Canal Creek is a rural

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

Livingstone Shire The Shire of Livingstone is a local government area located in the Capricornia region of Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia, to the immediate north and east of the regional city of Rockhampton. The shire, administered from the coastal to ...

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 , Canal Creek had "no people or a very low population".

Geography

The ridge of the Pointer Range forms the south-western boundary of the locality. The terrain in the locality ranges from flatter land at approx above sea level to numerous named peaks including (from west to east): * North Pointer * The Pointer * Mount Jardine * Pleasant Hill * Conical Mountain * Charley Peak * The Gate Mountain Three creeks enter through the locality from the north ( Shoalwater) flowing south, Alligator Creek to

Canoona Canoona is a rural locality in the Livingstone Shire, Queensland, Australia. It was the site of the first North Australian gold rush. In the , Canoona had a population of 90 people. Geography The Fitzroy River forms the southern boundary of ...

Jardine Jardine is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Al Jardine (born 1942), member of the Beach Boys * Alexander Jardine (British Army officer) (died 1799), Scottish army officer and author * Alexander Jardine (Medal of Honor) (1874– ...

and Canal Creek (from which the locality presumably takes its name) and Werribee Creek to Rossmoya. These creeks are ultimately tributaries to the Fitzroy River which enters 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 ...

between Thompsons Point and Port Alma. There are a number of protected areas in the locality, including: * North Pointer Conservation Park in the south-west of the locality * Alligator Creek State Forest in the north and centre of the locality * Canal Creek State Forest in the centre of the locality * Werribee State Forest in the north-east of the locality The predominant land use is

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, plantation forestry and a small amount of crop growing.

History

On 19 December 1943 a USA military aircraft crashed at Canal Creek Cattle Station and 31 people were killed. The C47 aircraft of 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron 374th Transport Group was flying from

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

with a stop in

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...

. The port engine caught fire, which caused an explosion and the plane crashed and all 31 people on board were killed. The aircraft was carrying 20 USA military personnel, 8 Australian military personnel, and three civilians (one from the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

, one from the

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

, and a war photographer). On 16 June 2002 a memorial to the crash was officially dedicated; it is at approximately from the crash site due to the boggy terrain at the site. The memorial was organised by

Yeppoon Yeppoon () is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Livingstone, Queensland, Australia. Yeppoon is renowned for its beaches, tropical climate, and the islands out on the bay. Located from the city of Rockhampton, Yeppoon is the seat of ...

resident John Millroy. It was the 2nd worst aircrash in Australia's history ( Bakers Creek air crash in June 1943 killed 40 people).

Demographics

In the , Canal Creek had a population of 8 people. In the , Canal Creek had "no people or a very low population".

Education

There are no schools in Canal Creek. The nearest government primary school is Milman State School in Millman to the south. The nearest government secondary schools are Yeppoon State High School in

to the south-east and Glenmore State High school in Kawana,

to the south. The north-western parts of Canal Creek are too distant from these secondary schools for a daily commute, so

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

and boarding school are other options.

References

External links

* — includes casualty list {{Shire of Livingstone Shire of Livingstone Localities in Queensland