Georgetown, Queensland

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Geography

Georgetown is on the Etheridge River in Far North Queensland, Australia. The Gulf Developmental Road passes through the town, linking Cairns - Script error: No such module "convert". to the east - and Normanton - Script error: No such module "convert". to the west. Georgetown is the administrative headquarters of the Shire of Etheridge, a local government area encompassing the nearby settlements of Mount Surprise, Forsayth and Einasleigh.

Climate

Georgetown has a borderline tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) bordering on a hot semi-arid climate (BSh). The wet season from mid-November to March is hot and humid with like all of tropical Queensland highly erratic rainfall.[4] During the wet season, rainfall is highly concentrated into a few days from monsoonal depressions or remnant cyclones.[5] Wet season weather can vary from daily thunderstorm rains in active monsoon months like January and February 1974 when rain fell on fifty-five consecutive days and Script error: No such module "convert". fell between December and March, to long sweltering and dry spells as in 1925/1926, when only Script error: No such module "convert". fell during those four months. The dry season from April to mid-November is very warm, becoming sweltering in the "build-up" to the wet season during October and November and almost completely dry. Nevertheless, the height of the dry season features cool to pleasant mornings more typical of the humid subtropical climate areas to the southeast, and Georgetown is amongst the most northerly locations in Australia to record frost, with the temperature falling as low as Script error: No such module "convert". on 9 July 1974. Script error: No such module "weather box".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

History

Georgetown area may have been part of North America 1.7 billion years ago based on the characteristics of rocks found in Georgetown matching those of northern Canada rather than the rest of Australia. Researchers at Curtin University have postulated that 100 million years later, this landmass collided with what is now northern Australia, at the Mount Isa region, forming the Nuna supercontinent.[6]

Ewamian are the traditional owners of the area around Georgetown. [7]

The Etheridge River was the site of a gold rush in the 1870s; the town of Georgetown was established on the site of the diggings. Originally known by the name Etheridge, the town's name was changed in 1871 to honour an early gold commissioner, Howard St George.[8] Georgetown Post Office opened on 15 January 1872.[9]

Georgetown State School opened on 14 September 1874.[10]

As in many places around Australia associated with gold, Chinese miners also prospected and this included one or possibly two Joss Houses.[11][12]

By 1900, grazing had replaced gold mining as the region's primary source of income.

The Georgetown Public Library opened in 2003.[13]

Demographics

In the Template:CensusAU, the town of Georgetown had a population of 254 people.[14]

In the Template:CensusAU, the locality of Georgetown had a population of 243 people.[15]

In the Template:CensusAU, the locality of Georgetown had a population of 348 people.[16]

In the Template:CensusAU, the locality of Georgetown had a population of 254 people.[1]

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Heritage listings

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

Education

File:Georgetown State School, 2024.jpg
Georgetown State School, 2024

Georgetown State School is a government primary (Early Childhood to Year 6) school for boys and girls at High Street (Script error: No such module "Coordinates".).[19][20] In 2014, Georgetown State School had an enrolment of 57 students with 3 teachers.[21] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 42 students with 4 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 7 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).[22]

There are no secondary schools in Georgetown, nor nearby. The options are distance education and boarding school.[23]

Facilities

File:Georgetown Terrestrial Information Centre.jpg
Georgetown Terrestrial Information Centre

Georgetown has a racecourse, swimming pool and a tourist information centre and camping/caravan park.[24]

The Etheridge Shire Council operates a public library at Low Street, Georgetown.[25]

The Georgetown branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms on the Gulf Developmental Road.[26]

The Terrestrial Information Centre contains the Ted Elliot Mineral Collection, comprising over 4500 local and international mineral specimens.[27]

St Patrick's Catholic Church is at 26 High Street. It is within the Gulf Savannah Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns.[28]

In popular culture

Georgetown is one of the real locations mentioned several times in the novel A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute.

References

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  1. a b c Template:Census 2021 AUS
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  4. Dewar, Robert E. and Wallis, James R; ‘Geographical patterning of interannual rainfall variability in the tropics and near tropics: An L-moments approach’; in Journal of Climate, 12; pp. 3457-3466
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  15. Template:Census 2011 AUS
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Further reading

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External links

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Template:Shire of Etheridge

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