Shire of Burke explained

Type:lga
Shire of Burke
State:qld
Image Upright:0.81
Pop:419
Area:39684
Area Footnotes:[1] +
Est:1885
Seat:Burketown
Mayor:Ernie Camp
Region:North West Queensland
Logo Upright:1.2
Url:http://www.burke.qld.gov.au/
Stategov:Traeger
Fedgov:Kennedy
Near-N:Gulf of Carpentaria
Near-Ne:Doomadgee
Mornington
Near-E:Carpentaria
Near-Se:Cloncurry
Near-S:Mount Isa
Near-Sw:Barkly (NT)
Near-W:Roper Gulf (NT)
Near-Nw:Gulf of Carpentaria

The Shire of Burke is a local government area in North West Queensland, Australia. The shire lies on the south coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria and abuts the border with the Northern Territory. It covers an area of 39864km2, and has existed as a local government entity since 1885. The major town and administrative centre of the shire is Burketown.

The shire and town are named in honour of ill-fated explorer Robert O'Hara Burke.[2] The Gangalidda name for Burketown is Mungibi meaning ‘little Island’ for the fact that flooding in the wet season often isolates the town.

From the months of August to November, a rare meteorological phenomenon known as "Morning Glory" – long, tubular clouds, some up to 1000 km in length – are often observed in the skies above Burke Shire.[3]

The shire contains Boodjamulla National Park (formerly called Lawn Hill National Park) and the World Heritage Site Riversleigh fossil fields. The Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee lies inside Burke Shire to the west of Burketown. It also includes Gregory Downs.

In the, the Shire of Burke had a population of 419 people.

History

Yukulta (also known as Ganggalida) is an Australian Aboriginal language. The Yukulta language region is the Gulf Country including the local government areas of the Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee and Shire of Mornington.[4]

Yulluna (also known as Yalarnga, Yalarrnga, Jalanga, Jalannga, Wonganja, Gunggalida, Jokula) is an Australian Aboriginal language. The Yulluna language region includes the local government boundaries of the Shire of Cloncurry and other areas near the Gulf of Carpentaria.[5]

Garrwa (also known as Garawa) is a language of the Gulf region, taking in the localities of Borroloola and Westmoreland. The Garrwa language region takes in the landscape of the Roper Gulf Regional Council and the Doomadgee Shire Council.[6] The Doonmunya Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 with a population of 396. However, the divisional board appeared to be completely inactive, perhaps because the division was so large (being the area surrounding the southern part of the Gulf of Carpentaria) and was very sparsely settled.[7] Nonetheless some of the citizens were unhappy about this.[8] Consequently, on 11 January 1883, the Doonmunya Division was abolished and a new Carpentaria Division was created to replace it.

However, once the Carpentaria Divisional Board became operational, the residents of the Burketown area became concerned that their rates were likely to be spent on the Normanton area rather than their own and began to agitate for their own division west of the Leichhardt River.[9] On 30 January 1885, the Burke Division was created from lands formerly within the Carpentaria Division with some adjustments to the Cloncurry Division.

On 31 March 1903, Burke Division became the Shire of Burke.

Towns and localities

The Shire of Burke includes the following settlements:

Escott

Escott Station derives its name from its 1869 ownership by the English, Scottish, Australian Pastoral Co. In 1942, an American Liberator bomber crashed at Moonlight Creek, which was then a part of Escott. As the cattle station became less viable in the 1970s, it was opened up to tourists, and the Escott Barramundi Lodge was established in 1979.[10] [11] The homestead is located at 17°43'59"S, 139°25'0"E,[12] and there is an airstrip.[13] It no longer functions as tourist accommodation.[14]

Amenities

The Burke Shire Council operate public library in Burketown.[15]

Chairmen and mayors

Demographics

The populations below exclude the Aboriginal community of Doomadgee, which hovered between 800-1000 residents for most of the period under consideration.

YearPopulationNotes
1933 355
1947 250
1954 248
1961 361
1966 291
1971 384
1976 413
1981 466
1986 511
1991 513
1996 660
2,129
498
514
328
419

External links

-17.7361°N 139.5489°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018 . Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. 13 September 2015.
  3. ABC Australia, August 2003, Soaring the Glory Accessed 12 December 2006.
  4. Yukulta. Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map. 28 January 2020.
  5. Yulluna. Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map. 28 January 2020.
  6. Indigenous languages map of Queensland. State Library of Queensland. 5 February 2020.
  7. News: Local Government Practically Applied. . . Brisbane . 15 January 1881 . 4 October 2013 . 71 . National Library of Australia.
  8. News: NORMANTON. . . 12 January 1883 . 4 October 2013 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
  9. News: BURKETOWN. . . 26 September 1884 . 5 October 2013 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
  10. Web site: History of Escott Station, North Queensland . Dropbears . 10 October 2020.
  11. Web site: A Dude in the Outback . The New York Times . 22 June 1986 . 10 October 2020.
  12. Web site: Escott, Burke, State of Queensland, Australia. Mindat.org . 10 October 2020.
  13. Web site: Escott, Queensland, Australia (AU) . Airport Codes. 10 October 2020.
  14. Web site: Escott Lodge . This Adventurous Age . 10 October 2020.
  15. Web site: Burke Shire Council. 20 September 2016. Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. https://web.archive.org/web/20180205134906/http://plconnect.slq.qld.gov.au/networking/directory-of-public-libraries/services/burke. 5 February 2018. live. 5 February 2018.
  16. Book: Pugh. Theophilus Parsons. Pugh's Almanac for 1927. 1927. 13 June 2014.
  17. Web site: 2008 Burke Shire - Mayoral Election - Election Summary. 31 August 2010. Electoral Commission of Queensland. 16 March 2017.
  18. Web site: 2012 Burke Shire - Mayoral Election - Election Summary. 28 May 2012. Electoral Commission of Queensland. 16 March 2017.
  19. Web site: Mayor and Councillor Profiles. https://web.archive.org/web/20120804044800/http://www.burke.qld.gov.au/councillors_mayor_profiles. dead. 4 August 2012. Burke Shire Council. Burke Shire Council. 14 June 2014.
  20. Web site: 2016 Burke Shire Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary. 19 April 2016. Electoral Commission of Queensland. 16 March 2017.
  21. Web site: 2020. 2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020. 16 June 2020. Electoral Commission of Queensland.