Camooweal
| Camooweal Queensland | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Camooweal | |||||||
| Coordinates | 19°55′S 138°07′E / 19.917°S 138.117°ECoordinates: 19°55′S 138°07′E / 19.917°S 138.117°E | ||||||
| Population | 187 (2011 census)[1] | ||||||
| Established | 1884 | ||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4828 | ||||||
| Elevation | 231.2 m (759 ft) | ||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | City of Mount Isa | ||||||
| State electorate(s) | Mount Isa | ||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Kennedy | ||||||
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Camooweal is a small town in north-western Queensland, Australia, located 169 kilometres (105 mi) north-west of the city of Mount Isa and 12 km (7.5 mi) east of the Northern Territory border. Local government is provided by the Mount Isa City Council. The town lies on the Barkly Highway, and is adjacent to the Georgina River. At the 2011 census, Camooweal had a population of 187.[1]
History
The area was originally inhabited by the Indjilandji Indigenous Australians.[2][3] The town is said to take its name from surveyor Mr GT Weale, who was apparently the first person to bring camels into the area,[4] although this has been questioned.[5]
William Landsborough in 1861 named the Barkly Tablelands after the Governor of Victoria, His Excellency, Sir Henry Barkly. The first settler to the area was John Sutherland, who took up the Rocklands lease in 1865. Stock losses to the local dingos and wedge-tailed eagles; lack of water and isolation soon forced him to abandon his lease. The Englishmen Benjamin Crosthwaite and William Tetley, who were marginally more successful, took up the lease again in 1876.
The initial town was gazetted in 1884 to be built on a 4-square-mile (10 km2) plot by Lake Francis. A year later the present site was re-gazetted and Camooweal Post Office opened on 27 April 1885.[6] Other milestones for the town were the addition of a police station in 1886, opening of a provisional school in 1893, drilling of the town bore in 1897 and the arrival of electricity in 1952.
The road through Camooweal to the Northern Territory was the inland defence route for World War II. This road was built by army engineers and carried over 1000 vehicles a day and there are numerous historical sites marked along the road.
Heritage listings
Camooweal has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Barkly Highway: Community Hall, Camooweal[7]
- Barkly Highway: Tree of Knowledge, Camooweal[8]
- Barkly Street: Freckleton's Stores[9]
Today
The population of Camooweal is less than a few hundred people. Along the main road (the Barkly Highway) there are several caravan stops or van parks which will take mobile homes and tents. There is an airstrip that is used by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to bring medical services to the town.
Australian country musician Slim Dusty (official discography) wrote a song entitled simply 'Camooweal' which features this town.
Notes and references
- 1 2 "2011 Census QuickStats: Camooweal (State Suburb)". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012 (Census data collected 9 August 2011). Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ Roberts, Tony Frontier Justice: A history of the Gulf Country to 1900, UQP, 2005, p 3, ISBN 978-0-7022-3361-6
- ↑ http://www.nntt.gov.au/News-and-Communications/Newsletters/State-E-Newsletters-Archive/Documents/State%20e-newsletter%20TNT%20Qld%20March%202003.pdf
- ↑ http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/federation/stories/s402975.htm
- ↑ http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23266174
- ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ↑ "Community Hall, Camooweal (entry 600740)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ↑ "Tree of Knowledge (entry 600738)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ↑ "Freckleton's Stores (entry 600739)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
External links
Media related to Camooweal, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons