Cunnamulla Bank Robbery in 1880, The Robber, Joseph Wells, hid in the tree but was quickly captured by the irate townspeople whose money he had stolen. Joseph Wells goes down in history as the last man, in Queensland, to receive the death penalty for his particular crime.

The Bi-Centennial Museum is located in the Cunnamulla library and is open Monday to Friday. The building was once the Masonic Lodge and the Lodge memorabilia is also on display. The large photographic display is a record of the development of the town. Check out the wages paid years ago and the cost of groceries recorded in the ledgers from one of the sheep stations.

An inscription is all that identifies an ornately carved water fountain as a war memorial, standing in a traffic island at a five-way intersection in the outback town centre of Cunnamulla. Paroo Shire decided on a war memorial fountain in 1920. The process of selecting and installing a monument took some time. Despite the submission of memorial designs from AL Petrie and sons in Brisbane, the council and the Diggers Racing Club collaborated on the purchase of a stock item, and had it railed to Cunnamulla - an identical fountain can be found in NSW. It was installed prior to the Armistice Day race carnival in 1926 and unveiled on ANZAC Day 1927. Fountains were an unusual choice in Queensland. It's thought that the symbology of water, a scarce commodity in outback Queensland, may have been considered a suitable 'sacrifice'. The centrepiece comprises four basins decreasing in scale as they peak. Gargoyles' heads, winged griffins holding shields bearing emus and kangaroos, leaf-like motifs and scrollwork add to the elaborate classic design. The figure of a little boy stands at the very top. The fountain doesn't bear names of the fallen: they're found on an honour board in the Civic Centre.

The Cunnamulla Heritage Trail is part of the Paroo Pioneer Pathways. The trail is a self-guided tour that traces the history and the development of the town. Historical sites include the Memorial Fountain, the Robber's Tree, and the Centre in Centenary Park. The Visitor Information Centre is housed in the original State School and is the beginning of the trail. The Heritage Trail also includes the 'Walk along the Warrego', a riverwalk along the banks and flood plane of the Warrego River. Interpretive signage and a list is also available from the Visitor Information Centre.