Charleville is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Murweh, Queensland, Australia.
Charlevilleis a rural town and locality in the Shire of Murweh, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census the locality of Charleville had a population of 3,335 people.
History
Bidjara (also known as Bidyara, Pitjara, and Peechara) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Bidjara people. The Bidjara language region includes the local government areas of the Shire of Murweh, particularly the towns of Charleville, Augathella and Blackall as well as the properties of Nive Downs and Mount Tabor.Gungabula (also known as Kongabula and Khungabula) is an Australian Aboriginal language of the headwaters of the Dawson River in Central Queensland. The language region includes areas within the local government area of Maranoa Region, particularly the towns of Charleville, Augathella and Blackall and as well as the Carnarvon Range.The first European exploration of the area, which was Kunja tribal land, was conducted by Edmund Kennedy in 1847.
Gowrie Station had been established around the Gowrie Crossing, a ford across the Warrego River (26.4045°S 146.2273°E? / -26.4045; 146.2273? (Gowrie Crossing)) along a natural stock route, for the grazing of sheep and cattle.The town was gazetted on 11 January 1865. It was situated near Gowrie's Crossing, a permanent waterhole, now on the outskirts of the modern town. It was planned with very wide streets to enable bullock teams of up to 14 pairs to turn with their wagons. It was William Alcock Tully, who was Commissioner of Crown Lands in the Warrego District from 1863 to 1864 and would later serve as Surveyor General of Queensland from 1875 to 1889, who laid out the town's streets. An Irishman, Tully probably named the town after the town of Charleville, County Cork, Ireland.A hotel was built in 1865. Charleville Post Office opened on 1 August 1865 and a town began to grow to service the region.
Members of the Roma-based Skinner family established a store in the town in 1872 that became known as the Warrego Stores.In September 1875, the Queensland Government called for tenders to erect a courthouse in Charleville. The foundation stone (actually a bloodwood block) was laid on 23 November 1875. By January 1876, the courthouse was almost finished.
In December 1884, the Queensland Government called for tenders to erect a hospital in Charleville. In March 1885 the contract was awarded to Richards and King for£2,265 10s. In November 1885, a hospital ball was held in the new hospital building, suggesting it was completed and opened around that time.Cobb and Co, the legendary Australian stagecoach company, established a coach building business in the town in 1886. however, the railway arrived in 1888, beginning the long demise of coach transport in the area. Charleville railway station opened on 1 March 1888 and was the terminus for the Western railway line until the line was extended to Cunnamulla in 1898. Facilities included a locomotive depot, cattle and sheep yards, a 50-ton weighbridge, a booking and telegraph offices, goods shed, stationmaster's house, and guards, enginemen and firemen's cottages. Apart from the railway station in Charleville, there were also two now-abandoned railway sidings:
Dalgetys Siding railway siding (26.4075°S 146.2684°E? / -26.4075; 146.2684? (Dalgetys Siding railway siding point))
Glenroy Scour Siding (26.4146°S 146.3125°E? / -26.4146; 146.3125? (Glenroy Scour Siding railway siding point))Charleville railway station is a railway station and passenger stop.In July 1886 the Anglican residents of the town decided to erect a church. All Saint's Anglican Church was opened on by Rev. B. R. Wilson on 20 November 1887. It was designed by diocesan architect John Hingestone Buckeridge and built by Mr Wood. It was dedicated in 1897. The foundation stone for the present church was laid in September 1957 by Archbishop Reginald Halse. The new church was dedicated in 1958 and consecrated in 1967.In 1902 Charleville was the location of an unsuccessful attempt by Clement Lindley Wragge to fire cannons into the clouds in order to break a drought. The cannons used remain on display in Charleville today.
St Mary's Catholic Primary School was opened on 26 January 1913 by the Sisters of Mercy.
In 1922, Qantas established an airmail service between Charleville and Cloncurry. At the same time, this was Qantas's first regularly scheduled route and the second scheduled air route in Australia.
On 9 October 1924, the Charleville War Memorial was unveiled by Sir Matthew Nathan, the Governor of Queensland.The Anglican Chapel of the Holy Angels Hostels was consecrated circa 1929. It closed circa 1984.Charleville was also one of the compulsory stop over/check points during the London to Melbourne MacRobertson Air Race in 1934. The winners of the great race were Tom Campbell Black and C. W. A. Scott. Their triumph was reported in Time magazine as:
"Scott and Black, keeping up their sensational pace, flashed into Charleville, refueled, sped toward the finish where waiting thousands cheered their progress, reported over loudspeakers. With one motor dead, with only two hours sleep since leaving England, the Britons triumphantly set their scarlet torpedo down in Melbourne at 3:34 p.m. In 71 hr. 1 min. 3 sec. – Just under three days – they had flown halfway around the world."
Proximity to the Warrego River has been problematic. In April 1990, major floods hit western Queensland, with Charleville being badly affected. Floodwaters peaked at 8.54 metres, over 1,000 homes were inundated, and almost 3,000 people evacuated. More recently, the district suffered flooding again in 1997, 2008 and March 2010. Flooding also occurred in February 2012.In the 2016 census the locality of Charleville had a population of 3,335 people.
Weather
Charleville has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh) with maximum temperatures ranging from 35 °C (95 °F) in summer to 20 °C (68 °F) in winter. Summers are hot and sultry, although they can be very dry as well depending on the wind direction. Winters are mild to cool and crisp, with rather high diurnal ranges, which provide some frost. Rainfall is mild and distributed patchily throughout the year, with a peak in summer. Severe flooding events are usually caused by monsoon troughs and the remnants of tropical cyclones dumping large amounts of rain over the area; however, rain normally falls in the form of thunderstorms and light showers after hot summer days. Extremes have ranged from 46.4 °C (115.5 °F) to -5.2 °C (22.6 °F). The highest rainfall total recorded for one month was 316.0 millimetres (12.44 in) in March 2010.
Things to do
Charleville has several tourist attractions, including a museum of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, a historical museum, wildlife sanctuary (including a bilby reserve), the Cosmos Centre, and the World War Two Secret Base.