|
| Looking back towards
Cloncurry from the area near the Great Australian
Mine |
Cloncurry (including Duchess)
Quiet outback township with a number of interesting and
unusual attractions.
Located 766 km west of Townsville and 189 m above sea-level,
Cloncurry owes its existence to the discovery of copper and
its subsequent status as the most important transportation
centre in Western Queensland. Indeed the first copper in
Western Queensland was discovered here. The first regular
Qantas flight landed at Cloncurry and John Flynn established
his first Flying Doctor Base in the town.
In spite of these important historical milestones
Cloncurry's development has been stunted due to its
proximity to West Queensland's largest centre, Mount Isa.
Its continuing existence derives from its location at the
junction of the major roads from Townsville, the Gulf,
Winton, Longreach, and Mount Isa.
The first Europeans in the area were Burke and Wills who
passed through the rugged country between present-day
Cloncurry and Mount Isa on their way to the Gulf of
Carpentaria. A monument at the side of the Flinders Highway
between the two towns records that they were in the area on
22 January 1861. Burke named a nearby river after his
cousin, Lady Elizabeth Cloncurry and this was extended to
the town when it was surveyed and gazetted in 1876.
The search for Burke and Wills brought the explorer John
McKinlay to the area. He noted traces of copper but it was
the pastoralist and prospector Ernest Henry who, in 1867,
discovered the rich deposits of copper upon which the
settlement of the area was based.
Ernest Henry was a hugely important figure in the early
history of Queensland. At the age of 23 he accompanied
George Dalrymple on his exploration of the Burdekin River
area. He subsequently owned property on the Upper Dawson
River and later he established the station which he called
Hughenden, after his mother's birthplace in England.
Henry is Cloncurry's founding father. Not only did he
find the first copper in the area but he also established
the Great Australian Mine, which operated continuously until
the 1920s when the bottom fell out of the copper market,
ending over 50 years of growth for the town.
By 1879 a hospital had been built. In the 1880s a school
was erected and the local newspaper, the Cloncurry Advocate,
was established. A further substantial copper deposit was
discovered in 1883. The success of the mining operations was
accompanied by the development of the area as a major
pastoral region.
The railway from Townsville arrived in 1908 making the
town a vital transportion centre for the pastoral interests
which lay to the west and the north.
Cloncurry has much to appeal to the visitor, including a
number of interesting museums and some important relics of
the early copper-mining days.
Things to see:
The Great Australian Mine
It is still possible to visit the site of the mine. It is
located to the south of town across the railway line from
Schaeffe Street. Beyond the railway line the road diverges
into a myriad of tracks and it is wise to seek clear
instructions. Most people have two or three attempts before
they find the site.
John Flynn Place
Perhaps Cloncurry's most important museum is that dedicated
to Rev. John Flynn (Flynn of the Inland). It was at
Cloncurry that the Royal Flying Doctor Service was
established in 1928. Flynn's choice of Cloncurry was based
on its proximity to the mining camps and scattered
pastoralists, all of whom were poorly served by any kind of
medical services.
John Flynn Place, a Bicentennial Project, is an excellent
overview of the Flynn legacy. It moves progressively from an
image of outback conditions at the turn of the century to
the history of Flynn himself. The display includes some
interesting personal memorabilia and explanations of how the
whole Flying Doctor system worked in the early days. There
is something enormously appealing about Flynn's story. It is
the triumph of an unceasing commitment against huge odds.
The result of his labours is still in evidence today when,
even with modern technology, the Royal Flying Doctor Service
is still in operation due to the isolation of the outback
areas of Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia and
the Northern Territory. It is even said of the small opal
mining community of Yowah in south-west Queensland that they
don't want a telephone connection because they feel that it
might jeopardise their access to the Flying Doctor.
Flynn's vision is neatly summed up on the Flynn Memorial
which stands over 600 km to the west (at the Three Ways near
Tennant Creek). The dedication observes: 'Flynn saw that
only radio and fast efficient transport would really
overcome the inland's vast distances. At a time when his
ideas seemed wild and revolutionary, he developed a scheme
which combined aircraft, radios and medicine to provide a
mantle of safety for inland people. The establishment of the
Royal Flying Doctor Service was mainly due to his vision and
energy. The first Flying Doctor base was established in 1928
at Cloncurry. Today there are 20 such bases serving some
2200 radio and outstations scattered over some 70 per cent
of Australia's land area.'
The museum is open from 8.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. on
weekdays, year round. From May to the end of September it is
also open weekends from 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m., tel: (07)
4727 7500.
|
| An old steam engine at
the Mary Kathleen Park and Museum
|
The Mary Kathleen Memorial Park and Museum
Entering Cloncurry from the east, the first place to catch
the eye is The Mary Kathleen Memorial Museum and Park. When
the uranium mining town of Mary Kathleen (q.v.) folded and
its contents auctioned off, the museum obtained a number of
buildings and some important relics from the site. The sign,
which once stood on the road into the town, is prominantly
displayed. It proclaims: 'Welcome to Mary Kathleen. This
town was built by MK Uranium Ltd for the mining of the
uranium deposit discovered by Walton McConickie Prospectors
syndicate to produce uranium oxide. The town mine treatment
plant and Lake Corella were completed between April 1956 and
May 1958 and the project is under the management of CRA
Ltd.'
The museum also houses an excellent collection of rocks
from the area. Its prize possession is Robert O'Hara Burke's
waterbottle. Located in McIlwraith St, it is open from 8.00
a.m. to 4.30 p.m. on weekdays, year round. From May to the
end of September it is also open weekends from 9.00 a.m. to
3.00 p.m., tel: (07) 4742 1361.
Historic Sites
The town's post office (1885), courthouse (1898) and Chinese
and Afghan cemeteries are all of interest. The so-called
Afghan Cemetery, on the fringes of the town's old cemetery,
contains only one marked grave (with the headstone pointing
towards Mecca) and a number of unmarked graves which are
indicated by numbers.
Duchess
132 km to the south of the town is the small mining
community of Duchess. Copper was discovered here in the late
1890s but it wasn't mined until 1904 when it became the
richest mine in the area producing considerably more copper
than Cloncurry's Great Australian Mine. The town eventually
went into decline. However, it was revitalised when
phosphate was discovered to the south in the 1960s. Today it
is nothing more than a very isolated mining town.
Australian Businesses for sale
Caravan Parks for sale
Motels for sale
Hotels for sale
Broadwalk Business Brokers
Businesses for Sale in Cloncurry: Buy or Sell Hotels, Motels,
Caravan Parks, Bed & Breakfast, Pubs, Wine Bars,
Restaurants, Cafe, English Tea Rooms, Coffee Shops, Deli,
Catering Business, Pubs, Bars, Sandwich Bars, Pizza
Delivery, Bakeries, Hot Food Take-away, Fish & Chips, Petrol
& Service Stations, Australian Businesses for sale, Car
Sales, Motor & Transport, Car/Van Hires, Newsagents, Dry
Cleaners, Salons, General Stores, Retail Stores, Post
Office, Printers, Convenience Stores, Clothes shop, Hair
Dressers, Beauty Salon, Fruit Markets, Butchers, Florist,
Card & Gift shop, Sports shop, Book Shops, Care Agency,
Pharmacy, Tool-Hardware & DIY shops, Pet Shops, Auto
Mechanical, Auto Parts & Accessories, Bakery Businesses for
sale , Motel sales, caravan park sales, Hotel sales,
Business sales, Bar for sale, Juice Bar for sale, Beauty
Salon for sale, Bike and Motorcycle Businesses for sale
, Australian Businesses for sale, Blinds and Shutters
Businesses for sale , Boat Business for sale , Book Shop ,
Bread Run, Building and Construction , Butcher Shop, Café
Business for sale, Car Dealerships for sale, Car Rental
Business for sale , Car Yard, Cleaning Business for sale,
Computer Business for sale, Childcare Centre for sale,
Confectionary Business for sale, Convenience Store for
sale, Deli Businesses for sale , Distribution Businesses for
sale , Earth Moving Businesses for sale , Businesses for
sale , Engineering Businesses for sale , Export/Import
Businesses for sale , Fitness Centres for sale, Florist for
sale, Franchise Businesses for sale , Fruit and Veg
Shop for sale, Function Centre for sale, Funeral Parlour for
sale, Furniture Businesses for sale , Garden Equipment
Businesses for sale , General Store s for sale, Gift Shop
for sale, Hairdressing salons for sale , Hardware Businesses
for sale , Hire Businesses for sale , Businesses for sale,
Motels for sale, Caravan Parks for sale, hotels for sale,
Ice Cream Businesses for sale , Juice Bar for sale,
Laundrette ' s for sale, Lawn Mowing Businesses for sale ,
Magazine Businesses for sale , Manufacturing
Businesses for sale , Marine Businesses for sale ,
Menswear Businesses for sale , Milk Run 's for sale, Mixed
Businesses for sale , Mobile Businesses for sale ,
News agency Businesses for sale , Pawnbroker Businesses for
sale , Preschool for sale, Pest Control
Businesses for sale ,Business for sale Pet Shop, Plumbing
Businesses for sale , Post Office for sale , Removalist
Businesses for sale, Restaurants for sale, Roadhouses for
sale, Rubbish Removal Businesses for sale , Rural Supplies
Businesses for sale , Sales and Distribution Businesses for
sale , Security Businesses for sale , Service Station for
sale, Shoe Shop for sale, Supermarkets for sale, Takeaway
Businesses for sale , Taxi Businesses for sale ,
Transport Businesses for sale , Vending Machine Businesses
for sale , Wholesale Businesses for sale, Wrecking Yard for
sale in Cloncurry.
Qld Towns
Agnes Water Airlie
Beach Allora
Alpha
Anakie
Aramac
Atherton
Ayr
Australina
businesses for sale
Babinda
Bamaga
Barcaldine
Bargara
Beaudesert Bedarra
Island
Beenleigh
Biggenden
Biloela
Birdsville
Blackall
Blackwater
Blair Athol Boonah
Boulia
Brampton
Island Brooweena
Buderim
Bundaberg
Burleigh
Heads Brisbane
Caboolture
Cairns
Caravan
parks for sale
Calliope
Caloundra
Camooweal
Cape
Tribulation
Capella Cardwell
Cecil
Plains Charleville
Charters
Towers Childers
Chillagoe
Chinchilla
Clermont
Cleveland
Clifton
Cloncurry Collinsville
Condamine
Cooktown
Coolangatta
Cooroy
Crows Nest Croydon
Cunnamulla
Daintree
Dalby
Daydream
Island Doomadgee
Double Island
Duaringa Dunk
Island Edmonton
Eidsvold
Emerald
Emu Park Esk
Eulo
Fitzroy Island Fraser
Island
Gatton Gayndah
Georgetown
Gin Gin
Gladstone Glass
House Mountains Goondiwindi
Gordonvale
Grandchester Great
Keppel Island Green
Island Greenmount
Gympie
Hamilton
Island Hayman
Island Herberton
Heron
Island Hervey
Bay Hinchinbrook
Island
Home Hill Hotels
for sale Howard
Hughenden
Ilfracombe Ingham
Inglewood
Injune
Innisfail
Ipswich
Irvinebank
Isisford
Jandowae
Jericho
Jimbour Jondaryan
Julia Creek Kajabbi
Karumba
Kenilworth Kidston
Kilcoy
Kilkivan
Killarney
Kingaroy
Kuranda
Lady
Elliot Island Laidley
Landsborough
Laura
Leyburn
Lindeman
Island Lizard
Island Logan
City Long
Island
Longreach Mackay
Magnetic
Island Malanda
Maleny
Marburg Mareeba
Marlborough
Maroochydore
Mary
Kathleen Maryborough
McKinlay
Miles
Millaa
Millaa
Millmerran
Mirani Mission
Beach Mitchell
Monto
Moonie
Moranbah
Moreton
Island Mossman
motels
for sale Mount
Garnet Mount
Isa Mount
Molloy Mount
Morgan Mount
Perry Mount
Surprise Moura
Mourilyan Mundubbera
Murgon
Muttaburra Nambour
Nanango Nerang
Noosa Normanton
Oakey
Orpheus Island Palmer
River Pittsworth
Port Douglas
Proserpine Proston
Quilpie
Rainbow
Beach
Ravenshoe
Ravenswood Redcliffe
Richmond Rockhampton
Roma
Rosewood
Sarina
Seventeen
Seventy Shute
Harbour South
Long Island
South Molle Island
Southport
Springsure St
George St
Lawrence Stanthorpe
Stradbroke
Island Surat
Surfers
Paradise Tambo
Tamborine
Mountain Taroom
Texas
Thargomindah
Theodore
Thursday Island Tin
Can Bay Tinaroo
Toowoomba Townsville
Tully
Undara
Wallangarra
Wandoan
Warwick
Weipa
Whitsunday
Winton Wondai
Yandina
Yeppoon Yuleba
Yungaburra
