Oontoo, Queensland

Geography

Oontoo is in South West Queensland, immediately east of the border with South Australia.

History

The township of Oontoo once existed in the area along the banks of the Cooper Creek.[2] The Queensland Government offered approximately 70 town lots for sale on 11 April 1886.[3] A border custom post was established at Oontoo in 1886 on a 1 square mile (259 ha) piece of land resumed from Nappa Merrie cattle station.[4] The post was created to collect taxes from drovers who crossed to Queensland border travelling down Strzelecki Creek.[5]

The first customs officer was Mr Ivory who arrived in 1886 and lived in a tent until a house was completed the following year. In 1887 the post was also used as a depot for materials used in the construction of the rabbit proof fence.[4]

A shanty public house followed soon afterward with a more substantial stone hotel built by Thomas Costello in 1888. The hotel had eight rooms, kitchen, stables and a store.[4] Several race meetings were held in the town starting in 1888.[6] The town soon boasted a store, doctor and school.[2]

Severe flooding occurred in 1891 with Cooper Creek breaking its banks after 4.5 inches (114 mm) of rain fell in the area in January.[7]

By 1897 the population had shrunk to 14.[2]

The customs post was closed in 1902.[8]

References
  1. "Oontoo - unbounded locality in the Shire of Bullo (entry 25488)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  2. Lyn Leader-Elliott and Iris Iwanicki (December 2002). "Heritage of the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks" (PDF). Department for Environment and Heritage. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2004. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  3. "Classified Advertising". The Queenslander. Queensland, Australia. 6 March 1886. p. 380. Retrieved 5 March 2020 – via Trove.
  4. "Oontoo township" (PDF). Anthropological Society of South Australia. 18 (4). June 1980. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  5. "Innamincka". Flinders Range Research. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  6. "Oontoo Races". South Australian Register. LIII (13, 074). South Australia. 8 October 1888. p. 6. Retrieved 20 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "Reports from the border". The Brisbane Courier. XLVII (10, 421). Queensland, Australia. 9 June 1891. p. 5. Retrieved 20 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. "Customs stations". The Brisbane Courier. LIX (14, 015). Queensland, Australia. 12 December 1902. p. 4. Retrieved 20 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
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