Corfield is a 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 Winton The Shire of Winton is a local government area in Central West Queensland, Australia. It covers an area of , and has existed as a local government entity since 1887. Its administrative centre is located in the town of Winton. It is named aft ...

in north-western

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 , Corfield had a population of 183 people.

Geography

The town is on the

Kennedy Developmental Road The Kennedy Highway is a highway in northern Queensland, Australia. It runs as National Route 1 for approximately 243 km from Smithfield, on the northern outskirts of Cairns, to the Gulf Developmental Road in the vicinity of Forty Mile S ...

—the road linking Winton and

Hughenden Hughenden may refer to: *Hughenden, Queensland, a town in Australia *Hughenden, Alberta, a village in central Alberta, Canada *Hughenden Valley Hughenden Valley (formerly called Hughenden or Hitchendon) is an extensive village and civil parish in ...

— north west of the state capital

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

and south west of the regional centre 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 ...

. The

Landsborough Highway Landsborough Highway is a highway in western Queensland, Australia, running in the northwest–southeast direction from Morven, Queensland, Morven to Cloncurry, Queensland, Cloncurry. The Landsborough Highway runs through vast tracts of land th ...

also passes through the locality (but not through the town) merging with the Kennedy Developmental Road just before crossing into Winton. The

Central Western railway line The Central Western railway line is a railway line in Queensland, Australia. It was opened in a series of sections between 1867 and 1928. It commences at Rockhampton and extends west to Winton. History Following the separation of Queensla ...

passes through the south of the locality to its terminus at

Winton railway station Winton is a closed station located in the township of Winton, Victoria, Winton, on the North East railway line, North East railway in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The station opened on 9 December 1887 as a firewood siding, the rail ...

. The

Richmond–Winton Road Richmond–Winton Road is a continuous road route in the Richmond and Winton local government areas of Queensland, Australia. It is a state-controlled district road (number 5803) rated as a local road of regional significance (LRRS). It is p ...

follows a section of the north-western boundary. The principal land use is cattle grazing. As the boundaries of Winton hug the grid layout of its streets, a number of Winton's facilities are actually located in Corfield. These include the Winton Golf Course and the Winton Showground and Racecourse. As Winton uses

bore water An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. An artesian aquifer has trapped water, surrounded by layers of impermeable rock or clay, which apply positive pressure to the water contained within th ...

from the

Great Artesian Basin The Great Artesian Basin (GAB), located in Australia, is the largest and deepest artesian basin in the world, stretching over , with measured water temperatures ranging from . The basin provides the only source of fresh water through much of ...

, this water emerges at and is cooled in ponds in Corfield to before it is circulated through Winton.

History

Jirandali (also known as Yirandali, Warungu, Yirandhali) 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 ...

of North-West Queensland, particularly the

area. The language region includes the local government area of the Shire of Flinders, including

Dutton River Dutton River is a rural locality in the Flinders Shire, Queensland, Australia. In the , Dutton River had a population of 33 people. Geography The ''Flinders River'' flows through from south-east to south-west. ''Dutton River'' (the watercours ...

Flinders River The Flinders River is the longest river in Queensland, Australia, at approximately . It was named in honour of the explorer Matthew Flinders. The catchment is sparsely populated and mostly undeveloped. The Flinders rises on the western slopes ...

, Mount Sturgeon,

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the part of Great Britain () that lies north of the River Forth, which includes most of the land area of Scotland. Today, it is used as a romantic or poetic name for all ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, Corfield, Winton, Torrens, Tower Hill, Landsborough Creek, Lammermoor Station, Hughenden, and

Tangorin Tangorin is a rural town and locality in the Flinders Shire, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Tangorin had a population of 58 people. Indigenous language Jirandali (also known as Yirandali, Warungu, Yirandhali) is an Australia ...

. In its earlier incarnation as a

Cobb & Co Cobb & Co was the name used by many successful sometimes quite independent Australian coaching businesses. The first was established in 1853 by American Freeman Cobb and his partners. The name Cobb & Co grew to great prominence in the late 19th ...

changing station along the Hughenden to Winton mail route, the locality was named ''Manuka''—after a nearby

sheep station A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...

. When the railway linking Hughenden and Winton was built in 1899, the town was moved west to the line and renamed Corfield after William Henry Corfield—a local carrier and businessman, who, as Member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

for Gregory 1888-99 lobbied for the rail link. The population of the town peaked at around thirty to forty residents and facilities included "five railway houses, plus the station master’s house, a post office, two petrol depots, a hotel and a school and teacher’s house ... a goods shed and railway building." Corfield Post Office opened on 5 October 1898 and closed in 1991. Corfield State School opened on 4 February 1957 and closed on 31 January 1975. It reopened on 27 January 1976 but closed again on 15 December 1989. At the , Corfield and the surrounding area had a population of 162. At the , Corfield and the surrounding area had a population of 380. In the , the locality of Corfield had a population of 183 people.

Facilities

Corfield has since declined and now has a permanent village population of seven. The Corfield

Pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

is the main community facility in the village. The nearest primary and secondary schools are in Winton.

Events

The major social event in Corfield is the Corfield Cup horse race run in early August—a pun on the better known

Caulfield Cup The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under handicap conditions, although the Melbourne Racing Club is in the process of turning the race into weight for age (WFA) conditions. This is for all horses ...

horse race run in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

References

External links

Town map of Corfield, 1976
{{authority control Towns in Queensland Central West Queensland Shire of Winton Localities in Queensland