Central West Queensland | |
|---|---|
 Regions of Queensland | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Queensland |
| LGA | |
| Government | |
| • State electorate | |
| • Federal division | |
| Area | |
• Total | 396,650.2 km2 (153,147.5 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 12,387 (2010)[1] |
| • Density | 0.0312290/km2 (0.080883/sq mi) |
Central West Queensland (abbreviatedCWQ[2][3]) is a remote region in the Australian state ofQueensland which covers 396,650.2 km2.[1] The region lies to the north ofSouth West Queensland and south of theGulf Country. It has a population of approximately 12,387 people. As of 2018, it is one of 16 Aged Care Planning Regions (ACPR) in Queensland.[4]
The first exploration by Europeans was by MajorThomas Mitchell who passed through the area in 1846. Mitchell was near Isisford on the Barcoo River when his party was lacking supplies and threatened by Aboriginals. He then decided to return to Sydney, completing a successful expedition which had explored a large area of unknown country.[5]
The eastern extent of theSimpson Desert lies within the region.Haddon Corner andPoeppel Corner on the Queensland border are also located here. Bioregions in the area include theChannel Country.
Part of theCooper Basin is located in the region. The basin contains the most significant on-shore petroleum and natural gas deposits in Australia.[6]
At the federal level the region partly falls in theDivision of Maranoa and theDivision of Kennedy.Local government areas included in the region areShire of Barcoo,Shire of Diamantina,Shire of Boulia,Shire of Winton,Longreach Region,Blackall-Tambo Region andBarcaldine Region.
The Diamantina River's hook-shaped upper reaches have drawn scientific attention. In March 2015,Geoscience Australia reported that the river's course at and near its headwaters flows along the edge of a roughly circularcrustal anomaly that might well be animpact structure. It is 130 km in diameter and lies some 60 km west ofWinton;Middleton andDagworth Station lie right in it. Theasteroid impact, if indeed this is the explanation for the anomaly, would have happened roughly 300 million years ago.[7]
Major towns of Central West Queensland includeLongreach,Winton,Blackall andBarcaldine. Barcaldine was the location for the1891 Australian shearers' strike, one of Australia's earliest and most important industrial disputes. TheAustralian Stockman's Hall of Fame is a museum located in Longreach which pays tribute to pioneers of the Australianoutback. The building was completed in 1987 and opened by QueenElizabeth II on 29 April 1988.[8]
Smaller towns in the region includeBedourie,Birdsville,Boulia,Urandangi,Ilfracombe,Isisford,Yaraka,Jundah,Stonehenge,Windorah,Alpha,Aramac,Jericho,Tambo andMuttaburra.
The ghost town ofBetoota has been designated as Australia's smallest town.[9] Other ghost towns in the region includeScarrbury andCollingwood, both of which have vanished without a trace. There is also thedepopulated town ofMiddleton, with only a handful of inhabitants.
Waterways coursing through Central West Queensland include theBarcoo River,Georgina River,Diamantina River,Thomson River,Burke River,Hamilton River andCooper Creek.
A number of national parks have been declared in the region, includingSimpson Desert National Park,Cudmore National Park,Diamantina National Park,Astrebla Downs National Park,Welford National Park,Goneaway National Park,Lochern National Park andBladensburg National Park.
Major roads in the region include theCapricorn Highway and theLandsborough Highway. In the north of the region, theKennedy Highway leads from Boulia toCairns on the eastern coast of Australia. The Central railway line reached Longreach in 1892. Today, theSpirit of the Outback is a long-distance passenger rail service operating fromBrisbane to Longreach. The region is serviced by six airports, includingLongreach Airport,Winton Airport,Windorah Airport,Barcaldine Airport,Aramac Airport andBlackall Airport.
Through a series of powerfultransmitters and less powerfulrepeater stations located throughout the vast region, Central West Queensland is serviced by thelocal ABC radio stationABC Western Queensland along with commercial stations4LG andWest FM, both owned byResonate Broadcasting.
The Central West's local newspaper isThe Longreach Leader, published weekly.
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