Mitchell, Queensland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids MitchellQueensland |
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Looking downstream on the Maranoa River on the eastern side of Mitchell
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 Mitchell
Location in Queensland
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| Population | 1,031 (2016 census) | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 1.5242/km2 (3.948/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1864 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4465 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 336.3 m (1,103 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 676.4 km2 (261.2 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Maranoa Region | ||||||||||||||
| County | Dublin | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Warrego | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Maranoa | ||||||||||||||
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Mitchell is a town and locality in the Western Downs district of the Maranoa Region, Queensland, Australia. The town services the local area, a cattle and sheep farming district. In the 2016 census, Mitchell had a population of 1031 people.
Contents
Geography
Mitchell is on the Warrego Highway, 587 kilometres (365 mi) west of Brisbane and 176 kilometres (109 mi) east of Charleville. The Warrego Highway passes through town to form the main street, Cambridge Street. The Maranoa River flows around the northern and eastern sides of the town before eventually flowing into the Balonne River.
History
Before the arrival of Europeans, the Maranoa region was occupied by the Mandandanji and Gunggari Aboriginal peoples. Based on archaeological excavations in the Mount Moffatt area, it has been deduced that the Aboriginals had lived there for around 19,500 years. Descendants of the original peoples still live in and visit the area today.
The town is named after Sir Thomas Mitchell explorer and Surveyor General of New South Wales, who explored the area in 1846. In 1854, Edmund Morey established the property of Mitchell Downs. When the original homestead was largely destroyed by a flood in 1864, Thomas Close acquired the building's ruins established the Maranoa Hotel. On 1 January 1865, Mitchell Downs Post Office opened and around 1878 was renamed Mitchell Post Office.
In 1902, after a short stand-off, bushrangers Patrick and James Kenniff were captured south of Mitchell at a location now known as arrest creek. Patrick was hanged in 1903 for the murder of Constable George Doyle and Albert Dahlke, while James was released after 12 years imprisonment and died peacefully in 1940.
At the 2006 census, Mitchell had a population of 944.
Mitchell was once the administrative centre of the Shire of Booringa local government area. Since 2008, the town is now part of the Maranoa Region.
Facilities
Mitchell has a public library, heritage museum and the Maranoa art gallery. There are many heritage listed buildings and The Great Artesian spa.
Mitchell State School opened on 1 April 1876 and is now a Prep to Year 10 school educating students from Mitchell, Mungallala, Amby and surrounding properties.
Heritage listings
Mitchell has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Cambridge Street: Mitchell War Memorial
- 105 Cambridge Street: Mitchell State School (1914 Building)
- Oxford Street (passenger station), Alice Street (goods shed) and Sheffield Street (station master's): Mitchell railway station
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Railway station
Climate
Mitchell has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and cold winters by Queensland standards. On 15 August 1979 Mitchell recorded a minimum temperature of −9.4 °C (15.1 °F), which is the 3rd coldest temperature ever recorded in the state. The town gets an average of 157.5 clear days annually.
| Climate data for Mitchell | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 46.8 (116.2) |
43.0 (109.4) |
42.1 (107.8) |
36.5 (97.7) |
33.0 (91.4) |
30.2 (86.4) |
29.2 (84.6) |
36.2 (97.2) |
39.3 (102.7) |
40.8 (105.4) |
42.7 (108.9) |
46.2 (115.2) |
46.8 (116.2) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 34.1 (93.4) |
32.9 (91.2) |
31.1 (88.0) |
27.5 (81.5) |
23.2 (73.8) |
19.7 (67.5) |
19.4 (66.9) |
21.8 (71.2) |
25.8 (78.4) |
29.4 (84.9) |
32.0 (89.6) |
33.7 (92.7) |
27.5 (81.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 20.0 (68.0) |
19.5 (67.1) |
16.8 (62.2) |
11.5 (52.7) |
7.1 (44.8) |
4.3 (39.7) |
2.8 (37.0) |
3.9 (39.0) |
7.5 (45.5) |
12.3 (54.1) |
16.1 (61.0) |
18.5 (65.3) |
11.7 (53.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 10.1 (50.2) |
8.8 (47.8) |
4.0 (39.2) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
3.6 (38.5) |
7.5 (45.5) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 81.9 (3.22) |
72.5 (2.85) |
61.3 (2.41) |
33.8 (1.33) |
32.4 (1.28) |
34.4 (1.35) |
33.1 (1.30) |
23.5 (0.93) |
26.4 (1.04) |
42.5 (1.67) |
58.2 (2.29) |
71.9 (2.83) |
571.9 (22.5) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2mm) | 7.4 | 6.1 | 5.5 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 6.3 | 7.3 | 60.8 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 35 | 38 | 36 | 36 | 39 | 41 | 37 | 31 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 34 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology | |||||||||||||
Floods
In the March 2010 floods, the Maranoa River reached a peak of 13.4 m in the town causing an inundation of 25 houses. The town experienced the worst flooding ever in 2012 when a monsoon trough hovered over central and southern Queensland.
Great Artesian Spa
The Great Artesian Spa was opened in 1998 and is situated in the town's aquatic centre. There are two pools of artesian water, one heated and the other designed for those who prefer a cooler experience. Both spa pools have been designed with disabled access in mind and facilities include a chairlift to allow easy access for physically disabled people.
The water used in the spa pools is renewed regularly and comes from the Great Artesian Basin, which is one of the largest artesian basins in the world, which underlies around one-fifth of Australia. It covers a total area of more than 1,711,000 square kilometres, and has been relied upon for the town water supply since 1927.
Water supply
The water supply for the town comes from three bores. The depth of the bores is about 1,000 metres. The water is pumped into a large concrete water tower on the western side of the town. The water is hot when it emerges from the ground, and in the tank it is about 50 °C. Houses close to the tank, have free hot water. In fact it is necessary to cool the water before it can be used.
Education
Mitchell State School is a government primary and secondary (Prep-10) school for boys and girls at 105 Cambridge Street (26°29′19″S 147°58′17″E / 26.4885°S 147.9715°E). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 132 students with 16 teachers (13 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent). Students come from Mitchell, Mungallala, Amby and surrounding properties. Students from Year 11 and 12 are conveyed by bus to Roma State College in Roma.
St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 100 Alice Street (26°29′03″S 147°58′25″E / 26.4841°S 147.9737°E). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 37 students with 2 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff.
Language revival
A major language revival effort has been under way in Queensland schools since St Patrick's School started teaching the Gunggari language around 2013. Since then, Mitchell State School has also started teaching Gunggari.
Notable people
- The 15th Prime Minister of Australia, Francis Forde was born in Mitchell. He is Australia's shortest serving Prime Minister, with a term lasting just eight days. He was also Australia's longest living Prime Minister, until Gough Whitlam took that mantle.
- Joanne Currie Nalingu, artist
Images for kids
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Centenary memorial erected in 1946 at Mitchell, Queensland to commemorate explorer Thomas Mitchell's naming of the nearby Maranoa River.
