Mitchell, Queensland
Mitchell Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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 Looking downstream on the Maranoa River on the eastern side of Mitchell | |||||||||||||||
  Mitchell | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 26°28′59″S 147°57′58″E / 26.48306°S 147.96611°E / -26.48306; 147.96611Coordinates: 26°28′59″S 147°57′58″E / 26.48306°S 147.96611°E / -26.48306; 147.96611 | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 1,311 (2011 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1864 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4465 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 336.3 m (1,103 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Maranoa Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Warrego | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Maranoa | ||||||||||||||
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Warrego Highway crossing the Maranoa.
Mitchell is a town and locality in the Western Downs district of Maranoa Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] The town services the local area, a cattle and sheep farming district. In the 2011 census, Mitchell had a population of 1,311 people.[1]
Contents
1 Geography
2 History
3 Facilities
4 Heritage listings
5 Climate
5.1 Floods
6 Great Artesian Spa
7 Notable people
8 Water supply
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
Geography
Mitchell is on the Warrego Highway, 587 kilometres (365 mi) west of Brisbane and 176 kilometres (109 mi) east of Charleville.[4] The Warrego Highway passes through town to form the main street, Cambridge Street. The Maranoa River flows around the northern and eastern sides of the town before eventually flowing into the Balonne River.[5]
History
Before the arrival of Europeans, the Maranoa region was occupied by the Mandandanji and Gunggari Aboriginal peoples. Based on archaeological excavations in the Mount Moffatt area, it has been deduced that the Aboriginals had lived there for around 19,500 years. Descendants of the original peoples still live in and visit the area today.
The town is named after Sir Thomas Mitchell explorer and Surveyor General of New South Wales, who explored the area in 1846.[2] In 1854, Edmund Morey established the property of Mitchell Downs. When the original homestead was largely destroyed by a flood in 1864, Thomas Close acquired the building's ruins established the Maranoa Hotel. On 1 January 1865, Mitchell Downs Post Office opened and around 1878 was renamed Mitchell Post Office.[6]
In 1902, after a short stand-off, bushrangers Patrick and James Kenniff were captured south of Mitchell at a location now known as arrest creek. Patrick was hanged in 1903 for the murder of Constable George Doyle and Albert Dahlke, while James was released after 12 years imprisonment and died peacefully in 1940.[7]
At the 2006 census, Mitchell had a population of 944.[8]
Mitchell was once the administrative centre of the Shire of Booringa local government area. Since 2008, the town is now part of the Maranoa Region.
Facilities
Mitchell has a public library,[9] heritage museum and the Maranoa art gallery. The Library is located at Cambridge Street and offers public wifi[9]. There are many heritage listed buildings and The Great Artesian spa.[10]
Mitchell State School opened on 1 April 1876[11] and is now a Prep to Year 10 school educating students from Mitchell, Mungallala, Amby and surrounding properties.[12]
Heritage listings
Mitchell has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Cambridge Street: Mitchell War Memorial[13]
- 105 Cambridge Street: Mitchell State School (1914 Building)[14]
- Oxford Street (passenger station), Alice Street (goods shed) and Sheffield Street (station master's): Mitchell railway station[15]
Railway station
Climate
Mitchell has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and cold winters by Queensland standards. On 15 August 1979 Mitchell recorded a minimum temperature of −9.4 °C (15.1 °F), which is the 3rd coldest temperature ever recorded in the state.[16] The town gets an average of 157.5 clear days annually.[17]
| Climate data for Mitchell | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 46.8 (116.2) | 43.0 (109.4) | 42.1 (107.8) | 36.5 (97.7) | 33.0 (91.4) | 30.2 (86.4) | 29.2 (84.6) | 36.2 (97.2) | 39.3 (102.7) | 40.8 (105.4) | 42.7 (108.9) | 46.2 (115.2) | 46.8 (116.2) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 34.1 (93.4) | 32.9 (91.2) | 31.1 (88) | 27.5 (81.5) | 23.2 (73.8) | 19.7 (67.5) | 19.4 (66.9) | 21.8 (71.2) | 25.8 (78.4) | 29.4 (84.9) | 32.0 (89.6) | 33.7 (92.7) | 27.5 (81.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 20.0 (68) | 19.5 (67.1) | 16.8 (62.2) | 11.5 (52.7) | 7.1 (44.8) | 4.3 (39.7) | 2.8 (37) | 3.9 (39) | 7.5 (45.5) | 12.3 (54.1) | 16.1 (61) | 18.5 (65.3) | 11.7 (53.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 10.1 (50.2) | 8.8 (47.8) | 4.0 (39.2) | −0.9 (30.4) | −6.4 (20.5) | −6.2 (20.8) | −6.1 (21) | −9.4 (15.1) | −3.2 (26.2) | −1.4 (29.5) | 3.6 (38.5) | 7.5 (45.5) | −9.4 (15.1) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 81.9 (3.22) | 72.5 (2.85) | 61.3 (2.41) | 33.8 (1.33) | 32.4 (1.28) | 34.4 (1.35) | 33.1 (1.3) | 23.5 (0.93) | 26.4 (1.04) | 42.5 (1.67) | 58.2 (2.29) | 71.9 (2.83) | 571.9 (22.5) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2mm) | 7.4 | 6.1 | 5.5 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 6.3 | 7.3 | 60.8 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 35 | 38 | 36 | 36 | 39 | 41 | 37 | 31 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 34 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology[17] | |||||||||||||
Floods
In the March 2010 floods, the Maranoa River reached a peak of 13.4 m in the town causing an inundation of 25 houses.[18]
The town experienced the worst flooding ever in 2012 when a monsoon trough hovered over central and southern Queensland.
Great Artesian Spa
The Great Artesian Spa was opened in 1998 and is situated in the town's aquatic centre.
There are two pools of artesian water, one heated and the other designed for those who prefer a cooler experience. Both spa pools have been designed with disabled access in mind and facilities include a chairlift to allow easy access for physically disabled people.[19]
The water used in the spa pools is renewed regularly and comes from the Great Artesian Basin, which is one of the largest artesian basins in the world, which underlies around one-fifth of Australia.[20] It covers a total area of more than 1,711,000 square kilometres, and has been relied upon for the town water supply since 1927.[21][22]
Notable people
The 15th Prime Minister of Australia, Francis Forde was born in Mitchell. He is Australia's shortest serving Prime Minister, with a term lasting just eight days. He was also Australia's longest living Prime Minister, until Gough Whitlam took that mantle.[23]
Daniel Casey, often referred to as Dan Casey, was a lawyer born in Mitchell QLD in 1899. He died in 1987 at the age of 88.[24]
Douglas Young, referred to as Dougie was an Aboriginal singer and songwriter that was born on August 30, 1933.
Water supply
The water supply for the town comes from three bores. The depth of the bores is about 1,000 metres. The water is pumped into a large concrete water tower on the western side of the town. The water is hot when it emerges from the ground, and in the tank it is about 50 °C. Houses close to the tank, have free hot water. In fact it is necessary to cool the water before it can be used.
See also
- Augathella
- Morven
- Neil Turner Weir
References
^ ab Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Mitchell (SSC)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 4 September 2016..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ ab "Mitchell - town (entry 22362)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
^ "Mitchell - locality (entry 47435)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
^ Queensland holidays Archived 7 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine. – places to visit – outback – Queensland holidays. Retrieved 1 March 2009
^ Queensland natural resources and water Archived 25 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine. – "Maranoa river at Mitchell". Retrieved 1 March 2009
^ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
^ The Kenniff centenary moot. Mitchell, Queensland. 22 June 2002.
^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Mitchell (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
^ ab "Mitchell Library". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
^ "Great Artesian Spa - Attraction - Queensland". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland schools". education.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
^ "Welcome to Mitchell State School". Mitchell State School. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
^ "Mitchell War Memorial (entry 600038)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
^ "Mitchell State School (1914 Building) (entry 601076)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
^ "Mitchell Railway Station (entry 601077)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
^
"Queensland Temperature Extremes" (PDF). Bureau of Meteorology. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
^ ab "Mitchell Post Office". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. February 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
^ "Queensland town braces for worst flood". news.com.au. News Limited. 4 February 2012. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
^ visit Mitchell Archived 24 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine. – relaxation – Great artesian spa. retrieved 1 March 2009.
^ "The Great Artesian Basin" (PDF). QLD Department of Environment and Resource Management. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
^ Queensland natural resources and water Archived 29 March 2012 at WebCite – The great artesian basin. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
^ Region[permanent dead link] – Booringa online – "Mitchell". Retrieved 1 March 2009.
^ Scaramouche. "Prime Minister – Francis Michael Forde". Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
^ "Australian Dictionary of Biography". adb.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
[permanent dead link]
External links
- University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Mitchell
Mitchell Queensland – website of the Booringa Action Group
