Burke Shire
Located in Ganggalida, Gananggalinda, Garawa and Yanuwa country, the Shire of Burke covers an area of 39,864 square kilometres on the Gulf of Carpentaria's south coast, extending as far west as the Northern Territory border. The Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee lies within Burke Shire's boundaries to the west of Burketown, which is the shire's major town and administrative centre.
The shire and town are named after Robert O'Hara Burke.
The shire, which contains Boodjamulla National Park (formerly called Lawn Hill National Park) and Riversleigh fossil fields, initially fell within the boundaries of the Doonmunya Division, created on 11 November 1879 and subsequently abolished and replaced with a new Carpentaria Division in January 1883. Agitation from the residents of Cloncurry and Burketown saw new divisions carved off Carpentaria in February 1884 and January 1885, respectively. The Burke Division became the Shire of Burke at the end of March 1903.
The Shire of Burke includes the following localities:
Burketown
Gidya
Gregory
Lawn Hill
Nicholson
Escott
Sources:
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shire_of_Burke
