The town of Blackall, Queensland makes the following claim to the origin of the expression.
10 October - Jackie Howe shears a total of 321 sheep in 7 hours and 40 minutes at Blackall, Queensland, a record for hand shears that still stands.
Tertiary river gravels are found in the Blackall Street area.
The idea of linking the western extremities of the QR lines was fulfilled when the Australian government contracted Qantas to provide air mail services linking Charleville, Blackall, Longreach, Winton and Cloncurry in 1922.
Jackie Howe was the subject of a book, Jack Howe: The Man and the Legend, by Barry Muir, and a bronze statue, on display in Blackall.
John Blackall was the sixth son of the Reverend Theophilus Blackall, a prebendary of Exeter Cathedral, by his wife Elizabeth Ley, and grandson of Bishop Ofspring Blackall, was born in St. Paul's Street, Exeter on 24 December 1771.