52-814: Cloncurry is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cloncurry , Queensland , Australia. It is informally known by local people as The Curry . Cloncurry is the administrative centre of the Shire of Cloncurry. Cloncurry is known as the Friendly Heart of the Great North West and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2017. Cloncurry was recognised for its liveability, winning the Queensland's Friendliest Town award twice by environmental movement Keep Queensland Beautiful, first in 2013 and again in 2018. In
104-456: A de Havilland DH.50 aircraft hired from the then small airline, Qantas . A Royal Flying Doctor Service museum is situated in the town. The Cloncurry Bob McDonald Library opened in 2012. It was announced on 11 February 2021 that Cloncurry had been chosen as the production location of the 2021 edition of Network 10 's reality game show Australian Survivor . The domestic location resulted from concerns regarding international travel during
156-623: A de Havilland DH.50 hired from the fledgling Qantas . It was replaced in 1934 by a DH.83 Fox Moth . During the 1930s and 1940s the fleet consisted of a mix of de Havilland DH.50s , DH.83 Fox Moths , DH.84 Dragons , DH.104 Doves and the de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover . From the 1950s to 1970s, the fleet included the Beechcraft Baron , Beechcraft Travel Air , Beechcraft Queen Air , Beechcraft Duke , Cessna 180 , Cessna 182 , Cessna 421 , Piper Cherokee and Piper PA-31 Navajo . Aircraft were provided by contractors until
208-719: A 2.128MW flat panel photovoltaic solar farm was to be built in its place. However, the Queensland Government withdrew financial support for the solar farm in May 2012. Cloncurry has linkages to other destinations via major coach operators such as Greyhound and Bus Queensland. A weekday service to Mount Isa is operated by Cloncurry Coaches as well as local charter services within the area for mining, school, sporting bodies and special events. Writer Alexis Wright grew up in Cloncurry. Association footballer Kasey Wehrman
260-495: A letter explaining how he had seen a missionary doctor visiting isolated patients using a plane. Assisted by costing estimates by Peel, Flynn immediately took the idea of using aircraft to begin his idea, and published Peel's idea in the church's newsletter. Peel died in combat in September 1918, probably not even knowing the impact he had in the creation of an Australian icon. Along with motorised flight, another new technology
312-434: A population of less than 10,000 people. The patrol also provides regular church services in the towns of Cloncurry, Julia Creek , McKinlay , and Karumba and at Adels Grove homestead . Attractions in Cloncurry include: Cloncurry has a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen: BSh Trewartha: BShb ) with two distinct seasons. There is a very hot, moderately humid and quite uncomfortable wet season from December to March and
364-718: A process to formally define their boundaries and to gazette them, which is almost complete. In March 2006, only South Australia and the Northern Territory had not completed this process. The CGNA's Gazetteer of Australia recognises two types of locality: bounded and unbounded. Bounded localities include towns, villages, populated places, local government towns and unpopulated town sites, while unbounded localities include place names, road corners and bends, corners, meteorological stations, ocean place names and surfing spots. Sometimes, both localities and suburbs are referred to collectively as "address localities". In
416-601: A warm to hot, generally rainless dry season usually extending from April to November. Until the 1990s, Cloncurry was widely regarded as holding the record for the highest temperature recorded in Australia at 53.1 °C (127.5 °F) on 16 January 1889. Investigations published in 1997 revealed that this temperature was measured in an improvised screen made from a beer crate and that it equated to 47–49 °C (117–120 °F) under standard conditions. The highest temperature ever recorded at Cloncurry's current weather station
468-429: Is 46.9 °C (116.4 °F), well short of the disputed 1889 temperature record. The average annual rainfall is 506.9 mm (19.96 in), almost all of which falls In the months of December to March. Because of the area's extreme solar conditions, Cloncurry was expected to become Australia's first solar-powered town. However the planned 10MW Thermal solar plant was scrapped due to light pollution concerns and
520-529: Is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote and regional areas of Australia who cannot access a hospital or general practice due to the vast distances of the Outback . John Flynn had worked in rural and remote areas of Victoria and was commissioned by the Presbyterian Church to look at the needs of people living in
572-431: Is a government primary and secondary (Prep–12) school for boys and girls at Daintree Street ( 20°42′15″S 140°30′20″E / 20.7042°S 140.5056°E / -20.7042; 140.5056 ( Cloncurry State School P-12 ) ). In 2015 the school had 281 students enrolled with a teaching staff of 28 FTE (Full-time equivalent) and 15 FTE (Full-time equivalent) non teaching staff. The general population in
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#1732776437128624-500: Is made up of seven legal entities – RFDS of Australia, Central Operations, Queensland Section, South Eastern Section, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Operations. The RFDS operates in a federated structure and each of the seven entities has its own Board and Management. Each entity operates independently, both financially and operationally. The Flying Doctor operates from numerous bases, health services and other facilities (including marketing, fundraising and public relations as well as
676-606: Is split between the City of Newcastle and City of Lake Macquarie LGAs; and Woodville , which is split between the City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council LGAs. In unincorporated areas , localities are declared by the relevant state authority. Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia The Royal Flying Doctor Service ( RFDS ), commonly known as the Flying Doctor , is an air medical service in Australia . It
728-529: Is still heavily reliant on community support for funding, particularly through events such as the Simpson Desert Bike Challenge , and is well respected across the country as an organisation that has contributed much to rural, regional and remote communities. Its services include: The service also uses not just aircraft but also four-wheel drives and other utility land vehicles to aid in transportation and communications. The RFDS
780-606: The 2021 census , the locality of Cloncurry had a population of 3,167 people. Cloncurry is situated in the north-west of Queensland , 770 kilometres west of the city of Townsville via the Flinders Highway . The town lies adjacent to the Cloncurry River . The Flinders Highway enters from the east and the Barkly Highway exits to the west. The Landsborough Highway enters from the south-east and
832-550: The Burke Developmental Road exits to the north. The Cloncurry–Dajarra Road exits to the south from the Barkly Highway. Cattle grazing is the significant industry in the region, and a large sale yards is located in the town. The town has one of the richest geological layers in the world with copper (and gold) mining being core industries since 1867. Open cut mining has impacted the landscape and
884-510: The COVID-19 pandemic . It was filmed in Cloncurry from 22 April to 8 June 2021, with the season airing on 18 July 2021. The population in Cloncurry decreased from 3,898 in 1996 to 2,900 in 2002. In the 2016 census , the locality of Cloncurry had a population of 2,719 people. In the 2021 census , the locality of Cloncurry had a population of 3,167 people. Cloncurry has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: Cloncurry State School
936-606: The Maithakari and the Wanamara , were Burke and Wills on their epic, and ultimately fatal, transcontinental expedition. The Cloncurry River was named by Burke after Lady Elizabeth Cloncurry, his cousin, with the town eventually taking its name from the river. Ernest Henry discovered copper in the area in 1867, and the town sprang up to service the Great Australia Mine to the south. Roger Sheaffe established
988-841: The outback . His report to the Presbyterian Assembly in 1912 resulted in the establishment of the Australian Inland Mission (AIM), of which he was appointed Superintendent. In 1928, he formed the AIM Aerial Medical Service, a one-year experiment based in Cloncurry , Queensland . This experiment later became The Royal Flying Doctor Service. Flynn's missionary work involved the establishment of hospitals in bush communities, but this did not help those who lived far from any major community. In his public speaking he would often retell
1040-798: The 1960s. Subsequently, the RFDS owned its own aircraft and employed its own pilots and engineers. In the 1970s and 1980s the RFDS base at Broken Hill operated the Australian-made GAF Nomad . From the 1980s to the 2000s, the fleet included the Cessna 404 and Cessna 441 . For a time in the mid-2000s the aeromedical evacuation aircraft used were either the Pilatus PC-12 or the Beechcraft King Air 200 series . The internal configuration of these two aircraft varies in
1092-526: The McKay Patrol, an aerial service of the Uniting Church in Australia . Supported by other denominations, the McKay Patrol operates a Cessna 182Q aeroplane to provide spiritual and practical help to people living in remote areas in the north-west of Queensland and the eastern Tablelands of the Northern Territory , an area of approximately 625,000 square kilometres (241,000 sq mi) with
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#17327764371281144-524: The Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches in 1977 to form the Uniting Church in Australia intended to combine these outback services, creating a huge North West Patrol area to be covered which could not be achieved by road transport, so the Cloncurry congregation purchased an aircraft in 1976 to provide the patrol service out of Cloncurry by air wherever possible, using road travel only to access places that did not have suitable airstrips. In
1196-903: The RFDS had received their 4 Pilatus PC-24 jets, replacing their Hawker 800XP jet. They are based at Jandakot Airport and Broome in WA and Adelaide SA. The PC-24 can fit 3 stretcher beds and two seated patients. The aircraft can cruise at 45,000 feet (14,000 m) and halves the time of flight compared to the existing propeller driven fleet. The PC-24 can also operate out of paved and unpaved runways. In 2022, The Western Operations started operating its own helicopters. Two Airbus EC145 were imported from Germany and reconfigured at Jandakot Airport into hospital retrieval platforms. The aircraft are operated single pilot IFR with NVIS (NVG). The service provides retrievals up to 200 kilometres (120 mi) from Perth, landing in sports ovals or helipads. Patients are then flown directly to rooftop helipads located on all
1248-589: The Victory during the first year of the project. Within the first year of operations, the service flew approximately 20,000 miles in 50 flights, becoming the first comprehensive air ambulance service in the world. The service persisted through difficult first years, dealing with postwar Australia and the Great Depression of the 1930s. During its first few decades the service relied heavily on community fundraising, volunteer support and donations. Nowadays,
1300-532: The base site for a 50-watt transmitter . Experimental aerial medical services commenced in 1926 and an injured miner was transported by air from Mount Isa to Cloncurry in November 1927. By 1928, Flynn had gathered sufficient funds through fundraising activities to launch the experiment of the AMS on 15 May. Its supporters included industrialist HV McKay , medical doctor George Simpson and Hudson Fysh , one of
1352-695: The blaze which cost an estimated £15,000. From 1915 to 1931, the Australian Inland Mission (part of the Presbyterian Church) operated its North West Patrol in Cloncurry which provided religious services to people in remote areas by driving through the Outback ; the service later operated from Mount Isa . A similar service, the Federal Methodist Inland Mission Patrol commenced was established in 1928 at its Gulf Mission Base in Camooweal . The amalgamation of
1404-461: The boundaries of localities and suburbs. This Australian usage of the term "suburb" differs from common American and British usage, where it typically means a smaller, frequently separate residential community outside, but close to, a larger city. The Australian usage is closer to the American or British use of "district" or "neighbourhood", and can be used to refer to any portion of a city. Unlike
1456-641: The community is highly transient with approximately 40% turnover in student enrolment in 2015. Approximately 60% of student enrolment identify as Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 277 students with 32 teachers and 18 non-teaching staff (14 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program. St Joseph's Catholic School is a Catholic primary and secondary (Prep–9) school for boys and girls at Sheaffe Street ( 20°42′05″S 140°30′20″E / 20.7014°S 140.5056°E / -20.7014; 140.5056 ( St Joseph's Catholic School ) ). In 2018,
1508-450: The different RFDS sections. Typically they are configured with two rear-facing seats which look onto two stretchers. In some aircraft, one stretcher can be removed quickly and two seats slipped into place instead. The PC-12, PC-24 and King Air are pressurised and so can safely transport patients who would not otherwise tolerate the decreased air pressure in a in non-pressurised aircraft. The internal cabin pressure can be maintained throughout
1560-493: The early 1990s the service was renamed the McKay Patrol to honour Reverend Fred McKay , an early patrol padre who had been involved in establishing the Royal Flying Doctor Service . During World War II , Cloncurry was the location of RAAF No.23 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD), completed in 1942 and closed on 14 August 1944. Usually consisting of 4 tanks, 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for
1612-438: The first instance, decisions about the names and boundaries of suburbs and localities are made by the local council in which they are located based on criteria such as community recognition. Local council decisions are, however, subject to approval by the state's geographical names board. The boundaries of some suburbs and localities overlap two or more local government areas (LGAs). Examples of this are Adamstown Heights , which
Cloncurry, Queensland - Misplaced Pages Continue
1664-505: The first pastoral run in the Cloncurry district - "Fort Constantine". Gold was discovered at Top Camp. The town was surveyed in 1876. Cloncurry was proclaimed a town in 1884. Cloncurry Provisional School opened on 19 March 1884. In 1894, it became Cloncurry State School. The Cloncurry Advocate was a newspaper published in Cloncurry between 1889 and 1953. Queensland's Northern Line railway reached Cloncurry in December 1907 and
1716-436: The flight at that of sea level. This is important for patients critically sensitive to pressure changes. Also, pressurised aircraft can fly at high enough altitude to be above turbulent weather. This is of great benefit in providing an environment safe for the patient and staff, and also limits complications of aeromedical transport such as motion sickness and exacerbation of injuries such as unstable fractures. In October 2009
1768-502: The founders of Qantas . Qantas supplied the first aircraft to the fledgling organisation, VH-UER a De Havilland DH.50 , dubbed "Victory". On 17 May 1928, two days after inception, the service's first official flight piloted by Arthur Affleck departed from Cloncurry, 85 miles to Julia Creek in Central Queensland , where the plane was met by over 100 people at the airstrip . Qantas charged two shillings per mile for use of
1820-542: The major hospitals in Perth. The RFDS uses a wide range of contemporary emergency medical equipment to provide aeromedical retrieval services. These include transport ventilators , critical care monitors, infusion devices, point-of-care testing , portable diagnostic ultrasound and a range of other splints and devices. According to the RFDS of Australia 2015/16 Annual Report the service owns 67 aircraft, and operates 23 bases with 1,225 employees. Each day, on average,
1872-455: The national office) across Australia. RFDS bases are operated by: Bases at Carnarvon , Geraldton , Derby , and Wyndham have closed, while the original base at Cloncurry was moved to Mount Isa in 1965 and the early base at Charters Towers moved to Cairns in 1972. The most recent new base was opened in Broome in 2016. The first aircraft operated by the "Aerial Medical Service" in 1928 was
1924-591: The nearby former mine-site Mary Kathleen is a tourist attraction. The Aboriginal traditional owners of Cloncurry are the Mitakoodi people (pronounced Mita-koo-dee). In August 2024, the Mitakoodi and Mayi people were formally acknowledged and officially obtained native title determination. The region of Cloncurry is traditionally known as Pimurra and the Mitakoodi people were known as the River people. The first Europeans to traverse these tribal lands of peoples such as
1976-599: The school had an enrolment of 156 students with 20 teachers (18 full-time equivalent) and 11 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent). Cloncurry has a public library, gallery, public swimming pool, showground, and racecourse. The Cloncurry Shire Council operates a public library in Cloncurry at Scarr Street. The Cloncurry branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms at Charlotte Scott House in Scarr Street. Charlotte Scott
2028-547: The service in Melbourne . Sister Myra Blanch was one of the first nurses, known as "Flying Sisters", to join the service. She was key in the New South Wales Section operations during the 1940s and 50s, even though Flying Nurses didn't actually become regular until the 1960s. Many patient transports are conducted with an RFDS nurse and pilot only on board. Nurses have been responsible for many innovations to
2080-539: The service is supported by the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments, but still relies heavily on fundraising and donations from the community to purchase and medically equip its aircraft, and to finance other major capital initiatives. Until the 1960s the service predominantly hired aircraft, pilots and service technicians from contractors. After this point, the service moved on to purchasing its own equipment and employing its own pilots and mechanics. In 1932,
2132-427: The service, including an addition to the RFDS medical chest to incorporate a "body chart" (1951). The chart was an anatomical representation of a human being, with areas clearly numbered. With such a chart, a remote doctor can ask the patient "where is the pain felt?" and receive a comprehensible reply. The medicines contained in the chest are similarly numbered for ease in communicating medical instructions. The service
Cloncurry, Queensland - Misplaced Pages Continue
2184-614: The service: The School of the Air , which links outback students with centralised teachers, until recently used the same radio equipment as the RFDS. This has been superseded with the availability of internet services. Notable people associated with the RFDS include: The First and Second Australian Inland Mission Hospitals in Birdsville are listed on the Queensland Heritage Register . In 2009 as part of
2236-403: The standardisation on the two aircraft types ended when two Cessna 208B Grand Caravans and a Hawker 800 XP joined the fleet. The South Eastern Section operates 18 King Airs (B200, B200C, B300C); The Queensland Section operates 20 King Airs (B200, B200C, B300C) and 3 PC-12s; The Western Operations operates 16 PC-12s and 3 PC-24; and Central Operations operates 19 PC-12 and 2 PC-24. By 2021,
2288-561: The storage and supply of aircraft fuel for the RAAF and the US Army Air Forces at a total cost of £900,000 ($ 1,800,000). The discovery of uranium at Mary Kathleen brought wealth to the community in the 1950s. Until the development of Mount Isa in the 1960s, Cloncurry was the administrative centre of the region. The first-ever flight of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia took place from Cloncurry on 15 May 1928, using
2340-524: The success from its operations in Cloncurry, and the increasing public awareness to this vital rural service, resulted in a push for a national network of flying doctors, hopefully with sponsorship from the government. In 1934 this was realised with the new Australian Aerial Medical Service opening up "Sections" across the nation. Bases were set up in Wyndham, Port Hedland , Kalgoorlie , Broken Hill , Alice Springs and Meekatharra . The Queensland experiment
2392-550: The tragic circumstances that had befallen several bush settlers. The fate of Jimmy Darcy, in 1917, was one of these stories. It was from stories such as this that Flynn, and his following at the AIM, became inspired to develop a route of communications that could solve the problem of remoteness, but no feasible technology seemed apparent. Victorian pilot Lieutenant (John) Clifford Peel had heard Flynn's public speeches, and on being shipped out to France for World War I in 1917, sent Flynn
2444-664: The use in British or American English, this term can include inner-city, outer-metropolitan and industrial areas. Localities existed in the past as informal units, but in 1996 the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping and the Committee for Geographical Names in Australasia (CGNA) decided to name and establish official boundaries for all localities and suburbs. There has subsequently been
2496-542: Was a dedicated member of the Cloncurry QCWA who died in 1992 having spent most of her life in Cloncurry. She was well known for her dancing, especially the Charleston . Cloncurry Uniting Church is at 19 Meldrum Street (corner of King Street, 20°42′32″S 140°30′30″E / 20.7090°S 140.5084°E / -20.7090; 140.5084 ( Cloncurry Uniting Church ) ). The church operates
2548-408: Was being developed that could replace the complicated means of communication by telegraph. Together with Alfred Traeger , Flynn began experiments with radio in the mid-1920s to enable remote outposts to contact a centralised medical base. The pedal radio was the first result of this collaboration. These were distributed gradually to stations , missions and other human residences around Cloncurry ,
2600-444: Was born in Cloncurry in 1977. Politician Bob Katter was born in Cloncurry in 1945. Athlete Robert Crowther was born in Cloncurry in 1987. Suburbs and localities (Australia) Suburbs and localities are the names of geographic subdivisions in Australia , used mainly for address purposes. The term locality is used in rural areas, while the term suburb is used in urban areas. Australian postcodes closely align with
2652-623: Was expanded with two additional bases opening in Charters Towers and Charleville . An official Federal Council for the organisation was formed in 1936. In 1937, Dr Jean White became the first female flying doctor in Australia, and the world, when she started work at Normanton . In 1942 the service was again renamed as the Flying Doctor Service, with Royal being bestowed upon the service in 1955. On 22 October 1958, Holden car manufacturers donated its 500,000th vehicle to
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#17327764371282704-575: Was officially opened the next year. St Joseph's School opened on 29 October 1909 by the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart . In 1914, a fire broke out in the town resulting in the destruction of the Post Office , the hotel, eleven shops, two store-rooms and a cottage. The telegraph office was saved by employees who kept the office damp and protected with wet blankets. One man died in
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