22°S 142°E Boolbie – Queensland by Degrees

AT THE POINT Looking north Looking east Looking south Looking west Location: Degree confluence 22°S 142°E is located on the working cattle property, 'Boolbie', after which the degree square is named. The site is in a mountainous area of north-west Queensland, and while the confluence itself is unmarked, a GPS was used to find the exact location. A dirt track following Cadell Creek came within 4-5 km of the point, and the remaining distance was travelled on foot. The closest settlement in Kynuna, 47 km to the north-north-west of the point. The site was visited in the early afternoon by a party of RGSQ members travelling in four 4WD vehicles from Brisbane, in June 2009. Landscape: While the terrain at the degree confluence is flat with an elevation of 234 m, there are numerous stony hills visible, and slightly elevated land to the east of the point. There was substantial vegetation, including sparse areas of spinifex grass, along with some species of eucalypt, grevillea, gidgee and acacia (heights to 5 m). A few types of wildflowers were also present in the surrounding area. While no animals were seen at the confluence, there was evidence of cattle and kangaroos on the western side of Cadell Creek. Mulla Mulla flowers near the point Small flowers, and stony ground at the point The ground surface is comprised of bare gravel and soil (red to dark brown in colour). The primary geological features of the area include Lower-Upper Cretaceous Winton Formation sandstone, claystone, siltstone and limestone, excepting along the course of nearby creeks (including Cadell) which are comprised of Cainozoic alluvium. This landscape is typical of much of the surrounding country Scanned 250K Geology Maps, Geoscience Australia). The closest watercourse is Cadell Creek, just over 3 km to the west, although it was dry at the time of visiting. Cadell Creek is the area's main site of drainage, and continues to flow south to join the Diamantina River, which is part of the Eyre Basin. There are also numerous active bores in the general vicinity.   Tributaries of Cadell Creek to the north and south of Degree Confluence 22°S 142°E. (Google Earth image) Point Photo Credits: Paul Feeney, Mary Comer Point Information By: Paul Feeney, Jo Grant, Mary Nowill

IN THE DEGREE SQUARE Climate: The closest representative weather station to the confluence is at the Winton Post Office, which is 115 km to the east-south-east of the degree confluence, and has an elevation of 182 m. The station has been recording data since 1884. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Mean max (ºC) 37.5 36.2 35.1 32.1 27.8 24.6 24.4 26.8 31.0 34.7 37.1 38.2 32.1 Mean min (ºC) 23.5 23.0 21.0 17.1 13.0 9.3 8.2 9.4 13.3 17.8 20.8 22.8 16.6 Mean rain (mm) 82.9 86.7 52.8 21.9 20.4 18.3 14.9 6.5 8.8 18.2 30.7 50.0 412.5 The highest temperature recorded was 46.8°C in December 2006, and the lowest was -1.7°C in both June 1971 and July 1968. The greatest rainfall recorded in a year was 1 171.1 mm in 2000, and the least was 52.6 mm just two years later in 2002. These and other climate statistics for Winton can be found at: Australian Bureau of Meteorology, http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_037051_All.shtml. Extremes of Nature: Despite the area's inland location, it is still subject to the impact of some cyclones. The database maintained by the Bureau of Meteorology shows that eleven cyclones have passed within 200 km of the confluence since 1906, one of which passed within 50 km (TC Aivu in 1989). Even distant cyclones bring with them potentially destructive winds and intense rainfall. Cyclone information for this area and all of Australia can be found at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology website, http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/silo/cyclones.cgi. Like most places in the Australian tropics, extreme heat is also a danger. Records show that the Winton Station experiences 138 days annually with temperatures 35°C or warmer, 31 days of which reach over 40°C. Such extreme temperatures can cause heat stroke and death if appropriate measures are not taken such as avoiding strenuous physical effort, keeping as cool as possible and drinking lots of water. Heat waves kill more people in Australia than all other natural hazards combined. REFERENCES Geoscience Australia, NATMAP Raster Geoscience Australia, Scanned 250 K Geology Maps

Last updated 29 September 2009. Web page done by Hayley Freemantle.  For more information email projectofficer@rgsq.org.au Return to home