cloncurry

Business Directory and Tourist Guide

welcome to the cloncurry shire

The town was established mainly on the mining and pastoral industries, copper and gold being
discovered in the late 1860’s drawing hundreds of miners, including Chinese and Afghans who
provided camel transport for the industries.

Cloncurry is the birth place of the Royal Flying Doctor Service and was the destination of the first
Qantas flight. The town is well laid out featuring many historic buildings and providing many modern
amenities for business and tourism. A great spot to spend a day or two to study the past and enjoy the
people and facilities.

HISTORIC BUILDINGS

There are numerous well preserved historic buildings in Cloncurry, easily viewed when walking
around town, including ...

  • Court House 
  • Post Office
  • Post Office Hotel - Cnr. Scarr and Sheaffe Streets
    This is the fourth hotel built on this site since 1890’s with a number of its predecessors
    destroyed by fire.
  • Brodie Hardware - Cnr. Scarr and Sheaffe Streets
  • Central Hotel
  • Shire Hall - built 1939
  • Leichhardt Hotel - original facade is classified by the National Trust.
  • Saddle Shop - incorporating original fibro roof tiles
  • Wagon Wheel Motel

THINGS TO SEE AND DO

CLONCURRY/ MARY KATHLEEN MEMORIAL PARK

  • Visitor Information Centre
  • Museum with memorabilia from Cloncurry and Mary Kathleen, comprehensive rock
    and mineral collection
  • Outdoor machinery display
  • Shaded playground with BBQ and picnic facilities
  • Scenic lookout over Cloncurry township

JOHN FLYNN PLACE MUSEUM and ART GALLERY
Take a historic look back at John Flynn, Alfred Traeger and the pioneers involved in the early days of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which started in Cloncurry in 1928, with four floors of displays incorporating history, memorabilia, model of the first flying doctor plane and art gallery.


CHINESE CEMETERY
Graves dating back to 1880

CLONCURRY SALE YARDS   
Largest sale yards in North West Queensland.

AIRPORT
A modern terminal alongside the original hangar of Queensand & Northern Territory Aerial Service (QANTAS)

POST OFFICE
Built in 1885. The place where Australia’s highest temperature of 127.5? F. (53.1?C) was recorded on 16th January, 1889.

OLD CEMETERY and THE AFGHAN SECTION

  • The Old Cemetery Graves dating back to 1880
  • Resting Place of Dame Mary Gilmore
  • Many graves of Afghan camel drivers and a Mohammedan priest.
  • In the late 1890 and early 1900’s it was estimated there were more than 200 Afghan cameleers and 200 camels providing transport in the Cloncurry area.

CHURCHES

  • St. Colman Catholic Church - a classic timber structure built 1907
  • St. Andrew Anglican Church - built 1964 (the original church built in 1907 is now situated
    in Seymour Street.)
  • Uniting Church - built 1966

CLONCURRY LOOKOUT
2 km west of town near Normanton turnoff (take the Chinaman Creek Dam exit). View the stunning panoramic view of Cloncurry and the surrounding rugged landscape

CHINAMAN CREEK DAM and RECREATIONAL AREA
3 km west of town near Normanton turnoff. Lovely area to watch the changing colours of Mt Leviathan at sunset or stretch your legs wandering to the water’s edge, or enjoy a picnic


For more information about any of these interesting, fun activities and other great things to see
and do in the Cloncurry Shire contact the friendly team at the
Cloncurry / Mary Kathleen Park Museum & Visitor Information Centre.

Ph: 07 4742 1361
E: info@cloncurry.qld.gov.au www.cloncurry.qld.gov.au/web/guest/home

cloncurry visitor information Centre

Mary Kathleen Memorial Park
McIlwraith Street, Cloncurry QLD 4824