Condamine Bell Tour, QLD

Enjoy a leisurely day trip starting in Miles, Queensland and follow the Leichhardt Highway out to Condamine to view the Queensland Heritage listed icon, the Condamine Bell.

During the early pioneering days, when vast areas of land were unfenced, the bullock team was the only means of heavy transport to the newly settled areas.

Bullock bells were therefore a necessity in those times to enable the teamster to find his team when they had strayed from camp or the homestead, after having been unyoked overnight. The greater the sound carry of the bell, the better it was.

The most successful and popular bell was first made in Condamine by Samuel William Jones, who had a smithy by the Condamine River from early 1866 to late 1878. The “Bull-frog” or “Jones” bell, as it was first known, became famous under its better known title of the “Condamine Bell”. The sounds of this bell had great carrying power and claims that it had been heard six and even seven miles away were common in those days.

The first bells were made out of pit-saw or cross-cut saw blades, which were formed, riveted and brazed. This bell tapered into a mouth instead of a normal bell shape which flares outward at the rim.

Grab a copy of the Condamine Bell Drive Tour from our Miles Visitor Information Centre which offers an interesting journey from Miles to Condamine finishing at the impressive large replica Condamine Bell in the park! Replica bells can be purchased from the Miles Historical Village Museum gift shop - made by a local Condamine resident.