Jundah

History

Kuungkari (also known as Kungkari and Koonkerri) is a language of Western Queensland. The Kuungkari language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of Longreach Shire Council and Blackall-Tambo Shire Council. The outback town was established in 1883 and given a name meaning "woman" in a local Aboriginal language. In 1873, Jundah was acquired by grazier William Pitt Tozer, who built a homestead on the land. From 1875 to 1880 the Jundah homestead was utilised by the paramilitary Native Police as their main barracks on the lower Thomson River. Jundah Post Office opened on 26 June 1877 (a receiving office named Jundah Police Barracks had been open from 1876). Jundah State School opened on 30 April 1900 with about 50 students. At that time, the town had a population of about 300 people. Jundah was home to an opal mining industry for around twenty years in the early twentieth century before the industry closed down due to water shortages.

Geography

The town is located on the Thomson River in Central West Queensland, west of the state capital, Brisbane.

Most-observed species

• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  56
• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  46
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  44
• Crested Pigeon

  Ocyphaps lophotes (Temminck, 1822) · Aves
  42
• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  40
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  39
• White-plumed Honeyeater

  Ptilotula penicillata (Gould, 1837) · Aves
  39
• Little Corella

  Cacatua sanguinea Gould, 1843 · Aves
  32