Drinking at the bar of the Quilpie Hotel, ca. 1921

Pictured from left: Peter Pisano, Roy Bromley, Bob Angus, unidentified barmaid and an unidentified gentleman standing next to the proprietor Jim Corones (right).
 
Quilpie is located 1010km west of Brisbane by road and 980km by rail and was proclaimed a town on the 29th April 1917. The township is situated on the western bank of the Bulloo River and is out of flood reach. Quilpie's importance is as a railhead. It is the centre from which cattle from the Channel Country and beyond are railed and in good seasons upwards of 60,000 cattle pass through the railhead. Sheep also pass through in large numbers. The opal is a very sought after commodity and the district is the home of the Boulder Opal.
Due to the town's location and it's low rainfall, Quilpie is intensely hot and dusty in summer. The temperature during January and February often exceeds 40 degrees celsius, while winters are mild. The town itself has a population of about 600 and its annual average rainfall is only approximately 300-500mm. (Information taken from: Quilpie Shire Council website, 2007, retrieved on 20 March 2007 from www.quilpie.qld.gov.au/visitors/Quilpie Info.shtml)