{"id":6357,"date":"2018-09-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-09-22T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/?p=6357"},"modified":"2020-04-02T05:35:59","modified_gmt":"2020-04-01T19:35:59","slug":"should-chinchilla-win-next-big-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/qld\/trending\/should-chinchilla-win-next-big-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"Should Chinchilla win Australia\u2019s Next Big Thing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You might not have heard of Chinchilla<\/a>, but this friendly Queensland town is an Aussie must-visit \u2013 especially for watermelon fans. In fact, it\u2019s Australia\u2019s melon capital, producing many of Australia’s watermelons, rockmelons, and honeydew (ie: the best parts of your fruit salad).<\/p>\n

Chinchilla, Australia’s melon capital.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

But there\u2019s more to Chinchilla than just great melons. Mayor (and Big Melon campaigner) Paul McVeigh shares a little more about what makes his town special.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best thing about Chinchilla?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Chinchilla is a vibrant country town in the heart of the Western Downs. The best thing about living in Chinchilla is the good, clean, country feeling you get to experience every day. There are ever-changing landscapes, with seasonal crops of wheat, cotton and sorgham, and paddocks of cattle. On your days off, you can go to the Bunya Mountains or go swimming in a country creek. There are also lots of great country stores, which provide old-fashioned service, complemented by modern retail goodies, gourmet food, and great coffee.<\/p>\n

What annual events or festivals should people visit Chinchilla for?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We have the world’s biggest melon festival<\/a>! To celebrate Chinchilla\u2019s reputation as Australia’s Melon Capital, for four days every two years we transform the town into a sea of pink and green. More than 20,000 visitors from around the globe come to try their hand at a range of fun and quirky melon-related experiences, including pip-spitting competitions, melon skiing, melon hat wearing, melon iron man, the biggest melon weigh-in, melon farm tours, melon tossing, and melon bungee. There\u2019s also a street parade, a beach party, market stalls, a golf day, a poets\u2019 breakfast, and an art\u00a0exhibition.<\/p>\n

Things get messy at the Chinchilla Melon Festival.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

What\u2019s the best free thing to do in Chinchilla?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Spend a day (or two) at the Chinchilla Weir. Located on the Condamine River, 10km south of town, the weir is a freshwater playground that\u2019s a hit with visitors and locals alike. It\u2019s great for swimming, fishing, and bushwalking, and there\u2019s free camping available for a maximum of two nights. With toilets, power, and picnic facilities available, the Chinchilla weir is a bush oasis in the heart of the Western Downs. It\u2019s a must-visit!<\/p>\n

Chinchilla Weir \u2013 a must-visit for fishing and camping fans.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

What\u2019s something surprising about Chinchilla that only locals know?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Cactoblastis Memorial Hall is located at Boonarga, on the outskirts of Chinchilla. The hall was erected as a monument to the Cactoblastis moth that ate prickly pear, a noxious weed that, in the 1920s and 1930s, covered Queensland and New South Wales in endemic proportions. The hall was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1993, as it represented a unique piece of Queensland’s Cultural Heritage \u2013 it\u2019s the only known case of a building being dedicated to an\u00a0insect.<\/p>\n

The Cactoblastis Memorial Hall \u2013 dedicated to the Cactoblastis moth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

What\u2019s Chinchilla\u2019s best-kept secret?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s a great destination for geology and fossil fans. Grab a pick and a shovel and join other fossicking enthusiasts to search for your own piece of rare Chinchilla Red petrified wood. You can buy a licence to fossick on two local sites \u2013 just see the friendly people at the Chinchilla Visitor Information Centre, who\u2019ll be more than happy to assist you.<\/p>\n

Fossickers hunting for rare Chinchilla Red petrified wood.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

Why should Chinchilla win the Next Big Thing?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Big Melon would be the perfect addition to the Chinchilla landscape and become a major to-do on many Australian travel bucket lists. It would solidify our reputation as Australia\u2019s melon capital.<\/p>\n

Think we should build the Big Melon in Chinchilla? Cast your vote now for your chance to WIN $2000 towards your next Wotif holiday.*<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/i> VOTE FOR AUSTRALIA’S NEXT BIG THING <\/a>\n

*AU residents 18+ only. Ends 11.59am AEDT 9\/10\/18. Limit one entry\/vote per person per valid email address. Full terms and how to enter via link<\/a>. Permit NSW LTPS\/18\/27577.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You might not have heard of Chinchilla, but this friendly Queensland town is an Aussie must-visit \u2013 especially for watermelon fans. In fact, it\u2019s Australia\u2019s melon capital, producing many of Australia’s watermelons, rockmelons, and honeydew (ie: the best parts of your fruit salad). But there\u2019s more to Chinchilla than just great melons. Mayor (and Big …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":6359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[779,765],"tags":[251,250,245],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6357"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6357"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6417,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6357\/revisions\/6417"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}