Forty Mile, Queensland

Forty Mile Queensland
Forty Mile Scrub National Park, 2020
Forty Mile
Coordinates	17°59′07″S144°44′12″E / 17.9852°S 144.7366°E / -17.9852; 144.7366 (Forty Mile (centre of locality))
Population	18 (2021 census) [1]
• Density	0.0197/km2 (0.0511/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4872
Area	912.9 km2 (352.5 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	68.5 km (43 mi) SW of Mount Garnet 164 km (102 mi) SW of Atherton 198 km (123 mi) SW of Mareeba 230 km (143 mi) SW of Cairns 1,677 km (1,042 mi) NNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Shire of Mareeba
State electorate(s)	Hill
Federal division(s)	Kennedy
Suburbs around Forty Mile: Barwidgi Munderra Gunnawarra Springfield Forty Mile Gunnawarra Mount Surprise Mount Surprise Minnamoolka

Forty Mile is a rural locality in the Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. ^[2] In the 2021 census, Forty Mile had a population of 18 people. ^[1]

Geography

The Great Dividing Range loosely forms most of the eastern boundary of the locality, making the locality part of the Gulf of Carpentaria drainage basin, specifically within the catchment of the Mitchell River. ^[3]

The Lynd River rises in the locality and forms part of the north-west boundary; it is a tributary of the Mitchell River. ^[4] Two tributaries of the Tate River, the Sandy Tate River and the Rocky Tate River, also rise in the locality. ^[3]

The Kennedy Highway enters the locality from the east (Gunnawarra) and exits to the south-east (Minnamoolka), where it becomes the Kennedy Developmental Road at the intersection with the Gulf Developmental Road. The Gulf Developmental then enters Forty Mile from the south-east (Minnamoolka) and exits to the south (Mount Surprise). ^[5]

Ootann Road crosses the northern part of the locality, entering from the north-east (Gunnawarra) and exiting to the north-west (Barwidgi). ^[6]

Forty Mile has the following mountains (from north to south): ^[3]

• Dicky Hill ( 17°52′34″S144°46′53″E / 17.8760°S 144.7815°E / -17.8760; 144.7815 (Dicky Hill) ) 715 metres (2,346 ft) ^{[7] [8]}
• Wandoo Hill ( 17°53′12″S144°44′41″E / 17.8867°S 144.7446°E / -17.8867; 144.7446 (Wandoo Hill) ) 694 metres (2,277 ft) ^{[7] [9]}
• Mount Mist ( 18°00′19″S144°38′44″E / 18.0053°S 144.6456°E / -18.0053; 144.6456 (Mount Mist) ) 670 metres (2,200 ft) ^{[7] [10]}
• Lost Pinnacle ( 18°02′19″S144°51′42″E / 18.0385°S 144.8616°E / -18.0385; 144.8616 (Lost Pinnacle) ) 790 metres (2,590 ft) ^{[7] [11]}

The Forty Mile Scrub National Park is in the south-east corner of the locality, extending into neighbouring Minnammolka. ^{[12] [13] [14]} Undara Volcanic National Park is in the southern tip of the locality, extending into neighbouring Mount Surprise and beyond. ^{[15] [14]} Apart from these protected areas, the land use is predominantly grazing on native vegetation with some crop growing near the Forty Mile Scrub National Park. ^[14]

Demographics

In the 2016 census, Forty Mile had a population of 20 people. ^[16]

In the 2021 census, Forty Mile had a population of 18 people. ^[1]

Education

There are no schools in Forty Mile. The nearest government primary schools are Mount Surprise State School in neighbouring Mount Surprise to the south-west and Mount Garnet State School in Mount Garnet to the north-east. However, students living near the centre of the locality might be too distant to attend either of these schools. Also, there are no secondary schools nearby. The alternatives are distance education and boarding school. ^[17]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Forty Mile (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
2. "Forty Mile – locality in Shire of Mareeba (entry 48640)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 30 October 2019.
3. "Layers: Locality; Mountains and ranges; Contours; Watercourses; Drainage boundaries". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government . Retrieved 13 June 2025.
4. "Lynd River – watercourse in the Shire of Mareeba (entry 20297)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 14 June 2025.
5. "Layers: Locality; Road and rail; Railways; Railway stations". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government . Retrieved 13 June 2025.
6. Forty Mile, Queensland (Map). OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
7. "Mountain peaks and capes - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
8. "Dicky Hill – mountain in Mareeba Shire (entry 9918)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
9. "Wandoo Hill – mountain in Mareeba Shire (entry 36438)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
10. "Mount Mist – mountain in Mareeba Shire (entry 22321)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
11. "Lost Pinnacle – mountain in Mareeba Shire (entry 20106)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
12. "Forty Mile Scrub National Park – national part in Shire of Mareeba (entry 51205)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 14 June 2025.
13. "Forty Mile, Queensland" (Map). Google Maps . Retrieved 14 August 2021.
14. "Layers: Locality; Protected areas and forests; Land use". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government . Retrieved 13 June 2025.
15. "Undara Volcanic National Park – national park in the Shire of Etheridge (entry 51389)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 14 June 2025.
16. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Forty Mile (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
17. "Layers: Locality; Schools and school catchments". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government . Retrieved 13 June 2025.