Cloncurry, Queensland

Cloncurry is a town situated in north west 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. Cloncurry was proclaimed a town in 1884, and the railway arrived in 1908. Until the advent of Mount Isa, the town was the largest settlement in north west Queensland.

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.

Copper was discovered in the area in 1867, and the town sprang up to service the Great Australia Mine to the south. Cattle grazing is the significant industry in the region, and a large saleyards is located in the town.

The first ever flight of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia took place from Cloncurry on May 15, 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.

Cloncurry was widely regarded as holding the record for the highest temperature recorded in Australia at 127.5 °F (53.1 °C) 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. Because of the area's extreme solar conditions, Cloncurry is expected to become Australia's first solar-powered town once a concentrated solar power plant is constructed.

Population in Cloncurry had decreased from 3,898 in 1996 to 2,900 in 2002 .

Cloncurry is known as the Friendly Heart of the Great North West .

Famous residents

• Writer Alexis Wright grew up in Cloncurry..
• Association Footballer Kasey Wehrman was born in Cloncurry (16 August 1977). He went on to play domestically and in Scandinavia. His achievements include wining a NSL Championship in 1996-1997 with the Brisbane Strikers and being capped several times with the Australian National Team.

See also

• Cloncurry Airport

References