Article

Synergy of the Cunnamulla Hot Springs and the River Lights Festival

Paul Harper Green, General Manager of the Cunnamulla Hot Springs, explains how a start-up venture catches fire and empowers locals as they soar like birds caught in an updraft.

Harper Green explains the philosophy behind the intermingling energies that emanate from the creative enterprise, "It is not often people think about where the energy for a fledgling festival comes from." Using the Woodford Folk Festival as an example, he noted that the land (now known as Woodfordia) was purchased in July 1994 for the purpose of securing a permanent home for what was then the Maleny Folk Festival. The festival kicked off and kept growing at a spectacular rate. From Dec 27 to January 1, every year, creativity flourishes. More than 2,000 local, national and international artists, musicians and presenters put on over 500 acts to an audience of an estimated 132,000 people. Before the translocation to Woodford, the site was a barren dairy farm. Imagine! The area now has at least 120,000 subtropical rainforest trees, orchids, ferns and sedges planted to create a habitat for butterflies and wildlife. The site has been transformed into a village that hosts over 25,000 daily patrons, performers, stallholders, volunteers, and organisers. As many as 2,680 volunteers across 162 departments are at the heart of the organisation and contribute to the setup and day-to-day running of the festival. (About Woodford Folk Festival).

Whistling Kite

Synergy Behind the Idea - the Hot Springs and the Warrego River

Great expectations

Cunnamulla Hot Springs Could a transformation like the one that happened at Woodfordia happen for Cunnamulla? The simple answer to this question just might be: “Why ever not!”

Harper Green has great expectations for the transformation about to happen in the outback town of Cunnamulla. He talked of the endless opportunities that will arise for the local folk as the combination of the Cunnamulla Hot Springs and the River Lights Festival synergise. They will merge to become a powerful force for change.

It would be impossible to list the expected vitalisation of the district, but here are a few of the obvious benefits listed

work opportunities
broad range of activities and things to do
through traffic from travellers and burgeoning of the tourist industry out here in the outback
vitalisation of the local creative industries
new businesses opening their doors

Before we go any further - let's take a look at the Hot Springs and the River Fire Festival separately

Outback River Lights festival

Bathing the outback in the magic of lights

The River Lights Festival takes place from the19th to the 21st of April, 2024. The community celebrates the area's rugged beauty by bathing the outback in the magic of lights Outback Toiurism.com.au .

Light installations created by local and statewide artists will light up the night sky. The lantern-making takes on a life of its own as the hand-crafted lanterns are walked in procession along the banks of the Warrego.

The Outback River Lights Festival promotes the strong sense of community. Local businesses, schools, and community groups actively participate as they provide food stalls, live performances and other forms of showcasing. The light up your garden competition will celebrate the unique character and resilience of the Cunnamulla community, and activities cater to all ages with interactive light displays, face painting, and creative arts, author talk workshops, and the like.

Hot Springs - the beginning of a health and wellbeing industry in the Western Downs

Refreshing, therapeutic and enjoyable

The Hot Springs in Cunnamulla are situated behind the information centre and overlooking the Warrego River. The springs and the river are originate from Clay Body Painting entirely different water.

The water for the hot springs comes from under the ground. The springs are fed by the Artesian Basin, and the therapeutic experience, will feature multiple free-flowing pools filled with mineral rich artesian water of all different temperatures, naturally heated by the artesian basin that runs underground. There are hot pools to dip into and chilly, cold plunge pools to freshen up in after the therapeutic experience. It is anticipated that there will be massage venues and even a type of clay body painting to amuse and heal participants.

The Warrego River

A relaxing context for fishing, paddle board and kayaking

The Banks of the Warrego The Warrego, on the other hand, is a steadily moving river flowing down through the eastern side of Australia It is a major northern tributary of the Darling River that begins in the Carnarvon Ranges on the Great Dividing Range in Queensland and flows south for around 800 kilometres, where it joins the Darling River upstream of Louth.

The hot springs’ proximity to the Warrego River and the availability of river boat tours and a barbecue barge, create a relaxing context for fishing, paddle board and kayaking. The riverwalk is a trail of lights leading to the Hot Springs, open to the public all year round. The trail through nature will greatly enhance the appeal of spending days and nights lazing by the riverside. The hot springs are like a doorway to the natural beauty and recreational opportunities of the area.

Synergy - a magical intermingling of creative energies

Lights - camera - action

When Dictionary.com defines synergy, it is explained they use the example of "the synergy between artist and record company" to illustrate co-operative energy. It is the interaction or cooperation of two or more organisations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects, they say.

Who know yet what the combination of the relaxing lifestyle beside the Warrego River, the therapeutic nature of the Cunnamulla Hot Springs, and the annual infusion of creative energies that will swarm the humble little outback town of Cunnamulla will bring. We can anticipate as much as we like - but - only time will tell.

How likely are you to come the the River Lights Festival

13 votes

References

With gratitude

Texts

Murphy J. (2023) Hotspring are Natural and Need No Luxury Resort to Attract Healers from Across the World. Wizzley.

Cunnamulla Tourism River Lights Festival

Paroo Shire Council Events Website

Woodford Festival About

Images

Jo Murphy Blue Thumb Gallery

Jo Murphy Postr.com.au.

Paroo Shire Council Events

Updated December 31, 2023

Comments

Jo_MurphyJan 5, 2024

He had a flighty mind. I must admit that I am very switched on to new plants I see that are native to this district. Besides that, I am so used to everything that I don't think about names much. Unless I want to buy it or fix it.

DerdriuMarrinerJan 4, 2024

Colors and shapes and sizes perhaps "root" more easily than names with artists.

For example, Vincent van Gogh produced many paintings of trees whose colors, shapes and sizes always move me in their compelling accuracy and aesthetics.

But was he as aware of each name as he was of each arboreal aura and configuration? Perhaps yes, perhaps not!

Jo_MurphyJan 3, 2024

I'll find out and get back to you. I take it all in as though it were a painting. Names escape me - but - I should take more notice, shouldn't I?

DerdriuMarrinerJan 3, 2024

Thank you for the link!

It's interesting that 130+ companion-planting species inhabit mulga shrublands and woodlands.

Mulga yellow flowers must be so beautiful with the latter's blue-, pink-, purple-, white-, yellow-flowering understory. The link notes as perhaps rare-nestlng ground-heads (Chthonocephalus pseudevax) and perhaps less rare-niched wires-and-wool (Angianthus burkittii).

Would you find the above-mentioned duo in your area?

Jo_MurphyDec 20, 2023

I think you will find these are Mulga. The trees are extremely well drought-proofed both top and bottom, with very long tap roots as well as extensive shallow roots, and long, thin, leathery, silver grey phyllodes (thickened leaf stems) instead of leaves, to reflect heat and minimise evaporation. https://www.bushheritage.org.au/blog/mulga-magic-at-naree

I think this what they are.

DerdriuMarrinerDec 20, 2023

Last week I digitally attended an Urban Forestry Today webinar, about tough trees, hosted by University of Massachusetts-Amherst and presented by University of Iowa-Ames.

So your in-text image, under the subheading The Warrego River A relaxing context for fishing, paddle board and kayaking, got my attention as a tough-trees site with tough trees.

What is the tree species leaning so photogenically at water's edge?

Jo_MurphyDec 19, 2023

I don't think there is one! It is just the name for a crossing at Kent's Lagoon.

DerdriuMarrinerDec 19, 2023

Your comment, three boxes down, paralleled Bonnie Knob and Kent's Crossing as local names.

Online sources provide no biogeographical context for Kent's Crossing.

What would be the non-local -- ;-D -- name for Kent's Crossing?

Jo_MurphyDec 18, 2023

Yes. It might mean attractive mountain = believe me- it is attractive.

DerdriuMarrinerDec 18, 2023

The English name Bonnie Knob does not look to me like a literal equivalent of the indigenous word mia-mia.

Online sources give "attractive, beautiful" and "baby, beloved" as defining bonnie and "a prominent round hill" as defining knob.

Is that a possible meaning of Bonnie Knob in Australia

Online sources link bonnie to northern English and to Scottish vocabularies.

Jo_MurphyDec 16, 2023

Bonnie Konb would just be a local name like Kent’s Crossing

DerdriuMarrinerDec 16, 2023

Thank you!

English Wikipedia gives an alternate name of Bonnie Knob. If that's an alternative, what is its biogeographical context and meaning?

Jo_MurphyDec 14, 2023

https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/daguilar/journeys/mount-mee-forest-drive
My Mee is a Rainforest that has a National park on it. It is near Woodford.
Mia Mia sounds right

DerdriuMarrinerDec 14, 2023

Online sources approach Mount Mee in universally approving, attractive ways.

English Wikipedia calls Mount Mee alternatively Bonnie Knob. It describes Mount Mee as originating in the indigenous words dahmongah ("flying squirrel, glider") or mia-mia ("lookout, view"). It does not account for Bonnie Knob.

Is there a known background for that name?