Charleville, Queensland


Charleville is a town and a locality in the Shire of Murweh, Queensland, Australia. In the, Charleville had a population of 3,335 people.

Geography

Located in southwestern Queensland, Australia, Charleville is west of Brisbane. It is the largest town and administrative centre of the Shire of Murweh, 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.

History

is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Bidjara people. The Bidjara language region includes the local government areas of the Shire of Murweh, particularly the towns of Charleville, Augathella and Blackall as well as the properties of Nive Downs and Mount Tabor.
Gungabula is an Australian Aboriginal language of the headwaters of the Dawson River in Central Queensland. The language region includes areas within the local government area of Maranoa Region, particularly the towns of Charleville, Augathella and Blackall and as well as the Carnarvon Range.
The first European exploration of the area, which was Kunja tribal land, 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 on 11 January 1865. It was planned with very wide streets to enable bullock teams of up to 14 pairs to turn with their wagons. It was William Alcock Tully, who was Commissioner of Crown Lands in the Warrego District from 1863 to 1864, who laid out the town's streets. An Irishman, Tully probably named the town after the town of Charleville, County Cork, Ireland. Members of the Roma-based Skinner family established a store in the town in 1872 that became known as the Warrego Stores.
Charleville Post Office opened on 1 August 1865.
In September 1875, the Queensland Government called for tenders to erect a courthouse in Charleville. The foundation stone was laid on 23 November 1875. By January 1876, the courthouse was almost finished.
In December 1884, the Queensland Government called for tenders to erect a hospital in Charleville. In March 1885 the contract was awarded to Richards and King for £2,265 10s. In November 1885, a hospital ball was held in the new hospital building, suggesting it was completed and opened around that time.
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. Charleville station was the terminus for the Western railway line for more than a decade. Facilities included a locomotive depot, cattle and sheep yards, a 50-ton weighbridge, a booking and telegraph offices, goods shed, stationmaster's house, and guards, enginemen and firemen's cottages.
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.
St Mary's Catholic Primary School was opened on 26 January 1913 by the Sisters of Mercy.
In 1922, Qantas established an airmail service between Charleville and Cloncurry. At the same time, this was Qantas's first regularly scheduled route and the second scheduled air route in Australia.
On 9 October 1924, the Charleville War Memorial was unveiled by Sir Matthew Nathan, the Governor of Queensland.
The Anglican Chapel of the Holy Angels Hostels was consecrated circa 1929. It closed circa 1984.
Charleville was also 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."

Proximity to the Warrego River has been 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 people evacuated. More recently, the district suffered flooding again in 1997, 2008 and March 2010. Flooding also occurred in February 2012.
There is a children's book called The Flood Grungies''; it is written by Michelle Sheehan and illustrated by Donna Reynolds. It is about the notorious Charleville floods and features the Cosmos centre, the water tower and other famous landmarks.

Heritage listings

Charleville has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
as well as a number in nearby localities:
According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 3,335 people in Charleville.
Charleville has a humid subtropical climate verging on semi-arid, with maximum temperatures ranging from in summer to in winter. Summers are hot and sultry, although they can be very dry as well depending on the wind direction. Winters are mild to cool and crisp, with rather high diurnal ranges, which provide some frost. Rainfall is mild and distributed patchily throughout the year, with a peak in summer. Severe flooding events are usually caused by monsoon troughs and the remnants of tropical cyclones dumping large amounts of rain over the area; however, rain normally falls in the form of thunderstorms and light showers after hot summer days. Extremes have ranged from to. The highest rainfall total recorded for one month was in March 2010.

Attractions

Charleville has several tourist attractions, including a museum of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, a historical museum, wildlife sanctuary, and the Cosmos Centre.

Education

Charleville State School is a government primary school for boys and girls at Wills Street. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 205 students with 20 teachers and 22 non-teaching staff. It includes a special education program.
St Mary's School is a Catholic primary school for boys and girls at 66 Watson Street. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 117 students with 9 teachers and 9 non-teaching staff.
Charleville State High School is a government secondary school for boys and girls on the corner of Partridge & Hunter Streets. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 246 students with 36 teachers and 21 non-teaching staff. It includes a special education program.
Charleville School of Distance Education is a government primary and secondary school for boys and girls at Parry Street. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 200 students with 25 teachers and 12 non-teaching staff. It is a School of the Air, providing distance education by a combination of postal services, telephone and Internet to children who are unable to attend a regular school due to their remote location.

Facilities

Charleville has a range of facilities for the community including a swimming pool, bowling green, speedway, racing course, and the Gowrie sporting oval.
There is public library on Alfred Street run by the Murweh Shire Council.
The Charleville branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms at 145 Alfred Street.
The Charleville Golf Course has eighteen sand greens and a licensed clubhouse in May Street.
North of the town is VMC, a marine weather transmitter operated by the Bureau of Meteorology.

Transport

Aviation is served by the Charleville Airport. The Westlander rail passenger service links the town to Brisbane.
Charleville would have been the southern end of the Transcontinental railway proposed in the 1880s, connecting to Point Parker on the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Notable people