A Sense of Place – Richmond in Western North Queensland sits on the Flinders Highway and is approximately 500 kilometres in land from Townsville and 400 kilometres from Mount Isa. It is a support town for the cattle and mining industry.
Riding through the Outback
Richmond sits quietly in the middle of western Queensland, surrounded by an ocean of grass that seems to stretch forever. In winter, the plains are dry and wind-scoured. After the summer rains, they turn green and reflective, hinting at a deeper past — when this land lay beneath an inland sea filled with prehistoric life.
This is Jirandali country, shaped by thousands of years of connection and movement long before European explorers arrived. When settlement followed in the late 1800s, Richmond grew where it needed to — beside the Flinders River — becoming a staging post for pastoralists, prospectors, and travellers pushing west.
Road Trains the Heart of the Outback
Approaching Richmond by road, the scale of the country is confronting. The wind never rests. Road trains dominate the highway, hauling the wealth of the interior toward distant markets. This is not a romantic landscape — it’s a functional one, built on endurance.
An ancient inland sea
In town, life slows. A shaded park and man-made lake offer relief from the road. Outside Kronosaurus Korner, a giant sea creature stands frozen in time. Inside, the story unfolds of a fossil discovered by chance — a reminder that beneath this hard country lies deep time and forgotten worlds.
Richmond has always survived by supporting others. Today it services graziers, miners, and travellers moving through the west. It adapts quietly, without fanfare, continuing a role it has held since its earliest days.
I sit by the lake with a coffee, watching ducks circle with suspicious confidence. Within minutes, I’m relieved of my lunch — outsmarted by wildlife that clearly understands the rules of survival better than I do.
Back on the road
There’s more to Richmond a part from a pub, a racecourse and an airstrip. It’s a successful outback community with a vibrant history. As I leave Richmond, I’m struck by its honesty. It doesn’t try to impress. The town doesn’t pretend to be anything else. It exists because it needs to — and because people depend on it. In a landscape defined by distance and effort, Richmond remains a welcome pause, a working town, and a reminder that a sense of place is built through persistence.
Where is it?
This story is part of my ongoing Sense of Place series, exploring regional Australia through travel, history, and lived experience. If you enjoy these stories, you’ll find expanded versions — with photography and deeper context — in my book Gun Fights, Ghosts and Goannas. Click the following link to read more about my books: Gun Fights, Ghosts and Goannas
For more information on Richmond check out the Richmond Shire Council website: Richmond Shire Council
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