That title sounds so crazy, it HAS to be true, but how? How could a tiny outback Queensland town be sitting at the same table as London and Paris? Let me throw a little illumination on the subject. Thargomindah was the first town in Australia only the third town in the WORLD to have electric street lights powered by hydro, resulting from the building of a local hyrdo electric plant on the edge of town back in 1896. Best told by the experts, it goes like this:
The answer lies in Thargomindah’s location above the Great Artesian Basin. The Artesian Basin is an underground water resource in which large volumes of water are trapped in layers of permeable sandstone between layers of impermeable mudstone. The water can be millions of years old and is under considerable pressure. The Great Artesian Basin was first discovered when a bore was sunk near Bourke in New South Wales in 1878 and the discovery was repeated in bores in Queensland in the 1880s. Thargomindah’s bore was drilled in 1893 and pipes were laid to provide reticulated water to the town in 1895.
The history of the Thargomindah Electric Light enterprise makes interesting reading. Thirty years ago a spirited townsman named Patterson, while on a business visit to Brisbane, purchased an electric light plant, and this he installed in his store. It was such a success that hotels and stores, applied to be connected. In time private dwellings were seeking the same privilege; indeed, there was such a demand for the light that the Bulloo Shire  Council decided to purchase the plant.  This was done, and with many additions it was duly installed in the bore area, and worked by bore water power.
The Bulloo councillors were still thinking hard about an £800 tender , when the leading black-smith of the town, and a very clever mechanic, decided to put in his tender of £160. The councillors promptly accepted it, and in a few months the electric plant was installed, electric light was burning brightly in the town, and the work had been done on the job, amply attesting the skill of the local “engineer,” who, for his ability, was appointed in charge of the plant, and for many years till replaced by diesel generators in 1951. The plant is still in excellent working order.Â
Back to the future, and another free camp within walking distance of town. The girls at the Information Centre were great and I soon had an $8 tag that gave me entry to several historic sites around town, including the hydro plant. The old hospital was a real hoot and I got to spend some time with the resident ‘ghost’, Nurse Betty. A tag swipe brought her back from the dead, and man, she could talk the legs off a chair. An anesthetist might have been handy (lol). The hospital also had a morgue, doctor’s office and ward, all in a state of readiness
There was a lot of history on show as well as another interesting fun fact. Who hasn’t heard of Ray White Real Estate? Well, someone in this photo is the original Ray White. Born and bred in Thargomindah, he left town in 1896 to open his first real estate office in Crows Nest, Sydney. So this little outpost proved to be a really interesting stop-over. The supermarket burned down last year and is in the process of a rebuild which sorta created an opening for one enterprising local to start up this front yard little business. Only two weeks in, she’s doing a roaring trade. Who could resist homemade pies and burgers?
The last morning was spent replacing gas and fuel. By the way, I was steered to the OIR chain of self-serve diesel pumps, that can be accessed through an app. The difference in price compared to the main street outlet was 33cents per litre. The other crucial app is the BOM radar map. It’s like a porn channel for those on the road. Keep on checkin’ in to make sure you haven’t missed anything. What I knew was a storm front coming and I had to be in Innamincka in a couple of days. But there was one more must-see on the way. One of the most tragic locations in this country.
