Kajabbi is a tiny, sleepy settlement in north west Queensland. It is located 118 kilometres north east of Mount Isa and 100 kilometres north west of Cloncurry.
Whilst only a small settlement, Kajabbi stands in an area that is steeped in history. The warrior Kalkadoon tribe, after whom the local hotel is named, had their last battle against mounted troops on the slopes of nearby Battle Mountain. Whilst the Kalkadoon Hotel at Kajabbi has been closed for the last few years, there are a couple of fishing spots in the area.
Mining relics, including smelter stacks, are still to be found at the sites of the former Dobbyn and Mount Cuthbert copper mines. There was a time when Kajabbi was an important centre. The nearby mines at Dobbyn and Mount Cuthbert attracted copper miners to the area and, as a railhead in the 1920s, it was a location where the cattle owners from the state’s far north west brought their herds for shipment to the coast.
There is wildlife aplenty in this part of the Outback – kangaroos, dingoes, freshwater crocodiles and many bird species.