Mount Surprise, Queensland
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Mount Surprise Queensland |
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 Mount Surprise
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| Coordinates | 18°13′28″S 144°22′05″E / 18.22444°S 144.36806°ECoordinates: 18°13′28″S 144°22′05″E / 18.22444°S 144.36806°E | ||||||||||||
| Population | 306 (2011 census) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4871 | ||||||||||||
| Elevation | 453 m (1,486 ft) | ||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Shire of Etheridge | ||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Mount Isa | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Kennedy | ||||||||||||
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Mount Surprise is a town and locality in the Shire of Etheridge, Queensland, Australia. In the 2011 census, Mount Surprise had a population of 306 people.
The town is located in the Gulf Savannah in Far North Queensland on the Gulf Developmental Road, 1,722 kilometres (1,070 mi) north west of the state capital, Brisbane and 285 kilometres (177 mi) west of the regional centre of Cairns.
The town was founded by Ezra Firth, from the English county of Yorkshire, who along with his family settled in the area in 1864. The property struggled at first; relations with the indigenous inhabitants of the country were hostile and the country was not suited for wool growing. The discovery of gold in the 1880s and the subsequent gold rush allowed Firth to sell his sheep to the miners, convert his holding to cattle and become wealthy selling goods to the miners. In 1908, the railway reached Mount Surprise.
Mount Surprise Post Office opened by July 1908.
At the 2006 census, Mount Surprise and the surrounding area had a population of 162.
Mount Surprise has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
The town today is little more than a pub, one cafe and two petrol stations with a small store, a gem-shop, a police station and two trailer parks or caravan parks. One park has a block of modern motel units. At the Mount Surprise Tourist Park, a large bird aviary is open to the public.
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