Isisford, Queensland

Isisford
Queensland

Main street of Isisford
Isisford
Coordinates 24°16′S 144°26′E / 24.267°S 144.433°ECoordinates: 24°16′S 144°26′E / 24.267°S 144.433°E
Population 262 (2011 census)[1]
Established 1878
Postcode(s) 4731
Elevation 202 m (663 ft)[2]
Location
LGA(s) Longreach Region
State electorate(s) Gregory
Federal Division(s) Flynn
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
30.8 °C
87 °F		 15.5 °C
60 °F		 449.8 mm
17.7 in

Isisford is a small town located in Central West Queensland, Australia. It is located on the Barcoo River, and is approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi) south east of the town of Longreach. At the 2011 census, Isisford and the surrounding area had a population of 262.[1] This figure has never surpassed 300.[3]

Small sections of both Idalia National Park and Welford National Park are located within the boundary of the town.

History

The first European in the area was the explorer Thomas Mitchell, who travelled through the area in 1846. Settlers followed and established a township in the 1870s.[3] In the late 1870s, the town was named after a nearby ford on the Barcoo, and because the Isis Downs property was in proximity to it.

In 1878, the town was surveyed. A post office and telegraph line were operating by 1881.[3] Isis Downs Post Office opened on 1 June 1868, was replaced by the Wittown office in 1876 which was renamed Isisford in 1878.[4] In the following years the town progressed with the growth of the pastoral industry.[3]

In September 1956, a deliberately lit fire at the Isisford Hotel resulted in the deaths of a mother and her child.[5]

In the mid-1990s, the first fossils of Isisfordia, an extinct genus of crocodile-like animals, was discovered in a dry creek close to the town.[6] The discovery was made by the town's former Deputy Mayor, Ian Duncan, after which the new species was named.[7]

Facilities

Isisford has a public library, swimming pool and visitor information centre

Heritage listings

Isisford has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Isisford (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  2. ↑ Bureau of Meteorology Retrieved on 2008-05-04
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) (2002). Heritage Trails of the Queensland Outback. State of Queensland. pp. 159–160. ISBN 0-7345-1040-3.
  4. ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  5. ↑ McKay, Mark (1999). On Tap: A Cavalcade of Trivia and Tall Stories Celebrating 200 Years of the Australian Pub. Wakefield Press. p. 87. ISBN 1862544735. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  6. ↑ "Ancestor of all modern crocodilians discovered in outback Queensland". The University of Queensland. 14 June 2006. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "Missing link crocodile found down under". Science Buzz. Science Museum of Minnesota. 18 June 2006. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  8. ↑ "Isis Downs Woolshed Complex (entry 15835)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 2013-07-10.

External links

Media related to Isisford, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

Four boys riding goats, Isisford, ca. 1918.