| Shire of Burke Queensland |
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 Location within Queensland |
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| Population: | 1,145 (2006 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Established: | 1885 | ||||||||||||
| Area: | 40126.8 km² (15,493.0 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Mayor: | Annie Clarke | ||||||||||||
| Council Seat: | Burketown | ||||||||||||
| Region: | North West Queensland | ||||||||||||
| State District: | Mount Isa | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division: | Kennedy | ||||||||||||
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The Shire of Burke is a Local Government Area located in North West Queensland. The shire lies on the south coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria and abuts the border with the Northern Territory. It covers an area of 40,126.8 square kilometres (15,493.0 sq mi), and has existed as a local government entity since 1885. The major town and administrative centre of the shire is Burketown.
The shire and town and the Burke River passing through both are named in honour of ill-fated explorer Robert O'Hara Burke.[2] From the months of August to November, a rare meteorological phenomenon known as "Morning Glory" - long, tubular clouds, some up to 1000 km in length - is often observed in the skies above Burke Shire[3]
The shire contains Boodjamulla National Park (formerly called Lawn Hill National Park) and the World Heritage Site Riversleigh fossil fields. The Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee lies inside Burke Shire to the west of Burketown. It also includes Gregory Downs.
Towns and localities
- Burketown
- Gidya
- Gregory Downs
- Nicholson
Population
The populations below exclude the Aboriginal community of Doomadgee, which hovered between 800-1000 residents for most of the period under consideration.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1933 | 355 |
| 1947 | 250 |
| 1954 | 248 |
| 1961 | 361 |
| 1966 | 291 |
| 1971 | 384 |
| 1976 | 413 |
| 1981 | 466 |
| 1986 | 511 |
| 1991 | 513 |
| 1996 | 660 |
| 2001 | 1,010 |
| 2006 | 1,145 |
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Burke (S) (Local Government Area)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=LGA31950&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
- ^ Place Names of Queensland: Burketown Accessed 12 December 2006.
- ^ ABC Australia, August 2003, Soaring the Glory Accessed 12 December 2006.
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