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23°S 146°E Strasburg – Queensland by Degrees |
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THE POINT Location: This confluence point is located on Strasburg Station about 1.3 km north of the Strasburg - Aramac Road. It was reached by vehicle and some walking. The point was located by GPS and the location of a National Mapping survey mark. Strasburg Station is a property which now forms part of Boongoondoo Station, and is not normally inhabited. It is roughly North of Jericho and East of Aramac. Jericho is about 60 km and Aramac about 80 km away. The point lies within Barcaldine Regional Council.
Point information and photos: Brian Mealey, 2008 WITHIN THE DEGREE SQUARE The Country: The area within the degree square is best described as sand plain with very few features, and few stream channels on the western side. The area is mostly forested, with patches of open plain mainly to the north and on the western side. The Great Dividing Range runs through the square and attains a maximum elevation of around 500 m ASL. The terrain across the square is comprised of low hills and ridges. The great majority of the square is covered by sand plain of Cainozoic age, however the higher areas of the Great Dividing range are composed of sandstone, mostly of Late Triassic age (230 to 141 million years). There are several gorges in the sandstone escarpments of the Aramac Range such as Mailman's Gorge and Horsetailer's Gorge.
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All of the streams in the square
including the Alice River are perennially dry, except after the
annual summer rains. The streams on the western side of the Great
Dividing Range flow to Cooper Creek and those on the east of the
Range flow to the Burdekin River.
Barcaldine Post Office (site 036007) 1886-2008 ( elevation 267m ASL)
The highest temperature ever recorded in Barcaldine was 45.1°C in November 2006 while the lowest temperature -1.6 °C in June 1976 and July 1974. Rainfalls also vary greatly. The highest annual total of 1191.5 mm was recorded in 1950 and the lowest total of 146.0 mm in 1946. Extremes of Nature: The Bureau of Meteorology's cyclone database records 14 events that passed within 200 km of the confluence point. Only one, unnamed cyclone in December 1916, passed within 50 km of the point. |
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Cyclone tracks within 200 km of the confluence point (BoM web site) The area averages between 10 and 15 thunder days each year. The more severe thunderstorms will bring destructive winds over limited areas as well as intense rainfall that can cause localised flash flooding. Lightning strikes can spark bushfires if there is sufficient fuel available. There is a long history of flood in all streams in the area though no specific data are available for the Alice River and other streams within the degree square. Flood rise is likely to be rapid and the duration of flooding is likely to be relatively short for most streams given that the area sits at the headwaters of most streams. Extreme heat is also a serious issue. The climate records for Wollogorang show that on average (over 47 years of records) the area experiences 88 days a year with temperatures over 35°C and 9 days a year with temperatures 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. Drought is likely to be the most persistent chronic hazard experienced within the area. Dust storms can also be a problem from time-to-time. The National Earthquake Database maintained by Geoscience Australia contains no record of an event epicentre within 100 km of the confluence point. The closest epicentre to the confluence point is a ML 2.8 event located about 150 km to the north-east. No damage is recorded from this event. The Indigenous Story: The region was home to five different Aboriginal Tribes, the Jagalingu tribe occupied the south-eastern part of the area, which is roughly in the area of Strasburg. Natural features such as rivers and mountain ranges tended to mark the boundaries. The Iningai country covered the area more to the west. Subgroups of the Jagalingu, such as JusTilbaburra and Terraburra may have lived in the area from the head of Alice River to Aramac Creek to the west. The indigenous people appeared to have lived quite well in the good seasons, but would have had to move around as the water holes dried up. However, it is reasonable to assume from early reports that life for the Aboriginal population was by no means precarious. The most significant collection of Aboriginal art in the central West of the State is in Gracevale cave, about 20 km north-east of Gray Rock. The art of the Iningai people is predominantly rock carvings and ochre stencils. While early explorers reported friendly and helpful relations with the local people initially, inevitably, trouble flared between the two groups, as was happening in other places. Landsborough and Walker in 1860, for example, had to defend themselves from attack. The most notorious conflict was the alleged massacre at Gracevale Cave in the early 1870s where Europeans from Aramac Station pursued a group of Aborigines who had speared a stockman to death. It is not known how many people died in this conflict. Eventually the settlers prevailed and by the 1880s it was evident that the Aborigines were beginning to suffer from introduced diseases, such as measles and influenza, and their numbers declined dramatically. European Exploration and Settlement: European explorers traversed the area extensively, beginning with Thomas Mitchell in 1846, Edmund Kennedy in 1847 and Augustus Gregory in 1858 passed through the area while searching for Leichhardt. Buchanan and Landsborough 1860 were searching for new grazing lands, and commented favourably on the district. So much so, that Landsborough applied for a claim to what became known as Bowen Downs, a forerunner to the sheep industry in the region. Landsborough visited the area in 1862 while searching for Burke and Wills, and again spoke in glowing terms of the district. For more than a century travellers passing through the area left a record of their passing by carving their names into the soft sandstone surface of Gray Rock. In the 1870s Gray Rock was the site of a shanty hotel where Cobb and Co. coaches called for the night en route from Clermont to Aramac. Wagon teams also used the route to cart wool back to the rail head at Clermont. Some of the gorges in the vicinity of Gray Rock were also used as temporary spelling areas for horses. Mailman's Gorge is an area of 200 ha bounded by steep sandstone cliffs. The narrow entrance to the gorge could be closed by slip rails. Horsetailer's Gorge, about 1.2 km from Gray Rock is a similar natural pound.
Today: The total population of the degree square at the 2006 national Census was 130.
The area is almost completely within Barcaldine regional Council. A small section in the north-east corner falls in Isaac regional Council. Cudmore National Park is the only national park in the area. Infrastructure is confined to the road network, most of which is unsealed, and small dirt landing grounds on the various stations. Land use across the square is predominantly cattle grazing. Site Summary:
Compilers: Brian Mealey, 2008 with additional information from Ken Granger, 2009. Sources: Various web sites including local government, tourist operators EPA and the Bureau of Meteorology Queensland Museum, 2003: Discovery guide to outback Queensland, Queensland Museum, Brisbane. Ann Smith, 1994: This El Dorado of Australia, a centennial history of the Aramac Shire, Aramac Sire Council. |
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Last updated 26
March 2009. For more information email admin@rgsq.org.au |
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