Outback Towns

Westmar

The name Westmar came from Western and Maranoa. Westmar is a social community along the Moonie Highway, in Queensland. The roadhouse offers everything you will need.

About Westmar

Westmar – Southwood National Park

The name Westmar came from Western and Maranoa. Westmar is a social community along the Moonie Highway, in Queensland. The roadhouse offers everything you will need.

The community holds gymkhanas, sports days and movie nights. Southwood National Park lies further east along the Moonie Highway.

Southwood National Park

Brigalow-belah forest remnants are conserved in this park on the western Darling Downs. Few intact examples of this vegetation type remain on the Downs. Cypress pine, poplar box, wilga bush, false sandalwood, western teatree and other plant species common throughout the semi-arid lands also grow in the park.

More than 92 species of birds have been seen in the park. The wonga pigeon is close to the inland limit of its range here. Large depressions known as gilgais are scattered through the park. These form by constant wetting and drying of the heavy clay soils.

This is the traditional land of the Bigambul people.

Explorers Allan Cunningham and Thomas Mitchell passed this way but the surrounding area was slow to attract settlers. Formerly known as “Wild Horse Paradise”, Southwood became a national park in 1970.

Southwood is about four hours’ drive west of Brisbane or 130km south-west of Dalby on the Moonie Highway. Four-wheel-drive is recommended on Fabians Road which dissects the park. Roads become boggy when wet.