Julia Creek is an

outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than Australian bush, the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastli ...

town and locality in the Shire of Mckinlay,

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 Julia Creek had a population of 549 people. The town of Oorindi is within the west of the locality () beside the Oorindi railway station; as at 2019, there is nothing in the town. The town of Gilliat is within the west of the locality () beside the Gilliat railway station; as at 2019, there is nothing in the town.

Geography

Julia Creek is a town in mid- northern Queensland, located on the Flinders Highway ( Overlanders Way), the main road between

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 mines in world history, based on co ...

and

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 ...

. It is west of Townsville, and is located 123 m above sea level. The town of Julia Creek is on the Great Northern Railway; the locality being served by a number of railway stations (from west to east): * Oorindi railway station () * Bookin railway station, now abandoned () * Tibarri railway station is a railway station () * Gilliat railway station () * Eddington railway station, now abandoned () * Gunjoola railway station () *Julia Creek railway station, serving the town () * Quarrells railway station () *Nelia railway station ()

Climate

Julia Creek experiences a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

( Köppen: BSh), with a short, erratic

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...

from December to March; and a long, relatively cooler

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...

from April to November. Although average maxima remain warm to hot year-round, average minima have greater variation: from in July to in January. Average annual rainfall is low, , and is extremely unpredictable, evident by the of rain recorded in January 1974 alone. The town is very sunny, averaging 175.1 clear days and only 37.4 cloudy days annually. Extreme temperatures have ranged from on 25 June 1965 to on 9 November 1965.

History

The name ''Julia Creek'' was named after the niece of Donald McIntyre (younger brother of explorer Duncan McIntyre), the first white settler in the area.Towns - Julia Creek
,

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cair ...

, retrieved 9 March 2007 McIntyre took up a property called Dalgonally about north of the present site of the town in 1864, only a few years after the ill-fated

Burke and Wills The Burke and Wills expedition (originally called the Victorian Exploring Expedition) was an exploration expedition organised by the Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) in Australia in 1860–61. The exploration party initially consisted of nine ...

expedition passed through the area. The township began life as a temporary railway terminus in 1907 when the Great Northern railway line was extended from

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

to service the copper mines at

Cloncurry Cloncurry is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia. It is informally known by local people as The Curry. Cloncurry is the administrative centre of the Shire of Cloncurry. Cloncurry is known as the ''Friendl ...

. The name ''Oorindi'' is the Aboriginal name for the Williams River (which is about west of Oorindi) and means ''stones''. Julia Creek Post Office opened by September 1910 (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 1907). Julia Creek State School was a

one-room school One-room schoolhouses, or One-room schools, have been commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, and Spa ...

established in 1911 with nine students, and was expanded in 1932 and again in 1934. A separate high school was constructed in 1963. In 1952, the town was serviced with electricity. St Joseph's School opened in 1955 and closed in 1995. A sixteen-bed hospital was established in 1972. Julia Creek Public Library was opened in 1994. The Dirt n Dust Festival sporting and music festival was held in the town annually from 1995 to 2019 and was considered one of Queensland's largest events of its type. After cancellations in 2020 and 2021 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, it was announced in July 2021 that due to a lack of volunteers, and there being no committee to run the event, the Dirt n Dust Festival would no longer be held. But in December 2021, an organising committee was formed and the 2022 festival was held on 22-24 April and continues to be held annually. In 2022, Julia Creek made headlines by its inability to attract a doctor for

general practice General practice is personal, family, and community-orientated comprehensive primary care that includes diagnosis, continues over time and is anticipatory as well as responsive. Definitions A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who is a consu ...

work in the town for over 2 years, despite offering an annual salary of over $500,000 and providing a rent-free house. The position was filled in December 2022.

Demographics

In the . the locality of Julia Creek had a population of 511 people. In the , the locality of Julia Creek had a population of 549 people.

Economy

The town's main industries are farming, (especially the

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

and

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

industries), and

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

, which is mainly centred on the South32 mine at nearby Cannington. The town is a major centre for cattle sales and stock trucking, with a large saleyard and associated facilities. Prior to the expansion of the railway to the larger towns of Cloncurry and Mount Isa, the town was also a major transport hub for freight and passengers.

Environment

Julia Creek is also home to the

Julia Creek dunnart The Julia Creek dunnart (''Sminthopsis douglasi'') is a marsupial with a buffy brown upperside and white underside. This dunnart has a body length of 100–135 mm with a tail of 60–105 mm to make a total length of 160–240 mm ...

which is now endangered because of feral animals (wild cats, dogs and foxes).

Education

Julia Creek State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at Burke Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 34 students with 3 teachers and 4 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent). There are no secondary schools in Julia Creek. The nearest secondary schools are in

(only to Year 10) and

(to Year 12).

Amenities

AU-Qld-Julia Creek-CWA-Burke Street-2023

The Mckinlay Shire Council operates a public library in Julia Creek at 56 Burke Street. The Julia Creek branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms at 51 Burke Street. St Barnabas Anglican Church is at 1 Burke Street. Anglican services recommenced in 2020. Regular services by the

Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most Wiktionary:congregation, congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church o ...

are held in St Baranabas Anglican Church. These are provided by the McKay Patrol, an aerial service of the Uniting Church in Australia that operates out of

. Supported by other denominations, the McKay Patrol operates a Cessna 182Q aeroplane to provide spiritual and practical help to people living in remote areas in the north-west of Queensland and the eastern Tablelands of the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

, an area of approximately with a population of fewer than 10,000 people. Julia Creek also has a visitor and cultural centre, swimming pool, tennis courts, parks as well as a sports centre.

Events

Julia Creek hosts the annual Dirt n Dust Festival. The next event is to be held on 11-13 April 2025.

Transport

References

External links

* *
Fairfax Digital Travel GuideBureau of Meteorology Weather ConditionsTanksinker – The Story of Max Burns and the Township of Julia Creek
{{authority control Towns in Queensland North West Queensland Shire of Mckinlay Localities in Queensland