Lawn Hill is an outback

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...

split between the

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 , and has existed as a local g ...

and the

City of Mount Isa The City of Mount Isa is a local government area in north west Queensland. The City covers the urban locality of Mount Isa, the administrative centre, and surrounding area, sharing a boundary with the Northern Territory to the west. Mount ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. The locality is on the Queensland border with the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

. In the Lawn Hill had a population of 19 people.

Geography

The locality is bounded to the west by the

. Being over , it has a variety of terrain. Lawn Hill has the following ranges: * Constance Range () * Edith Range ( * Littles Range () * Smiths Range () and mountains: * Fort William () * Mount Caroline () * Mount Oscar () * Mount Steiglitz () * Napoleon Bonnet () * Point Watson () * Mount Kay () * Verdon Rock () It also has plains: * Burenda Plain () * Rankins Plain () * Wangunda Plain() Mended Hill is a neighbourhood (). Pitchfork Camp is a neighbourhood (). A large part of the locality from the west through to the south is within the

Boodjamulla National Park Boodjamulla National Park, formerly known as Lawn Hill National Park, is a national park in the Shire of Burke, Queensland, Australia. The Riversleigh World Heritage Area is a World Heritage Site within the park. The park lies on the traditiona ...

and the associated Lawn Hill Resources Reserves.

History

Waanyi The Waanyi people, also spelt Wanyi, Wanji, or Waanji, are an Aboriginal Australian people from south of the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Language The Waanyi language, although earlier thought to be extinct, wa ...

'' (also known as ''Wanyi'', ''Wanyee'', ''Wanee'', ''Waangyee'', ''Wonyee'', ''Garawa'', and ''Wanji)'' is an Australian Aboriginal language of the Gulf Country. The language region includes the western parts of Lawn Hill Creek and Nicholson River, from about the boundary between the

and Queensland, westwards towards Alexandria station, Doomadgee, and Nicholson River. It includes the local government area of the

Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee The Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee is a special local government area in North West Queensland, Queensland, Australia. It is managed under a Deed of Grant in Trust under the ''Local Government (Community Government Areas) Act 2004''. Geography ...

. ''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 ...

. The Yulluna language region includes the local government boundaries of the

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 shire is Cloncurry. Prior to ...

and other areas near 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 ...

. Smiths Range was named by explorer

William Landsborough William Landsborough (21 February 1825 – 16 March 1886) was an explorer of Australia and notably he was the first explorer to complete a North-to-South crossing of Australia. He was a member of the Queensland Legislative Council. Early ...

on 28 November 1861 during his expedition searching for

Burke and Wills The Burke and Wills expedition was organised by the Royal Society of Victoria in Australia in 1860–61. It consisted of 19 men led by Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills, with the objective of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the ...

. The locality is named after the

, which was previously known as the Lawn Hill National Park, which was in turn named after

Lawn Hill Station Boodjamulla National Park, formerly known as Lawn Hill National Park, is a national park in the Shire of Burke, Queensland, Australia. The Riversleigh World Heritage Area is a World Heritage Site within the park. The park lies on the traditiona ...

, a pastoral property. Lawn Hill Gorge was previously part of Lawn Hill pastoral station. Lawn Hill National Park was established to protect the gorge in December 1984. The national park was expanded in March 1992 to include

Riversleigh World Heritage Area Riversleigh World Heritage Area is Australia's most famous fossil location, recognised for the series of well preserved fossils deposited from the Late Oligocene to more recent geological periods. The fossiliferous limestone system is located ne ...

(formerly part of Riversleigh pastoral station). In the , Lawn Hill and surrounding localities recorded a population of 381. In the , Lawn Hill had a population of 19 people.

Economy

There are a number of homesteads in the locality, including: * Adels Grove () * Lawn Hill () * Old Herbert Vale () * Riversleigh ()

Amenities

Regular services by the

Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Union ...

are held at the campfire at Adels Grove. These are provided by the McKay Patrol, an aerial service of the

that operates out of

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 ...

. 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

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

Attractions

Boodjamulla National Park is a popular attraction with spectacular gorges, sandstone ranges and fossils. Lawn Hill Creek has created Lawn Hill Gorge which is filled with freshwater from springs from the limestone plateau to the west. The gorge is an oasis of water and lush vegetation which attracts the wildlife and is surrounded by sandstone cliffs. The

is within the south-east of the national park. It contains fossils from the late

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

period, dating back 25 million years. Its world heritage listing reflects that it is one of the most significant fossil deposits in the world, particularly for mammal fossils from

Gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final stages ...

prior to its separation from other land masses. Fossils found there include crocodiles, lizards, turtles, pythons, fish, snails, and birds. Indarri Falls Lookout is at .

References