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Camooweal
Queensland
Post Office Hotel, Camooweal, 2019.jpg
Post Office Hotel, 2019
Camooweal is located in Queensland
Camooweal
Camooweal
Location in Queensland
Population 208 (2016 census)
 • Density 0.02181/km2 (0.0565/sq mi)
Established 1884
Postcode(s) 4828
Elevation 231.2 m (759 ft)
Area 9,537.0 km2 (3,682.3 sq mi)
Time zone AEST (UTC+10:00)
LGA(s) City of Mount Isa
State electorate(s) Traeger
Federal Division(s) Kennedy
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
32.9 °C
91 °F		 17.7 °C
64 °F		 399.4 mm
15.7 in
Localities around Camooweal:
Northern Territory Lawn Hill Gregory
Northern Territory Camooweal Gunpowder
Northern Territory Barkly Mount Isa (locality)

Camooweal is an outback town and locality in the City of Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia. The locality is on the Queensland border with the Northern Territory. In the 2016 census, the locality of Camooweal had a population of 208 people.

Geography

Camooweal is in north-western Queensland, Australia, located 169 kilometres (105 mi) north-west of the city of Mount Isa and 12 km (7.5 mi) east of the Northern Territory border. The town lies on the Barkly Highway, and is adjacent to the Georgina River.

History

The area was originally inhabited by the Indjilandji Indigenous Australians. The town is said to take its name from surveyor Mr GT Weale, who was apparently the first person to bring camels into the area, although this has been questioned.

William Landsborough in 1861 named the Barkly Tablelands after the Governor of Victoria, His Excellency, Sir Henry Barkly. The first settler to the area was John Sutherland, who took up the Rocklands lease in 1865. Stock losses to the local dingos and wedge-tailed eagles; lack of water and isolation soon forced him to abandon his lease. The Englishmen Benjamin Crosthwaite and William Tetley, who were marginally more successful, took up the lease again in 1876.

The initial town was gazetted in 1884 to be built on a 4-square-mile (10 km2) plot by Lake Francis. A year later the present site was re-gazetted and Camooweal Post Office opened on 27 April 1885. Other milestones for the town were the addition of a police station in 1886, opening of a provisional school in 1893, drilling of the town bore in 1897 and the arrival of electricity in 1952.

On January 2nd, 1931, a Qantas Air Ambulance from the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia flown by E.G. Donaldson rescued a man in Camooweal and delivered him to Brisbane.

The road through Camooweal to the Northern Territory was the inland defence route for World War II. This road was built by army engineers and carried over 1000 vehicles a day and there are numerous historical sites marked along the road.

Heritage listings

Camooweal has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Amenities

Along the main road (the Barkly Highway) there are several caravan stops or van parks which will take mobile homes and tents. There is an airstrip that is used by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to bring medical services to the town.

Australian country musician Slim Dusty recorded a song written by David Kirkpatrick and Alex "Mack" Cormack entitled simply Camooweal which features this town.

Climate

Climate data for Camooweal (Camooweal Township 1891-2016)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 46.0
(114.8)		 45.5
(113.9)		 42.8
(109)		 40.0
(104)		 38.4
(101.1)		 35.6
(96.1)		 35.7
(96.3)		 37.3
(99.1)		 41.0
(105.8)		 44.0
(111.2)		 44.5
(112.1)		 46.6
(115.9)		 46.6
(115.9)
Average high °C (°F) 37.3
(99.1)		 36.3
(97.3)		 35.3
(95.5)		 33.0
(91.4)		 29.0
(84.2)		 26.0
(78.8)		 25.8
(78.4)		 28.4
(83.1)		 32.4
(90.3)		 35.8
(96.4)		 37.6
(99.7)		 38.0
(100.4)		 32.9
(91.2)
Average low °C (°F) 24.3
(75.7)		 23.7
(74.7)		 21.8
(71.2)		 18.0
(64.4)		 13.5
(56.3)		 9.9
(49.8)		 8.8
(47.8)		 10.9
(51.6)		 15.2
(59.4)		 19.5
(67.1)		 22.4
(72.3)		 23.8
(74.8)		 17.7
(63.9)
Record low °C (°F) 13.5
(56.3)		 12.8
(55)		 10.0
(50)		 4.4
(39.9)		 2.4
(36.3)		 −2.2
(28)		 −0.3
(31.5)		 0.0
(32)		 3.9
(39)		 5.7
(42.3)		 11.4
(52.5)		 14.4
(57.9)		 −2.2
(28)
Rainfall mm (inches) 98.8
(3.89)		 93.0
(3.661)		 55.5
(2.185)		 14.2
(0.559)		 10.9
(0.429)		 10.0
(0.394)		 5.5
(0.217)		 3.0
(0.118)		 6.5
(0.256)		 13.7
(0.539)		 29.3
(1.154)		 62.9
(2.476)		 403.3
(15.878)
Avg. rainy days 8.4 8.2 5.4 1.6 1.3 1.1 0.9 0.5 1.2 2.6 4.4 6.4 42
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Economy

Statue of a drover on horseback, Camooweal, 2019 02
Statue of a drover on horseback, 2019

There are a number of homesteads in the locality, including:

  • Don (20°06′49″S 138°07′23″E / 20.1137°S 138.1230°E / -20.1137; 138.1230 (Don (homestead)))
  • Morstone (19°31′34″S 138°21′56″E / 19.5261°S 138.3655°E / -19.5261; 138.3655 (Morstone (homestead)))
  • No 3 Outstation (19°21′23″S 138°04′30″E / 19.3563°S 138.0750°E / -19.3563; 138.0750 (No 3 Outstation (homestead)))
  • Old Morstone (19°26′14″S 138°30′06″E / 19.4372°S 138.5017°E / -19.4372; 138.5017 (Old Morstone (homestead)))
  • Rocklands (19°51′40″S 138°06′08″E / 19.8611°S 138.1021°E / -19.8611; 138.1021 (Rocklands (homestead)))
  • Split Rock (19°54′09″S 138°39′06″E / 19.9024°S 138.6518°E / -19.9024; 138.6518 (Split Rock (homestead)))
  • Thorntonia (19°30′10″S 138°56′40″E / 19.5027°S 138.9444°E / -19.5027; 138.9444 (Thorntonia (homestead)))
  • Undilla (19°37′27″S 138°38′18″E / 19.6242°S 138.6384°E / -19.6242; 138.6384 (Undilla (homestead)))

Education

Camooweal State School, 2019 01
Camooweal State School, 2019

Camooweal State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls at Nowranie Street (19°55′08″S 138°07′13″E / 19.9188°S 138.1203°E / -19.9188; 138.1203 (Camooweal State School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 31 students with 3 teachers and 5 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).

There are no secondary schools within reach of the locality (the nearest is Spinifex State College in Mount Isa). The options are distance education and boarding school. Spinifex State College has boarding facilities.

Transport

Camooweal Airport, 2019 02
Camooweal Airport, 2019

Camooweal Airport serves the town and is just to the north-east of the town (19°54′53″S 138°07′31″E / 19.9146°S 138.1252°E / -19.9146; 138.1252 (Camooweal Airport)).

There are numerous airstrips in the locality including:

  • Camooweal Caves NP airstrip (19°59′25″S 138°10′26″E / 19.9902°S 138.1739°E / -19.9902; 138.1739 (Camooweal Caves NP airstrip))
  • Herbert Vale airstrip (also known as No 3 Outstation) (19°21′37″S 138°04′30″E / 19.3602°S 138.0751°E / -19.3602; 138.0751 (Herbert Vale (No 3 outstation) airstrip))
  • Morstone airstrip (19°30′36″S 138°22′04″E / 19.5100°S 138.3677°E / -19.5100; 138.3677 (Morstone Airstrip))
  • Rocklands airstrip #1 (19°52′13″S 138°06′16″E / 19.8703°S 138.1045°E / -19.8703; 138.1045 (Rocklands airstrip #1))
  • Rocklands airstrip #2 (19°53′00″S 138°23′43″E / 19.8833°S 138.3953°E / -19.8833; 138.3953 (Rocklands airstrip #2))
  • Rocklands airstrip #3 (19°44′46″S 138°02′06″E / 19.7462°S 138.0351°E / -19.7462; 138.0351 (Rocklands airstrip #3))
  • Rocklands airstrip #4 (19°47′02″S 138°13′54″E / 19.7839°S 138.2317°E / -19.7839; 138.2317 (Rocklands airstrip #4)) near Chester Creek bore
  • Rocklands airstrip #5 (19°49′13″S 138°21′06″E / 19.8204°S 138.3516°E / -19.8204; 138.3516 (Rocklands airstrip #5)) near Coolibah Dam
  • Rocklands airstrip #6 (also known as Darien Gate) (19°16′23″S 138°03′23″E / 19.2731°S 138.0565°E / -19.2731; 138.0565 (Rocklands #6 (Dariel Gate) airstrip))
  • Thorntonia airstrip (19°30′37″S 138°56′31″E / 19.5102°S 138.9419°E / -19.5102; 138.9419 (Thorntonia airstrip))
  • Undilla airstrip (also known as Promised Land) (19°37′17″S 138°37′57″E / 19.6215°S 138.6325°E / -19.6215; 138.6325 (Undilla (Promised Land) airstrip))

Images for kids

  • Crossing the bridge over the waterless Georgina River on the Barkly High heading west out of Camooweal, 2019

    Crossing the bridge over the waterless Georgina River on the Barkly High heading west out of Camooweal, 2019

  • Convoys of Australian Army vehicles at Camooweal, travelling along the Barkly Highway, 2019 01

    Convoys of Australian Army vehicles at Camooweal, travelling along the Barkly Highway, 2019

  • Plaque commemorating the opening of St Therese's Catholic Church on 30 April 1961, Camooweal, 2019

    Plaque commemorating the opening of St Therese's Catholic Church on 30 April 1961

  • Driving across the Georgina River Bridge from Camooweal looking south towards the old bridge below, 2019

    Driving across the Georgina River Bridge from Camooweal looking south towards the old bridge below, 2019

  • Police station, Camooweal, 2019

    Police station, 2019

  • Camooweal Cemetery, 2019 01

    Camooweal Cemetery, 2019

  • St Therese's Catholic Church, Camooweal, 2019

    St Therese's Catholic Church, 2019

  • Post Office on Barkly Highway, Camooweal, 2019 (cropped)

    Camooweal post office, 2019

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