It is not just golf in Charleville
Local butcher and shire councilor Shaun Radnedge
Although Charleville anticipates a big turnout for the second leg of the Queensland Outback Masters on June 22-23, shun councilor Shaun Radnedge says that those without a real sense of pleasure should probably stay away.
"I like to tell visitors that if they come here and don't have a good time, it's their fault," says the local farmer of all professions and masters of many.
"This is a great city with fantastic people. We can live far from the big smoke, but that doesn't mean we don't know how to have fun.
"And I honestly think it's contagious, because most people who visit us usually return. The best way to describe our city is friendly and very, very social."
With 2019 as the year of Outback tourism in Queensland, the state government in collaboration with Golf Australia has launched an innovative, multi-location golf event aimed at encouraging tourists to Outback Queensland.
And as a final for the event with six locations, the inaugural Outback Queensland Masters offer a $ 1 million hole-in-one challenge in Mt Isa.
The inaugural Outback Masters of Queensland start in Roma on June 17-18 and visit Charleville (June 22-23), Longreach (June 29-30), Winton (June 13-14) and Boulia (June 22-23), before end in Mount Isa on July 26-28. Each event will take the form of two rounds with nine holes, played during consecutive days, including a novelty hole at each location that matches a local tourist experience.
Charleville, located on the banks of the Warrego River, is 683 kilometers west of Brisbane and is the largest city and administrative center of the Shire of Murweh, covering an enormous area of 43,905 square kilometers. The population of the 2016 census was 3335.
Shaun Radnedge – local butcher, Charleville Comets and Western Ringers rugby league coach and avid social golfer as well as a shire councilor – thinks that most of those 3335 locals would more than likely come into contact with a golfing visitor somehow during their stay in the the city.
"We have six motels, two pubs and five caravan parks, so accommodation is sufficient. But when all of that is booked, I give up a bed for most residents," he said.
But the visitors will not only play golf and sleep and eat during their stay. Shaun says that the city and district have a virtual wealth of sights.
On the list is the Charleville Cosmos Center and Observatory from which – the locals claim – Charleville illuminates the sky, day and night, but especially on a clear winter night in June.
"Viewing the incredible beauty of the Milky Way through the powerful Meade telescopes and untouched by the lights and pollution that cover the stars in city areas is simply spectacular," reports Mike Dalley, coordinator of the center
"Our guides are happy to share their knowledge here and visitors will observe binary stars, star clusters, planets and the moon. It's a unique experience to build on people's astronomy knowledge and keep them up-to-date with recent discoveries . "
An astronomer and astrophotoapper, self-proclaimed work-addict Mike says a new planitarium will be opened at the end of May, just in time for the expected influx of golfers.
Other attractions in Charleville are the Airfield Museum, currently in its infancy but fully operational in June, a World War Two Museum describing the activities of the 3,000 US troops stationed in Charleville during the war, and the National Bilby Center.
And also striking in Charleville is the tallest building in the city – the local water tower. The tower will be transformed by Easter artist Guido van Helten by Easter.
Van Helten travels the world by painting murals on silos & other public buildings and the water tower on Parry Street will carry images that are yet to be announced.
Learn more and book your tickets for your chance to claim the ultimate prize with the Outback Queensland Masters tournament.
