There are few campsites like the Morven campsite. Morven is a tiny town less than 100km east of Charleville in South West Queensland but it boasts a great campsite for weary travellers.
With 12 powered sites and a huge area for those not requiring power it isn’t hard to understand why this is such a popular stop for many travellers. There is not only power but potable water from the two taps attached to each of the three modern power boxes each containing four power points. But it doesn’t end there. There are also flush toilets, hot showers and a dump site all for, wait for it – a $5.00 donation per day. Sorry, but the five bucks doesn’t run to a laundry. But you can stay up to 7 days at $5.00 a day. While there is a male and female toilet there is also a roomy and well set-up disabled toilet and shower between the two.
Having arrived before lunch we were lucky to find one of the powered sites free and quickly slipped into the site and set up camp. Once set up we took stock of our surroundings. One other thing lacking was there was nowhere to pipe our grey water. But that wasn’t a problem with the dump site only fifty metres away. The powered sites are also well situated amongst some shady gumtrees for when the weather is warmer.
Morven doesn’t have a lot of shops or a lot of things to do for the visitor but you can have a walk around town and admire some of the buildings. Then there is the Museum. This little outback museum contains some amazing artifacts. There is of course the usual collection of old machinery, a poignant reminder of the days when ‘hard yakka’ was the only way to get things done. There are also a great collection of Aboriginal artifacts; the collection includes grinding stones, shields, axe heads and so much more. Then there are books, clothing, toys and cooking utensils from the era long before TV and mobile phones were invented. But my favourite is the kerosene tin hut. Built during the great depression of 1930, these huts were for many, the only accommodation available.
Few now remain, we are fortunate that this one has been preserved. The four gallon kerosene drums were one of the most useful items ever to make their way to the outback. While many were opened up and beaten flat and used to clad rough huts and homes, others were used in a wide variety of ways. The kerosene drum chest of drawers was one that graced many an early settlers’ bedroom. The cost to view this remarkable collection is a mere two dollars.
There is only one hotel in town but it serves a nice cold beer and great outback pub grub. Where else could you get a juicy steak with all the trimmings for the princely sum of $11.99?
And while in town for two days we decided to do some shopping in the local supermarket. We found the prices to be very reasonable for such a tiny town in the middle of nowhere and finished up buying more than we had intended. Not only that, they sell a very nice coffee served el fresco out the front under their veranda where you can watch the road trains go by.
There is also a newsagent that carries a good selection of newspapers and magazines as well as a diverse collection of stock from woolly slippers to very good quality denim jeans. We bought some that were marked down from around $80.00 to $30.00 before they were snapped up by other visitors.
All in all Morven is a great place to spend a few days and it won’t upset your budget too much either.
Fact File
Morven can be found in South West Queensland in the Shire of Murweh, Queensland, Australia. The town is located on the Warrego Highway, 91 kilometres east of Charleville and 665 kilometres west of Brisbane. The population is around 270 people. The campground can be found only about a 1km from the highway on the Morven sportsground and is well signposted.