EXPLORE CAPELLA
Located within the famous Peak Downs District, this town is renowned for fertile soils, historical relics and spectacular scenery.
A 30-minute drive north of Emerald, Capella’s main street – Peak Downs Street (aka Gregory Highway) – is packed with sights to see.
- According to local lore, the first time Australian troopers wore the now-famous emu feathers in their slouch hats was at Peak Downs station during the Great Shearers’ Strike of 1891. The Australian Light Horse Monument (pictured) in the Capella Parklands is a striking dedication to the area’s contribution to the history and tradition of Australian armed forces. Explore More of its story.
- Explore the region’s agricultural and pastoral history at the Capella Pioneer Village (pictured above). More than 5,000 items are grouped into exhibits including: settlers, the wool industry, railway, wartime, Queensland – British Food Corporation 1948-56, grain farming and Capella life. The village features the 1869 Peak Downs Homestead; Australia’s largest restored drop-plank homestead.
Don’t miss Capella Pioneer Village’s Heritage Day on the 2nd Saturday every September.
- Capella Creek Nature Area Amble along Capella Creek’s firebreak track and try to count how many of the 120 woodland bird species you can spot. Examples of the area’s rocks and a fossilised tree trunk (pictured) can be found in the geo-park near the bridge along Gregory Highway.
- Dragline Bucket At the northern end of town is the huge green Eartheater bucket. It was used on a Marion 8050 dragline (an enormous excavator) that scooped up over 83 million tonnes of overburden (the rock and soil that sits above coal in the ground) at BMA Gregory Open Cut Coal Mine, starting in 2001.
- Capella Parklands Follow the path that winds from the Pioneer Village, past picnic locations, interpretive signage, and Queensland bottle trees, to the historic ‘tent roofed’ railway station.
- 1925 Bakehouse Oven View the big brick oven used by Capella’s last baker until 1967. The baker would start the oven’s wood fire at midnight so it would be hot enough six or seven hours later, when the fire and coals were removed, to bake the daily breads.
- Capella Aquatic Centre (pictured) Relax at Capella’s ‘beach’, which features five solar-heated pools, gym, squash courts, barbecues, waterslide and café.
- 30 pole murals depicting Capella’s history are painted on light poles and walls along Peak Downs Street.
- Located at the Bridgeman Park Sporting Complex, the Capella Covered Arena is the largest arena of its type in Australia. It is the venue for concerts and sporting events, such as cutting, campdrafting, rodeos and gymkhanas.
- Travel 1km south of Capella to the Peak Range Lookout and take in the beauty of The Peaks; a chain of prominent and picturesque mountains created by volcanic eruptions over 30 million years ago.
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PHOTO CREDITS: Jesse Lindemann, Nicky Fisher, Streamline Swimming Centre Capella.