Cloncurry Shire
Located in Mitakoodi, Kalkadoon, Wanamarra, Yulluna, and Pitta Pitta country in northwest Queensland, the Shire of Cloncurry covers an area of 47,971 square kilometres and has existed as a local government entity since 1884. Its principal town and administrative centre is Cloncurry.
Robert O'Hara Burke and William Wills were the first Europeans to pass through the area. On New Year's Day, 1861, Burke named the Cloncurry River after his cousin. Six years later, Ernest Henry arrived in the area looking for grazing land, found copper and is considered the founder of the town, which was named after the river in 1876.
Cloncurry's subsequent claims to fame include its pivotal role in the early days of Qantas and the Royal Flying Doctor Service, both of which were established in the town. These significant contributions have left a lasting legacy and continue to inspire the community.
In November 1879, the Doonmunya Division (encompassing the lands around the southern part of the Gulf of Carpentaria was one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act with a population of 396. The division's size and sparse population made it difficult to administer, and a new Carpentaria Division based on Normanton replaced it in January 1883.
Given the distance to the new Division's headquarters in Normanton, Cloncurry residents agitated for their own local division. In February 1884, part of the Carpentaria Division became the new Cloncurry Division. Adjustments to the division's boundaries ensued when the Burke Division was carved from the Carpentaria Division at the end of January 1885. The Cloncurry Division became the Shire of Cloncurry in March 1903.
Mining has played a significant role in the Shire's economy, fostering its growth and development. The region is home to a number of operating mines, and some abandoned mines have been reassessed recently with a view to possible reopenings.
The Shire of Cloncurry includes the following settlements:
Cloncurry
Dajarra
Dobbyn
Duchess
Four Ways
Kajabbi
Kuridala
Malbon
Mary Kathleen
Mount Cuthbert
Selwyn
The Monument
Three Rivers
Sources:
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shire_of_Cloncurry
