Cloncurry, Queensland

Cloncurry Queensland
Sunset at Chinaman Creek Dam, Cloncurry
Cloncurry
Coordinates	20°42′0″S 140°30′0″E / 20.70000°S 140.50000°E / -20.70000; 140.50000Coordinates: 20°42′0″S 140°30′0″E / 20.70000°S 140.50000°E / -20.70000; 140.50000
Population	2,384 (2006 census)[1]
Postcode(s)	4824
Elevation	186 m (610 ft)[2]
Location	1,707 km (1,061 mi) NW of Brisbane 783 km (487 mi) W of Townsville 121 km (75 mi) E of Mount Isa
LGA(s)	Shire of Cloncurry
State electorate(s)	Mount Isa
Federal Division(s)	Kennedy
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 33.1 °C 92 °F 18.7 °C 66 °F 584.5 mm 23 in

Cloncurry is a town situated in the north-west of Queensland, Australia, 770 kilometres west of the city of Townsville via the Flinders Highway. The town lies adjacent to the Cloncurry River. It is the administrative centre of the Cloncurry Shire. At the 2006 census, the town had a population of 2,384.^[1]

Welcome sign

Post Office Hotel

Cattle grazing is the significant industry in the region, and a large sale yards is located in the town. Cloncurry is known as the Friendly Heart of the Great North West.^[3] The population in Cloncurry decreased from 3,898 in 1996 to 2,900 in 2002.^[3]

Cloncurry will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2017.

History

The first Europeans to traverse the area were Burke and Wills on their epic, and ultimately fatal, transcontinental expedition. The Cloncurry River was named by Burke after Lady Elizabeth Cloncurry, his cousin, with the town eventually taking its name from the river.

Ernest Henry discovered copper in the area in 1867,^[4] and the town sprang up to service the Great Australia Mine to the south. Roger Sheaffe established the first pastoral run in the Cloncurry district - "Fort Constantine".^[5] Gold was discovered at Top Camp.^[6] The town was surveyed in 1876.^[7] Cloncurry was proclaimed a town in 1884.

Front page of the Cloncurry Advocate Saturday January 17, 1931

The Cloncurry Advocate was a newspaper published in Cloncurry between 1889 and 1953.^[8]

Queensland's Northern Line railway reached Cloncurry in December 1907^[7] and was officially opened the next year.

In 1914 a fire broke out in the town resulting in the destruction of the Post Office, the hotel, eleven shops, two store-rooms and a cottage. The telegraph office was saved by employees who kept the office damp and protected with wet blankets. One man died in the blaze which cost an estimated £15,000.^[9]

The discovery of uranium at Mary Kathleen brought wealth to the community in the 1950s.^[7] Until the development of Mount Isa in the 1960s, Cloncurry was the administrative centre of the region.^[7]

The first ever flight of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia took place from Cloncurry on 15 May 1928, using a de Havilland DH.50 aircraft hired from the then small airline, Qantas. A Royal Flying Doctor Service museum is situated in the town.

Heritage listings

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

• Via Sheaffe Street: Mount Elliott Company Metallurgical Plant and Mill^[10]
• 42-48 Daintree Street: Cloncurry Courthouse^[11]
• 47 Scarr Street: Cloncurry Post Office^[12]
• about 65 kilometres (40 mi) south of Cloncurry: Kuridala Township, Hampden Smelter and Mining Complex^[13]
• Selwyn, south of Cloncurry: Mount Elliott Mining Complex^[14]

Climate

Cloncurry was widely regarded as holding the record for the highest temperature recorded in Australia at 53.1 °C (127.5 °F) on 16 January 1889. Recent investigations have revealed that this temperature was measured in an improvised screen made from a beer crate and that it equated to 47–49 °C under standard conditions.^[15] The highest temperature ever recorded at Cloncurry's current weather station is 46.9 °C (116.4 °F),^[16] well short of the now widely disputed 1889 temperature of 53.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 584.5 mm (23.0 in), almost all of which falls between the months of December to March

Because of the area's extreme solar conditions, Cloncurry was expected to become Australia's first solar-powered town.^[17] However the planned 10MW Thermal solar plant was scrapped due to light pollution concerns ^[18] and a 2.128MW flat panel photovoltaic solar farm was to be built in its place. However, the Queensland Government withdrew financial support for the solar farm in May, 2012.^[19]

Notable residents

• Writer Alexis Wright grew up in Cloncurry.^[21]
• Association Footballer Kasey Wehrman was born in Cloncurry (16 August 1977). He went on to play domestically and in Scandinavia. His achievements include winning a NSL Championship in 1996-1997 with the Brisbane Strikers and being capped several times with the Australian National Team.
• Politician Bob Katter was born in Cloncurry in 1945.^[22]
• Athlete Robert Crowther was born in Cloncurry (2 August 1987).^[23] He went on to win the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing, China with a jump of 8.00m,^[23] the 2007 World Uni Games in Bangkok with a jump of 8.02m, and was the 2008 Australian long jump champion at the 2008 Australian Athletics Championships held in Brisbane. He represented Australia at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.^[23] He missed out on 2 Olympics due to injury.

Facilities

Cloncurry has a public library, gallery, public swimming pool, showground, racecourse, Flying Doctor museum and a mineral display in the old post office.^[24]

Transport

• See Cloncurry Airport

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cloncurry, Queensland.

• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Cloncurry