Shire of Burke

Shire of Burke
Local government area
Location within Queensland
Official logo of Shire of Burke
Country	Australia
State	Queensland
Region	North West Queensland
Established	1885
Council seat	Burketown
Government
• Mayor	Ernie Camp
• State electorate	Traeger
• Federal division	Kennedy
Area +
• Total	39,684 km2 (15,322 sq mi)
Population
• Total	419 (2021 census)
• Density	0.010558/km2 (0.02735/sq mi)
Website	Shire of Burke
LGAs around Shire of Burke Gulf of Carpentaria Gulf of Carpentaria Doomadgee Mornington Roper Gulf (NT) Shire of Burke Carpentaria Barkly (NT) Mount Isa Cloncurry

The Shire of Burke is a local government area in North West Queensland, Australia. The shire lies on the south coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria and abuts the border with the Northern Territory. It covers an area of 39,864 square kilometres (15,391.6 sq mi), and has existed as a local government entity since 1885. The major town and administrative centre of the shire is Burketown.

The shire and town are named in honour of ill-fated explorer Robert O'Hara Burke. The Gangalidda name for Burketown is Mungibi meaning ‘little Island’ for the fact that flooding in the wet season often isolates the town.

From the months of August to November, a rare meteorological phenomenon known as "Morning Glory" – long, tubular clouds, some up to 1000 km in length – are often observed in the skies above Burke Shire.

The shire contains Boodjamulla National Park (formerly called Lawn Hill National Park) and the World Heritage Site Riversleigh fossil fields. The Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee lies inside Burke Shire to the west of Burketown. It also includes Gregory Downs.

In the 2021 census, the Shire of Burke had a population of 419 people.

History

Yukulta (also known as Ganggalida) is an Australian Aboriginal language. The Yukulta language region is the Gulf Country including the local government areas of the Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee and Shire of Mornington.

Yulluna (also known as Yalarnga, Yalarrnga, Jalanga, Jalannga, Wonganja, Gunggalida, Jokula) is an Australian Aboriginal language. The Yulluna language region includes the local government boundaries of the Shire of Cloncurry and other areas near the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Garrwa (also known as Garawa) is a language of the Gulf region, taking in the localities of Borroloola and Westmoreland. The Garrwa language region takes in the landscape of the Roper Gulf Regional Council and the Doomadgee Shire Council.

Map of Burke Division, March 1902

The Doonmunya Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 with a population of 396. However, the divisional board appeared to be completely inactive, perhaps because the division was so large (being the area surrounding the southern part of the Gulf of Carpentaria) and was very sparsely settled. Nonetheless some of the citizens were unhappy about this. Consequently, on 11 January 1883, the Doonmunya Division was abolished and a new Carpentaria Division was created to replace it.

However, once the Carpentaria Divisional Board became operational, the residents of the Burketown area became concerned that their rates were likely to be spent on the Normanton area rather than their own and began to agitate for their own division west of the Leichhardt River. On 30 January 1885, the Burke Division was created from lands formerly within the Carpentaria Division with some adjustments to the Cloncurry Division.

On 31 March 1903, Burke Division became the Shire of Burke.

Towns and localities

The Shire of Burke includes the following settlements:

• Burketown
• Gidya
• Gregory
• Lawn Hill
• Nicholson

Escott

Escott Station derives its name from its 1869 ownership by the English, Scottish, Australian Pastoral Co. In 1942, an American Liberator bomber crashed at Moonlight Creek, which was then a part of Escott. As the cattle station became less viable in the 1970s, it was opened up to tourists, and the Escott Barramundi Lodge was established in 1979. The homestead is located at 17°43'59"S, 139°25'0"E, and there is an airstrip. It no longer functions as tourist accommodation.

Amenities

The Burke Shire Council operate public library in Burketown.

Chairmen and mayors

• 1927: F. T. Webber
• 2008–2012: Annie Clarke
• 2012–present : Ernest J (Ernie) Camp

Demographics

The populations below exclude the Aboriginal community of Doomadgee, which hovered between 800 and 1000 residents for most of the period under consideration.

Year	Population	Notes
1933	355
1947	250
1954	248
1961	361
1966	291
1971	384
1976	413
1981	466
1986	511
1991	513
1996	660
2001 census	2,129
2006 census	498
2011 census	514
2016 census	328
2021 census	419