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| Comet Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Grazing land west of the town of Comet, 2013 | |||||||||||||||
  Comet | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 23°36′15″S148°32′53″E / 23.6041°S 148.5480°E /-23.6041; 148.5480 (Comet (town centre)) | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 360 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.2049/km2 (0.531/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4702 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 1,756.8 km2 (678.3 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Central Highlands Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Gregory | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Flynn | ||||||||||||||
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Comet is a historically-rich rural town andlocality in theCentral Highlands Region,Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the2021 census, the locality of Comet had a population of 360 people.[1]
Comet is the oldest town in theEmerald area, established at theconfluence of theComet River with theNogoa River.[4]
The town is located on theCapricorn Highway, 859 kilometres (534 mi) north west of the state capital,Brisbane.
TheCentral Western railway line enters the locality from the east (Blackwater /Stewarton), passes through the town, and exits to the west (Emerald).[5] No passenger services stop at the local stations, which, with the exception of that at Yamala, whose use is being expanded as the CQ Inland Port, are all disused:
Ensham railway station (23°27′59″S148°31′42″E / 23.4664°S 148.5282°E /-23.4664; 148.5282 (Ensham railway station)) is in the north of the locality on theBlackwater railway system. It provides rail services to the Ensham coal mines operated by Idemitsu Australia.[6][5]
The locality has a number of neighbourhoods (from north to south):
Mount Crocker is a mountain (23°35′17″S148°38′21″E / 23.5880°S 148.6391°E /-23.5880; 148.6391 (Mount Crocker)) in the east of the locality, rising to 248 metres (814 ft) above sea level.[10][11]
The area around Comet supports cotton and grain production as well as cattle, both grazing and in feedlots.[4]
Originally called Cometville, the town takes its name from the Comet River, named by explorerLudwig Leichhardt, who made observations of Comet Wilmot (C/1844 Y2) in the area on 29 December 1844.[12][13]
Comet Post Office opened on 5 September 1877.[14]
Cometville State School opened on 23 October 1877. In 1912, it was renamed Comet State School in 1912.[15]
On 19 March 1931, the town's name was changed from Cometville to Comet.[2]
In the2006 census, the locality of Comet had a population of 233 people.[16]
In the2016 census, the locality of Comet had a population of 498 people.[17]
In the2021 census, the locality of Comet had a population of 360 people.[1]
Comet State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls off the Capricorn Highway (23°36′22″S148°32′42″E / 23.6061°S 148.5451°E /-23.6061; 148.5451 (Comet State School)).[18] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 28 students with 5 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).[19] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 25 students with 5 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).[20]
There are no secondary schools in Comet. The closest government secondary school is Emerald State High School in neighbouringEmerald, situated 41 kilometres (25 miles) west of Comet.[5]
Comet is home to the Leichhardt Tree, a "dig tree" established byLudwig Leichhardt to indicate to others where he had buried food and journals.[21]
There is a walking trail through the town visiting points of historic interest.[22]
