Coen, Queensland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Coen Queensland
Coen Location in Queensland
Population	320 (2021 census)
• Density	0.0329/km2 (0.085/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4871
Elevation	199 m (653 ft)
Area	9,735.2 km2 (3,758.8 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	228 km (142 mi) NNW of Laura 263 km (163 mi) SE of Weipa 381 km (237 mi) NW of Cooktown 556 km (345 mi) NW of Cairns 2,231 km (1,386 mi) NNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Shire of Cook
State electorate(s)	Cook
Federal Division(s)	Leichhardt
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 30.2 °C 86 °F 20.0 °C 68 °F 1,183.3 mm 46.6 in
Localities around Coen: Archer River Lockhart River Lockhart River Archer River Coen Coral Sea Holroyd River Yarraden Coral Sea

Coen is a rural town and coastal locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. The town of Coen is inland on the Peninsula Developmental Road, the main road on the Cape York Peninsula in far northern Queensland. The community is quite busy, particularly in the dry season, with all tourists and visitors travelling the Peninsula Development Road up to the tip of Cape York having to pass through the town.

In the 2021 census, the locality of Coen had a population of 320 people.

Geography

The locality of Coen is on the western side of Cape York Peninsula with the Coral Sea forming its eastern boundary. Part of the northern boundary follows the Archer River, while the Coen River forms part of its western boundary. The Peninsula Developmental Road runs roughly north to south through the locality.

History

In 1623, Jan Carstensz, the navigator of the ship Pera of the Dutch East India Company named a river on Cape York Peninsula after Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. Today that river is known as the Archer River and the name Coen River is given to one of its tributaries.

Gold was discovered on the Coen River in 1876. Coen came into being first as a small fort built by gold miners and prospectors in May 1877 but this first gold rush quickly came to an end, and the settlement did not recover until 1883. It became a centre for several small goldmines in the region but, in 1893, the rich Great Northern mine boomed and the town became a more substantial place.

Coen Post Office opened on 20 June 1893 (a receiving office had been open from 1888).

The Great Northern mine continued operations until 1916 and produced some 52,000 troy ounces (1,617 kg) of gold before it closed.

On 3 July 2014, Barry Port retired from the Queensland Police. He was Australia's last Aboriginal police tracker. In his 36 years working for the police, he has tracked criminals, missing people and stowaways.

Demographics

In the 2011 census, the locality of Coen had a population of 416 people.

In the 2016 census, the locality of Coen had a population of 364 people.

In the 2021 census, the locality of Coen had a population of 320 people.

Education

Coen Campus is a primary (Prep-6) campus of the Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy. It is on Peninsula Developmental Road (13°56′44″S 143°12′00″E / 13.9455°S 143.1999°E / -13.9455; 143.1999 (Coen Campus of CYAAA)).

There are no secondary schools in Coen nor nearby. Distance education and boarding schools are other options.

Facilities

Today Coen provides services to the region, and is an important supply point on the long unpaved road leading to Weipa and other northern communities. It is a popular stopping point for tourists driving to the tip of Cape York - the northernmost part of the Australian mainland.

It has an airstrip at Coen Airport (24 kilometres (15 mi) north of the town), public library, hotel/motel, guest house, two general stores and fuel outlets, hospital, post office, police station, camping grounds, primary school kindergarten, ranger base and more. There is a scheduled air service to Lockhart and Cairns four times a week.

Our Lady of the Way Catholic Church is at 1 Armbrust Street (corner of Taylor Street, 13°56′43″S 143°12′03″E / 13.94527°S 143.20074°E / -13.94527; 143.20074 (Our Lady of the Way Catholic Church)). It is within the Cooktown Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns.

There is a boat ramp at Port Stewart into the Stewart River (14°03′55″S 143°41′15″E / 14.0652°S 143.6876°E / -14.0652; 143.6876 (Port Stewart boat ramp)). It is managed by the Cook Shire Council.

Attractions

Small gold mine near Coen. 1990

Coen is an ideal destination for birdwatchers: there are good accommodations and a large and varied bird fauna with representatives from rain forest, monsoon forest and coastal forests.

Heritage listings

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

• Coen Carrier Station, Coleman Close (13°56′24″S 143°11′56″E / 13.9399°S 143.1989°E / -13.9399; 143.1989 (Coen Carrier Station)).

Climate

Coen has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) with distinct wet and dry seasons. Daytime temperatures are usually over 30 °C (86 °F) most of the year. The dry season runs from May to October. The temperatures in this season can drop below 10 °C (50 °F) in the coolest months between May and August, and it can peak further above 35 °C (95 °F) in the build up months between September and November. The wet season occurs from December to March and is characterized by frequent torrential downpours and high humidity. This season is also generally associated with the arrival of the monsoon trough and tropical cyclones.

Attibution

This article contains text from Published under CC-BY-4.0 licence

See also

In Spanish: Coen (Australia) para niños