Chinchilla

Heeney Street is the main street of Chinchilla, and runs perpendicular to the highway. Most of the shops (and pubs) can be found along this street, although the main grocery store, and a complex with a few other shops and cafes, is on nearby Middle Street.

The Chinchilla Visitor Information Centre, on the Warrego Highway, is a good place to make your first stop. The friendly staff can provide you with maps, pretty much any brochure you could wish for, and local knowledge. You can also relax on their lovely verandah with a Devonshire tea with freshly-made scones.

There is no public transport in Chinchilla. There are one or two taxis operating within the town. Most of the attractions in Chinchilla are easily accessible by foot. However, if you want to see the Barakula Forestry, fossick for petrified wood, or visit any of the smaller towns nearby, it is recommended that you bring your own car, or hire one (Budget, Avis and Thrifty all operate in the town).

The Chinchilla Visitor Information Centre can provide you with various maps of the region, town, and surrounding areas.

• Chinchilla Historical Museum, Villiers St, ☏ +61 7 4662-7014. W-Su 9AM-4PM. Memorabilia and some well preserved historical buildings, such as the first settler’s cottage and the old jail. There is also a steam sawmill from the 1990s, and an impressive display of vintage machinery, much of it still working. The Fred Newman Petrified Wood Collection is regarded as one of the largest of its kind to be found anywhere. You can also visit the Cypress Pines Interpretive Centre, which displays the history of logging in Chinchilla – once a major industry in the area. Admission fee on arrival. 
• White Gums Gallery, 89 Heeney St, ☏ +61 7 4668-9908. M-F 10AM-4PM & Sa 9AM-1PM. Hosts a new exhibition every month from a wide variety of local, interstate and international artists. 
• Boonarga Cactoblastis Hall (10 km east of Chinchilla, along the Warrego Highway). Built in 1936 to commemorate this insect’s effort in eradicating the prickly pear pandemic. Listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, this hall is said to be the only building in the southern hemisphere that is dedicated to an insect. The story of the Cactoblastis is told outside the hall on an interpretive sign. 
• Chinchilla Pioneer Cemetery, Warrego Hwy (Across from the Visitor Information Centre). An interesting cemetery, with graves separated according to religion and headstones dating back to 1892. Next to it there is a park dedicated to Ludwig Leichhardt. 
• Brigalow Pioneer Cemetery, Brigalow Canaga Creek Rd, Brigalow (follow the Warrego Hwy east). Take a wander through the history of Brigalow’s earlier settlers in this predominately Lutheran cemetery. Nearby are the remnants of the old school gates. 
• Kogan Creek Power Station Viewing Area, Banana Bridge Rd (head east along the Warrego Hwy, then 11 km south of Brigalow). Opened in late 2007, the coal-fired power station can generate up to 750 megawatts electricity, which is enough to power almost one million homes. Kogan Creek Power Station provides baseload electricity into the national grid via a 28-km-long transmission line and sets new benchmarks for environmental performance and innovative design amongst coal-fired plants in Australia. 
• Chinchilla White Gums, Along the Burncluith/Pelican Tourist Drive. The Chinchilla White Gum is a rare species of Eucalypt that grows only in a 60-km radius to the north of Chinchilla. This magnificent tree, known botanically as Eucalyptus argophioia, is a photographer’s delight with its distinctive white trunk and open crown of narrow leaves. 
• Barakula Forest, 23km from Chinchilla. The largest State Forest in the southern hemisphere. If you drive along Auburn Rd, you will pass several historic landmarks, such as Australia’s first oil bore, the Guymer baby bush grave (circa 1920) and the Dingo Barrier Fence (which has sonic deterrent on the grid). 

• Chinchilla Melon Festival. mid-February. Held every second year in odd-numbered years. (updated Mar 2019)
• Tourist Drives. Collect your ‘Tourist Drive’ brochure from the Visitor Information Centre. There are seven drives available with different themes. Interpretive signs highlight historical and cultural features on some of these drives. 
• Charley’s Creek Riverside Park, The western end of Middle St. This pleasant park is beside the peaceful waters of Charley’s Creek, which was named after an Aboriginal tracker and guide who travelled with Leichhardt. The walkways extend under the railway and highway bridges and there are also a number of interpretive signs pointing out local wildlife. There are picnic tables, barbecues, toilets and a children’s playground which makes it an excellent spot for lunch, relaxation and bird watching. 
• Chinchilla Weir, Chinchilla-Tara Rd (8km southwest of Chinchilla). Water skiing, fishing, swimming and canoeing (bring your own) are some of the activities to be enjoyed on the water, and there are great facilities for picnics and barbecues. The Chinchilla Weir is also a first-rate place for bird watching, with over 50 species regularly sighted. It’s also a spectacular place to watch a sunset. Check at the Visitor Information Centre before you go, as the water levels do fluctuate. 
• Fishing, Various locations around Chinchilla. Ask for a copy of the Western Downs Fishing Guide at the VIC. 
• Fossicking for Petrified Wood, Various locations around Chinchilla. ’Chinchilla Red’ petrified wood is famous all over the world for its beauty. Small fees do apply, and you need to get a licence at the Visitor Information Centre. 

The local speciality is, of course, melons. When they are in season, there are various carts which sell watermelons by the side of any number of roads around Chinchilla. Souvenirs and local arts and handicrafts can be bought at the Visitor Information Centre – from local honey, jams and chutneys to paintings and dolls.

The Visitor Information Centre also hosts markets on the 3rd Sunday of every month.

There are plenty of bakeries and cafes in Chinchilla, most located on Heeney St, although some are in the complex on Middle St. There are also various eateries in some of the fuel stations on the Warrego Highway.

• Café Arabica, Middle St (in the shopping complex). 
• Chinchilla RSL Memorial Club, 61 Heeney St, ☏ +61 7 4662-7196. 
• MKs, Heeney St. 
• Salty’s Seafood, Heeney St. 
• Simply Indulgent, Heeney St. 

• Chinchilla RSL Memorial Club, 61 Heeney St, ☏ +61 7 4662-7196. 
• Club hotel and Central Motor Inn, 131 Heeney St, ☏ +61 7 4669-1100. 
• Commercial Hotel/Motel, 17 Chinchilla St, ☏ +61 7 4662-7524. 

• Internet Café - Wit Zone, Shop 3, 4 Mayne Street, ☏ +61 7 4668-9110. (updated Mar 2020)
• Free internet may also be available at the Library on Heeney St.
• The Post Office is on Heeney St, cnr Bell St.

There is a coin laundry on the corner of Villiers St and Wambo St, opposite the Cypress Pines Caravan Park.

• The Bunya Mountains National Park is a beautiful day trip or next stop, although the winding road up the mountain really isn’t suitable for caravans. Camping and bushwalking are spectacular here.
• Jimbour is both a small town and an estate, about an hour away. The house is heritage-listed, and was built in 1876. Although it is still a private residence, you are welcome to wander through their beautiful gardens or take their "Living History Walk".