Georgetown, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Georgetown is a town on the Etheridge River in Far North Queensland
, Australia
. The Gulf Developmental Road
passes through the town, linking Cairns
- 412 km to the east - and Normanton
- 301 km to the west. Georgetown is the administrative headquarters of the Shire of Etheridge, a local government area encompassing the nearby settlements of Mount Surprise
, Forsayth
and Einasleigh. At the 2006 census
, Georgetown had a population of 254.
The Etheridge River was the site of a gold rush in the 1870s; the town of Georgetown was established on the site of the diggings. Originally known by the name Etheridge, the town's name was changed in 1871 to honour an early gold commissioner, Howard St George.http://www.nrm.qld.gov.au/property/placenames/detail.php?id=13605 By 1900 grazing had replaced gold mining as the region's primary source of income.
Georgetown is one of the real locations mentioned several times in the novel "A Town Like Alice" by Nevil Shute
.
Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The Gulf Developmental Road
Gulf Developmental Road
The Gulf Developmental Road links the Cairns and Normanton regions in northern Queensland, Australia. It is the only sealed road linking these two regions....
passes through the town, linking Cairns
Cairns, Queensland
Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
- 412 km to the east - and Normanton
Normanton, Queensland
-External links:****...
- 301 km to the west. Georgetown is the administrative headquarters of the Shire of Etheridge, a local government area encompassing the nearby settlements of Mount Surprise
Mount Surprise, Queensland
Mount Surprise is a town in the Gulf Savannah, Far North Queensland, Australia. The town is located in the Shire of Etheridge Local Government Area, on the Gulf Developmental Road, north west of the state capital, Brisbane and west of the regional centre of Cairns...
, Forsayth
Forsayth, Queensland
Forsayth is a town in Etheridge Shire, Far North Queensland, Australia, approximately 415km by road from Cairns. At the 2006 census, Forsayth had a population of 101....
and Einasleigh. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Georgetown had a population of 254.
The Etheridge River was the site of a gold rush in the 1870s; the town of Georgetown was established on the site of the diggings. Originally known by the name Etheridge, the town's name was changed in 1871 to honour an early gold commissioner, Howard St George.http://www.nrm.qld.gov.au/property/placenames/detail.php?id=13605 By 1900 grazing had replaced gold mining as the region's primary source of income.
Georgetown is one of the real locations mentioned several times in the novel "A Town Like Alice" by Nevil Shute
Nevil Shute
Nevil Shute Norway was a popular British-Australian novelist and a successful aeronautical engineer. He used his full name in his engineering career, and 'Nevil Shute' as his pen name, in order to protect his engineering career from any potential negative publicity in connection with his novels.-...
.