Richmond Shire

Dubbed the Fossil Capital of Australia for its extensive fossil fields and discoveries dating back almost 100 years, Richmond Shire hosts some of Australia’s best fossil specimens and has successfully built a tourism industry around its archaeological history. On the south bank of the Flinders River, the town of Richmond is the Shire’s hub, providing social, health, education and tourism services to the 800 people who call the region home. Richmond is easily accessible by rail, road and air travel, welcoming frequent services that operate out of Townsville and the rest of Queensland.

While the tourism industry has allowed Richmond to develop itself into one of Outback Queensland’s most attractive small towns, the primary industries are beef cattle, irrigated agriculture, dryland farming and gold mining. Sustainable development of the area’s irrigated agriculture is one of the primary opportunities for Richmond Shire. Developing irrigation and water storage systems would serve as a major draw for large agricultural and cattle producers whose presence would help to further stimulate the region’s growth.