Carpentaria is a coastal locality in the Shire of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2021 census, Carpentaria had a population of 25 people.[3]
| Carpentaria Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cattle beside the Savannah Way (Burketon to Normanton Road), 2013 | |||||||||||||||
  Carpentaria | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 17°58′59″S 140°09′36″E / 17.9830°S 140.16°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 25 (SAL 2021)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4823 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 4,730.6 km2 (1,826.5 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Shire of Carpentaria | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Traeger | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Kennedy | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Geography edit
The locality is on the southern coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is part of the Gulf Country. The Leichhardt River forms the western boundary of the locality (17°35′57″S 139°47′24″E / 17.5992°S 139.7900°E).[4]
The coastal strip is mangrove swamps,[5] while the land use in the remainder of the locality is grazing on native vegetation.[4]
Carpentaria has the following coastal features, from west to east:
- Leichhardt River mouth (17°35′57″S 139°47′24″E / 17.5992°S 139.7900°E)[6]
- Gore Point (17°38′20″S 139°56′27″E / 17.6388°S 139.9408°E)[7][8]
- Disaster Inlet (17°38′42″S 139°56′15″E / 17.6449°S 139.9376°E)[9][10]
- Middle Point (17°42′09″S 140°12′28″E / 17.7024°S 140.2079°E)[7][11]
- Morning Inlet (17°42′44″S 140°12′55″E / 17.7122°S 140.2152°E)[12] [10]
The north-western corner of the locality (alongside the Leichhardt River) is within the Finucane Island National Park.[13][4] It is an estuarine wetland which is important for its fish and waterbirds habitats. Its seagrasses are used for grazing by dugongs. It is only accessible by boat and visitors should beware of crocodiles.[14]
The Burketown Normanton Road passes through the locality from the south-east (Normanton) to the south-west (Stokes).[4]
History edit
The name derives from the Gulf of Carpentaria, a name used on Dutch charts since 1700.[2]
Gore Point was named in July 1841 by Lieutenant John Lort Stokes of HMS Beagle. It was named after Lieutenant Graham Gore who also served on the Beagle.[15] Disaster Inlet was also named by Stokes after Gore's accident with an exploding firearm which wounded Gore in the hand.[9]
In 2015, significant die-back of mangroves occurred due to extremely dry weather conditions lowering the level of the sea water. Climate change is suggested to be the cause.[16]
Demographics edit
In the 2016 census, Carpentaria had a population of 14 people.[17]
In the 2021 census, Carpentaria had a population of 25 people.[3]
Education edit
There are no schools in Carpentaria. The nearest government primary schools are in Normanton State School in neighbouring Normanton to the east and Burketon State School in neighbouring Burketown to the west. The nearest government secondary school is Normanton State School to Year 10. However, parts of the locality are too distant from these schools for a daily commute. Also, there are no nearby schools offering secondary schooling to Year 12. Distance education and boarding schools are other options.[4]
References edit
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Carpentaria (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Carpentaria – locality in Shire of Carpentaria (entry 42907)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Carpentaria (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "NESP TWQ Round 4 - Project 4.13 – Assessing the Gulf of Carpentaria mangrove dieback | eAtlas". eatlas.org.au. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "Leichhardt River – watercourse in the Burke Shire (entry 19176)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ "Gore Point – mountain in Carpentaria Shire (entry 14403)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Disaster Inlet – inlet in Shire of Carpentaria (entry 10193)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Bays - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Middle Point – mountain in Carpentaria Shire (entry 21980)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Morning Inlet – inlet in Shire of Carpentaria (entry 22840)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "Finucane Island National Park – national park in Burke Shire (entry 51198)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "About | Finucane Island National Park". Parks and forests. Queensland Government. 27 May 2011. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "Gore Point – point in Shire of Carpentaria (entry 14403)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ Duke, Norman (27 July 2022). "Climate change killed 40 million Australian mangroves in 2015. Here's why they'll probably never grow back". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Carpentaria (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
External links edit
Media related to Carpentaria, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons