Muttaburra is an
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 ...
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
Barcaldine Region
The Barcaldine Region is a local government area in Central West Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas which had existed for over a century.
It has an estimated operating budget 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_ ...
, Australia. Muttaburra was the discovery site of the ''
Muttaburrasaurus
''Muttaburrasaurus'' was a genus of herbivorous iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur, which lived in what is now northeastern Australia sometime between 110 and 103 million years agoHoltz, Thomas R. Jr. (2012) ''Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-D ...
'', one of Australia's most famous dinosaurs.
Geography
Muttaburra is in the
central west of Queensland. The town is located on the banks of the
Thomson River, which is part of the
Lake Eyre drainage basin
The Lake Eyre basin ( ) is a drainage basin that covers just under one-sixth of all Australia. It is the largest endorheic basin in Australia and amongst the largest in the world, covering about , including much of inland Queensland, large port ...
.
The region is with a sub-basin of 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 ...
. The Great Artesian Basin supplies water from bores to the towns of Muttaburra and
Aramac. The area is well known for its good quality land that is used for sheep and cattle grazing. The main industry of the Muttaburra area is grazing.
The undeveloped town of Scarrbury is within the locality (). Scarrbury is located on Aramac Creek along Vera Park Road.
History
Muttaburra lay on the traditional tribal lands of the
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 ...
.
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
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 ...
and
Barcaldine Region
The Barcaldine Region is a local government area in Central West Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas which had existed for over a century.
It has an estimated operating budget of ...
, particularly the towns of
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 ...
,
Barcaldine, Muttaburra and
Aramac as well as the properties of
Bowen Downs and catchments of
Cornish Creek and
Alice River.
The name of the town derived from an
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 ...
clan name, the Muttaburra, who were the traditional owners of this area. According to some sources, muttaburra meant "the meeting of waters" or "camping ground" or "meeting place". The area was once part of a vast inland sea.
Muttaburra developed as a town in the 1870s. In the
Brisbane Courier
''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner norther ...
of 10 October 1877, the local correspondent noted that,
"The Land Commissioner has been round this way lately, and surveyed the new township, one and a half-mile from Mount Cornish; its name I do not know, and I don’t think anybody else does, as it is undecided. I hear there is a store open now, also a public house, and I suppose there will be other business places shortly."
The town was officially declared in 1878.
Bruford Street, the main street, took its name from a saddler, Mr. Bruford, who established a saddlery repair shop there, in that same year. The need for other services, such as hotels, the Cobb & Co changing station, blacksmiths, banks and general stores were also soon accommodated.
50 allotments of Crown Land were made available to the public for sale by public auction at
Aramac on 18 June 1878,
at which "Mr Sword, Land Commissioner, disposed of forty six town allotments situated at Muttaburra. They were one acre divisions, upset price £10. Twenty three fetched the upset price, the remainder sold at a considerable advance, two of the lots realising £50 each."
The first post office was built in 1887 and then replaced with a modern building in 1926.
In March 1881, the
Queensland Government
The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...
held a land sale, auctioning 60 town lots in the town of Scarrbury. The government had set aside of land for the town in November 1876.
Muttaburra was also the scene of one of the most daring acts of
cattle duffing ever performed in Australia.
Henry Radford stole cattle from
Bowen Downs Station
Bowen Downs Station is a pastoral lease that has operated both as a cattle station and a sheep station.
It is located about east of Muttaburra and north west of Aramac in the outback of Queensland. It is watered by the Thomson River and tr ...
and drove them through the mostly unexplored
Central Australia
Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and i ...
region to the Blanche Water station in northern
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. He sold the livestock for £5000, and was later charged with theft and tried at the Roma District Court. Despite overwhelming evidence from the prosecution and no witnesses put forward by the defence, a jury found him not guilty within an hour. He was greatly admired for crossing Central Australia unscathed.
The transcript of the delivery of the verdict reads, "Judge: What is your verdict? Foreman of the Jury: We find the prisoner 'Not Guilty'. Judge: What? Foreman of the Jury: Not guilty. Judge: I thank God, gentlemen, that the verdict is yours, not mine!"
![StateLibQld 1 197339 Family of George and Edwina Bunning, 1912](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/StateLibQld_1_197339_Family_of_George_and_Edwina_Bunning%2C_1912.jpg)
One of the prominent early settlers to establish themselves in Muttaburra was Edward Rowland (Rofley) Edkins, who was the first Manager of Mt. Cornish, the original outstation of Bowen Downs.
He was also Chairman of the Aramac Divisional Board (1882, 1886 - 1888, 1891,and 1902); a member of the Muttaburra Hospital Committee (1885); Muttaburra Jockey Club President (1891); Muttaburra Hospital Committee President (1891); and Marathon Pastoral Society President (1891). He died at
Drummoyne
Drummoyne is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Drummoyne is six kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative center for the local government area of the City of ...
,
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, on 14 August 1905.
Edkins married Edwina Marion Huey, daughter of Dr Walter Huey (1797-1843) of
Launceston in
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
.
Edwina was well known in the district, and also a composer of a number of musical works, related to the area, including ''Malboona Gavotte'', ''Wee Bimba: waltz'', ''The Women of the West'' and the ''LC5 Waltz'' She was remembered as "the most kindly of kind hostesses and the wife of one of the most outstanding men of the pastoral industry in Australia".
![MUTTABURRA HOSPITAL IN MUTTABURRA, QLD - 1913](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/MUTTABURRA_HOSPITAL_IN_MUTTABURRA%2C_QLD_-_1913.jpg)
In 1884, a hospital was built with funds raised by the local community. The first doctor was Dr Overend from Melbourne and Mr Lawry was the first Wardsman. By 1901, the Muttaburra Hospital was equipped with one of the earliest x-ray units to be installed in any country hospital.
The Muttaburra Hospital closed in 1974 due to the small population.
Muttaburra State School is one of the oldest schools in the district. The school was opened on 18 February 1884 with an enrolment of 17. Its highest enrolment was 112 students in 1903.
In 1937, the new school building and teacher's residence were completed.
In 2009 at the school's 125th anniversary, a total of 1593 students had enrolled through its history.
The town dam was built in 1885 by Mr Hudson. For some years this dam was the source of water for the town and water carted into town in casks. Residents paid 2/6 per cask although double this amount was not uncommon. Later the dam was also used as the town's swimming pool.
St Joseph's Catholic Church was built in 1888. In 1943, it was destroyed by cyclone.
A new church was built in 1948.
In May 1891, approximately 400 shearers camped near Muttaburra during the
1891 Australian shearers' strike
The 1891 shearers' strike is one of Australia's earliest and most important industrial disputes.
The dispute was primarily between Trade union, unionised and non-unionised wool workers. It resulted in the formation of large camps of striking work ...
. Union Hole is where the shearers drew water and carted it back to their camp by dray. There are still some remains of the campsite visible today.
![Anglican Church at Muttaburra, Qld - very early 1900s](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Anglican_Church_at_Muttaburra%2C_Qld_-_very_early_1900s.jpg)
All Saints Anglican Church was built from
corrugated iron
Corrugated galvanised iron or steel, colloquially corrugated iron (near universal), wriggly tin (taken from UK military slang), pailing (in Caribbean English), corrugated sheet metal (in North America) and occasionally abbreviated CGI is a bu ...
in October 1903 by Mr Hack. It was opened and dedicated on Wednesday 18 November 1903 by
Bishop of Rockhampton,
Nathaniel Dawes
Nathaniel Dawes (24 July 1843 – 12 September 1910) was an Anglican bishop in Australia. He was the first Bishop of Rockhampton in Queensland, from 1892 to 1909. He was the first bishop to be consecrated in Australia.
Early life
Dawes was b ...
. He
confirmed
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...
70 young people as part of the visit.
The Cassimatis Store opened in 1914 but was closed in 1978 having been a bank, green grocery, haberdashery, emporium, cafe, white goods merchant, and liquor store.
In 1911, Andrew Andrew (A.A.) Cassimatis and his son George left the island of
Kythira
Kythira (, ; el, Κύθηρα, , also transliterated as Cythera, Kythera and Kithira) is an Greek islands, island in Greece lying opposite the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula. It is traditionally listed as one of the seven main Io ...
(which lies between
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
and the mainland of Greece) to come to Australia. They worked in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and
Bundaberg
Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...
before establishing themselves in Muttaburra.
They built their own general store in 1918, after renting local properties for a number of years. The Cassimatis became one of the oldest agents in Australia for
Mobil Oil – Australia – previously known as The Vacuum Oil Company of Australia. They also bottled their own methylated spirits and kerosene, using their own label.
George Cassimatis was a J.P. and Councillor representing Muttaburra on the
Aramac Shire Council
The Shire of Aramac was a local government area located in central Queensland about north west of the state capital, Brisbane, between the towns of Barcaldine and Winton. It covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1 ...
. He sat on various committees and played a significant role in the developmental history of Muttaburra. The store was reopened in 2001 after a full renovation. Fire destroyed the store in the morning of 6 January 2009. However the shop and service station has now been rebuilt by A. E. Rose Constructions (Peter Rose), and is open for business again. Originally a drover's cottage was situated alongside the family's general store; it was built in 1903 and purchased by George Cassimatis in 1934.
90 men and women from the Muttaburra district served in some capacity in the First World War. In 2015 a new memorial was designed and installed by J.H. Wagner & Sons. The front face of the memorial has three bronze sculpture badges for Australian Army, Australian Navy and Australian Air Force.
The Muttaburra branch of the
Country Women's Association
The Country Women's Association (CWA) is the largest regional and rural advocacy group in Australia. It comprises seven independent State and Territory Associations, who are passionate advocates for country women and their families, working ...
was formed in August 1927 with 34 financial members. The Ruby Bayliss QCWA Hostel opened in 1955 to provide accommodation for out-of-town expectant mothers.
Dr Joseph Arratta served for thirty-five years at the hospital in Muttaburra from 1925 to 1960.
He was awarded an M.B.E. in 1959 in recognition of his service to medicine.
The Muttaburra Public Library building was opened in 1961.
![Muttaburrasaurus-Dinosaur-skeleton](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Muttaburrasaurus-Dinosaur-skeleton.jpg)
In 1963, Muttaburra was the discovery site of the ''
Muttaburrasaurus
''Muttaburrasaurus'' was a genus of herbivorous iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur, which lived in what is now northeastern Australia sometime between 110 and 103 million years agoHoltz, Thomas R. Jr. (2012) ''Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-D ...
'', one of Australia's most famous dinosaurs, by Doug Langdon.
The dinosaur is believed to have been long, high from the hip and weighing . It was a herbivore, with rows of grinding teeth, and probably ate plants such as ferns, cycads and conifers. It may have lived in herds. ''Muttaburrasaurus'' lived around 100 million years ago, during the
Cretaceous period
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of t ...
. Several specimens of this dinosaur have been found in central and northern Queensland, and a few teeth have been found in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
.
There is a full size replica in the town.
At the , Muttaburra and the surrounding area had a population of 106.
In the , Muttaburra had a population of 88 people.
On 22 November 2019, the
Queensland Government
The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...
decided to amalgamate the localities in the Barcaldine Region, resulting in five expanded localities based on the larger towns:
Alpha
Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἄλφα, ''álpha'', or ell, άλφα, álfa) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter aleph , whic ...
,
Aramac,
Barcaldine,
Jericho
Jericho ( ; ar, أريحا ; he, יְרִיחוֹ ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It is the administrative seat of the Jericho Gove ...
and Muttaburra. Muttaburra was expanded to incorporate
Bangall,
Cornish Creek (western part),
Sardine
"Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes from the Ital ...
(western part), and
Tablederry.
Heritage listings
![StateLibQld 1 49488 Stockmen at Mount Cornish sheep station, near Muttaburra, Queensland, 1898](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/StateLibQld_1_49488_Stockmen_at_Mount_Cornish_sheep_station%2C_near_Muttaburra%2C_Queensland%2C_1898.jpg)
Muttaburra 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:
*
Mount Cornish Homestead at
Cornish Creek, north-east of Muttaburra
Economy
In 2017, the 4732 postcode (which includes Muttaburra) was one of the lowest 10 postcodes by income level in Australia, with an average income of $21,415.
Education
![Muttaburra State School, 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Muttaburra_State_School%2C_2019.jpg)
Muttaburra State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls at 42 Sword Street ().
In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 8 students with 2 teachers (1 full-time equivalent) and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).
There are no secondary schools in Muttaburra with the closest government seconary school being Longreach State High School in
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 ...
, 121.6 kilometres (75.5 mi) to the south-west. Given the distance, alternatives are distance education and boarding school.
Amenities
Barcaldine Regional Council
The Barcaldine Region is a local government area in Central West Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas which had existed for over a century.
It has an estimated operating budget of ...
operates a library at 20 Bruford Street.
The Muttaburra 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 33 Edkins Street.
All Saints Anglican Church is at 25 Sword Street ().
St Joseph's Catholic Church is at 26 Sword Street ().
There is a Primary Health Care Centre for minor treatments and care, as well as ambulance services and 24/7 emergency on-call services. Muttaburra relies on the hospital in Longreach or
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 ...
plus 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 ...
.
Sport
Muttaburra has a range of sporting activities and facilities including fishing, rodeo, a swimming pool, shooting range, tennis courts and race course.
There is an 18-hole golf course on the Cramsie Muttaburra Road (). It is open to the public.
The Muttaburra Racecourse is on Racecourse Road ().
Transport
Due to the small size of the town there is almost no public transport, however
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 ...
does run a bus service to the town one to two times a month.
Muttaburra Airport is on Muttaburra Airport Road off the Cramsie Muttaburra Road ().
It is operated by the
Barcaldine Regional Council
The Barcaldine Region is a local government area in Central West Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas which had existed for over a century.
It has an estimated operating budget of ...
.
Climate
Muttaburra has a subtropical climate with very hot summers. Temperatures over and heat waves are common, however in winter the temperature can go as low as , if not lower. Frosts occur rarely. Most of the rainfall occurs in the summer months with falls around the , Flooding can occur most years and in the "big wets" large areas of the major watercourses are inundated. Droughts are not uncommon. The wettest month ever recorded was September 2010 when 162 mm fell.
Attractions
Bush-walking, water-skiing and fishing are some of the main recreational activities in the area. The headwaters of the
Thomson River and the camping area at Broadwater and the Muttaburra Pump Hole, is where species such as Yellowbelly and Black Bream can be caught.
Other attractions are found in Muttaburra itself, including the Memorial Medical Museum and the Cassimatis Store.
The Memorial Medical Museum commemorates Dr Joseph Arratta.
The museum is housed in what once was the Muttaburra Hospital. After its closure the building was converted into a historical display and museum
and named in honour of Dr Arratta.
The store and of George and Stavroola Cassimatis and their five children has been restored and is open to the public.
The Muttaburra rest area provides the first two nights stay free plus meals and accommodation are also available at the Exchange Hotel on the main street. The Caravan Park has powered sites, barbecues and a washing machine. Hot food, groceries and fuel are available at the local store.
Events
On the first Saturday of June each year the Landsborough Flock Ewe Show is held.
The show has sheep and wool judging, cattle displays, trade displays, ladies pavilion, shopping, activities for kids, cattle drive plus dinner and entertainment.
The Muttaburra Amateur Turf Club was established in 1919 and runs an annual race day called the Muttaburra Cup in August.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Muttaburra: Home of the Muttaburrasaurus LangdoniCassimatis Family. Muttaburra. Central Western Queensland.
{{Authority control
Towns in Queensland
Populated places established in 1878
Barcaldine Region
1878 establishments in Australia
Localities in Queensland