Longreach is a town and a

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

Longreach Region The Longreach Region is a local government area in Central West Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it superseded three previous local government areas that had existed for more than a century. It has an estimated operating budget of A ...

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. It is the administrative centre of the

Longreach Longreach is a town and a locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the Longreach Regional Council, which was established in 2008 as a merger of the former Longreach, Ilfracombe, and Isisford s ...

Regional Council, which was established in 2008 as a merger of the former

Ilfracombe Ilfracombe ( ) is a seaside resort and civil parish on the North Devon coast, England, with a small harbour surrounded by cliffs. The parish stretches along the coast from the 'Coastguard Cottages' in Hele Bay toward the east and along the ...

, and

Isisford Isisford is a rural town and locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Isisford had a population of 218 people. Geography The locality is in Central Western Queensland. The town of Isisford is in the no ...

shires. Longreach is a well known tourist destination due to its aviation history and importance. In the , the locality of Longreach had a population of 3,124 people.

Geography

Longreach is in

Central West Queensland Central West Queensland is a remote region in the Australian state of Queensland which covers 396,650.2 km2. The region lies to the north of South West Queensland and south of the Gulf Country. It has a population of approximately 12,387 peo ...

, approximately from the coast, west of

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

. The town is on the

Tropic of Capricorn The Tropic of Capricorn (or the Southern Tropic) is the circle of latitude that contains the subsolar point at the December (or southern) solstice. It is thus the southernmost latitude where the Sun can be seen directly overhead. It also reac ...

in the south-east of the locality. The town is named after the ‘long reach’ of the Thomson River on which it is situated.

Lochern National Park Lochern is a national park in Longreach, Central West Queensland, Australia, 1,047 km west of Brisbane. Eastern parts of the national park are interspersed with numerous channels of the Thomson River. The park is sprawled over an area of 24 ...

is in the south-western part of the locality (formerly in Vergemont). The main industries of the area are cattle, sheep, and, more recently, tourism. 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 ...

enters the locality from the south-east (

), passes through the town and then exits to the north-west ( Corfield). 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 ...

takes the same route, the town being served by the

Longreach railway station Longreach railway station is the terminus station of the Central Western line, serving the town of Longreach, Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It is on the Landsborough Highway. It was built from 1887 to 1917. It was added to the Queen ...

. The Thomson Developmental Road commences at the town and passes through the south-east of the locality (briefly passing through the westernmost part of

) before exiting to the south (

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connectin ...

). In Longreach, the streets are named after species of birds, with the streets running east–west named after water birds and those running north–south after land birds. The main business street is called Eagle Street. Other streets honour

Hudson Fysh Sir Wilmot Hudson Fysh, KBE, DFC (7 January 18956 April 1974) was an Australian aviator and businessman. A founder of the Australian airline company Qantas, Fysh was born in Launceston, Tasmania. Serving in the Battle of Gallipoli and Pale ...

, an Australian aviation pioneer, and Sir James Walker, a farmer and long-serving mayor of the former Longreach Shire Council.

History

Longreach lies within the traditional tribal lands of the Iningai people.

Iningai The Iningai (Yiningayi) were an indigenous Australian people of the present-day Longreach Region in the state of Queensland. Country The Iningai lay to the west of the Great Dividing Range as far as the Forsyth Range, Maneroo Creek, and Longreach ...

(also known as Yiningay, Muttaburra, Tateburra, Yinangay, Yinangi) 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 ...

spoken by the Iningai people. The Iningai language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the

, particularly the towns of Longreach, Barcaldine,

Muttaburra Muttaburra is an outback town and locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia. Muttaburra was the discovery site of the ''Muttaburrasaurus'', one of Australia's most famous dinosaurs. Geography Muttaburra is in the central west ...

and Aramac as well as the properties of Bowen Downs and catchments of Cornish Creek and Alice River. Kuungkari (also known as Kungkari and Koonkerri) is a language of Western Queensland. The Kuungkari language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of

Longreach Shire Council The Shire of Longreach was a local government area located in central western Queensland, centred on the town of Longreach, from which the shire was administered. It covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1900 until 2 ...

and Blackall-Tambo Shire Council. The town was gazetted in 1887, and its post office opened on 1 October 1891. The Central Western railway line reached the town on 15 February 1892, causing the population to grow. Longreach State School opened on 22 May 1893 with an enrolment of 102 students, and the

Presentation Sisters The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by the Venerable Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The Sisters of the congre ...

founded a primary school in 1900 that became Our Ladies' College. in 1920

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 ...

was formed making a big start to the little town. St Joseph's Primary School was established in 1925. In 1935 Our Ladies' College expanded to offer secondary education to Year 10, becoming the first secondary school in Central Western Queensland. Cominos Brothers opened a cafe in Eagle Street, the town’s main street in 1911. The cafe was known as Comino Bros. Central Café and American Bar, probably because it had an American-style soda fountain. Longreach Rail Post Office opened by April 1940 and closed in 1962. Longreach State High School opened on 24 January 1966. Evesham State School opened in the former Morella on 23 January 1967. It was mothballed on 31 December 2009 and then permanently closed on 31 December 2010. In 1970, Queen Elizabeth II, The Duke of Edinburgh and Her Royal Highness Princess Anne toured Australia including Queensland. The Queensland tour began on Sunday 12 April when the royal yacht ''Britannia'' entered Moreton Bay at Caloundra, sailing into Newstead Wharf. After several days of engagements in the city of Brisbane, Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh commenced their regional tour flying to Longreach on Wednesday 15 April. The primary purpose for their stopover in Longreach was to visit the first operational base of Queensland’s first airline,

, which became Australia’s Overseas Airline. During the visit they viewed an exhibition of Qantas memorabilia, including a replica of the company’s first aircraft, the AVRO 504K of 1921. The occasion marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of The Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services, Limited (Qantas). Qantas Airways celebrated its Centenary in 2020. On 1 January 1986, Our Ladies' College relocated to the St Joseph's site. A pre-school was added in 1992. It returned to being only a primary school (P-6) at the end of 1994. In 2002, the school changed its name to Our Ladies' School. Longreach School of Distance Education (also known as Longreach

School of the Air School of the Air is a generic term for correspondence schools catering for the primary and early secondary education of children in remote and outback Australia where some or all classes were historically conducted by radio, although this is n ...

) opened on 27 January 1987. In early April 2010, Longreach experienced a significant locust plague described by local residents as the worst in three decades. At the , the town of Longreach recorded a population of 3,137. In the , the locality of Longreach had a population of 2,970 people. In January 2019, it was decided to reduce the number of localities within Longreach Region by amalgamating the localities to the north and west of the town of Longreach into the locality of Longreach. The localities amalgamated were:

Camoola Camoola was a rural locality within the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia, situated between the towns of Longreach and Muttaburra. It has been amalgamated into the locality of Longreach. History In the , Camoola had a population of 29 p ...

Chorregon Chorregon was a rural locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It is now part of the locality of Longreach Longreach is a town and a locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of ...

, Ernestina,

Maneroo Maneroo was a rural locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It is now part of Longreach. History In the , Maneroo had a population of 37 people. In January 2019, it was decided to reduce the number of localities within Longr ...

, Morella, Tocal, and Vergemont. As a consequence of this amalgamation, the Longreach Region has only three localities: Longreach,

and

. In the , the locality of Longreach had a population of 3,124 people.

Heritage listings

Longreach 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: *

Capricorn Highway The Capricorn Highway is located in Central Queensland, Australia, and links the city of Rockhampton with western Queensland. The highway is long, and joins the Landsborough Highway at Barcaldine. Formerly National Route 66, Queensland began ...

* Longreach Ambulance Centre, 111 Ibis Street * Qantas Hangar,

Darr River Downs Darr River Downs is a heritage-listed homestead at Landsborough Highway, Morella, Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1870s circa to 1900s circa. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 27 June 2003. Hist ...

, Landsborough Highway (formerly in Morella): * Former

Longreach Powerhouse Longreach Powerhouse is a heritage-listed former power station and now museum at 12 Swan Street, Longreach, Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1921 by Edward and Martin. It is now known as Longreach Powerhouse Museum. It w ...

, 12 Swan Street

Facilities

Longreach has a visitor information centre, swimming pool, Powerhouse Museum and parks. Shopping facilities in the town include

IGA Iga may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Ambush at Iga Pass, a 1958 Japanese film * Iga no Kagemaru, Japanese manga series * Iga, a set of characters from the Japanese novel '' The Kouga Ninja Scrolls'' Biology * ''Iga'' (beetle), a gen ...

FoodWorks FoodWorks is an Australian supermarket chain run by independent retail group Australian United Retailers Limited (AURL). The AURL was created in November 2004 from the merger of the FoodWorks Supermarket Group Ltd (FSG) and Australian United ...

and Prices Plus. As part of nationwide restructuring, Target Country closed its store on Eagle Street in April 2021. Longreach Regional Council operates the Longreach Library at 106 Eagle Street. The Longreach 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 in Duck Street. There is also a branch of the

in the former Morella (now part of Longreach). Until 2021, Longreach had a local cinema. Star Cinema Longreach operated for 33 years before closing due to a combination of 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 ...

and the rise in popularity of

streaming services An over-the-top media service is a streaming media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms, the companies that traditionally act as a controller or distributors of s ...

. Prior to the construction of the modern Star Cinema in 1988, films were shown at the Roxy Theatre which was rebuilt and reopened in 1953 after a fire destroyed the original premises in 1952 forcing films to be temporarily screened in the shire hall.

Education

Longreach State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls at 125 Ibis Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 197 students with 19 teachers (18 full-time equivalent) and 17 non-teaching staff (12 full-time equivalent). Longreach State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at Jabiru Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 179 students with 24 teachers (22 full-time equivalent) and 16 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent). Longreach School of Distance Education is a government primary and secondary (Early Childhood-10) school for boys and girls at Sir James Walker Drive (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 181 students with 28 teachers (24 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (11 full-time equivalent). Longreach State School Special Education Program is a primary and secondary (Early Childhood-12) special education program at Longreach State School at Kingfisher Street (). Our Lady's Catholic Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 85 Eagle Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 91 students with 10 teachers (9 full-time equivalent) and 7 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).

Media

The ''Longreach Leader'' newspaper is issued weekly. The Longreach area is also served by several locally based radio stations including

ABC Western Queensland ABC Western Queensland is an ABC Local Radio station based in Longreach broadcasting to the Central West, South West and Gulf regions of Queensland. It covers a wide area stretching as far as the towns of Charleville, Winton and Birdsville. ...

, and commercial stations 4LG and

West FM West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

Attractions

Longreach is the home of the

Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame The Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame is a museum located in Longreach, Queensland, Australia, which pays tribute to pioneers of the Australian outback. The centre is also dedicated to Australian stockmen who have shown bravery and courage. ...

, which was officially opened in 1988 by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. The purpose of the centre is to showcase the history and the culture of life in rural Australia. Since its opening, over 1 million people have passed through its doors. Qantas Boeing 707 and Boeing 747-200 at Longreach's Qantas Founders Outback Museum

Qantas Boeing 707 and Boeing 747-200 at Longreach's Qantas Founders Outback Museum

Longreach was one of the founding centres for

, the Australian domestic and international airline, the third oldest airline in the world (after

KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...

and

Avianca Avianca S.A. (acronym in Spanish for ''Aerovias del Continente Americano S.A.'', "Airways of the American Continent") is a Colombian airline. It has been the flag carrier of Colombia since December 5, 1919, when it was initially registered under ...

), being founded on 16 November 1920 in Winton. One of the airline's original hangars remains in use at the

Longreach Airport Longreach Airport is situated in Longreach, Queensland, Australia. The airport is northeast of the city. The Royal Flying Doctor Service has one of its nine Queensland bases at Longreach Airport. History Longreach has played a major part ...

and is listed on the

Australian National Heritage List The Australian National Heritage List or National Heritage List (NHL) is a heritage register, a list of national heritage places deemed to be of outstanding heritage significance to Australia, established in 2003. The list includes natural and ...

. The town is now the home of the

Qantas Founders Outback Museum The Qantas Founders Outback Museum is a museum located in Longreach, Queensland, Australia. The museum was opened on 9 June 1996 in the heritage-listed Qantas Hangar, built by Qantas in 1922. Stage 2 of the Qantas Founders Museum was part of a ...

, which includes amongst its displays a decommissioned Qantas

Boeing 747-200 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, to ...

aircraft, registration VH-EBQ, ''The City of Bunbury'', and Qantas's first jet aircraft VH-XBA (formerly VH-EBA), a

Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is an American, long-range, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial first flew on December 20, ...

, ''The City of Canberra''. In recognition of the town's place in company history, as well as a play on the airliner's extended range, all of Qantas's

Boeing 747-400 The Boeing 747-400 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, an advanced variant of the initial Boeing 747. The "Advanced Series 300" was announced at the September 1984 Farnborough Airshow, targeting ...

s had "Longreach" printed on both sides of the first jetway entry/exit doors. The town is home to the Australian Agricultural College's Longreach Campus, which prepares students for work in the agricultural and pastoral industries. It was known previously as the Longreach Pastoral College. The campus was opened in 1967. Adjacent to the college is the Longreach School of

Distance Education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

, which provides lessons to remote students, formerly by HF radio but now using telephone lines. The agricultural college in Longreach closed December 2019.

Notable residents

Notable residents of Longreach include: *

Carl Barron Carl Barron (born 11 June 1964) is an Australian theatre and television comedian. His style is based on observational humour. Life and career He was born in Longreach, Queensland, the son of a sheep shearer, and formerly worked as an apprenti ...

, stand-up comedian, born in Longreach *

Lobby Loyde Lobby Loyde (born John Baslington Lyde, 18 May 1941 – 21 April 2007), also known as John Barrie Lyde or Barry Lyde, was an Australian rock music guitarist, songwriter and producer. He was a member of two 1960s groups: Purple Hearts, which had ...

, guitarist in the Purple Hearts and Coloured Balls, born in Longreach * Bruce Saunders, 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 ...

, born in Longreach * Matthew Scott,

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer, born in Longreach *

Edgar Towner Edgar Thomas Towner, VC, MC (19 April 1890 – 18 August 1972) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth ...

, Victoria Cross winner, died in Longreach and was buried in the cemetery there. His grave is a protected place.

Climate

Longreach experiences a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen: ''BSh'', Trewartha: ''BShl''); with very hot summers with moderate rains; warm to hot springs and autumns with occasional rains; and mild, dry winters.