Mitchell, Queensland

Mitchell Queensland
Looking downstream on the Maranoa River on the eastern side of Mitchell
Mitchell
Coordinates	26°28′59″S 147°57′58″E / 26.48306°S 147.96611°E / -26.48306; 147.96611Coordinates: 26°28′59″S 147°57′58″E / 26.48306°S 147.96611°E / -26.48306; 147.96611
Population	1,311 (2011 census)[1]
Established	1864
Postcode(s)	4465
Elevation	336.3 m (1,103 ft)
Location	568 km (353 mi) from Brisbane 90 km (56 mi) from Roma 180 km (112 mi) from Charleville
LGA(s)	Maranoa Region
State electorate(s)	Warrego
Federal Division(s)	Maranoa
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 27.9 °C 82 °F 11.9 °C 53 °F 562.3 mm 22.1 in

Warrego Highway crossing the Maranoa.

Mitchell is a town and locality in the Western Downs district of Maranoa Region, Queensland, Australia.^[2][3] The town services the local area, a cattle and sheep farming district. In the 2011 census, Mitchell had a population of 1,311 people.^[1]

Geography

Mitchell is on the Warrego Highway, 587 kilometres (365 mi) west of Brisbane and 176 kilometres (109 mi) east of Charleville.^[4] 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.^[5]

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.^[6] 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.^[7]

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.^[8]

At the 2006 census, Mitchell had a population of 944.^[9]

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 also there is the many heritage listed buildings and The Great Artesian spa.

Heritage listings

Mitchell has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Cambridge Street: Mitchell War Memorial^[10]
• 105 Cambridge Street: Mitchell State School (1914 Building)^[11]
• Oxford Street (passenger station), Alice Street (goods shed) and Sheffield Street (station master's): Mitchell railway station^[12]

• 
  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.^[13][14]

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.^[15] 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.^[16]

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.^[17] 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.^[18][19]

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.^[20]

Daniel Casey, often referred to as Dan Casey, was a lawyer born in Mitchell QLD in 1899. He died in 1987 at the age of 88.^[21]

Douglas Young, referred to as Dougie was an Aboriginal singer and songwriter that was born on August 30, 1933.

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.

See also

• Augathella
• Morven
• Neil Turner Weir

References

External links

• Maranoa Regional Council – Official site
• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Mitchell