Barratta is a rural town and a

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

in the

Shire of Burdekin The Shire of Burdekin is a local government area located in North Queensland, Australia in the Dry Tropics region. The district is located between Townsville and Bowen in the delta of the Burdekin River. The shire covers an area of . It has e ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , the locality of Barratta had a population of 85 people.

Geography

''Barratta Creek'' rises in the locality and runs north through Jerona to the ''

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down t ...

'', while ''Barramundi Creek'' also rises and runs to the north-west. The

Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Natio ...

enters the locality from the east ( Brandon) and exits to the west ( Horseshoe Lagoon). The North Coast railway line enters the locality from the east (Brandon) and exits to the west (Horseshoe Lagoon), but runs approx north and parallel to the highway. The locality is served by Barratta railway station is a railway station () and was formerly served by the now-abandoned Lochinvar railway station (). The land use is divided between

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...

on native vegetation in the north of the locality and growing

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

in the south of the locality.

Cane tramways The rail network in Queensland, Australia, was the first in the world to adopt narrow gauge for a main line. In 2013, it claimed to be the second largest narrow gauge network in the world. The network consists of the following lines: *the N ...

pass through the south of the locality to transport the harvested sugarcane to the Pioneer sugar mill.

History

In 1881, the success of sugarcane growing in the Burdekin district and the navigability of Barratta Creek from the

via Bowling Green Bay resulted in a proposal to establish a town and a port along Barratta Creek. In 1885, the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...

had surveyed a town site called Noondoo and offered over 100 town lots for sale. On 25 September 1897, the town's name was changed to Baratta by notification in the

Queensland Government Gazette The Queensland Government Gazette is the government gazette of the Government of Queensland in Australia. It lists appointments and public notices including new legislation. Traditionally, publication in the gazette was a legal requirement for a ...

and then to Barratta (two "r"s) on 21 March 1902. Barratta is believed to be an Aboriginal name for the chain of lagoons in the area. However, no port was established and the town did not develop. The town remains officially in existence, but, as at 2024, is being used as grazing land. In February 1918, extensive flooding in the region affected Barratta Creek with over of water flowing over the railway bridge crossing the creek.

Demographics

In the , the locality of Barratta had a population of 69 people. In the , the locality of Barratta had a population of 85 people.

Education

There are no schools in Barratta. The nearest government primary schools are: * Brandon State School in neighbouring Brandon to the east * Maidavale State School in neighbouring Airville to the south-east * Airville State School in neighbouring Airville to the south-east * Clare State School in

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

to the south * Giru State School in Giru to the west The nearest government secondary school is Ayr State High School in

Ayr Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...

to the east.

References

External links

Town map of Barratta, 1979
{{authority control Towns in Queensland Shire of Burdekin Localities in Queensland