The Shire of Cloncurry is a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

North West Queensland The Gulf Country is the region of woodland and savanna grassland surrounding the Gulf of Carpentaria in north western Queensland and eastern Northern Territory on the north coast of Australia. The region is also called the Gulf Savannah. It ...

, 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 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 ...

. Prior to European settlement the area was home to the

Mitakoodi 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 ...

, Kalkadoon and

Pitta Pitta The Pitapita or Pitta Pitta are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Queensland. Language They spoke Pitta Pitta language, Pitapita, one of the Karnic languages, which remains the best described dialect of an eastern group that compri ...

Aboriginal people. The ghost town of

Mary Kathleen Mary Kathleen was a mining settlement in north-western Queensland, Australia. It is located in the Selwyn Range between Mount Isa and Cloncurry. History Mary Kathleen was first settled during the 1860s. Uranium was first discovered at Mary Ka ...

, a town servicing a

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

mine since closed, is in the shire.

History

'' Wanamarra'' (also known as ''Maykulan'' and ''Wunumura'' is an Australian Aboriginal language in

. The language region includes areas within the Shire of McKinlay, Shire of Cloncurry and

Shire of Richmond The Shire of Richmond is a local government area in north western Queensland, Australia. It covers an area of , and has existed as a local government entity since 1916. It is part of the Gulf Country. History '' Wanamarra'' (also known as ...

, including the

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 ...

area, and the towns of

Kynuna Kynuna is an outback town in the Shire of McKinlay and a locality split between the Shire of McKinlay and the Shire of Winton in Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Kynuna had a population of 55 people. Geography Kynuna is on the ban ...

and

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, ...

. ''Yulluna'' (also known as ''Yalarnga'', ''Yalarrnga'', ''Jalanga'', ''Jalannga'', ''Wonganja'', ''Gunggalida'', and ''Jokula'') 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 the

Gulf Country The Gulf Country is the region of woodland and savanna grassland surrounding the Gulf of Carpentaria in north western Queensland and eastern Northern Territory on the north coast of Australia. The region is also called the Gulf Savannah. It ...

. The Yulluna language region includes the local government boundaries of the Shire of Cloncurry. Cloncurry Division, March 1902

The first Europeans to visit the area were Wills and Burke in 1861, and the latter named the river Cloncurry after his cousin. In 1867, Ernest Henry wandered to this site in search of a grazing land and found copper. He is considered the founder of the town as well as its vast mineral deposits. In 1876, the town was named Cloncurry after the river. It is regarded as the place of innovations as Qantas began its operations here and the Royal Flying Doctor Service was established in Cloncurry in 1928. The

Doonmunya Division #REDIRECT Shire of Carpentaria The Shire of Carpentaria is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia on the Gulf of Carpentaria, for which it is named. Geography The Shire of Carpentaria covers an area of , and has existed as ...

was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'' with a population of 396. However, the divisional board appeared to be completely inactive, perhaps because the division was so large (being the area surrounding the southern part of the

Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria (, ) is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea (the body of water that lies between Australia and New Guinea). The northern boundary is ...

) and was very sparsely settled. Nonetheless some of the citizens were unhappy about this. Consequently, on 11 January 1883, the Doonmunya Division was abolished and a new

Carpentaria Division ''Carpentaria acuminata'' (carpentaria palm), the sole species in the genus ''Carpentaria'', is a palm native to tropical coastal regions in the north of Northern Territory, Australia. It is a slender palm, growing to tall in the garden situa ...

was created to replace it. Given the size of the Carpentaria Division, the distance to its headquarters in Normanton was an issue for residents in the

area, leading to a desire to create their own local division. On 7 February 1884, part of Carpentaria Division was separated to create the new

Cloncurry Division #REDIRECT 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 ...

. On 30 January 1885, adjustments were made to boundaries of the Cloncurry Division when the

Burke Division #REDIRECT Shire of Burke The Shire of Burke is a local government area in North West Queensland, Australia. The shire lies on the south coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria and abuts the border with the Northern Territory. It covers an area of , a ...

was also split off from the Carpentaria Division. On 31 March 1903, Cloncurry Division became the Shire of Cloncurry.

Libraries

The Cloncurry Shire Council operates a public library in Cloncurry.

Towns and localities

The Shire of Cloncurry includes the following settlements: *

* Dajarra * Dobbyn *

Duchess Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked ...

* Four Ways *

Kajabbi Kajabbi is a rural town in the locality of Three Rivers, Shire of Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia. Geography The town is on the Leichhardt River in the remote north-west of Queensland, north west of the state capital Brisbane. The town is ...

* Kuridala * Malbon * Mount Cuthbert * Selwyn *

The Monument The Monument to the Great Fire of London, more commonly known simply as the Monument, is a fluted Doric column in London, England, situated near the northern end of London Bridge. Commemorating the Great Fire of London, it stands at the j ...

* Three Rivers

Population

Chairmen and mayors

* 1884: George Seymour * 1919: J. Hedleffe * 1927: Walter Angus Rose * 2008–2016 : Andrew Daniels * 2016: Gregory Vincent (Greg) Campbell Other notable members of the council included: * 1924—1930 (deputy chairman 1927—1930)

Tom Aikens Tom Aikens (born 1970), also named Tom Aitkens, is an English Michelin-starred chef. Aikens briefly worked for chefs in London and Paris restaurants. Under his tenure from 1996 to 1999 as head chef and then chef patron, Pied à Terre earned it ...

Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly This is a list of members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the state parliament of Queensland, sorted by parliament. See also * Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral districts This is a list of current and former electoral div ...

for Munndingburra and Townsville South

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cloncurry Shire Local government areas of Queensland North West Queensland 1884 establishments in Australia