Charleville is situated on the banks of the Warrego River in the central south of outback Queensland, about 760 km from of the Queensland capital, Brisbane, and 516 km south of Longreach. It is the largest town and administrative centre of the Murweh Shire, which covers an area of almost 44,000 square km and also includes the towns of Augathella and Morven.
Charleville's close proximity to the Warrego River means that floods are not uncommon. Major floods hit western Queensland and Charleville in 1990. In Charleville, over 1,000 homes were flooded and 3,000 people evacuated when floodwaters peaked at over 8.5 metres. The district also suffered flooding more recently in 1997 and January 2008.
The first recorded European explorer in the area was Edmund Kennedy in 1847. After the construction of a hotel 1865, Charleville became a service centre for the sheep and cattle grazing industries which developed in the region. Gowrie Station was established near Gowrie's Crossing, a permanent waterhole located on a natural stock route. The town of Charleville was gazetted in 1868, with streets wide enough to allow teams of up to 14 pairs of bullocks to turn with their wagons. In 1872 the Skinner family founded a store in Charleville that became known as the Warrego Stores.
The famous Australian stagecoach company, Cobb and Co, established a coach building business in Charleville in 1886, but arrival of the railway in 1888 signalled the beginning of the end for coach transport in the area. In 1902, Clement Lindley Wragge attempted unsuccessfully to fire rain-making cannons into the clouds in order to break a persistent drought. The funnel-shaped vertical cannons he used are still on display in Charleville today. During the 1934 London to Melbourne MacRobertson Air Race, Charleville was a compulsory stopover point.
Charleville features several attractions, including a Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia museum, wildlife sanctuary and bilby reserve, a historical museum, and the Cosmos Centre.