Dingo is currently a 1-star accredited Queensland Tidy Town.

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History and Geography Facts

Dingo is a small, yet busy town that sits on two major highways that service the beef, timber and coal industries. The town was surveyed in 1889 and took its name from the nearby Dingo Creek. For a time in 1940 the town was known as Remo. Up to a thousand vehicles can pass through in one day, and it is not unusual to see ten triple road trains outside the roadhouse.

Local Government Information

The Central Highlands region is in Central Queensland, Australia. The region encompasses an area of around 60 000 square kilometres, making it just short of the size of Tasmania. It is home to around 30 000 people who live in the thirteen unique communities of Arcadia Valley, Bauhinia, Blackwater, Bluff, Capella, Comet, Dingo, Duaringa, Emerald, Rolleston, Sapphire Gemfields, Springsure and Tieri. Our region is rich in minerals and agriculture, thriving on irrigation sourced from water storage on the Nogoa and Comet rivers. We claim the largest sapphire-producing fields in the Southern Hemisphere. Major freight routes through the region include the north-south link between Charters Towers and northern New South Wales—identified as the inland transport alternative between Cairns and Melbourne.

The roadhouse is a hive of activity 24 hours a day, and up to 1700 people a day call in for a cuppa, snack, sit down meal or fuel. The meals have a reputation across Queensland with a couple of unique house specialities. (Ed: One of these is the Dingo Trap burger – a large burger with the works plus lashings of hot chilli sauce to give it ‘some bite’)

Get a selfie with the famous life sized bronze Dingo statue, before heading off to visit a local sawmill.

Just out of town is an exciting host of cattle properties. Visitors can take the tour and try their hand at horse riding, helicopter flights, quad riding, camp outs and didgeridoo making. If you are in the area in July, join visitors from across Australia and experience a real-life country race meeting, including the World Dingo trap throwing competition.

The township of Dingo is a convenient access point for exploring the Blackdown Tablelands, a sandstone plateau rising abruptly from the surrounding plains. Blackdown Tableland National Park is home to rare fauna, diverse vegetation, Aboriginal culture and spectacular scenery. Take one of the many walks to view caves, cliffs, cascading waterfalls and some of the many species of birds and animals abundant in the park. (Ed: Except for a section of Loop Road, most roads are suitable for careful driving in conventional vehicles).

The origin of the town’s name is shrouded in mystery – some say a railway surveyor saw a dingo on the creek bank and gave the town its name. Others say that Moses Wafer, the early pioneer heard dingoes howling at night and named the town around his camping site.