Karumba is a town and a coastal locality in the Shire of Carpentaria,

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 Karumba had a population of 487 people.

Geography

Karumba is in the

Gulf Country The Gulf Country or North West Queensland 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 ca ...

region of

, by road from Normanton and from the state capital,

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 ...

. Karumba is within the Shire of Carpentaria, the administrative headquarters of which is in Normanton. The town is sited at the mouth of the Norman River, and enjoys the distinction of being the only town along the southern

Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria is a sea off the northern coast of Australia. It is enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea, which separates Australia and New Guinea. The northern boundary ...

that is within sight of the Gulf itself (the Gulf's extensive

tidal flat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal ...

s prohibits settlement elsewhere along its shore). The rare

Morning Glory cloud The Morning Glory cloud is a rare List of meteorological phenomena, meteorological phenomenon consisting of a low-level atmospheric solitary wave and associated cloud, occasionally observed in different locations around the world. The wave o ...

rolls through Karumba in the early hours of some mornings in September and October. Karumba Point Beach is the only beach in the region that is accessible by bitumen road, and is renowned for its sunset views over the

. Karumba Airport is on Fielding Street. There are no regular commercial services from this airport; the nearest regular services are available at Normanton Airport.

History

Before European colonisation and expropriation, the Karumba region had been inhabited for thousands of years by the Gangalidda and Waanyi peoples, who are the traditional custodians of the land. They relied on the rich marine resources and fertile coastal plains for sustenance. The settlement was originally known as Norman Mouth and Kimberley. The

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...

, ''Kurumba'', derives from the Aboriginal name for the area. That name was being used for the township officially by the 1880s. Karumba Post Office opened on 22 August 1889 and closed in 1919. Given its access to the Gulf of Carpentaria, the town's economy has revolved largely around fishing. The prawn industry expanded in the 1960s. In the late 1930s, the town was a refuelling and maintenance stop for the

flying boat A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though ...

s of Qantas Empire Airways. No. 43 Squadron of the RAAF also operated

Consolidated PBY Catalina The Consolidated Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina (U.S. Navy designation), is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft designed by Consolidated Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. In U.S. Army service, it was designated as the OA- ...

flying boats from the town between June 1943 and April 1944. Karumba State School opened in September 1968. 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 the Community Church. They are provided by the McKay Patrol, an aerial service of the Uniting Church that operates out of

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 ...

. 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 less than 10,000 people. Karumba Public Library was opened in 1979. The region is referred to in the song "Every Passing Day" by the Australian band

Goanna A goanna is any one of several species of lizard of the genus ''Monitor lizard, Varanus'' found in Australia and Southeast Asia. Around 70 species of ''Varanus'' are known, 25 of which are found in Australia. This varied group of carnivorous r ...

, on their album ''

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

''. The

Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...

' song "Animal Bar", from their 2006 album '' Stadium Arcadium'' is about Karumba, and refers to a local bar.

Demographics

In the , the town of Karumba had a population of 518 people. In the , the locality of Karumba had a population of 531 people. In the , the locality of Karumba had a population of 487 people.

Economy

The Karumba port services the Century Zinc Mine as well as the fishing industry. Les Wilson Barramundi Hatchery is the world's only breeder of the Southern Gulf barramundi. The prawning industry makes an important economic contribution to the town.

Education

Karumba State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 5 Yappar Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 28 students with 3 teachers and 7 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent). There are no secondary schools in Karumba. The nearest government secondary school is Normanton State School (to Year 10) in neighbouring Normanton to the south. There are no schools offering secondary education to Year 12 in Karumba or nearby; the options are

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 ...

or boarding school.

Amenities

Karumba has a public library in Walker Street, visitor information centre, parks, bowls club, golf course, swimming pool, and a sports centre. The Carpentaria Shire Council operates a public library at Walker Street. St James' and St John's Community Church at 59 Yappar Street is shared by the Anglican, Catholic and Uniting congregations. It is within the Gulf Savannah Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns. Regular services by the

are held in the Community Church. These are provided by the McKay Patrol, an aerial service of the

that operates out of

, an area of approximately with a population of less than 10,000 people.

Attractions

Les Wilson Barramundi Discovery Centre at 149 Yappar Street () is a tourist attraction providing interactive experiences to learn about barramundi at a working barramundi hatchery.

Climate

Karumba has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Aw'') with two distinct seasons. The " Wet" usually lasts from December to March and is hot and humid, with

wet bulb temperature The wet-bulb temperature is the lowest temperature that can be reached under current ambient conditions by the evaporation of water only. It is defined as the temperature of a parcel of air cooled to saturation (100% relative humidity) by the ...

s typically above during the afternoons. Most roads during the "Wet" are usually closed by heavy rain, which can exceed in a day due to the passage of

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

s or monsoonal depressions which provide most of the rain. On occasions, however, as with all of Queensland the wet season may fail almost completely and produce less than in a full season. The "Dry" usually lasts from April to the middle of November and is much more comfortable due to lower humidity and milder morning temperatures. This period of the year is essentially bone dry and almost completely cloudless:

median The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...

rainfall is nil between May and September and each month, over twenty days are completely clear.

References

External links

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Karumbamorningglorycloud.com
has video of the Gulf of Carpentaria region and the Morning Glory Cloud
Carpentaria Shire Council homepageTown map of Karumba, 1979
{{Authority control Towns in Queensland Coastal towns in Queensland North West Queensland Gulf of Carpentaria Shire of Carpentaria Fishing communities in Australia Localities in Queensland Aquaculture in Australia