Mount Surprise, Queensland
| Mount Surprise Queensland |
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 Mount Surprise
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| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | ||||||||
| Population | 162 (2006 census)[1] | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4871 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 453 m (1,486 ft)[2] | ||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Shire of Etheridge | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Mount Isa | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Kennedy | ||||||||
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Mount Surprise is a town in the Gulf Savannah, Far North Queensland, Australia. The town is located in the Shire of Etheridge local government area, on the Gulf Developmental Road, 1,722 kilometres (1,070 mi) north west of the state capital, Brisbane and 285 kilometres (177 mi) west of the regional centre of Cairns. At the 2006 census, Mount Surprise and the surrounding area had a population of 162.[1]
The town was founded by Ezra Firth, from the English county of Yorkshire, who along with his family settled in the area in 1864. The property struggled at first; relations with the indigenous inhabitants of the country were hostile and the country was not suited for wool growing. The discovery of gold in the 1880s and the subsequent gold rush allowed Firth to sell his sheep to the miners, convert his holding to cattle and become wealthy selling goods to the miners. In 1908, the railway reached Mount Surprise.[3]
Mount Surprise Post Office opened by July 1908.[4]
The town today is little more than a pub, one cafe and two petrol stations with a small store, a gem-shop, a police station and two trailer parks or caravan parks. One park has a block of modern motel units. At the Mt. Surprise Tourist Park, a large bird aviary is open to the public.
Mount Surprise has a passenger rail service, The Savannahlander, with a weekly service (from March to December inclusive) from the city of Cairns to Einasleigh and Forsayth to the west and return to Cairns in the east. The town is near the Undara Volcanic National Park and Forty Mile Scrub National Park. Other activities in the area include gem fossicking.[3]
Heritage listings
Mount Surprise has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Gulf Developmental Road: No.53 RDF Station[5]
- Via Mount Surprise: Quartz Hill Coach Change Station Site and Cemetery[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Bureau of Meteorology
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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