Mount Britton, Queensland

Mount Britton Queensland
Royal Mail Hotel and doctor's cottage, Mount Britton Goldfield, circa 1881
Mount Britton
Coordinates	21°25′07″S148°35′59″E / 21.4186°S 148.5997°E / -21.4186; 148.5997 (Mount Britton (centre of locality))
Population	4 (2021 census) [1]
• Density	0.0100/km2 (0.026/sq mi)
Established	1881
Postcode(s)	4742
Area	398.3 km2 (153.8 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	50.1 km (31 mi) N of Nebo 131 km (81 mi) SW of Mackay 150 km (93 mi) NE of Moranbah 994 km (618 mi) NNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Isaac Region
State electorate(s)	Burdekin
Federal division(s)	Capricornia
Suburbs around Mount Britton: Eungella Dam Crediton Septimus Hail Creek Mount Britton Pinevale Hail Creek Nebo Epsom

Mount Britton (originally Mount Britten) is a rural locality in the Isaac Region, Queensland, Australia. ^[2] It contains the abandoned gold rush town of Mount Britton in the former Nebo Shire. ^[3] In the 2021 census, Mount Britton had a population of 4 people. ^[1]

Geography

The terrain is mountainous with a number of named peaks (from north to south):

• The Stalk ( 21°18′37″S148°29′22″E / 21.3103°S 148.4895°E / -21.3103; 148.4895 (The Stalk) ) 660 metres (2,170 ft) ^{[4] [5]}
• Sydney Heads ( 21°24′55″S148°34′47″E / 21.4152°S 148.5798°E / -21.4152; 148.5798 (Sydney Heads) ) 921 metres (3,022 ft) ^{[4] [6]}
• The Marling Spikes ( 21°25′09″S148°33′48″E / 21.4191°S 148.5633°E / -21.4191; 148.5633 (The Marling Spikes) ) 723 metres (2,372 ft) ^{[4] [7]}
• Mount Seaview ( 21°26′29″S148°42′40″E / 21.4414°S 148.7112°E / -21.4414; 148.7112 (Mount Seaview) ) 860 metres (2,820 ft) ^{[4] [8]}
• Mount Britton ( 21°28′09″S148°34′44″E / 21.4691°S 148.5790°E / -21.4691; 148.5790 (Mount Britton) ) 727 metres (2,385 ft) ^{[4] [9]}
• Mount Adder ( 21°29′11″S148°43′19″E / 21.4864°S 148.7219°E / -21.4864; 148.7219 (Mount Adder) ) 712 metres (2,336 ft) ^{[4] [10]}
• Boundary Gap Mountain ( 21°30′26″S148°42′53″E / 21.5071°S 148.7146°E / -21.5071; 148.7146 (Boundary Gap Mountain) ) 700 metres (2,300 ft) ^{[4] [11]}

Dullawunna is a neighbourhood in the west of the locality ( 21°26′00″S148°32′00″E / 21.4333°S 148.5333°E / -21.4333; 148.5333 (Dullawunna (neighbourhood)) ). ^[12]

History

School children and teacher portrait at the Provisional School, Mount Britton, 1885

The township began in 1881 with the discovery of a gold field and, at its height, had a population of 1500 inhabitants. ^[13]

Mount Britten Post Office opened on 1 June 1881 and closed in 1912. ^[14] Mount Britten Provisional School opened c. 1883 and closed in 1906. ^[15]

After alluvial and shallow reef gold diminished by the late 1880s, the town experienced a decline and was eventually abandoned. ^[13]

The former township is now a historical site at the end of Mount Britton Road ( 21°24′13″S148°32′43″E / 21.4035°S 148.5452°E / -21.4035; 148.5452 (Mount Britton (historic town)) ). ^[16]

Demographics

In the 2006 census, the locality of Mount Britton and the surrounding area had a population of 255. ^[17]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Mount Britton had a population of 9 people. ^[18]

In the 2021 census, the locality of Mount Britton had a population of 4 people. ^[1]

Education

There are no schools in Mount Britton. The nearest government primary school is Nebo State School in neighbouring Nebo to the south. There are no nearby secondary schools; distance education or boarding schools are the alternatives. ^[16]

See also

• Queensland portal

• List of ghost towns

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mount Britton (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
2. "Mount Britton – locality in Isaac Region (entry 47030)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 27 December 2020.
3. "Mount Britton – town in Isaac Region (entry 47030)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 2 June 2024.
4. "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.
5. "The Stalk – mountain in Isaac Region (entry 34140)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
6. "Sydney Heads – mountain in Isaac Region (entry 33018)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
7. "The Marling Spikes – mountain in Isaac Region (entry 34018)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
8. "Mount Seaview – mountain in Isaac Region (entry 30337)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
9. "Mount Britton – mountain in Isaac Region (entry 4577)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
10. "Mount Adder – mountain in Isaac Region (entry 111)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
11. "Boundary Gap Mountain – mountain in Isaac Region (entry 4062)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
12. "Dullawunna – locality unbounded in Isaac Regional (entry 10788)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 8 March 2023.
13. "Mount Britton". Tourism & Events Queensland. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
14. Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List Mount Britten". Phoenix Auctions. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
15. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN   978-1-921171-26-0
16. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland . Retrieved 3 March 2021.
17. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Mount Britton (Nebo Shire)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 3 May 2009.
18. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Mount Britton (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.

Further reading

• Ford, Lyall R. (Lyall Robert) (2001), Below these mountains : the adventures of John Henry Mills - pioneer photographer and gold miner, Taipan Press, ISBN   978-0-9590776-1-2 (includes historical aspects of Mount Britton)

External links

• "Mount Britton". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.