Charleville, Queensland

Charleville Queensland
Royal Flying Doctor Service Office
Charleville
Population:	3,278[1]
Postcode:	4470
Coordinates:	26°24′S 146°15′E / 26.4°S 146.25°E / -26.4; 146.25Coordinates: 26°24′S 146°15′E / 26.4°S 146.25°E / -26.4; 146.25
Elevation:	293.5 m (963 ft)
Location:	747 km (464 mi) from Brisbane 516 km (321 mi) from Longreach 268 km (167 mi) from Roma
LGA:	Murweh
State District:	Warrego
Federal Division:	Maranoa
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 28.6 °C 83 °F 13.2 °C 56 °F 498.7 mm 19.6 in

Charleville ( /ˈtʃɑrlɛvɪl/) is a town in south western Queensland, Australia, 758 kilometres by road west of Brisbane (the Queensland capital). It is the largest town and administrative centre of the Murweh Shire, which covers an area of 43,905 square kilometres. Charleville is situated on the banks of the Warrego River, and is the terminus for the Warrego Highway.

History

The first European exploration of the area was conducted by Edmund Kennedy in 1847. A hotel was built in 1865, and a town began to grow to service the region. It was situated near Gowrie's Crossing, a permanent waterhole, now on the outskirts of the modern town. Gowrie Station had been established around the crossing along a natural stock route, for the grazing of sheep and cattle. The town was gazetted in 1868 with very wide streets to enable bullock teams of up to 14 pairs to turn with their wagons.^[2] Members of the Roma based Skinner family established a store in the town in 1872 that became known as the Warrego Stores.^[3]

Cobb and Co, the legendary Australian stagecoach company, established a coach building business in the town in 1886, however, the railway arrived in 1888, beginning the long demise of coach transport in the area.

In 1902 Charleville was the location of an unsuccessful attempt by Clement Lindley Wragge to fire cannons into the clouds in order to break a drought. The cannons used remain on display in Charleville today.

Aerial view of Charleville in 1947

In 1922, Qantas established an airmail service between Charleville and Cloncurry. At the same time, this was Qantas's first regularly scheduled route and the second scheduled air route in Australia.

Charleville was also one of the compulsory stop over/check points during the London to Melbourne MacRobertson Air Race in 1934. The winners of the great race were Tom Campbell Black and C. W. A. Scott. Their triumph was reported in Time Magazine as:

"Scott and Black, keeping up their sensational pace, flashed into Charleville, refueled, sped toward the finish where waiting thousands cheered their progress, reported over loudspeakers. With one motor dead, with only two hours sleep since leaving England, the Britons triumphantly set their scarlet torpedo down in Melbourne at 3:34 p.m. In 71 hr. 1 min. 3 sec. - Just under three days - they had flown halfway around the world."^[4]

Flooding

Proximity to the Warrego River was problematic. In April 1990, major floods hit western Queensland, with Charleville being badly affected. Floodwaters peaked at 8.54 metres, over 1,000 homes were inundated, and almost 3,000 persons evacuated. More recently, the district suffered flooding again in 1997, 2008 and March 2010.^[5][6]

There is a children's book called "The Flood Grungies" it is written by Michelle Sheehan and illustrated by Donna Reynolds. It is about the notorious Charleville floods and features the Cosmos centre, the water tower and other famous landmarks.^{[citation needed]}

Attractions

Charleville has several tourist attractions, including a museum of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, a historical museum,^[7] wildlife sanctuary (including a bilby reserve), and the Cosmos Centre.^[8] It was also enshrined in music by Slim Dusty in his country music song "Charleville."

Transport

Aviation is served by the Charleville Airport. The Westlander rail passenger service links the town to Brisbane.

Charleville would have been the southern end of the stillborn land grant Transcontinental railway to Point Parker on the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Notable people

• Peter Everett, Australian television presenter
• Luke Capewell, Rugby League Player (Gold Coast Titans)
• Daryl Beattie, Australian television motor sports commentator and former professional motorcycle racer

Trivia

• The asteroid 13933 Charleville is named in the town's honour †.

References

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Charleville (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=UCL312200&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 2009-09-13. 
2. ^ Finn, J. T., One Hundred Years 1847-1947 Charleville (Charleville, 1947), p. 32
3. ^ Wagner, Clair, Frontier Town - Charleville 1865-1901 (Bollarong Publications, Brisbane, 1991) p.27
4. ^ Time Magazine, October 29, 1934, Vol.XXIV, No.18
5. ^ "Charleville waits for floods to peak". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2008-01-17. http://news.smh.com.au/charleville-waits-for-floods-to-peak/20080117-1mgz.html. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
6. ^ "Qld flood crisis far from over". ABC News. 3 March 2010. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/02/2834504.htm. Retrieved 3 March 2010. 
7. ^ Charleville Historical Museum
8. ^ Cosmos Centre

External links

• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Charleville
• Murweh Shire Council - Official site
• Weather Information
• About Charleville