Hughenden, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Hughenden is a town in Queensland
, Australia
situated on the banks of the Flinders River
. It was named after Hughenden Manor
, the home of former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. At the 2006 census
, Hughenden had a population of 1,154.
, 376 kilometres (233.6 mi) west of Townsville and 1400 kilometres (869.9 mi) north-west of Brisbane
, the state capital. The region around Hughenden is a major centre for the grazing of sheep and cattle. The main feed is annual grasses known as Flinders grass, which grow rapidly on the (by Australian standards) fertile grey or brown cracking clay soils
after rain between November and March. However, because the rainfall is extremely erratic — at Hughenden itself it has ranged from 126 millimetres (5 in) in 1926 to 1051 millimetres (41 in) in 1950 — drought
s and flood
s are normal and stock number fluctuate greatly.
The runoff from the Flinders River is much too erratic to provide a sustainable supply for any crop-growing via irrigation
.
The average annual rainfall is around 490 millimetres (19 in), of which over three-quarters falls from November to March. Between May and September, rainfall is extremely rare: the median
rainfall is zero in August, less than 2 millimetre (0.078740157480315 in) in July and September and less than 10 millimetre (0.393700787401575 in) in April, May, June and October. Variability is extreme, however, and totals as high as 800 millimetres (31.5 in) occur roughly one year in ten, whilst in the driest years as little as 127 millimetres (5 in) can be recorded. Between December and March, monthly totals can exceed 330 millimetres (13 in) if the monsoon
is vigorous.
Humidity is generally low except when the monsoon is active, when relatively lower temperatures accompany high humidity. The same applies to cloudiness: in the dry winter months over twenty days are completely clear.
The population of the Flinders Shire from the 1996 Census was 2,222.
yet according to the 2001 Census the Shire population was 2,152 and in 2006 it is 1,356.
Urban Hughenden's estimated population as of June 2006 is 1,154.
Land sales in Hughenden Industrial Estate have shown high growth with Stage 1 all sold and stage 2 and 3 being rushed through the Council so the next development can start. With the Industrial Estate growing, residential growth will also grow, making Hughenden well placed for growth.
. Over 1200 copies of The Whisper are distributed throughout Hughenden, Richmond
, Prairie, Torrens Creek, Stamford and Pentland
.
Hughenden is served by five radio stations.
, a dinosaur, whose bones were discovered in 1963 near Muttaburra (220 km by road from Hughenden)and some teeth and other bones were also discovered around Hughenden. One reason for fossils being discovered must be the dry climate, which means the rocks are usually bare of vegetation. The town is home to the Hughenden Dinosaur Festival, which attracts tourists and includes entertainment and other events. Other annual events include the Hughenden Show, held the first week end in June; the Hughenden Country Music Festival, held every Easter week end and the Bullride and Race Day which is held in September. The Matron's Ball is also a popular annual event. In August 2008, Hughenden will be hosting the first Arid Lands Festival and The Great Hughenden Camel Endurance Challenge.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, 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...
situated on the banks of the Flinders River
Flinders River
The Flinders River is the longest river in Queensland, Australia at about . The river rises in the Burra Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, 110 km northeast of Hughenden and flows in a westerly direction past Hughenden, Richmond and Julia Creek then northwest to the Gulf of Carpentaria...
. It was named after Hughenden Manor
Hughenden Manor
Hughenden Manor is a red brick Victorian mansion, located in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. In the 19th century, it was the country house of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli...
, the home of former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. 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,...
, Hughenden had a population of 1,154.
History
Torrens Creek near Hughenden is where the Americans stored explosives in World War II. The Americans didn't know of the dangerous bush fires out there. After they put out a fire they went back to camp thinking that the fire was out. However, the fire took hold again without them knowing. They then heard about twelve major explosions in succession; the explosions left craters twenty feet deep. Hot shrapnel covered a wide area and started more fires. In the townships, people said that buildings shook and windows broke, and some people were convinced that an air raid had occurred. Thousands of soldiers and civilians attacked the blaze in an attempt to stop it spreading to fuel dumps, but were unable to control it. When the fire got to the explosives it was so powerful it blew the Americans out of their trucks. Many buildings and shops got burnt down from the spreading fires. However the locals were able to save the post office. A police Constable from Torrens Creek Police was awarded the King’s Medal of Bravery.Geography
Hughenden is located on the Flinders HighwayFlinders Highway, Queensland
Flinders Highway is a highway that crosses Queensland from east to west, from Townsville on the Pacific coast to Cloncurry . Flinders Highway and passes a number of small outback towns. Typical outback landscape predominates towards the inland...
, 376 kilometres (233.6 mi) west of Townsville and 1400 kilometres (869.9 mi) north-west of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, the state capital. The region around Hughenden is a major centre for the grazing of sheep and cattle. The main feed is annual grasses known as Flinders grass, which grow rapidly on the (by Australian standards) fertile grey or brown cracking clay soils
Vertisol
In both the FAO and USA soil taxonomy, a vertisol is a soil in which there is a high content of expansive clay known as montmorillonite that forms deep cracks in drier seasons or years. Alternate shrinking and swelling causes self-mulching, where the soil material consistently mixes itself, causing...
after rain between November and March. However, because the rainfall is extremely erratic — at Hughenden itself it has ranged from 126 millimetres (5 in) in 1926 to 1051 millimetres (41 in) in 1950 — drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
s and flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
s are normal and stock number fluctuate greatly.
The runoff from the Flinders River is much too erratic to provide a sustainable supply for any crop-growing via irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
.
Climate
Hughenden has a dry, tropical climate. Temperatures can very from around 44 °C (111.2 °F) in the Summer months to as low as -2 °C, but maximum temperatures are usually a very hot 36 °C (96.8 °F) in summer and a very warm 25 °C (77 °F) in June and July. Minima range from 22 °C (71.6 °F) in summer to around 10 °C (50 °F) in winter. On average, a minimum below 2 °C (35.6 °F) is recorded once per year.The average annual rainfall is around 490 millimetres (19 in), of which over three-quarters falls from November to March. Between May and September, rainfall is extremely rare: the median
Median
In probability theory and statistics, a median is described as the numerical value separating the higher half of a sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half. The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to...
rainfall is zero in August, less than 2 millimetre (0.078740157480315 in) in July and September and less than 10 millimetre (0.393700787401575 in) in April, May, June and October. Variability is extreme, however, and totals as high as 800 millimetres (31.5 in) occur roughly one year in ten, whilst in the driest years as little as 127 millimetres (5 in) can be recorded. Between December and March, monthly totals can exceed 330 millimetres (13 in) if the monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
is vigorous.
Humidity is generally low except when the monsoon is active, when relatively lower temperatures accompany high humidity. The same applies to cloudiness: in the dry winter months over twenty days are completely clear.
Demographics
The Flinders Shire covers an area of 41632 square kilometre.The population of the Flinders Shire from the 1996 Census was 2,222.
yet according to the 2001 Census the Shire population was 2,152 and in 2006 it is 1,356.
Urban Hughenden's estimated population as of June 2006 is 1,154.
Planned growth
It is thought that by the year 2025, Hughenden will be a very different town. The Council and community groups have discussed putting in place a range of initiatives so that Hughenden’s future is positive. Hughenden has taken advantage of being at the crossroads of two major highways.Land sales in Hughenden Industrial Estate have shown high growth with Stage 1 all sold and stage 2 and 3 being rushed through the Council so the next development can start. With the Industrial Estate growing, residential growth will also grow, making Hughenden well placed for growth.
Media
The Flinders Whisper is a free, local weekly newsletter that is published in Hughenden by the Great Northern TelecentreTelecentre
A telecentre is a public place where people can access computers, the Internet, and other digital technologies that enable them to gather information, create, learn, and communicate with others while they develop essential digital skills...
. Over 1200 copies of The Whisper are distributed throughout Hughenden, Richmond
Richmond, Queensland
Richmond is a town in western Queensland, Australia. The town is located on the Flinders Highway, 498 km west of Townsville and 406 km east of Mount Isa. It is the administrative centre of the Richmond Shire. At the 2006 census, Richmond had a population of 554.The Flinders River forms...
, Prairie, Torrens Creek, Stamford and Pentland
Pentland, Queensland
Pentland is a town in north-western Queensland. It is located in between Charters Towers and Hughenden.Pentland is about 140 km away from the town of Hughenden. Hughenden has about 2000 people and Charters Towers has about 9000. Pentland's population is estimated to be 400 people. Pentland...
.
Hughenden is served by five radio stations.
Sport
Hughenden has a large range of sports on offer, including pony clubs, swimming, lawn bowls, golf, netball, tennis, campdrafting, rugby league, and gymnastics.Attractions
Apart from agricultural business, Hughenden also boasts a replica of the MuttaburrasaurusMuttaburrasaurus
Muttaburrasaurus is a genus of herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur, living in what is now northeastern Australia between 100 and 98 million years ago during the early Cretaceous Period. It has been recovered in some analyses as a member of the iguanodontian family Rhabdodontidae...
, a dinosaur, whose bones were discovered in 1963 near Muttaburra (220 km by road from Hughenden)and some teeth and other bones were also discovered around Hughenden. One reason for fossils being discovered must be the dry climate, which means the rocks are usually bare of vegetation. The town is home to the Hughenden Dinosaur Festival, which attracts tourists and includes entertainment and other events. Other annual events include the Hughenden Show, held the first week end in June; the Hughenden Country Music Festival, held every Easter week end and the Bullride and Race Day which is held in September. The Matron's Ball is also a popular annual event. In August 2008, Hughenden will be hosting the first Arid Lands Festival and The Great Hughenden Camel Endurance Challenge.
Further reading
- The Railways of Hughenden Knowles, J.W. Australian Railway Historical Society BulletinAustralian Railway HistoryAustralian Railway History , is the premier magazine covering railway history in Australia...
, April, 1965