Is Eromanga The Furthest Town From The Sea In Australia? What Can You Do There?

Eromanga is a small mining town in the middle of the Western Queensland Outback and it holds the title of the furthest town from the sea in Australia.

This was surprising, at least to me – I would’ve thought a town like this would be somewhere in Central Australia, like Alice Springs!

Turns out this title isn’t exactly true, but we’ll discuss that further down.

Eromanga is also the site of Australia’s largest dinosaur fossil remains yet found in the country, with a lovely museum to showcase these findings. It also produces the most oil in mainland Australia!

Keep reading to learn more interesting facts about this town, including why it’s not really the furthest town from the sea (and why you should visit it anyway).

Eromanga isn’t really the furthest town from the sea, here’s why

Geoscience Australia is the government’s official source of earth sciences. They explain that it’s actually quite challenging to establish the furthest town from the sea, as you have to consider that Australia:

• Has a fairly irregular shape.

• It’s curved by the surface of the Earth.

This means that there are a few equally valid methods to determine geographical spots like Australia’s furthest town from the sea, or the centre of the country (Lambert Centre).

Measuring this is not a definitive science by any means. But according to them, this spot is as exact as you can get to the furthest point from the coastline.

So, any of the towns near it could be further from the sea than Eromanga!

But that shouldn’t stop you from visiting this peculiar town.

3 Things to do in Eromanga

If you’re around Quilpie, consider taking the small detour to Eromanga and check out:

1) Eromanga Natural History Museum

This museum showcases dinosaur fossils and provides guided tours to teach about the natural history of the region. Kids can even visit a real dinosaur dig site and learn how to prepare the fossils!

🤩 Go for a guided tour to the Eromanga Natural History Museum and walk among real dinosaur fossils here: Australian Dinosaur Giants Tour.

2) Eromanga Living History Centre

This local museum showcases the history of the region, specifically Eromanga. When I visited there was also a nice video highlighting town and regional attractions and history.

You had to get the key from the pub down the road! Which makes the experience much more memorable. It’s next to the park.

3) Opalopolis Park

This is a beautifully maintained picnic area right next door to the museum. It has a lovely memorial to the boulder opal miners, too.

It’s a great place for the kids to play around or to stretch your legs.

Top tips

Most people get to Eromanga by car, when road-tripping around Outback Queensland or Corner Country. But there’s an airport nearby, in Quilpie. It’s a 1-hour drive from Eromanga, Rex airlines fly there once a week.

There’s a caravan park and a hotel where you can stay. The hotel, the Eromanga Royal Hotel, also has the only restaurant in town! The food is surprisingly good.

Did you know?

This small town in the middle of south west Queensland is the largest oil-producing area in mainland Australia. The Eromanga oil refinery mainly produces diesel for the mining and transport industry in the outback.

Ironically, Eromanga was once the site of a vast inland sea – a feature that’s replicated every now and again when the Cooper Basin is in flood.

FAQs 

The bottom line

I’m not sure who actually triangulated the map coordinates to bestow the title of “furthest town from the sea in Australia” to Queensland Eromanga, but I’m not about to argue.

…Just as I didn’t argue Kimba’s claim of being the halfway point across Australia. But I digress.

Even if Eromanga is not really the town that’s furthest away from the sea, we can’t deny how creative these charming towns in the middle of nowhere can be!

Their quirkiness makes our road trips in the desolate Outback much more interesting and unforgettable.