#OutbackQueensland - tourism and libraries

2019 is the Year of Outback Tourism in Queensland, and starting in April and going right through to late September many townships and communities in western Queensland will be hosting a range of special events and programs in their regions and extending a warm welcome and invitation to visitors and travellers to experience country hospitality in the outback.

Horse racing in the bush, outback Queensland, image 29527 John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland

To acknowledge the Queensland Government’s initiative to support outback tourism and infrastructure projects in 2019 -2020, State Library of Queensland (State Library) will highlight, share and post images and links to related collections that capture and celebrate the essence of the outback in 2019.

You can join in this activity too by following updates in the John Oxley Library blog; access collection images and albums curated and uploaded to State Library’s Flickr Commons collections and invite your Regional Council library service and community to SHARE and LIKE State Library posts linking to the Year of Outback Tourism in Queensland on Facebook and to use #OutbackQueensland hashtag on Twitter. @slqld channels can be accessed on State Library’s website.

With so many iconic events hosted in #OutbackQueensland  between March and September State Library needs your help and invites outback Regional Council Library services and community to join us in:-

• Promoting their part of Queensland and the events that attract thousands of tourists and visitors to their region;


• Provide wider access and knowledge of Queensland’s places and diverse experiences


• Encourage conversations and the sharing of visual stories and to


• Contribute to a collaborative project that has the capacity to connect #OutbackQueensland experiences and celebrate Queensland’s regions in a powerful and inclusive approach.

 If you are interested in being part of a State-wide Rural Libraries project focussing on your region and #OutbackQueensland tourism events contact us.

Public Libraries are invited to contribute a selection of photographs of their tourist events to a Flickr collection #OutbackQueensland – created specifically for the Year of Outback Queensland – due to be launched at the 2019 Rural Libraries Queensland (RLQ) and small libraries workshop on Tuesday, April 30, 2019.

At the close of the 2019 Year of Outback Tourism in Queensland, the images shared in this collection will be uploaded to the RLQ network Aurora Montage gallery, ensuring a permanent record and highlights of the events being shared by public libraries and communities in outback regional locations.

We look forward to telling you more when you attend the 2019 RLQ and small libraries workshop in Brisbane, 30 April – 2 May.

About the author

Anne Scheu, Engagement Officer, Queensland Memory, State Library of Queensland.