200 km west of Rockhampton on Capricorn Highway. An open-cast coal-mining town, most of the 5,000 plus population work in this lucrative industry. Originally it was built to hold around 20,000 people but the town was scaled back as the mines were opened up.

The best thing to see here is the Japanese Garden, which symbolises the connection with its sister town in Japan, Fujisawa. Its quite an impressive flourishing garden in such a barren landscape. There is also a childrens playground located adjacent to it and a mining exhibition with all the awesome and fascinating (or grim and depressing) paraphernalia you’d expect of such a spot. Next door is the Tourist Information Centre.

Further down the road, by contrast, you come to cotton country, where during the autumn harvest everything is flecked with white.