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120 KM W of Gladstone
(Formed after the amalgamation of the Banana and Taroom Shire Councils - 15 March 2008).
History – Banana Shire was named after a yellow bullock used in the 1850s to track down and catch unbranded cattle roaming the bush so the stockmen could herd them. When the bullock named ‘Banana’ died his body was taken to a nearby gully which became later know as Banana’s Gully and was where the first town was built in the shire.
Indigenous Tribes – Kangulu and Wadja people
Industries – coal mining, beef production, power generation, dryland cropping and irrigation cropping such as lucerne and cotton
- Biloela – the aboriginal word for white cockatoo and is the major centre for the birds that flock there.
- Moura – well documented for the three mining disasters it has endured in the last 30 years, with the worst accident on July 16 1986 when 12 miners lost their lives. However, it is also well known for its cattle and grain industry, having the second largest wheat dump in Queensland.
- Theodore – named after former Queensland premier E H Theodore. It is said that the town was architecturally designed by Walter Burley Griffin in the early 1920s before he designed Canberra. The layout of the two towns is very similar in design.
- Other centres include Banana, Baralaba, Dululu, Goovigen, Jambin, Thangool, Wowan, Cracow
110 KM W of Rockhampton
(Formed after the amalgamation of the Bauhinia, Duaringa, Emerald and Peak Downs Shire Councils - 15 March 2008)
History – The region was first explored by Ludwig Leichhardt in 1844 followed by Thomas Mitchell who both wrote glowing reports about the area. Springsure was established in 1859 but didn’t officially become a town until 1864 when it was surveyed by AC Gregory. Initially it was a depot for carriers taking trade from Rockhampton to western Queensland. However, the early history of the area was fraught with violence. In 1861 a group of local indigenous warriors killed nineteen people, north west of Springsure, in one of the largest recorded massacres of European people in Australia. The attack was thought to be the result of growing opposition to the loss of land and the atrocities happening to their people at the hands of Europeans. It wasn’t until 1876 when towns began to be developed in the area following the construction of a railway from Rockhampton.
Indigenous Tribes – Kairi, Wadja and Kanolu people
Industries – beef and cattle, wool, cropping (grains), coal mining, gem fossicking and natural gas
- Springsure – one of the oldest towns in the central highlands, the name Springsure comes from the reliable water supply it has.
- Rolleston – originally known as Brown Town when it was first surveyed in 1865 but was later renamed Rolleston after one of the original settlers, Christopher Rolleston.
- Blackwater – The coal capital of Queensland – it services six coalmines in the area.
- Bluff – A major interchange station for coal trains in central Queensland and is considered a must see for train enthusiasts
- Dingo – Named after the native Australia dog, this town also holds the World Championship Dingo Trap Throwing and Picnic Races.
- Comet – named after Haley’s Comet after it travelled through the Central Queensland skies in the late 1800s.
- Emerald – the town people to see today has prospered over the years despite suffering devastating fires in 1936, 1940, 1954, and 1968 – this is because the construction of the Fairbairn Dam and Emerald Irrigation Scheme in 1972.
- Gemfields – Anakie, Willows, Sapphire and Rubyvale – Holds the richest sapphires in the world and is the major supplier of sapphires to the world market.
633 KM N of Brisbane
(Formed after the amalgamation of Rockhampton City Council with the Fitzroy, Livingstone, and Mount Morgan Shire Councils).
History – Captain Cook first sailed past the Capricorn Coast in May 1770, naming Great Keppel Island and Keppel Bay after Admiral August Keppel. However, the area was first settled in 1855 after the Archer brothers (Thomas and Charles) found and named the Fitzroy River after Governor Charles Fitzroy and established Gracemere Station the previous year. The site was chosen by the New South Wales Government for its rocky upper limit of navigation on the mouth of the FitzroyRiver. This inspired the name Rockhampton. The town grew as a result of the gold rush in the surrounding areas, especially at Mount Morgan, and once the gold mines had been exhausted people continued to settle in Rockhampton whilst working on local cattle stations. Rockhampton was gazetted as a city in 1902 and is the official capital of central Queensland as well as the Beef Capital of Australia.
Indigenous Tribes – Kangalu, Jetimarala and Kanolu, Wappaburra and Darambal people.
Industries – cattle, agriculture (fruit and vegetables, timber, grain, cotton), dairy mining, light metals (cryptocrystalline magnesite), fishing and tourism
- Gracemere – holds the largest saleyards in the southern hemisphere, established in 1952 after it was moved from the Rockhampton showgrounds.
- Byfield – known for the Byfield fern which has been commercially picked in the area since the 1920s and exported overseas.
- Cawarral – Aboriginal word meaning cattle camp. It began as a cattle station in 1850 settled by Robert Ross before gold was discovered in 1871, prompting movement to the area.
- Emu Park – home of the “Singing Ship”, a large memorial commemorating Captain Cook’s discovery of the bay in 1770. Concealed organ pipes create music using the sea breeze.
- Great Keppel Island – the first European to land on Great Keppel Island was naturalist McGillivray in 1847. It has 17 beaches and is surrounding by many other small islands.
- Marlborough – the town was established in 1856 with a pub for the pastoralists who moved into the area for the local mine fields, it’s now a service centre for the surrounding cattle raising area.
- Yeppoon – settled by the Ross family in 1865 as a fruit growing, timber and cattle area, it is now a popular holiday destination and commuter town for Rockhampton.
- Mount Morgan - Mount Morgan was once renowned for being the richest single mountain of gold on earth and the second largest copper venture. It is now mainly a tourist destination with town heritage listed in 1980.
- Capella – named after the reddish eighth brightest star in the sky, Capella includes a Pioneer Village which includes the Peak Downs Homestead which is the largest restored homestead of its kind in Australia.
Tieri – established in 1982 to service the Oakey Creek Coal Mines.
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