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Looking west |
Looking south |
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Looking east |
Looking north |
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At the point:
This intersection is located on 'Merion', a property on the
north-east side of the Fitzroy Development Road about 3 km north of
the Mackenzie River Bridge in the Isaac Region Council area. The
Development Road connects the Capricorn Highway at Dingo to the Peak
Downs Highway near Mt Flora in the north. The Mackenzie River, a
tributary of the Fitzroy River, is about 75 km north of Dingo.
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The nearest
town, Middlemount about 40 km to the north-west, is a mining town
established in the 1980's to house workers of the German Creek coal
mine. The Mackenzie River State School which serves the Brigalow
agricultural area is about 7km north-west of the point (see the
school's web site at www.mackrivess.eq.edu.au).
Location:
The site is to be found on gentle sloping pasture land just south of
a minor watercourse. The original vegetation has been cleared and
Buffel Grass pasture established as part of the 'Brigalow Lands'
development. The pasture is well managed and this is reflected in the
excellent condition of the cattle. |
The Landscape:
The site is located at about 100m above sea level on gently sloping
land below remnants of the old Tertiary land surface. These features
are evident by nearby mesas and tablelands on the property and in the
district to the north-west. Geologic erosion of the old land surface
has provided the alluvium of the plains along the Mackenzie River.
Aerial imagery
shows soil variation along the lines of the underlying strata of
sandstone, siltstone, claystone and shale. Generally the soils
alternate between cracking clays and brown texture contrast soils.
The underlying geology is the Blackwater Group of Permian age (298 to
251 million years) sediments.
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Buffel Grass (Cenchrus
ciliaris) pasture is now established to replace the original
Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) open-forest. Remnants of the old
vegetation are recognized in occasional Yellow wood (Terminalia oblongata)
and False Sandalwood (Eremophila mitchellii) still surviving
in district pastures. Invasions of Harrisia cactus (Eriocereus martinii)
were noticeable along the road verges. At the time spent on site no
native fauna were observed.The well managed Buffel Grass pasture were
reflected in the condition of the cattle noticed at the nearby dam. |
The Climate:
The area has a typical sub-tropical and sub-humid climate that has
wet and hot, dry and cool seasons with a high degree of variability.
The climate is greatly influenced by the trade wind belt. Annual
rainfall at Mackenzie has a mean of about 600 mm and is received
mostly between November and February. The nearest climate station is
the former Emerald Post Office site about 100km to the south-west.
Emerald Post
Office (site 035027) 1882-1992
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
|
Mean
max
(ºC) |
34.2 |
33.2 |
32.0 |
29.4 |
25.7 |
22.7 |
22.4 |
24.8 |
28.3 |
31.6 |
33.7 |
37.8 |
29.4 |
|
Mean
min
(ºC) |
21.4 |
21.0 |
19.4 |
15.7 |
11.5 |
8.4 |
6.9 |
8.1 |
11.8 |
16.0 |
18.9 |
20.7 |
15.0 |
|
Mean
rain
(mm) |
103.4 |
99.7 |
69.3 |
35.9 |
35.2 |
33.9 |
28.8 |
20.7 |
23.5 |
39.2 |
58.8 |
91.0 |
640.1 |
Within the
Degree Square
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The Country:
The Mackenzie River and its tributaries are the main drainage
features within the square. The Mackenzie is one of the major
northern tributaries of the Fitzroy River. Elevations range from
around 600m above sea level in the Broadsound Range in the north-east
corner of the square, to around 50m along the Mackenzie River
floodplain in the south-east. Landscapes vary from steep hilly
country in the mountain ranges to low undulating ground in the floodplains.
The
oldest rocks in the square are the Devonian-Carboniferous age (410 to
298 million years) Connors Volcanics of the Broadsound Range. The
main coal seams, known as the Blackwater Group, are of Permian origin
(298 to 251 million years). They run diagonally from the south-east
to the north-west of the square. The bulk of the area is of much more
recent origin and is composed predominantly of sediments.
The original
vegetation of the area was dominated by Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla)
woodland.
The
Indigenous Story: The Gabalbara tribal group occupied the area to
the north of the Mackenzie River and the Gangulu group to the south. |
European
Exploration
and Settlement:
In 1961 it was identified that Queensland had a resource of land
that could be developed into improved pastures and even for cropping.
The Payne Report for the Land Settlement Advisory Commission in 1959
concluded that there was a resource of about 60,000 sq km of Brigalow
scrub that could be developed.
While some
southern Brigalow areas had been converted to pasture in the 1950's,
it was in the Fitzroy Basin (Brigalow) Land Development Scheme that
saw major change in the central and northern shires. Landholders when
allotted their blocks of Brigalow land were required, under the terms
of the lease to clear and develop a specified portion of land within
a time frame. Initially the land was used for improved pasture but
more recently it is used for cropping.
Today:
In 2006 the population within the degree square was around 2529.
This has climbed dramatically as transient workers are on site for
the expansion of existing and the establishment of new coal mines.
The Middlemount Town Office of the Isaac Regional Council claims the
2008 population of the town to be 5 000.
|
Measure |
1996 |
2001 |
2006 |
|
Total
Population |
2589 |
2554 |
2529 |
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Total
Males |
1414 |
1476 |
1409 |
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Total
Females |
1175 |
1078 |
1120 |
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Under
5 Years |
249 |
231 |
267 |
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65
Years and over |
33 |
59 |
39 |
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Indigenous |
28 |
28 |
43 |
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The vast area
north and west of the Mackenzie and Isaac rivers and out to the Peak
Range has seen a major change in recent decades. The development of
the Bowen Basin coal fields in the north-west required the provision
of railway to transport coal out to the seaboard near Mackay also
provided a transport means for prospective grain-growers. A grain
handling facility was built at Dysart in 1980 and within 6 years
12,000 tonnes of grain grown on newly cleared and cultivated land was
railed from the siding. The western boundary of the Degree Square
coincides approximately with the location of minable coal and many
mines now exist down this boundary. From Saraji mine in the north
there are now Norwich Park, German Creek, Foxleigh, Oaky Creek, and
Gregory mines all established in the last 40 years. Although
Middlemount, with a population of 2041 in 2006 is the only dormitory
town within the degree square, Dysart, Tieri, Blackwater, Emerald,
Capella, Clermont, Moranbah and Coppabella have been established or
greatly expanded to meet the mining industry's demands.
The change over
the last 50 years in this area has been enormous - a massive
population increase, provision of electricity, sealed roads, water
reticulation from the Mackenzie River to northern mining areas,
electrified rail to the seaboard at Mackay and Gladstone.
The small Junee
National Park is in the north of the degree square to the east of Middlemount. |
|
Location |
8 km north of
the Mackenzie River |
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Nearest
town |
Middlemount |
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Access |
900m NE of the
Fitzroy Development Road |
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Terrain |
Flat to low
undulating country |
|
Geology
& soils |
Permian
sediments with cracking clays |
|
Vegetation |
Pasture land
replacing the original Brigalow woodland |
|
Land
use |
Cattle grazing |
|
Climate |
Sun-tropical
with a marked dry winter |
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Population
in degree square |
2529 in 2006 |
Complier:
Ray Kelly 2008. Photos Ray Kelly. |
