Burketown, Queensland

Burketown (coord|17|43|S|139|34|E|type:city(2900)_region:AU-QLD) (population 235) is an isolated town located on the Gulf of Carpentaria in far north-western Queensland, Australia.

Burketown is located on the Albert River and Savannah Way in the area known as the Gulf Savannah [Gulf Savannah Development 2007, [http://www.gulf-savannah.com.au/ Gulf Savannah Development] Accessed 31 December 2007.] . Burketown is located 2115 kilometres to the north west of the state capital, Brisbane, with the nearest larger town being Cloncurry, located 410 kilometres to the south.

The area was originally named for the Plains of Promise or 'Province of Albert' after Prince Albert, the Queen's Consort in 1841. [Burketown State School Centenary 1888 - 1988. ISBN 0 7242 2923 X Accessed 30 December 2007.] The town was named in honour of ill-fated explorer Robert O'Hara Burke following the overland expedition in 1861. [Place Names of Queensland: [http://www.nrm.qld.gov.au/property/placenames/detail.php?id=5355 Burketown] Accessed 3 October 2006.] Burketown is the administrative centre of the vast Burke Shire Council. The town is roughly 30 km inland from the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The first European settlers arrived in the region not long after Burke and partner William John Wills' expedition to the Gulf of Carpentaria. By the mid 1860s, several cattle stations - including Gregory Downs, Floraville, and Donors Hill - had been founded inland from the present site of Burketown. The town of Burketown developed around a site on the Albert River where supplies for these stations landed. At first, hopes the town would develop into a major settlement in north-western Queensland were high. Unfortunately, tropical diseases ravaged the population in 1866 and the town was hit by a damaging tropical cyclone in 1887 resulting in the destruction of 98 percent of Burketown. Burketown's population peaked at 265 in 1911. [ [http://www.burkeshirecouncil.com/gulf_history.htm The Gulf of Carpentaria: Discovery and Exploration] Accessed 3 October 2006. ] [Sydney Morning Herald 2004, [http://www.smh.com.au/news/Queensland/Burketown/2005/02/17/1108500202195.html Burketown] Accessed 3 October 2006.]

Burketown is believed to be the basis of 'Willstown' (note the name of Burke's partner, above), the town fictionally developed into a successful and growing community by Jean Paget, a character created by Nevil Shute in his bestselling novel "A Town Like Alice".

In more recent times, Burketown has been known as the Barramundi capital of Australia [Sydney Morning Herald 2004, [http://www.smh.com.au/news/Queensland/Burketown/2005/02/17/1108500202195.html Burketown] Accessed 31 December 2007.] and holds an annual Barramundi Fishing Competition during Easter [Burke Shire Council 2007, [http://www.burkeshirecouncil.com/fishing_competition.htm The Morning Glory Shire] Accessed 31 December 2007.] each year.

Burketown has a school (Prep to Year 7), police station, post office, council office, service station, small general stores/ take aways, caravan park, outpost hospital and a hotel. It is serviced by the Royal Flying Doctor Service from Mount Isa Base. Burketown Airport also services the town.

Climate

climate chart|Burketown
25|34|212
25|34|195
24|34|157
21|33|22
17|31|6
14|28|6
13|28|2
15|30|0
18|32|2
21|34|13
24|36|39
25|36|119
Burketown is characterised by hot, humid and wet summers and warm, dry winters. December is the hottest month, with average maximum temperatures rising to 35.5 degrees Celsius. Rainfall is heaviest during the months of January and February. [Bureau of Meteorology, [http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_029004.shtml Climate Averages: Burketown Post Office] Accessed 3 October 2006.] Flooding, often associated with the passage of a tropical cyclone, often isolates the community for months.

Morning glory cloud

From the months of August to November, a rare meteorological phenomenon known as "Morning Glory" - long, tubular clouds, some up to 1000 km in length - is often observed in the skies above Burketown. [ ABC Australia, August 2003, [http://www.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/august2003/ Soaring the Glory] Accessed 3 October 2006.] .

[http://www.cloudappreciationsociety.org/mg1/ The Cloud Appreciation Society] has an illustrated five-part article on this phenomenon which - at 600 miles in length would cover the full length of Britain but chose this isolated 178 sole settlement in the 'outest' outback to present its unique annual show.

References

External links

* [http://www.burkeshirecouncil.com/ Burke Shire Council]
* [http://www.smh.com.au/news/Queensland/Burketown/2005/02/17/1108500202195.html Sydney Morning Herald: Burketown]
* [http://www.morninggloryaustralia.com/ Morning Glory Cloud Meteorology]
* [http://www.morningglorycloud.com/ Morning Glory Cloud Video]
* [http://www.aerialvideo.com.au/burketown.html Video of Burketown and the Gulf from the air]