The last rays of afternoon sun are flickering through the spear grass on the banks of the Dawson River in Central Queensland as Yakani Bayles jogs eagerly toward the water.
The animated seven-year-old hopes to land a “big yellowbelly” for dinner.
He fishes at the weir most afternoons with his grandfather Jimmy Bayles on the outskirts of the town of Theodore.
“Come on wild old man,” Yakani says to his grandad as he prepares to cast his line.
“I love catching all the yellowbelly out of the river and into the frying pan.”
Yakani Bayles fishes for yellowbelly most afternoons after school. (ABC News: Amy Sheehan)
Jimmy Bayles teaches his grandson Yakani how to free a snagged fishing line. (ABC News: Amy Sheehan)
Jarlin Bayles says it is important her son learns how to catch a “feed” from the river. (ABC News: Amy Sheehan)
Yakani’s mother Jarlin Bayles says the mighty Dawson River has been at the heart of her son’s childhood.
“It’s important for him to know that he can come and catch his own feed; you know, not everything comes from the shop,” Ms Bayles said.
“The time spent with his grandad is awesome and all the stuff he learns as well.”
The Dawson River stretches some 735 kilometres from Duaringa, west of Rockhampton, down to Carnarvon National Park, north of Injune.
Theodore is the halfway point for the big river system, which snakes alongside the small township.
It is a spiritual place for the Bayles family, who have connections to the Wulli Wulli and Gangulu people.
It is one of the reasons Yakani has become a prominent feature on Theodore’s newly painted water-tower mural.
“It was a big surprise and of course, we said yes straight away,” Ms Bayles said.
“That’s the reason we are so proud because they’ve got part of us up there, he’s representing all of us.”
Oasis in the outback
Yakani, who is the cousin of teenage Australian actor Quaden Bayles, said he was proud to see himself on the water tower.
“It’s pretty cool and I like myself being up on the water tower, fishing,” he said.
The 30-metre tower, in the centre of town, collects water from the river to pump supplies to the town.
Long-time local and chamber of commerce representative Anne Chater saw it as a blank canvas.
She engaged renowned silo artist Joel Fergie to capture the story of Theodore to help it celebrate 100 years.
“So we had the perfect canvas here with the water tower to put a piece of art on that represented Theodore,” Ms Chater said.
“Theodore’s point of difference was the river, being the town that water built.”
Mr Fergie — dubbed the Bansky of the bush — said the art was about celebrating what made Theodore unique.
It took two weeks and 300 litres of paint to complete the mural: a tribute to the community and river system.
“Everyone loved the river so much, the Dawson is an oasis in the outback,” Mr Fergie said.
“It’s a huge honour to be able to come into a place and to be given the trust to tell other people’s stories.”
‘They came from everywhere’
The Dawson River is the reason Theodore exists.
A century ago it was trumpeted as the promised land in colourful brochures delivered across the country to lure people to settle in rural Queensland.
The wide, flowing river, flanked by endless green pastures, was not the only attraction in the Queensland government pamphlet. The biggest sweetener was the offer of land, with no taxes to pay.
The Dawson Valley Irrigation Scheme was launched by Labor premier Ted Theodore in 1923.
His brochure promised “tens of thousands of acres of glorious land … awaiting the day when agriculture will awake it”.
Located more than 500km north-west of Brisbane, it was the first irrigation scheme of its kind in Queensland.
It included plans to dam the Dawson River at Nathan Gorge, creating 5,000 irrigated farms, with a projected population of 50,000 people.
Loraine Hellyer’s great-grandfather Herb Tucker decided to sign up.
He left his dairy farm in Victoria for a small parcel of land, paying the government’s 800-pound levy to get started.
“They came from everywhere,” Ms Hellyer said.
“Not all of them knew anything about farming but it sounded great, they promised the earth, it was going to be wonderful.
“It wasn’t quite as good as that.”
Scheme cost 1-million pounds
Within the first few years, 264 farms operated, with the first irrigation zone at Castle Creek officially renamed Theodore in 1924 in honour of the then premier.
Herb Tucker was growing cotton, having a government guarantee of “assured income” and the promise of a major dam to drought-proof farms.
But Ms Helleyer said cracks began to emerge in the shiny agriculture scheme.
The irrigated farms, which had an average size of 5 hectares, were built on a known flood plain and some were only yielding two and a half bales of cotton per acre.
“They really struggled to make ends meet because it was a bit too small, the amount of land they were given,” Ms Hellyer said.
“My family were several generations of farmers back in England.
“Herb became a bit on an adviser to everyone who didn’t know much.”
But there were other hurdles: two severe floods within three years, an infestation of the invasive weed prickly pear, and the looming Depression. Then the price of cotton slumped.
Within 10 years, only 124 farms remained — a far cry from the planned 5,000.
In 1933, a Royal Commission was established to investigate the failed Dawson Valley Irrigation Scheme, which had cost the Queensland government more than a million pounds.
‘People pulled together’
The farmers who decided to tough it out took over the abandoned neighbouring properties.
They poured their spare time and energy into building the township of Theodore.
Herb Tucker and a group of farmers helped construct local churches and the Returned Service Leagues club.
Palm trees were planted to beautify the main street.
“Anything that was built was built by volunteers,” Ms Hellyer said.
“They were the ones that got Theodore up and running.
“It was a small community, everyone helped everyone else.”
Ms Hellyer said that attitude had been carried on for generations, especially in the face of natural disasters.
In 2010, the town’s beloved river broke its banks in the worst flood disaster the region had seen.
Farms were decimated and the entire town was evacuated, a first in Queensland’s history.
“Everybody helped everybody else and that was how we got ourselves through it,” Ms Hellyer said.
“After the floods went down there was mud in everything.
“People just pulled together, they managed to get the school reopen in about three weeks.”
Most of the town of Theodore was swamped by water during the 2010–2011 flood. (Supplied)
The floodwaters took several days to recede. (Supplied)
Helicopters were used to evacuate the entire town as floodwaters rose. (Supplied)
The clean-up from the disaster took many months. (Supplied)
Tower symbolises ‘strength’
Through that grit and sheer hard work the area remains one of the state’s leading irrigated cotton, farming and grazing production areas.
Theodore Water now operates the irrigation scheme, which provides water to 44 farms, covering 3,000 hectares on either side of the Dawson River.
The town has a population of 451.
The main street still has its palm trees and the original retail buildings with their fibro facades.
At the heart of it all is a community that has forged its own path, despite many obstacles.
Queensland Governor Jeannette Young, who visited Theodore in June as part of this year’s centenary celebrations, commended residents for their resilience.
“While the original irrigation scheme was never fully realised, this community — ‘the town that water built’ — has never lost its links to its past,” Dr Young said.
“The solid water tower symbolises the strength of the people who have made Theodore home.”
And on the banks of the Dawson River, the next generation is learning to carry on this tiny town’s traditions and enduring sense of community.
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