Cloncurry is a rural town and
locality
Locality may refer to:
* Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England
* Locality (linguistics)
* Locality (settlement)
* Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...
in the
Shire of Cloncurry
The Shire of Cloncurry is a local government area in North West Queensland, Australia. It covers an area of , and has existed as a local government entity since 1884. The major town and administrative centre of the shire is Cloncurry.
Prior to ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, Australia.
In the the locality of Cloncurry had a population of 2,719 people.
[
Cloncurry is the administrative centre of the Shire of Cloncurry.
Cloncurry is known as the ''Friendly Heart of the Great North West'' and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2017.][Community Research Report - Cloncurry (QLD) Introduction](_blank)
(20 September 2002)
Cloncurry was recognised for its liveability, winning the Queensland's Friendliest Town award twice by environmental movement Keep Queensland Beautiful, first in 2013 and again in 2018.
Geography
Cloncurry is situated in the north-west of Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, 770 kilometres west of the city of Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
via the Flinders Highway. The town lies adjacent to the Cloncurry River
The Cloncurry River is situated in the Gulf Country of north west Queensland, Australia.
Geography
The headwaters of the river rise west of Mount Boorama near Mount Tracey in the Selwyn Range and initially flows north west then turns north t ...
.
Cattle grazing is the significant industry in the region, and a large sale yards is located in the town.
Road infrastructure
The Flinders Highway enters from the east and the Barkly Highway
The Barkly Highway is a national highway of both Queensland and the Northern Territory in Australia. It is the only sealed road between Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Description
The highway runs between Cloncurry and the junction wi ...
exits to the west. The Landsborough Highway
Landsborough Highway is a highway in western Queensland, Australia, running in the northwest–southeast direction from Morven to Cloncurry. The Landsborough Highway runs through vast tracts of land that was once occupied by William Landsborou ...
enters from the south-east and the Burke Developmental Road
The Burke Developmental Road is a Queensland (Australia) developmental road. It links Cloncurry and Normanton in a south–north direction, then turns to the north-east north of Normanton for before turning south-east till Dimbulah, where it ...
exits to the north.
The Cloncurry–Dajarra Road exits to the south from the Barkly Highway.
History
Kalkatunga (also known as Kalkadoon, Kalkadunga, Kalkatungu) is an Australian Aboriginal language
The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...
. The Kalkatunga language region is North-West Queensland including the local government areas of the City of Mount Isa
The City of Mount Isa is a local government area in north west Queensland. The City covers the urban locality of Mount Isa, the administrative centre, and surrounding area, sharing a boundary with the Northern Territory to the west.
Mount ...
.
The first Europeans to traverse these tribal lands of peoples such as the Maithakari
The Maikathari (Mayi-Thakurti) were an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Queensland.
Country
The Maithakari had, according to ethnologist Norman Tindale, approximately of tribal territory extending from the Williams River and Cloncur ...
and the Wanamara
The Wanamara (Wunumara) were an indigenous Australian people of the state of Queensland.
Country
The Wanamara's tribal lands extended over, in Norman Tindale's calculations, some from the headwaters of the Flinders River, eastwards as far as Ric ...
, were Burke and Wills
The Burke and Wills expedition was organised by the Royal Society of Victoria in Australia in 1860–61. It consisted of 19 men led by Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills, with the objective of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the ...
on their epic, and ultimately fatal, transcontinental expedition. The Cloncurry River was named by Burke after Lady Elizabeth Cloncurry, his cousin, with the town eventually taking its name from the river.
Ernest Henry discovered copper in the area in 1867, and the town sprang up to service the Great Australia Mine to the south. Roger Sheaffe established the first pastoral run in the Cloncurry district - "Fort Constantine". Gold was discovered at Top Camp.
The town was surveyed in 1876. Cloncurry was proclaimed a town in 1884.
Cloncurry Provisional School opened on 19 March 1884. In 1894 it became Cloncurry State School.
''The Cloncurry Advocate
''The Cloncurry Advocate'' was a newspaper published in Cloncurry, Queensland, Cloncurry, Queensland between 1889 and 1953.
History
''The Cloncurry Advocate'' was published by A.J. Hensley from 1989 to 1953. From 1953 to 1966 the ''Cloncurry Ad ...
'' was a newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
published in Cloncurry between 1889 and 1953.
Queensland's Northern Line railway reached Cloncurry in December 1907 and was officially opened the next year.
St Joseph's School opened on 29 October 1909 by the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the Josephites or Brown Joeys, are a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Mary MacKillop (1842–1909). Members of the congregation use the postnominal initials RSJ (Religious Sist ...
.
In 1914 a fire broke out in the town resulting in the destruction of the Post Office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
, the hotel, eleven shops, two store-rooms and a cottage. The telegraph
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
office was saved by employees who kept the office damp and protected with wet blankets. One man died in the blaze which cost an estimated £15,000.
From 1915 to 1931 the Australian Inland Mission
The Australian Presbyterian Mission was founded by the Presbyterian Church of Australia to reach those "beyond the farthest fence" with God's Word. It is better known as the Australian Inland Mission (AIM). Rev. John Flynn was the first superi ...
(part of the Presbyterian Church) operated its North West Patrol in Cloncurry which provided religious services to people in remote areas by driving through the Outback
The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass a n ...
; the service later operated from Mount Isa
Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive single mines in world history, bas ...
. A similar service, the Federal Methodist Inland Mission Patrol commenced was established in 1928 at its Gulf Mission Base in Camooweal
Camooweal is an outback town and locality in the City of Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia. The locality is on the Queensland border with the Northern Territory. In the , the locality of Camooweal had a population of 208 people.
Geography
The l ...
. The amalgamation of the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches in 1977 to form the Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Uni ...
intended to combine these outback services, creating a huge North West Patrol area to be covered which could not be achieved by road transport, so the Cloncurry congregation purchased an aircraft in 1976 to provide the patrol service out of Cloncurry by air wherever possible, using road travel only to access places that did not have suitable airstrips. In the early 1990s the service was renamed the McKay Patrol to honour Reverend Fred McKay, an early patrol padre who had been involved in establishing the Royal Flying Doctor Service
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...
.
During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Cloncurry was the location of RAAF No.23 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD), completed in 1942 and closed on 14 August 1944. Usually consisting of 4 tanks, 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supply of aircraft fuel for the RAAF
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
and the US Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
at a total cost of £900,000 ($1,800,000).
The discovery of uranium at Mary Kathleen brought wealth to the community in the 1950s. Until the development of Mount Isa in the 1960s, Cloncurry was the administrative centre of the region.
The first-ever flight of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...
took place from Cloncurry on 15 May 1928, using a de Havilland DH.50
The de Havilland DH.50 was a 1920s British large single-engined biplane transport built by de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware, and licence-built in Australia, Belgium, and Czechoslovakia.
History
In the early 1920s, Geoffrey de Havi ...
aircraft hired from the then small airline, Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...
. A Royal Flying Doctor Service museum is situated in the town.
The population in Cloncurry decreased from 3,898 in 1996 to 2,900 in 2002. It declined further to 2,719 by 2016.
The Cloncurry Bob McDonald Library opened in 2012.
In the , the locality of Cloncurry had a population of 2,719 people.
It was announced on 11 February 2021 that Cloncurry had been chosen as the production location of the 2021 edition of Network 10
Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
's reality game show
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
'' Australian Survivor''. The domestic location resulted from concerns regarding international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. It was filmed in Cloncurry from 22 April to 8 June 2021, with the season airing on 18 July 2021.
Heritage listings
Cloncurry has a number of heritage-listed
This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...
sites, including:
* Via Sheaffe Street: Mount Elliott Company Metallurgical Plant and Mill
* 42-48 Daintree Street: Cloncurry Courthouse
* 47 Scarr Street: Cloncurry Post Office
Cloncurry Post Office is a heritage-listed post office at 47 Scarr Street, Cloncurry, Shire of Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Queensland Works Department and built in 1906. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register ...
Education
Cloncurry State School is a government primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at Daintree Street (). In 2015 the school had 281 students enrolled with a teaching staff of 28 FTE (Full-time equivalent) and 15 FTE (Full-time equivalent) non teaching staff. The general population in the community is highly transient with approximately 40% turnover in student enrolment in 2015. Approximately 60% of student enrolment identify as Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 277 students with 32 teachers and 18 non-teaching staff (14 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education
Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...
program.
St Joseph's Catholic School is a Catholic primary and secondary (Prep-9) school for boys and girls at Sheaffe Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 156 students with 20 teachers (18 full-time equivalent) and 11 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).
Amenities
Cloncurry has a public library, gallery, public swimming pool, showground, and racecourse.
The Cloncurry Shire Council operates a public library in Cloncurry at Scarr Street.
The Cloncurry branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association
The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...
has its rooms at Charlotte Scott House in Scarr Street. Charlotte Scott was a dedicated member of the Cloncurry QCWA who died in 1992 having spent most of her life in Cloncurry. She was well known for her dancing, especially the Charleston.
Cloncurry Uniting Church is at 19 Meldrum Street (corner of King Street, ). The church operates the McKay Patrol, an aerial service of the Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Uni ...
. Supported by other denominations, the McKay Patrol operates a Cessna 182Q aeroplane to provide spiritual and practical help to people living in remote areas in the north-west of Queensland and the eastern Tablelands of the Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
, an area of approximately with a population of less than 10,000 people. The patrol also provides regular church services in the towns of Cloncurry, Julia Creek, McKinlay, and Karumba
Karumba is a town and a coastal locality in the Shire of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Karumba had a population of 531 people.
Geography
Karumba is in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, by road from Norma ...
and at Adels Grove homestead.
Attractions
Attractions in Cloncurry include:
* Flying Doctor museum and a mineral display in the old post office.
Notable residents
Writer Alexis Wright
Alexis Wright (born 25 November 1950) is a Waanyi (Aboriginal Australian) writer best known for winning the Miles Franklin Award for her 2006 novel '' Carpentaria'' and the 2018 Stella Prize for her "collective memoir" of Leigh Bruce "Tracker" ...
grew up in Cloncurry.
Association Footballer Kasey Wehrman
Kasey Wehrman (born 16 August 1977) is an Australian footballer. Wehrman has Indigenous Australian ancestry.
Club career
Born in Cloncurry, having impressed as a youth player with the Queensland Academy of Sport, Wehrman signed with National ...
was born in Cloncurry (16 August 1977). He went on to play domestically and in Scandinavia. His achievements include winning a NSL Championship in 1996–1997 with the Brisbane Strikers
Brisbane Strikers Football Club is an Australian semi-professional football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in 1991 as Brisbane United, the club competed in the National Soccer League until the 2003–04 season and was one of tw ...
and being capped several times with the Australian National Team.
Politician Bob Katter
Robert Bellarmine Carl Katter (born 22 May 1945) is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1993. He was previously active in Queensland state politics from 1974 to 1992. Katter was a member of the ...
was born in Cloncurry in 1945.
Athlete Robert Crowther was born in Cloncurry (2 August 1987). He went on to win the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing, China with a jump of 8.00m, the 2007 World Uni Games in Bangkok with a jump of 8.02m, and was the 2008 Australian long jump champion at the 2008 Australian Athletics Championships
The Australian Athletics Championships or Australian Open Track and Field Championships are held annually to determine Australia's champion athletes in a range of athletics events. The championships are the primary qualification trial for athlet ...
held in Brisbane. He represented Australia at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. He missed out on 2 Olympics due to injury.
Climate
Cloncurry has a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen: ''BSh'' Trewartha: ''BShb'') with two distinct seasons. There is a very hot, moderately humid and quite uncomfortable wet season
The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...
from December to March and a warm to hot, generally rainless dry season
The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...
usually extending from April to November. Cloncurry was widely regarded as holding the record for the highest temperature recorded in Australia at on 16 January 1889. Recent investigations have revealed that this temperature was measured in an improvised screen made from a beer crate and that it equated to 47–49 °C under standard conditions. The highest temperature ever recorded at Cloncurry's current weather station is , well short of the now widely disputed 1889 temperature of 53.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is , almost all of which falls In the months of December to March
Because of the area's extreme solar conditions, Cloncurry was expected to become Australia's first solar-powered
Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic ef ...
town. However the planned 10MW Thermal solar plant was scrapped due to light pollution
Light pollution is the presence of unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive use of artificial Visible spectrum, lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term ''light pollution'' refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting, during the day ...
concerns and a 2.128MW flat panel photovoltaic solar farm was to be built in its place. However, the Queensland Government withdrew financial support for the solar farm in May 2012.
Transport
Cloncurry has linkages to other destinations via major coach operators such as Greyhound and Bus Queensland. A weekday service to Mount Isa is operated by Cloncurry Coaches as well as local charter services within the area for mining, school, sporting bodies and special events.
*See Cloncurry Airport
Cloncurry Airport is an airport in Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia.
History
Cloncurry Airport has been the focal point for many of Australia's greatest innovations. Cloncurry was involved with the beginnings of QANTAS, and the original QAN ...
See also
References
External links
University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Cloncurry
Town map of Cloncurry, 1983
{{Authority control
Towns in Queensland
Shire of Cloncurry
Localities in Queensland