Burketown

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Burketown
Burketown-pub-gulf-savannah-queensland-australia.jpg
Burketown Pub
State : AustraliaAustralia Australia
State : Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland
Founded : 1898
Coordinates : 17 ° 34 ′  S , 139 ° 34 ′  E Coordinates: 17 ° 34 ′  S , 139 ° 34 ′  E
Area : 4.3  km²
Residents : 162 (2016)
Population density : 38 inhabitants per km²
Time zone : ACST (UTC + 9: 30)
LGA : Burke Shire Council
Burketown, Queensland
Burketown
Burketown

Burketown is a small town in the far northwest of Queensland , Australia . It is located on the Albert River about 30 kilometers before it flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria and about 2,100 kilometers northwest of the state capital Brisbane , 210 kilometers west of Normanton and 420 kilometers north of Cloncurry and Mount Isa . It is the seat of the Local Administrative Area (LGA) Burke Shire Council .

history

The area was originally named Province of Prince Albert after Prince Albert , Queen Victoria's husband . The city was named in 1861 in memory of Robert O'Hara Burke , an Irish explorer who died that year. Burke led the Burke and Wills expedition together with William John Wills , which was the first expedition carried out by Europeans to cross the Australian continent from south to north and to reach this area.

In the first few years after this expedition, the area around the city was settled and numerous cattle ranches were established. The city of Burketown was the center of the area and a supply station for the surrounding farms. The initial euphoria that the city would grow and become an important center in the far north-west of Queensland was soon slowed: Tropical diseases and a tropical cyclone on March 5, 1887 with seven people killed decimated the population. In March 1887, 138 people lived in the place, which consisted of four hotels, a general store, eight weatherproof houses and three buildings of the police force. The cyclone destroyed two hotels and five weatherproof houses.

In 1991, Burketown's population peaked at 265.

present

In 2016, Burketown had 162 residents. The city is known as the Barramundi capital of Australia, and a fishing competition is held every Easter. Burketown is on the Great Top Road , which is part of the Savannah Way and National Highway 1 . This leads from Cairns on the east coast of Australia, through the tropical north of the country via the Northern Territory to Broome in Western Australia .

Morning Glory Cloud

Weather

Because of its northern location, Burketown has a rainy season in the summer months and a dry season in the winter months. During the rainy season, the city can be cut off from the outside world for weeks.

A special weather phenomenon is the cloud formation known as the Morning Glory Cloud , which can arise in the months of August to November. The Morning Glory Cloud is 1000 kilometers long and one kilometer high. The elongated cloudscape moves forward at a speed of up to 60 km per hour. The Morning Glory Clouds can be seen particularly well in Burketown.

Web links

Commons : Burketown, Queensland  - collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b Australian Bureau of Statistics : Burketown (L) ( English ) In: 2016 Census QuickStats . June 27, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2209.
  2. ^ The Gulf of Carpentaria: Discovery and Exploration. In: Burke Shire Council. Retrieved December 25, 2015 .
  3. Pictures of the Morning Glory Claud on www.abc.net.au