Charleville, Queensland

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Charleville
Queensland

Location of Charleville in Queensland (red)

Population:

3,506

Postcode:

4470

Elevation:

293.5 m

Location:

747 km from Brisbane
516 km from Longreach
268 km from Roma

LGA:

Murweh

State District:

Warrego

Federal Division:

Maranoa

Mean Max Temp	Mean Min Temp	Rainfall
28.6 °C ^{83 °F}	13.2 °C ^{56 °F}	498.7 mm ^{19.6 in}

The town of Charleville is located in South Western Queensland, Australia, 758 kilometres by road west of the state capital, Brisbane. It is the largest town and administrative centre of the Murweh Shire, which covers an area of 43,905 square kilometres. Charleville is situated on the banks of the Warrego River, and is the terminus for the Warrego Highway.

The first European exploration of the area was conducted by Edmund Kennedy in 1847. A hotel was built in 1865, and a town began to grow to service the region. It was situated near Gowrie's Crossing, a permanent waterhole, now on the outskirts of the modern town. Gowrie Station had been established around the crossing along a natural stock route, for the grazing of sheep and cattle. The town was gazetted in 1868 with very wide streets to enable bullock teams of up to 14 pairs to turn with their wagons.^[1]. Members of the Roma based Skinner family established a store in the town in 1872 that became known as the Warrego Stores.^[2]

Cobb and Co, the legendary Australian stagecoach company, established a coach building business in the town in 1886, however, the railway arrived in 1888, beginning the long demise of coach transport in the area. In 1902 Charleville was the location of an unsuccessful attempt by Clement Lindley Wragge to fire cannons into the clouds in order to break a drought. The cannons used remain on display in Charleville today.

RFDS Office

Proximity to the Warrego River is sometimes problematic. In April, 1990, major floods hit western Queensland, with Charleville being badly affected. Floodwaters peaked at 8.54 metres, over 1,000 homes were inundated, and almost 3,000 persons evacuated.

Charleville has several tourist attractions, including a museum of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, a historical museum^[3], wildlife sanctuary (including a bilby reserve), and the Cosmos Centre.^[4]. It was also enshrined in music by Slim Dusty in his country music song "Charleville."

Charleville was one of the compulsory stop over/check points during the London to Melbourne MacRobertson Air Race in 1934]. The winners of the great race were Tom Campbell Black and C.W.A Scott. Their triumph was reported in Time Magazine as:

"Scott and Black, keeping up their sensational pace, flashed into Charleville, refueled, sped toward the finish where waiting thousands cheered their progress, reported over loudspeakers. With one motor dead, with only two hours sleep since leaving England, the Britons triumphantly set their scarlet torpedo down in Melbourne at 3:34 p.m. In 71 hr. 1 min. 3 sec. - Just under three days - they had flown halfway around the world."^[5]

The asteroid 13933 Charleville is named in the town's honour †.

Charleville's town hero is Callum Cullum who saved the town statue of "weary Willie" the swagman being toppled by vandals from a nearby town. Callum's deed is celebrated each year on 2 March which for decades has been declared Callum Cullum day. Callum Cullum day is celebrated with crepe paper

^ Finn, J. T., One Hundred Years 1847-1947 Charleville (Charleville, 1947), p. 32
^ Wagner, Clair, Frontier Town - Charleville 1865-1901 (Bollarong Publications, Brisbane, 1991) p.27
^ Charlevile Historical Museum
^ Cosmos Centre
^ Time Magazine, October 29, 1934, Vol.XXIV, No.18