Isisford, Queensland

Isisford is a small town and locality in the Longreach Region in Central West Queensland, Australia.[3][4]

Isisford
Queensland
Main street of Isisford
Isisford
Coordinates24.2597°S 144.4386°E / -24.2597; 144.4386
Population262 (2011 census)[1]
 • Density0.02258/km2 (0.05847/sq mi)
Established1878
Postcode(s)4731
Elevation202 m (663 ft)[2]
Area11,605.1 km2 (4,480.8 sq mi)
Location
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 Adavale Adavale

Geography

Isisford is located on the Barcoo River, and is approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi) south east of the town of Longreach.

Small sections of both Idalia National Park and Welford National Park are located within the boundary of the town.

History
Post office, 1898

The first European in the area was the explorer Thomas Mitchell, who travelled through the area in 1846. Settlers followed with James Whitman opening a hotel, store and blacksmith by May 1875.[5] The town was surveyed as the Town of Wittown in April 1878; it is said that Whitman named it after himself.[6] 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.[3][7][8][9]

A post office and telegraph line were operating by 1881.[7] Isis Downs Post Office opened on 1 June 1868, was replaced by the Wittown office in 1876 which was renamed Isisford in 1878.[10] In the following years the town progressed with the growth of the pastoral industry.[7]

Isisford State School opened on 19 October 1881.[11]

Architectural drawing of the court house, 1885

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.[12][13] The court house was completed in November 1885.[14]

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).[15] A plaque on the post office commemores the centenary of the commencement of the service.

In September 1956, a deliberately lit fire at the Isisford Hotel resulted in the deaths of a mother and her child.[16]

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.[17] The discovery was made by the town's former Deputy Mayor, Ian Duncan, after which the new species was named.[18]

At the 2011 census, Isisford and the surrounding area had a population of 262.[1] This figure has never surpassed 300.[7]

Heritage listings

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

Facilities

Isisford has a public library at 20 St Mary Street operated by the Longreach Regional Council.[21] It also has a swimming pool and visitor information centre.

References
Four boys riding goats, Isisford, ca. 1918.
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Isisford (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  2. Bureau of Meteorology Archived 26 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-05-04
  3. "Isisford - town (entry 44229)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  4. "Isisford - locality (entry 47051)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  5. "TAMBO". Western Star And Roma Advertiser. I (9). Queensland, Australia. 22 May 1875. p. 3. Retrieved 22 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "The Sketcher". The Queenslander. XII (121). Queensland, Australia. 8 December 1877. p. 14. Retrieved 22 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) (2002). Heritage Trails of the Queensland Outback. State of Queensland. pp. 159–160. ISBN 0-7345-1040-3.
  8. "Country News". The Queenslander. XIV (142). Queensland, Australia. 4 May 1878. p. 134. Retrieved 22 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. "COLONIAL". The Daily Northern Argus (2869). Queensland, Australia. 22 August 1878. p. 2. Retrieved 22 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  11. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  12. "PUBLIC WORKS". The Queenslander. XXIV (411). Queensland, Australia. 11 August 1883. p. 19. Retrieved 22 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. "Official Notifications". The Queenslander. XXIV (423). Queensland, Australia. 3 November 1883. p. 734. Retrieved 22 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. "COUNTRY NEWS". The Western Champion. VII (336). Queensland, Australia. 19 November 1885. p. 4. Retrieved 22 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. Arthur, Chrissy (1 April 2010). "Outback towns deliver mail milestone celebration". ABC News. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  16. McKay, Mark (1999). On Tap: A Cavalcade of Trivia and Tall Stories Celebrating 200 Years of the Australian Pub. Wakefield Press. p. 87. ISBN 1862544735. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  17. "Ancestor of all modern crocodilians discovered in outback Queensland". The University of Queensland. 14 June 2006. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  18. "Missing link crocodile found down under". Science Buzz. Science Museum of Minnesota. 18 June 2006. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  19. "Isisford District Hospital (former) (entry 602837)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  20. "Isis Downs Woolshed Complex (entry 602544)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  21. "Isisford Library". State Library of Queensland. State Library of Queensland. Archived from the original on 10 February 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2018.

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