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COMPASS
CLONCURRY CENTRAL
THE MAGIC THAT IS ENCAPSULATED BY
QUEENSLAND’S OUTBACK TOWNS HAS A LOT TO
DO WITH THE RICH PIONEERING HISTORY THAT
FORMS THE BACKBONE OF ITS COMMUNITY AND
CLONCLURRY IN NORTH-WEST QUEENSLAND
IS NO EXCEPTION.
Photo Credit: Vic Bushing, Heritage branch staff WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Cloncurry Post Office in the main street
QHA REVIEW | 54
The “Curry” as locals call it, is located 200m above
sea level, 120km east of Mount Isa, 800km west of
Townsville and 400km south of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
While Cloncurry is steeped in pioneering history, it is
also the birthplace of the Royal Flying Doctor Service
and was one of the destinations for the first Qantas
flight.
Cloncurry’s dedication to spirit and strength has
been passed down through the generations and
this has been celebrated since its founding back
in 1861 through to five years ago when Keep
Queensland Beautiful - Tidy Towns awarded the
town a Queensland’s Friendliest Town Award.
The history of Cloncurry dates back to 1861 when
Burke and Wills together with King and Gray were the
first known Europeans to visit the area on their ill-fated
expedition to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Burke had
named Cloncurry River after his cousin, Lady Elizabeth
Cloncurry of County Galway in Ireland and six years
later in 1867 Ernest Henry arrived in the area searching
for grazing land only to discover copper. Having
founded the town after his discovery of which, he
named his find the Great Australia Mine, the town took
its name from the river and was known as Cloncurry.
Henry and two other pioneers Roger Shea and
Alexander Kennedy formed the beginnings of
Cloncurry’s pastoral industry and between them they
owned many thousands of acres stocking both sheep