Nelia is an outback town in the

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 ...

of Julia Creek in the Shire of Mckinlay,

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.

Geography

The town is just north off the Flinders Highway, 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 ...

. '' The Inlander'' rail service from

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 ...

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 ...

on the Great Northern railway passes through Nelia, which is served by Nelia railway siding ().

History

The area was named by explorer

William Landsborough William Landsborough (21 February 1825 – 16 March 1886) was an explorer of Australia and notably he was the first explorer to complete a North-to-South crossing of Australia. He was a member of the Queensland Legislative Council. Early ...

after a friend of his wife. European settlement began in the 1870s with the establishment of the Willibah and Benannee runs. Nelia Post Office opened on 23 June 1909 (a

receiving 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 ...

had been open from 1908). A townsite was surveyed in 1912 and the first land sales took place in 1913. Nelia State School opened on 4 May 1926 and closed in 1932. It reopened in 1953 and closed permanently in 1960. An

artesian bore An artesian aquifer is a Aquifer#Confined versus unconfined, confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. An artesian aquifer has trapped water, surrounded by layers of Permeability (earth sciences), impermeable rock or cl ...

was constructed in 1928 to provide water to the town. Due to not following government advice, the bore flowed suddenly and dramatically sending water in all directions. The post office celebrated its centenary in 2009. In February 2019 flooding damaged the railway line, resulting in the derailment of a

Pacific National Pacific National is one of Australia's largest rail freight businesses. History In February 2002, National Rail Corporation, National Rail's freight operations and rollingstock (owned by the Government of Australia, Federal, Government of New ...

freight train with 81 wagons at Nelia. A rail deviation was constructed around the derailment.

Amenities

The Nelia 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 the QCWA Hall at 4 Main Street.

Education

There are no schools in Nelia. The nearest primary school is in the town of Julia Creek. The nearest secondary school is in

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, ...

( to the east, but it only offers education to Year 10. The nearest secondary schools offering education to Year 12 are in

Cloncurry Cloncurry is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cloncurry, Queensland, 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 ...

( to the west) and in

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 ...

( to the east). Distance eductation and

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

s are other secondary schooling options.

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in Queensland North West Queensland Shire of Mckinlay