Chinchilla, “Melon Capital” of Australia, is a growing town 300km northwest of Brisbane. It’s famous for its biannual MelonFest and watermelon production. The Chinchilla Weir offers recreation, and “Chinchilla Red” petrified wood attracts lapidary fans. However, its rapid population growth stems from its role as a supply town for Surat Basin natural gas projects. Mining and gas industries drive employment, leading to temporary accommodation villages.
The area is part of the Surat Basin and has a non resident population of around 4000 who are temporarily in the Surat Basin working in industries like coal seam gas (CSG) and renewable energy. This includes fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in, drive-out (DIDO) workers
