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Isisford Queensland
Main street of Isisford
Isisford
Coordinates	24°15′35″S 144°26′19″E / 24.2597°S 144.4386°E / -24.2597; 144.4386 (Isisford (town centre))
Population	218 (2021 census)
• Density	0.02075/km (0.05374/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4731
Elevation	202 m (663 ft)
Area	10,506.8 km (4,056.7 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	117 km (73 mi) SSE of Longreach 122 km (76 mi) WNW of Blackall 748 km (465 mi) W of Rockhampton 1,087 km (675 mi) WNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Longreach Region
State electorate(s)	Gregory
Federal division(s)	Maranoa
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 30.8 °C 87 °F 15.5 °C 60 °F 449.8 mm 17.7 in
Localities around Isisford: Longreach Ilfracombe Ilfracombe Stonehenge Isisford Blackall Jundah Yaraka Adavale

Isisford is a rural town and locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Isisford had a population of 218 people.

Geography

Isisford is situated in Central Western Queensland on the Barcoo River, and is approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi) south east of the town of Longreach. The town of Emmet (24°40′17″S 144°28′35″E / 24.6713°S 144.4763°E / -24.6713; 144.4763 (Emmet)) is located 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of Isisford, and Yaraka (24°52′55″S 144°04′41″E / 24.8819°S 144.0780°E / -24.8819; 144.0780 (Yaraka)) is located 102 kilometres (63 mi) to the south-west. Isisford–Blackall Road runs east from the town to the locality of Blackall.

Idalia National Park and Welford National Park are accessible from the town.

The following hills are near Isisford:

• Double Top (24°41′00″S 144°37′40″E / 24.6832°S 144.6277°E / -24.6832; 144.6277 (Double Top)) 469 metres (1,539 ft)
• Mount Aaron (24°49′23″S 143°34′52″E / 24.8230°S 143.5810°E / -24.8230; 143.5810 (Mount Aaron)) 334 metres (1,096 ft)
• Mount Ellen (24°47′24″S 144°22′27″E / 24.7901°S 144.3743°E / -24.7901; 144.3743 (Mount Ellen)) 427 metres (1,401 ft)
• Mount Grey (24°38′54″S 144°39′43″E / 24.6482°S 144.6620°E / -24.6482; 144.6620 (Mount Grey)) 426 metres (1,398 ft)
• Mount Malcolm (24°51′29″S 144°31′18″E / 24.8581°S 144.5217°E / -24.8581; 144.5217 (Mount Malcolm))
• Mount Mingera (24°30′41″S 143°58′56″E / 24.5113°S 143.9822°E / -24.5113; 143.9822 (Mount Mingera)) 219 metres (719 ft)
• Mount Misery (24°40′21″S 143°51′23″E / 24.6726°S 143.8565°E / -24.6726; 143.8565 (Mount Misery)) 236 metres (774 ft)
• Mount Moses (24°48′53″S 143°37′27″E / 24.8148°S 143.6242°E / -24.8148; 143.6242 (Mount Moses))
• Mount Perrier (24°50′56″S 143°36′26″E / 24.8489°S 143.6073°E / -24.8489; 143.6073 (Mount Perrier)) 337 metres (1,106 ft)
• Mount Slowcan (24°58′33″S 144°29′56″E / 24.9757°S 144.4988°E / -24.9757; 144.4988 (Mount Slowcan))
• Mountain Black (24°23′21″S 143°50′01″E / 24.3892°S 143.8336°E / -24.3892; 143.8336 (Mountain Black))
• Observatory Hill (24°49′55″S 144°32′18″E / 24.8320°S 144.5383°E / -24.8320; 144.5383 (Observatory Hill))
• Opal Hill (24°43′49″S 143°37′54″E / 24.7302°S 143.6318°E / -24.7302; 143.6318 (Opal Hill)) 301 metres (988 ft)
• Penny Knob (24°41′36″S 144°35′57″E / 24.6933°S 144.5993°E / -24.6933; 144.5993 (Penny Knob)) 391 metres (1,283 ft)
• The Sisters (24°49′39″S 144°23′24″E / 24.8275°S 144.3899°E / -24.8275; 144.3899 (The Sisters))
• Yellow Mountain (24°42′35″S 143°38′30″E / 24.7097°S 143.6416°E / -24.7097; 143.6416 (Yellow Mountain)) 330 metres (1,080 ft)

Climate

History

The Indigenous people of the Isisford region are known as the Kuungkari people. The first Europeans to enter the area were members of the expedition led by Thomas Mitchell, who journeyed through what is now Isisford in September 1846. Mitchell described a large native encampment being present with permanent huts and well-beaten pathways. The resident people were alarmed at the arrival of this group, and Mitchell continued through with little interaction. He made camp at a nearby lagoon, which he called Yuranigh's Pond, after Yuranigh, his Wiradjuri guide.

In 1847, Edmund Kennedy's exploratory group travelled through the region where he obtained the name of the Barcoo River from an old Kuungkari man living near Yuranigh's Pond. The expedition of Augustus Charles Gregory passed through the same area in 1858. While they were encamped, they fired a shot into the scrub to scare away the local Aborigines. In 1862, the expedition led by William Landsborough camped close to the same place and likewise felt threatened by the resident Kuungkari. A number armed with clubs and throwing sticks approached the camp and Landsborough ordered his men to fire. One Kuungkari man was shot dead and another wounded.

British pastoralists began to enter the region in 1866 with John Charles Ellis and his brother Evelyn taking up land. They were sons of Charles Ellis, 6th Baron Howard de Walden and named their property Portland Downs after their maternal grandfather William Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland. A year later, Charles Lumley Hill established the neighbouring Isis Downs property and John Fanning formed Ruthven. Frontier violence ensued with Fanning being killed in 1868 by resident Aboriginal men and another squatter named Richard Welford being killed in 1872. Punitive expeditions conducted by Native Police and local pastoralists such Charles Lumley Hill subsequently occurred, with many Indigenous people being shot.

In May 1875, closer development started to occur with James Whitman opening a hotel, store and blacksmith. Land for the township of Whittington was reserved in 1877, and the town was surveyed as the Town of Wittown in April 1878; it is said that Whitman named it after himself.

Isis Downs Post Office opened on 1 June 1868 and was replaced by the Wittown office in 1876. However, in May 1878, the name Isisford was proposed and by August 1878 it had been renamed Isisford, because it was near the Isis Downs pastoral run and a ford on the Barcoo River.. In the following years the town progressed with the growth of the pastoral industry. A post office and telegraph line were operating by 1881.

Isisford Private School opened in the 1870s. It was by operated by Mr R Venables. It closed when Isisford Provisional School opened on 19 October 1881 with Venables becoming its first teacher. Circa 1883 the provisional school became Isisford State School. In 1892 it became Isisford Provisional School, returning to state school status in January 1894.

The Queensland Government called for tenders to build a court house in Isisford in August 1883 with the contract awarded to William McLaughlin in November 1883. The court house was completed in November 1885.

In April 1910, Isisford became the first town in Australia to be serviced by a motorised mail delivery (from Ilfracombe, 90 kilometres (56 mi) to the north). A plaque on the post office commemorates the centenary of the commencement of the service.

Isisford Convent School was established in 1950 by the Presentation Sisters. It closed in 1970.

In September 1956, a deliberately lit fire at the Isisford Hotel resulted in the deaths of a mother and her child.

In the mid-1990s, the first fossils of Isisfordia, an extinct genus of crocodile-like animals, was discovered in a dry creek close to the town. The discovery was made by the town's former Deputy Mayor, Ian Duncan, after which the new species was named.

On 10 September 2021, a new locality called Yaraka was created around the town of Yaraka, the land being excised from the locality of Isisford, to avoid confusion and restore historical connections.

Demographics

In the 2011 census, the locality of Isisford and the surrounding area had a population of 262. This figure has never surpassed 300.

In the 2016 census, the locality of Isisford had a population of 218 people.

In the 2021 census, the locality of Isisford had a population of 218 people.

Heritage listings

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

• Old Isisford District Hospital, 6 St Agnes Street
• Isis Downs Woolshed, Isisford-Blackall Road

Education

Isisford State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 14 St Helena Street (24°15′37″S 144°26′22″E / 24.2602°S 144.4395°E / -24.2602; 144.4395 (Isisford State School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 9 students with 2 teachers and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).

There is no secondary school in Isisford. The nearest government secondary schools are in Longreach and Blackall but are sufficiently distant that distance education and boarding school would be alternatives.

Amenities

Isisford has a public library at 20 St Mary Street operated by the Longreach Regional Council.

It also has a swimming pool and visitor information centre.

References

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Isisford (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
2. "Summary statistics: Isisford Post Office". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2008.
3. "Isisford – town in Longreach Region (entry 44229)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
4. "Isisford – locality in Longreach Region (entry 50310)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
5. "Emmet – population centre in Longreach Regional (entry 11627)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
6. "Emmet to Isisford" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
7. "Yaraka – population centre in Longreach Regional (entry 38459)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
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10. ^ "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.
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12. "Mount Aaron – mountain in Longreach Region (entry 5)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
13. "Mount Ellen – mountain in Longreach Region (entry 11527)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
14. "Mount Malcolm – mountain in Longreach Region (entry 20706)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
15. "Mount Misery – mountain in Longreach Region (entry 22296)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
16. "Mount Moses – mountain in Longreach Region (entry 22890)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
17. "Mount Perrier – mountain in Longreach Region (entry 26468)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
18. "Mount Slowcan – mountain in Longreach Region (entry 31181)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
19. "Mountain Black – mountain in Longreach Region (entry 2966)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
20. "Observatory Hill – mountain in Longreach Region (entry 25215)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
21. "Opal Hill – mountain in Longreach Region (entry 25511)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
22. "Penny Knob – mountain in Longreach Region (entry 26398)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
23. "The Sisters – mountain in Longreach Region (entry 34118)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
24. "Yellow Mountain – mountain in Longreach Region (entry 38617)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
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60. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Isisford (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
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62. "Isisford District Hospital (former) (entry 602837)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
63. "Isis Downs Woolshed Complex (entry 602544)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
64. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
65. "Isisford State School". Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
66. "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
67. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
68. "Isisford Library". State Library of Queensland. State Library of Queensland. Archived from the original on 10 February 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2018.

External links

• "Town of Isisford" (Map). Queensland Government. 1979.
• "Town of Emmet" (Map). Queensland Government. 1973.
• "Town of Yaraka" (Map). Queensland Government. 1969.

• Towns in Queensland
• Isisford, Queensland
• Longreach Region
• Populated places established in 1878
• 1878 establishments in Australia
• Localities in Queensland