Talwood

History

Gamilaraay (Gamilaroi, Kamilaroi, Comilroy) is a language from South-West Queensland and North-West New South Wales. The Gamilaraay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Balonne Shire Council, including the towns of Dirranbandi, Thallon, Talwood and Bungunya as well as the border towns of Mungindi and Boomi extending to Moree, Tamworth and Coonabarabran in New South Wales. The town's name is believed to be a corruption of Dalwood, a pastoral run name used from 1844, which was believed to be derived from an Aboriginal word. In 1903, it was spelled Tallwood on a survey plan with an annotation that it has been altered to Talwood, a name which was shown on a 1911 survey plan. A new state school was built and opened in June 1945. Talwood Presbyterian Church was opened at 7 Main Street () on 21 December 1947. It was built from timber. Following the amalgamation that created the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977, it became Talwood Uniting Church. It closed circa 1990 and is now used as a house. The Talwood branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association opened in 1949. St Paul's Anglican Church was built in 1956. It was built to be a memorial for those who served in World War II. The brick church was designed by Edwin Hayes in the Modernist style to seat 80 people. St Joseph's Catholic Church was built from timber in 1955 at 14 Recreation Street (). It is now closed, but, as at 2024, the church building is still extant. On 17 May 2024, the Queensland Government decided to amalgamate the localities of North Talwood and South Talwood into a single location called Talwood (with the town of Talwood as its main urban area).

Geography

The town lies in the south-east of the locality. Prior to the 2024 amalgamation, the town of Talwood was at the southern edge of the locality of North Talwood, immediately north of the boundary of South Talwood. The Macintyre River forms the southern boundary of the locality, separating Queensland from New South Wales. The South-Western railway line also enters the locality from the east (Bungunya) just south of the highway. The town is served by Talwood railway station () on the northern edge of the town. The railway line exits to the west (Weengallon / Daymar). There are three other railway stops on the line within the locality (from west to east): * Talwood Wheat railway siding immediately west of the town () * Lalaguli railway station, now abandoned, in the east of the locality ()

Most-observed species

• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  35
• Crested Pigeon

  Ocyphaps lophotes (Temminck, 1822) · Aves
  30
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  29
• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  28
• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  28
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  26
• Yellow-throated Miner

  Manorina flavigula (Gould, 1840) · Aves
  22
• Australian Raven

  Corvus coronoides Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 · Aves
  21

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2005-07-30
  66 km S of St George, Australia
• M 3.2 — 2005-04-14
  93 km SE of St George, Australia
• M 3 — 2002-08-22
  67 km SE of St George, Australia
• M 2.9 — 2001-12-06
  86 km SSE of St George, Australia