Ilfracombe, Queensland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids IlfracombeQueensland |
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Town entry signs
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 Ilfracombe
Location in Queensland
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| Population | 259 (2016 census) | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.03940/km2 (0.1020/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1891 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4727 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 214 m (702 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 6,573.3 km2 (2,538.0 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Longreach Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Gregory | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Maranoa | ||||||||||||||
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Ilfracombe is a rural town and locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Ilfracombe had a population of 259 people.
Ilfracombe calls itself The Hub of the West. The main industry is sheep rearing, mainly for wool.
History
Sheep stations were established in the area from 1864. The townsites of Ilfracombe and Longreach were amongst resumed portions of Wellshot Station. In 1892, Wellshot was known as the biggest sheep station in the world, not because of the area it occupied but because of the number of sheep it ran; 460,000. So important was the property that Ilfracombe was known as Wellshot until 1890. 40,000 two-year-old wethers were sold off from the property later the same year.
The Central Western railway line reached Ilfracombe in 1891 and the Post Office opened on 7 December 1891.
The town was named after the coastal town of Ilfracombe in North Devon, England.
At the 2006 census, Ilfracombe and the surrounding region had a population of 269. The town itself has a population of 190.
The town was much larger in the past. It once had three hotels instead of the single hotel now and two general stores.
Heritage listings
Ilfracombe has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Beaconsfield Station: former Beaconsfield Station Sheep Wash
- Mitchell Street: Langenbaker House
Amenities
Ilfracombe is home to a collection of antique agricultural machinery at the Ilfracombe Machinery and Heritage Museum. Other attractions and facilities in the town include a public library, swimming pool, a 14-hole golf course, racecourse and caravan park.
Education
Ilfracombe State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 20 McMaster Drive (23°29′20″S 144°30′17″E / 23.4890°S 144.5046°E). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 10 students with 2 teachers (1 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent). It is organised into multi-age classes.
There is no secondary school in Ilfracombe. The nearest secondary schools are Longreach State High School in neighbouring Longreach to west and Barcaldine State High School in neighbouring Barcaldine to the east. As some parts of the locality of Ilfracombe are a long distance by road from these schools, other options are distance education and boarding schools.
Notable people
Notable people from the area include:
- Quentin Bryce, Governor of Queensland and Governor-General of Australia from September 2008,
- Matthew Scott, rugby league footballer,
- Paul Wilson (meditation teacher), author of the international best selling The Little Book of Calm and the Calm series of books,
Images for kids
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WWII Stuart Tank converted to farm machinery, 2007
