BACK in the days when Cobb and Co coaches rattled over dusty roads, Charleville had a coach-building factory. But have you ever wondered why the company chose to put one of its factories in western Queensland?

The answer is simple. When Cobb and Co extended its services to the western areas of Queensland and New South Wales, it was discovered that the coast-built coaches were unsuited to the outback conditions. The only solution was to cure the timber out west - so they decided to build coaches there too. Charleville’s coaches were white with red trim.

A local caravan park has been named in honour of those days. The Cobb and Co Caravan Park is now a comfortable place for latter-day travellers to relax after a day’s driving. There are plenty of powered sites and big drive-through sites for larger rigs, nine cabins for hire and a grassy campground that has the added bonus of fire buckets in winter.

The fencing around the park is reminiscent of earlier times when hitching rails were the order of the day.