62-554: The Capricorn Highway is located in Central Queensland , Australia, and links the city of Rockhampton with western Queensland. The highway is 575 kilometres (357 mi) long, and joins the Landsborough Highway at Barcaldine . Formerly National Route 66 , Queensland began to convert to the alphanumeric system much of Australia had adopted in the early-2000s and is now designated as A4 . The highway runs parallel with
124-406: A self-governing Crown colony with responsible government . Brisbane was selected as the capital city. On 10 December 1859, a proclamation was read by George Bowen , the first Governor of Queensland , formally establishing Queensland as a separate colony from New South Wales. On 22 May 1860 the first Queensland election was held and Robert Herbert , Bowen's private secretary, was appointed as
186-584: A force of settlers and native police at Battle Mountain near modern Cloncurry . The subsequent battle of Battle Mountain ended in disaster for the Kalkadoon, who suffered heavy losses. Fighting continued in North Queensland , however, with First Nations raiders attacking sheep and cattle while Native Police mounted heavy retaliatory massacres. Tens of thousands of South Sea Islanders were kidnapped from islands nearby to Australia and sold as slaves to work on
248-557: A great rush to take up the surrounding land in the Darling Downs , Logan and Brisbane Valley and South Burnett onwards from 1840, in many cases leading to widespread fighting and heavy loss of life. The conflict later spread north to the Wide Bay and Burnett River and Hervey Bay region, and at one stage the settlement of Maryborough was virtually under siege. The largest reasonably well-documented massacres in southeast Queensland were
310-648: A local road of regional significance (LRRS). It runs from the Capricorn Highway in Blackwater to the Coronado Curragh Mine in Blackwater, a distance of 15.5 kilometres (9.6 mi). It does not intersect with any other state-controlled roads. The physical road continues north. Comet River Road is a state-controlled district road (number 4607), rated as a local road of regional significance (LRRS). It runs from
372-575: A local road of regional significance (LRRS). It runs from the Capricorn Highway in Gainsford to the Don River crossing on the Gainsford / Kokotungo boundary, a distance of 24.3 kilometres (15.1 mi). It does not intersect with any other state-controlled roads. The physical road continues south as Kokotungo–Don River Road. Blackwater–Cooroorah Road is a state-controlled district road (number 513), rated as
434-449: A number of neighbourhoods (from north to south): Mount Crocker is a mountain ( 23°35′17″S 148°38′21″E / 23.5880°S 148.6391°E / -23.5880; 148.6391 ( Mount Crocker ) ) in the east of the locality, rising to 248 metres (814 ft) above sea level. The area around Comet supports cotton and grain production as well as cattle, both grazing and in feedlots. Originally called Cometville,
496-630: A population of half a million people. Since then, Queensland has remained a federated state within Australia, and its population has significantly grown. In 1905 women voted in state elections for the first time. The state's first university, the University of Queensland , was established in Brisbane in 1909. In 1911, the first alternative treatments for polio were pioneered in Queensland and remain in use across
558-472: A process known as blackbirding or press-ganging, and their employment conditions constituted an allegedly exploitative form of indentured labour. Italian immigrants entered the sugar cane industry from the 1890s. During the 1890s, the six Australian colonies, including Queensland, held a series of referendums which culminated in the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901. During this time, Queensland had
620-713: Is a state in northeastern Australia , and is the second-largest and third-most populous of the Australian states. 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 the Pacific Ocean ; to the state's north is the Torres Strait , separating the Australian mainland from Papua New Guinea , and
682-403: Is a state-controlled state-strategic road. It is defined in four sections, as follows: The Northern Australia Roads Program announced in 2016 included the following project for the Capricorn Highway. The project to duplicate the section between Rockhampton and Gracemere was completed in mid 2021 at a total cost of $ 75 million. This will facilitate the construction of the south-western entry to
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#1732851576317744-513: Is being expanded as the CQ Inland Port, are all disused: Ensham railway station ( 23°27′59″S 148°31′42″E / 23.4664°S 148.5282°E / -23.4664; 148.5282 ( Ensham railway station ) ) is in the north of the locality on the Blackwater railway system . It provides rail services to the Ensham coal mines operated by Idemitsu Australia. The locality has
806-477: Is home to the Torres Strait Islander peoples . Torres Strait Islanders are ethnically and culturally distinct from mainland Aboriginal peoples. They have a long history of interaction with both Aboriginal peoples of what is now Australia and the peoples of New Guinea . In February 1606, Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon landed near the site of what is now Weipa , on the western shore of Cape York . This
868-570: The 138th meridian east , and to the southwest by northeastern South Australia . The state's southern border with New South Wales is constituted in the east by the watershed from Point Danger to the Dumaresq River , and the Dumaresq, Macintyre and Barwon rivers. The west of the southern border is defined by the 29th parallel south (including some minor historical encroachments ) until it reaches South Australia. Like much of eastern Australia,
930-497: The 2006 census , the locality of Comet had a population of 233 people. In the 2016 census , the locality of Comet had a population of 498 people. In the 2021 census , the locality of Comet had a population of 360 people. Comet State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls off the Capricorn Highway ( 23°36′22″S 148°32′42″E / 23.6061°S 148.5451°E / -23.6061; 148.5451 ( Comet State School ) ). In 2017,
992-619: The Australian frontier wars of the 19th century, colonists killed tens of thousands of Aboriginal people in Queensland while consolidating their control over the territory. On 6 June 1859 (now commemorated as Queensland Day ), Queen Victoria signed the letters patent to establish the colony of Queensland, separating it from New South Wales and thereby establishing Queensland as a self-governing Crown colony with responsible government . A large part of colonial Queensland's economy relied on blackbirded South Sea Islander slavery. Queensland
1054-512: The Brisbane River . He returned in 1824 and established a penal settlement at what is now Redcliffe . The settlement, initially known as Edenglassie , was then transferred to the current location of the Brisbane city centre . Edmund Lockyer discovered outcrops of coal along the banks of the upper Brisbane River in 1825. In 1839 transportation of convicts was ceased, culminating in the closure of
1116-609: The Gayiri Aboriginal people in response. Frontier violence peaked on the northern mining frontier during the 1870s, most notably in Cook district and on the Palmer and Hodgkinson River goldfields, with heavy loss of Aboriginal lives and several well-known massacres. Raids conducted by the Kalkadoon held settlers out of Western Queensland for ten years until September 1884 when they attacked
1178-601: The Great Dividing Range runs roughly parallel with, and inland from, the coast, and areas west of the range are more arid than the humid coastal regions. The Great Barrier Reef , which is the world's largest coral reef system, runs parallel to the state's Coral Sea coast between the Torres Strait and K'gari (Fraser Island) . Queensland's coastline includes the world's three largest sand islands: K'gari (Fraser Island) , Moreton , and North Stradbroke . The state contains six World Heritage -listed preservation areas:
1240-538: The Gulf of Carpentaria to the north-west. With an area of 1,723,030 square kilometres (665,270 sq mi), Queensland is the world's sixth-largest subnational entity ; it is larger than all but 16 countries . Due to its size, Queensland's geographical features and climates are diverse, and include tropical rainforests , rivers , coral reefs , mountain ranges and white sandy beaches in its tropical and sub-tropical coastal regions, as well as deserts and savanna in
1302-619: The Kilcoy and Whiteside poisonings, each of which was said to have taken up to 70 Aboriginal lives by use of a gift of flour laced with strychnine . At the Battle of One Tree Hill in September 1843, Multuggerah and his group of warriors ambushed one group of settlers, routing them and subsequently others in the skirmishes which followed, starting in retaliation for the Kilcoy poisoning. Central Queensland
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#17328515763171364-642: The Kingdom of Great Britain on 22 August 1770 at Possession Island , naming eastern Australia, including Queensland, New South Wales . The Aboriginal population declined significantly after a smallpox epidemic during the late 18th century and massacres by the European settlers. In 1823, John Oxley , a British explorer, sailed north from what is now Sydney to scout possible penal colony sites in Gladstone (then Port Curtis ) and Moreton Bay . At Moreton Bay, he found
1426-521: The Nogoa River . The town is located on the Capricorn Highway , 859 kilometres (534 mi) north west of the state capital, Brisbane . The Central Western railway line enters the locality from the east ( Blackwater / Stewarton ), passes through the town, and exits to the west (Emerald). No passenger services stop at the local stations, which, with the exception of that at Yamala, whose use
1488-537: The Sunshine Coast , Townsville , Cairns , Ipswich , and Toowoomba . 24.2% of the state's population were born overseas . The state has the highest inter-state net migration in Australia. Queensland was first inhabited by Aboriginal Australians , with the Torres Strait Islands inhabited by Torres Strait Islanders . Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon , the first European to land in Australia, explored
1550-594: The Sunshine State for its tropical and sub-tropical climates, Great Barrier Reef , and numerous beaches, tourism is also important to the state's economy. Queensland was one of the largest regions of pre-colonial Aboriginal population in Australia. The Aboriginal occupation of Queensland is thought to predate 50,000 BC, and early migrants are believed to have arrived via boat or land bridge across Torres Strait . Through time, their descendants developed into more than 90 different language and cultural groups. During
1612-414: The Torres Strait to the north, with Boigu Island off the coast of New Guinea representing the northern extreme of its territory. The triangular Cape York Peninsula , which points toward New Guinea, is the northernmost part of the state's mainland. West of the peninsula's tip, northern Queensland is bordered by the Gulf of Carpentaria . To the west, Queensland is bordered by the Northern Territory , at
1674-559: The Tropic of Capricorn , hence its name. Other towns situated along the highway include (from east to west): Gracemere , Kabra , Stanwell , Westwood , Gogango , Duaringa , Dingo , Bluff , Blackwater , Comet , Emerald , Bogantungan , Alpha and Jericho . Running virtually east/west, the highway traverses the area known as the Central Highlands, and crosses the Great Dividing Range between Alpha and Jericho. Capricorn Highway
1736-616: The White Australia policy came into effect, which saw most foreign workers in Australia deported under the Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901 , which saw the Pacific Islander population of the state decrease rapidly. A public meeting was held in 1851 to consider the proposed separation of Queensland from New South Wales. On 6 June 1859, Queen Victoria signed letters patent to form the separate colony of Queensland as
1798-474: The White Australia policy in 1973 saw the beginning of a wave of immigration from around the world, and most prominently from Asia, which continues to the present. In 1981 the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland's northeast coast, one of the world's largest coral reef systems, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site . In 2003 Queensland adopted maroon as the state's official colour. The announcement
1860-519: The semi-arid and desert climatic regions of its interior . Queensland has a population of over 5.5 million, concentrated along the east coast, particularly in South East Queensland . The capital and largest city in the state is Brisbane , Australia's third-largest city . Ten of Australia's thirty largest cities are located in Queensland, the largest outside Brisbane being the Gold Coast ,
1922-634: The Brisbane penal settlement. In 1842 free settlement, which had already commenced, was officially permitted. In 1847, the Port of Maryborough was opened as a wool port. While most early immigrants came from New South Wales, the first free immigrant ship to arrive in Moreton Bay from Europe was the Artemisia , in 1848. Earlier than this immigrant ship was the arrival of the Irish famine orphan girls to Queensland. Devised by
Capricorn Highway - Misplaced Pages Continue
1984-503: The Capricorn Highway in Comet to the northern boundary of Togara , where it becomes Comet–Rolleston Road, a distance of 22.5 kilometres (14.0 mi). It does not intersect with any other state-controlled roads. Anakie–Sapphire Road is a state-controlled district road (number 5501), rated as a local road of regional significance (LRRS). It runs from Bon Accord Road in Anakie Siding , across
2046-902: The Capricorn Highway, to Rubyvale Road in Sapphire Central , a distance of 11.1 kilometres (6.9 mi). It does not intersect with any other state-controlled roads. Alpha–Tambo Road is a state-controlled district road (number 443), rated as a local road of regional significance (LRRS). It runs from the Capricorn Highway in Alpha to the Dawson Developmental Road in Windeyer , a distance of 121 kilometres (75 mi). It does not intersect with any other state-controlled roads. [REDACTED] Australian Roads portal Queensland Queensland ( locally / ˈ k w iː n z l æ n d / KWEENZ -land , commonly abbreviated as Qld )
2108-592: The Feisty Colleens, never set foot on Sydney soil, and instead sailed up to Brisbane (then Moreton Bay) on 21 October 1848 on board the Ann Mary . This scheme continued until 1852. In 1857, Queensland's first lighthouse was built at Cape Moreton . The frontier wars fought between European settlers and Aboriginal tribes in Queensland were the bloodiest and most brutal in colonial Australia. Many of these conflicts are now seen as acts of genocide. The wars featured
2170-1013: The Great Barrier Reef along the Coral Sea coast, K'gari (Fraser Island) on the Wide Bay–Burnett region's coastline, the wet tropics in Far North Queensland including the Daintree Rainforest , Lamington National Park in South East Queensland , the Riversleigh fossil sites in North West Queensland , and the Gondwana Rainforests in South East Queensland. The state is divided into several unofficial regions which are commonly used to refer to large areas of
2232-643: The Native Police between 1859 and 1897. The military force of the Queensland Government in this war was the Native Police , who operated from 1849 to the 1920s. The Native Police was a body of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander troopers that operated under the command of white officers. The Native Police were often recruited forcefully from far-away communities. Conflict spread quickly with free settlement in 1838, with settlement rapidly expanding in
2294-408: The age of sixteen. In total, approximately 15,000 South Sea Islander slaves died while working in Queensland, a figure which does not include those who died in transit or who were killed in the recruitment process. This represents a mortality rate of at least 30%, which is high considering most were only on three year contracts. It is also similar to the estimated 33% death rate of enslaved Africans in
2356-456: The closure of the state borders. With a total area of 1,729,742 square kilometres (715,309 square miles), Queensland is an expansive state with a highly diverse range of climates and geographical features. If Queensland were an independent nation, it would be the world's 16th largest. Queensland's eastern coastline borders the Coral Sea , an arm of the Pacific Ocean. The state is bordered by
2418-642: The colony's agricultural plantations through a process known as blackbirding . This trade in what were then known as Kanakas was in operation from 1863 to 1908, a period of 45 years. Some 55,000 to 62,500 were brought to Australia, most being recruited or blackbirded from islands in Melanesia , such as the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu ), the Solomon Islands and the islands around New Guinea . The majority of those taken were male and around one quarter were under
2480-507: The first Premier of Queensland . In 1865, the first rail line in the state opened between Ipswich and Grandchester . Queensland's economy expanded rapidly in 1867 after James Nash discovered gold on the Mary River near the town of Gympie , sparking a gold rush and saving the State of Freddy-Mercury-land from near economic collapse. While still significant, they were on a much smaller scale than
2542-683: The first commercial production of oil in Queensland and Australia began at Moonie . During World War II Brisbane became central to the Allied campaign when the AMP Building (now called MacArthur Central ) was used as the South West Pacific headquarters for General Douglas MacArthur , chief of the Allied Pacific forces, until his headquarters were moved to Hollandia in August 1944. In 1942, during
Capricorn Highway - Misplaced Pages Continue
2604-458: The first three years of being taken to America. The trade was legally sanctioned and regulated under Queensland law, and prominent men such as Robert Towns made massive fortunes off of exploitation of slave labour, helping to establish some of the major cities in Queensland today. Towns' agent claimed that blackbirded labourers were "savages who did not know the use of money" and therefore did not deserve cash wages. Following Federation in 1901,
2666-519: The following projects for the Capricorn Highway. A lead project to upgrade the Mount Isa to Rockhampton corridor, including sections of the Capricorn and Landsborough Highways and surrounding state and council roads, at an estimated cost of $ 237.5 million, was in the planning and scoping stage. Works are expected to include progressive sealing, lane duplications and crossing upgrades. A project to upgrade
2728-422: The gold rushes of Victoria and New South Wales. Immigration to Australia and Queensland, in particular, began in the 1850s to support the state economy. During the period from the 1860s until the early 20th century, many labourers, known at the time as Kanakas , were brought to Queensland from neighbouring Pacific Island nations to work in the state's sugar cane fields. Some of these people had been kidnapped under
2790-515: The intersection with the Gregory Highway in Emerald at a cost of $ 7.9 million is scheduled for completion in mid-2023. This project was targeted for "early works" by the Queensland Government. A project to upgrade an intersection in Blackwater, at a cost of $ 6.24 million, was expected to finish in early 2022. A project to strengthen and widen pavement just east of Emerald, at a cost of $ 5 million,
2852-424: The last ice age , Queensland's landscape became more arid and largely desolate, making food and other supplies scarce. The people developed the world's first seed-grinding technology. The end of the glacial period brought about a warming climate, making the land more hospitable. It brought high rainfall along the eastern coast, stimulating the growth of the state's tropical rainforests. The Torres Strait Islands
2914-490: The later decades of the 20th century, the humid subtropical climate —regulated by the availability of air conditioning—saw Queensland become a popular destination for migrants from interstate. Since that time, Queensland has continuously seen high levels of migration from the other states and territories of Australia. In 1966, Lyndon B. Johnson became the first U.S. president to visit Queensland. During his visit, he met with Australia prime minister Harold Holt . The end of
2976-452: The most frequent massacres of First Nations people, the three deadliest massacres on white settlers, the most disreputable frontier police force, and the highest number of white victims to frontier violence on record in any Australian colony. Across at least 644 collisions at least 66,680 were killed — with Aboriginal fatalities alone comprising no less than 65,180. Of these deaths, around 24,000 Aboriginal men, women and children were killed by
3038-399: The only Australian state with a unicameral parliament . In 1935 cane toads were deliberately introduced to Queensland from Hawaii in an unsuccessful attempt to reduce the number of French's cane and greyback cane beetles that were destroying the roots of sugar cane plants, which are integral to Queensland's economy. The toads have remained an environmental pest since that time. In 1962,
3100-592: The proposed Rockhampton Ring Road . The Northern Australia Beef Roads Program announced in 2016 included the following project: The project for upgrading between Gracemere saleyards and the Rockhampton abattoirs to provide access for Type 1 Road Trains was completed by early 2021 at a total cost of $ 30 million. It involved about 29 kilometres (18 mi) of road improvements on four roads: The Roads of Strategic Importance initiative, last updated in March 2022, included
3162-525: The school had an enrolment of 28 students with 5 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 25 students with 5 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent). There are no secondary schools in Comet. The closest government secondary school is Emerald State High School in neighbouring Emerald , situated 41 kilometres (25 miles) west of Comet. Comet
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#17328515763173224-524: The state's vast geography. These include: Comet, Queensland Download coordinates as: Comet is a historically-rich rural town and locality in the Central Highlands Region , Queensland , Australia. In the 2021 census , the locality of Comet had a population of 360 people. Comet is the oldest town in the Emerald area, established at the confluence of the Comet River with
3286-439: The then British Secretary of State for the Colonies, The Earl Grey Scheme established a special emigration scheme which was designed to resettle destitute girls from the workhouses of Ireland during the Great Famine. The first ship, the "Earl Grey", departed Ireland for a 124-day sail to Sydney. After controversy developed upon their arrival in Australia, a small group of 37 young orphans, sometimes referred to as The Belfast Girls or
3348-404: The town takes its name from the Comet River, named by explorer Ludwig Leichhardt , who made observations of Comet Wilmot (C/1844 Y2) in the area on 29 December 1844. Comet Post Office opened on 5 September 1877. Cometville State School opened on 23 October 1877. In 1912, it was renamed Comet State School in 1912. On 19 March 1931, the town's name was changed from Cometville to Comet. In
3410-428: The war, Brisbane was the site of a violent clash between visiting US military personnel and Australian servicemen and civilians, which resulted in one death and hundreds of injuries. This incident became known colloquially as the Battle of Brisbane . The end of World War II saw a wave of immigration from across Europe, with many more immigrants coming from southern and eastern Europe than in previous decades. In
3472-403: The west coast of the Cape York Peninsula in 1606. In 1770, James Cook claimed the east coast of Australia for the Kingdom of Great Britain . In 1788, Arthur Phillip founded the colony of New South Wales, which included all of what is now Queensland. Queensland was explored in subsequent decades, and the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement was established at Brisbane in 1824 by John Oxley . During
3534-410: The world today. World War I had a major impact on Queensland . Over 58,000 Queenslanders fought in World War I and over 10,000 of them died. Australia's first major airline, Qantas (originally standing for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services"), was founded in Winton in 1920 to serve outback Queensland. In 1922 Queensland abolished the Queensland Legislative Council , becoming
3596-523: Was among the six colonies which became the founding states of Australia with Federation on 1 January 1901. Since the Bjelke-Petersen era of the late 20th century, Queensland has received a high level of internal migration from the other states and territories of Australia and remains a popular destination for interstate migration. Queensland has the third-largest economy among Australian states, with strengths in mining, agriculture, transportation, international education , insurance, and banking. Nicknamed
3658-434: Was expected to finish in mid-2022. A project to widen pavement east of Alpha, at a cost of $ 9.65 million, was due for completion in late 2022. In addition to the Bruce, Leichhardt, Gregory and Landsborough Highways, and the Fitzroy Developmental Road, the following state-controlled roads, from east to west, intersect with the Capricorn Highway: Biloela–Duaringa Road is a state-controlled district road (number 462), rated as
3720-520: Was made as a result of an informal tradition to use maroon to represent the state in association with sporting events. After three decades of record population growth, Queensland was impacted by major floods between late 2010 and early 2011 , causing extensive damage and disruption across the state. In 2020 Queensland was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic . Despite a low number and abrupt decline in cases from April 2020 onward, social distancing requirements were implemented from March 2020 including
3782-442: Was particularly hard hit during the 1860s and 1870s, several contemporary writers mention the Skull Hole, Bladensburg, or Mistake Creek massacre on Bladensburg Station near Winton , which in 1901 was said to have taken up to 200 Aboriginal lives. First Nations warriors killed 19 settlers during the Cullin-La-Ringo massacre on 17 October 1861. In the weeks afterwards, police, native police and civilians killed up to 370 members of
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#17328515763173844-442: Was the first recorded landing of a European in Australia , and it also marked the first reported contact between Europeans and the Aboriginal people of Australia . The region was also explored by French and Spanish explorers (commanded by Louis Antoine de Bougainville and Luís Vaez de Torres , respectively) before the arrival of Lieutenant James Cook in 1770. Cook claimed the east coast under instruction from King George III of
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