Cloncurry trail

The intriguing outback town of Cloncurry received its name from none other than early explorer Robert O’Hara Burke, who named the Cloncurry River after his Irish cousin, Lady Elizabeth Cloncurry, in 1861.

In 1867, prospector-pastoralists Ernest Henry and Roger Sheaffe set out on a journey across the vast Queensland outback hoping to secure pastoral country further west. Sheaffe established the first pastoral run in the district, ‘Fort Constantine’ and Henry, often honoured as founder of Cloncurry discovered copper here in May 1867. He named this mine ‘The Great Australian’ and operations began in November 1867. This was the start of Cloncurry’s extensive mining history.

The prosperous Cloncurry mineral field attracted Chinese gold diggers and Afghan cameleers – who provided transport in regions too arid for horses. The town’s Chinese cemetery and Afghan cemetery are reminders of their cultural influences.

In 1884, the Cloncurry Divisional Board was constituted and Cloncurry gained administrative independence from Normanton. A court house was built in 1897, and the adjacent post office in 1906. The Hampden Cloncurry Limited and Mount Elliott Limited were both floated by 1906, establishing competing operations on the Cloncurry copper field. Mount Cuthbert Company, too, was a significant mining venture, acquiring five mines by 1907.

The Great Northern Railway reached Cloncurry in 1908, further opening up the area to the west and leading to Cloncurry’s ‘golden era’ (c.1906-1920). Many historic buildings in Sheaffe, Scarr and Ramsay Streets belong to this period. A number of small, short-lived mining towns developed during this time of prosperity, including Mount Cuthbert, Kuridala and Selwyn.

In 1921, the world copper price collapsed, resulting in the end of the Cloncurry copper field and grazing became the main industry.

In 1919, QANTAS founders Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinness recognised the potential for an inland aerial mail service between the Northern Territory and Queensland, linking Charleville, Longreach, Winton and Cloncurry. Cloncurry was the destination of the first QANTAS passenger flight in 1922, and the 1922 QANTAS hangar still forms part of the Cloncurry airport today.

In 1928, Reverend John Flynn established the Aerial Medical Service at Cloncurry, later known as the Royal Flying Doctor Service. It was part of his Australian Inland Mission (AIM) established in 1911 to provide a ‘mantle of safety’ through a network of nursing hostels and hospitals in remote areas.

You can delve into Cloncurry’s fascinating history at the John Flynn Place Museum and the Mary Kathleen Memorial Park. A number of historic hotels provide in-town accommodation.