| Shire of Carpentaria Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location within Queensland | |||||||||||||||
| Population | 1,974 (2018) [1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.030786/km2 (0.079734/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1883 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 64,121 km2 (24,757.3 sq mi) [1] | ||||||||||||||
| Mayor | Jack Bawden | ||||||||||||||
| Council seat | Normanton | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Far North Queensland | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Traeger, Cook | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Kennedy | ||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
| Website | Shire of Carpentaria | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
The Shire of Carpentaria is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia on the Gulf of Carpentaria, for which it is named.
The Shire of Carpentaria covers an area of 64,121 square kilometres (24,757.3 sq mi), and has existed as a local government entity since 1883. Its two main population centres are the towns of Karumba, a fishing port, and Normanton, the administrative centre, both of which are located on the Norman River.
The Doonmunya Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 with a population of 396. [2] However, the divisional board appeared to be completely inactive, perhaps because the division was so large (being the area surrounding the southern part of the Gulf of Carpentaria) and was very sparsely settled. [3] Nonetheless some of the citizens were unhappy about this. [4] Consequently, on 11 January 1883, the Doonmunya Division was abolished and a new Carpentaria Division was created to replace it. [5] [6] [7]
Given the size of the Carpentaria Division, the distance to its headquarters in Normanton was an issue for residents in the Cloncurry area, leading to a desire to create their own local division. [8] On 7 February 1884, part of Carpentaria Division was separated to create the new Cloncurry Division. [9] [10]
However, once the Carpentaria Divisional Board became operational, the residents of the Burketown area became concerned that their rates were likely to be spent on the Normanton area rather than their own and began to agitate for their own division west of the Leichhardt River. [11] On 30 January 1885, the Burke Division was created from lands formerly within the Carpentaria Division with some adjustments to the Cloncurry Division. [12] [13] [14]
With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Carpentaria Division became the Shire of Carpentaria on 31 March 1903. [7] [15]
Prior to 2005, two Aboriginal communities (Kowanyama and Pormpuraaw) administered under Deed of Grant in Trust by community councils since the mid-1980s, were part of the Shire's area, but they were formally excised and given a new status as Aboriginal Shires.
The Shire of Carpentaria includes the following settlements:
Prior to 1971, Aboriginal people who form a majority of the population were not counted in census statistics.
Until 1 July 2002, the Australian Bureau of Statistics included the Island and DOGIT councils within the Shire of Cook statistical local area. Information for the reduced Shire back to 1996 has been provided on the ABS website through the Time Series Profile.
| Year | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1879 | 396 | |
| 1933 | 696 | |
| 1947 | 610 | |
| 1954 | 566 | |
| 1961 | 834 | |
| 1966 | 1,031 | |
| 1971 | 2,558 | |
| 1976 | 2,809 | |
| 1981 | 3,273 | |
| 1986 | 3,287 | |
| 1991 | 3,807 | |
| 1996 | 2,790 | 4,271 |
| 2001 | 3,178 | 4,844 |
| 2006 | 3,149 | 4,770 |
The Carpentaria Shire Council operates libraries in Normanton and Karumba. [21]
Normanton is an outback town and coastal locality in the Shire of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia. At the 2021 census, the locality of Normanton had a population of 1,391 people, and the town of Normanton had a population of 1,326 people.
Karumba is a town and a coastal locality in the Shire of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Karumba had a population of 531 people.
Burketown is an isolated outback town and coastal locality in the Shire of Burke, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Burketown had a population of 238 people.
The Shire of Cloncurry is a local government area in North West Queensland, Australia. It covers an area of 47,971 square kilometres (18,521.7 sq mi), and has existed as a local government entity since 1884. The major town and administrative centre of the shire is Cloncurry.
The Shire of Burke is a local government area in North West Queensland, Australia. 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 39,864 square kilometres (15,391.6 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 of Tiaro was a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, between the regional cities of Gympie and Hervey Bay about 220 kilometres (137 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane. The shire covered an area of 2,185.3 square kilometres (843.7 sq mi), and existed as a local government area from 1879 until 2008, when it was dissolved and split between two new local government areas, the Gympie Region and the Fraser Coast Region.
The Shire of Hinchinbrook is a local government area in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Ingham, covers an area of 2,807 square kilometres (1,083.8 sq mi), and has existed since its creation on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879.
The Gulf Country is the region of woodland and savanna grassland surrounding the Gulf of Carpentaria in north western Queensland and eastern Northern Territory on the north coast of Australia. The region is also called the Gulf Savannah. It contains large reserves of zinc, lead and silver. The Gulf Country is crossed by the Savannah Way highway.
The Shire of Tingalpa was a local government area in the south-eastern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from Mount Cotton, covered an area of 120 square miles (311 km2), and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 1949.
The Town of Toowong is a former local government area of Queensland, Australia, located in western Brisbane in the area around the current suburb of Toowong.
The Kedron Division is a former local government area of Queensland, Australia, located in northern Brisbane.
The Shire of Toombul was a local government area of Queensland, Australia, located in northern Brisbane from 1883 to 1925.
The Shire of Cleveland is a former local government area in the south-east of Queensland, Australia, centred on the town of Cleveland beside Moreton Bay.
The Shire of Coomera was a local government area in South East Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from Coomera, existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 1949.
The Shire of Nerang was a local government area in South East Queensland, Australia. The shire existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 1949.
The Town of Southport was a local government area in South East Queensland, Australia.
The Shire of Highfields is a former local government area on the Darling Downs in Queensland, Australia. It existed between 1879 and 1949.
The Shire of Widgee is a former local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett area of Queensland, Australia. It was located in the rural areas around the town of Gympie but did not include the town itself, which was always in a separate local government area. The administrative offices of the Shire of Widgee were located in Gympie.
Burns Philp Building is a heritage-listed former warehouse at the corner of Landsborough Street and Caroline Street, Normanton, Shire of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia. It was built by Andrew Murphy. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 14 October 2011.
Coordinates: 17°40′16.33″S141°04′34″E / 17.6712028°S 141.07611°E
