Mitchell, Queensland

Mitchell is a town and locality in the Western Downs district of the Maranoa Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] The town services the local area, a cattle and sheep farming district. In the 2016 census, Mitchell had a population of 1031 people.[1]

Mitchell Queensland
Looking downstream on the Maranoa River on the eastern side of Mitchell
Mitchell
Coordinates	26.4861°S 147.9752°E
Population	1,031 (2016 census)[1]
• Density	1.5242/km^2 (3.9478/sq mi)
Established	1864
Postcode(s)	4465
Elevation	336.3 m (1,103 ft)
Area	676.4 km^2 (261.2 sq mi)
Location	568 km (353 mi) from Brisbane 90 km (56 mi) from Roma 180 km (112 mi) from Charleville
LGA(s)	Maranoa Region
County	Dublin
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
Localities around Mitchell: Forestvale Kilmorey Falls Walhallow Womalilla Mitchell Walhallow Womalilla Eurella Amby

Warrego Highway crossing the Maranoa.

Geography

Mitchell is on the Warrego Highway, 587 kilometres (365 mi) west of Brisbane, 441 kilometres (274 mi) west of Toowoomba, 230 kilometres (143 mi) west of Miles, 89 kilometres (55 mi) west of Roma 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]

Sign on the Warrego Highway at the western entrance to Mitchell

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.

Mandandanji (also known as Mandandanyi, Mandandanjdji, Kogai) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Mandandanji people. The Mandandanji language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Maranoa Regional Council, particularly Roma, Yuleba and Surat, then east towards Chinchilla and south-west towards Mitchell and St George.[6]

Centenary memorial erected in 1946 at Mitchell, Queensland to commemorate explorer Thomas Mitchell's naming of the nearby Maranoa River.

The town is named after Sir Thomas Mitchell explorer and Surveyor General of New South Wales, who explored the area in 1846.[2]

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 and established the Maranoa Hotel.

On 1 January 1865, Mitchell Downs Post Office opened and around 1878 was renamed Mitchell Post Office.[7]

Mitchell State School opened on 1 April 1876.[8]

In 1902, after a short stand-off, bushrangers Patrick and James Kenniff were captured south of Mitchell at a location previously known as Back Creek but now known as Arrest Creek.[9] Patrick was hanged in 1903 for the murder of Constable George Doyle (who had previously served at Wyandra) and Albert Dahlke, while James was released after 12 years imprisonment and died peacefully in 1940.[10]

Long Gully Provisional School opened on 1915 on the road from Mitchell to St George; it closed in 1918.[11]

St Patrick's Catholic Primary School opened on 4 November 1923.[11]

Mitchell Aboriginal Provisional School opened on 1 May 1935 and was later proclaimed Mitchell Aboriginal State School. It closed on 19 November 1948.[11]

At the 2006 census, Mitchell had a population of 944.[12]

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.

In the March 2010 floods, the Maranoa River reached a peak of 13.4 m in the town causing an inundation of 25 houses.[13] The town experienced the worst flooding ever in 2012 when a monsoon trough hovered over central and southern Queensland.

In the 2011 census, Mitchell had a population of 1,311 people.[14]

Heritage listings

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

• Cambridge Street: Mitchell War Memorial[15]
• 105 Cambridge Street: Mitchell State School (1914 Building)[16]
• Oxford Street (passenger station), Alice Street (goods shed) and Sheffield Street (station master's): Mitchell railway station[17]

• 
  Railway station

Amenities

Mitchell has a heritage museum and the Maranoa art gallery.

The Maranoa Regional Council operates a public library in Cambridge Street and offers public wifi.[18]

The Mitchell branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms at 87 Cambridge Street.[19]

QCWA Hall in Cambridge Street

Education

Mitchell State School is a government primary and secondary (Prep-10) school for boys and girls at 105 Cambridge Street (26.4885°S 147.9715°E).[20][21] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 132 students with 16 teachers (13 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent).[22] Students come from Mitchell, Mungallala, Amby and surrounding properties.[23] Students from Year 11 and 12 are conveyed by bus to Roma State College in Roma.

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 100 Alice Street (26.4841°S 147.9737°E).[20][24] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 37 students with 2 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff.[22]

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.[25] The town gets an average of 157.5 clear days annually.[26]

Climate data for Mitchell
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	46.8 (116.2)	43.0 (109.4)	42.1 (107.8)	36.5 (97.7)	33.0 (91.4)	30.2 (86.4)	29.2 (84.6)	36.2 (97.2)	39.3 (102.7)	40.8 (105.4)	42.7 (108.9)	46.2 (115.2)	46.8 (116.2)
Average high °C (°F)	34.1 (93.4)	32.9 (91.2)	31.1 (88.0)	27.5 (81.5)	23.2 (73.8)	19.7 (67.5)	19.4 (66.9)	21.8 (71.2)	25.8 (78.4)	29.4 (84.9)	32.0 (89.6)	33.7 (92.7)	27.5 (81.5)
Average low °C (°F)	20.0 (68.0)	19.5 (67.1)	16.8 (62.2)	11.5 (52.7)	7.1 (44.8)	4.3 (39.7)	2.8 (37.0)	3.9 (39.0)	7.5 (45.5)	12.3 (54.1)	16.1 (61.0)	18.5 (65.3)	11.7 (53.1)
Record low °C (°F)	10.1 (50.2)	8.8 (47.8)	4.0 (39.2)	−0.9 (30.4)	−6.4 (20.5)	−6.2 (20.8)	−6.1 (21.0)	−9.4 (15.1)	−3.2 (26.2)	−1.4 (29.5)	3.6 (38.5)	7.5 (45.5)	−9.4 (15.1)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	81.9 (3.22)	72.5 (2.85)	61.3 (2.41)	33.8 (1.33)	32.4 (1.28)	34.4 (1.35)	33.1 (1.30)	23.5 (0.93)	26.4 (1.04)	42.5 (1.67)	58.2 (2.29)	71.9 (2.83)	571.9 (22.5)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2mm)	7.4	6.1	5.5	3.7	3.8	4.1	4.2	3.3	3.9	5.2	6.3	7.3	60.8
Average relative humidity (%)	35	38	36	36	39	41	37	31	26	28	30	31	34
Source: Bureau of Meteorology[26]

Great Artesian Spa

The Great Artesian Spa was opened in 1998 and is situated in the town's aquatic centre.[27] 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.[28]

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.[29] 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.[30][31]

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, until Gough Whitlam took that mantle.[32]

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

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Mitchell (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
2. "Mitchell – town (entry 22362)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
3. "Mitchell – locality (entry 47435)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
4. Queensland holidays Archived 7 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine – places to visit – outback – Queensland holidays. Retrieved 1 March 2009
5. Queensland natural resources and water Archived 25 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine – "Maranoa river at Mitchell". Retrieved 1 March 2009
6. "Mandandanji". State Library of Queensland. 15 January 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020.
7. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
8. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
9. "Arrest Creek – watercourse in the Maranoa Region (entry 860)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
10. The Kenniff centenary moot. Mitchell, Queensland. 22 June 2002.
11. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
12. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Mitchell (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
13. "Queensland town braces for worst flood". news.com.au. News Limited. 4 February 2012. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
14. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Mitchell (SSC)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
15. "Mitchell War Memorial (entry 600038)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
16. "Mitchell State School (1914 Building) (entry 601076)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
17. "Mitchell Railway Station (entry 601077)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
18. "Mitchell Library". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
19. "Branch locations". Queensland Country Women's Association. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
20. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
21. "Mitchell State School". Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
22. "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
23. "Welcome to Mitchell State School". Mitchell State School. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
24. "St Patrick's Primary School". Archived from the original on 9 March 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
25. "Queensland Temperature Extremes" (PDF). Bureau of Meteorology. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
26. "Mitchell Post Office". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. February 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
27. "Great Artesian Spa - Attraction - Queensland". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
28. visit Mitchell Archived 24 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine – relaxation – Great artesian spa. retrieved 1 March 2009.
29. "The Great Artesian Basin" (PDF). QLD Department of Environment and Resource Management. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
30. Queensland natural resources and water Archived 11 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine – The great artesian basin. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
31. Region – Booringa online – "Mitchell". Retrieved 1 March 2009.
32. Scaramouche. "Prime Minister – Francis Michael Forde". Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2011.

External links

• "Mitchell". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.
• Town map of Mitchell, 1977
• Mitchell Queensland – visitor information and website of the Booringa Action Group, a local not-for-profit organisation who supports the local community.