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Longreach, Queensland

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"Longreach" redirects here. For other uses, see Long Reach.

Longreach is a town and a locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] It is the administrative centre of the Longreach Regional Council, which was established in 2008 as a merger of the former Longreach, Ilfracombe, and Isisford shires. Longreach is a well known tourist destination due to its aviation history and importance. In the 2021 census, the locality of Longreach had a population of 3,124.[1]

Longreach
Queensland
Longreach Shire Hall and Water Tower
Longreach is located in Queensland
Longreach
Longreach
Coordinates23°26′32″S 144°14′57″E / 23.4422°S 144.2491°E / -23.4422; 144.2491 (Longreach (town centre))
Population3,124 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density0.132980/km2 (0.34442/sq mi)
Established1888
Postcode(s)4730
Elevation191.0 m (627 ft)
Area23,492.3 km2 (9,070.4 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Longreach Region
CountyPortland County
State electorate(s)Gregory
Federal division(s)Maranoa
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
31.4 °C
89 °F		 15.8 °C
60 °F		 441.4 mm
17.4 in
Localities around Longreach:
Corfield Bangall
Tablederry		 Muttaburra
Cornish Creek
Opalton Longreach Sardine
Stonehenge Isisford Ilfracombe

Geography

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Near Civic Centre, Longreach, at mid-day of summer solstice 2019. The monument is a few arc seconds south of Tropic of Capricorn. (See shadow directly below the sign.)

Longreach is in Central West Queensland, approximately 700 km (430 mi) from the coast, west of Rockhampton. The town is on the Tropic of Capricorn in the south-east of the locality. The town is named after the ‘long reach’ of the Thomson River on which it is situated.

Lochern National Park is in the south-western part of the locality (formerly in Vergemont).[4]

The main industries of the area are cattle, sheep, and, more recently, tourism.

The Landsborough Highway enters the locality from the south-east (Ilfracombe), passes through the town and then exits to the north-west (Corfield). The Central Western railway line takes the same route, the town being served by the Longreach railway station. The Thomson Developmental Road commences at the town and passes through the south-east of the locality (briefly passing through the westernmost part of Ilfracombe) before exiting to the south (Stonehenge).[4]

In Longreach, the streets are named after species of birds, with the streets running east–west named after water birds and those running north–south after land birds.[5] The main business street is called Eagle Street. Other streets honour Hudson Fysh, an Australian aviation pioneer, and Sir James Walker, a farmer and long-serving mayor of the former Longreach Shire Council.

History

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Longreach lies within the traditional tribal lands of the Iningai people. Iningai (also known as Yiningay, Muttaburra, Tateburra, Yinangay, Yinangi) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Iningai people. The Iningai language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Longreach Region, particularly the towns of Longreach, Barcaldine, Muttaburra and Aramac as well as the properties of Bowen Downs and catchments of Cornish Creek and Alice River.[6]

Kuungkari (also known as Kungkari and Koonkerri) is a language of Western Queensland. The Kuungkari language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of Longreach Shire Council and Blackall-Tambo Shire Council.[7]

The first Europeans to enter the area were part of the expedition led by William Landsborough in 1862. This party initially tried to intimidate the resident Iningai by galloping their horses at them and shooting over their heads. However, they found the Iningai were a bold, powerfully built people who did not run away. Through an Aboriginal Native Police trooper named Jemmy who accompanied Landsborough and spoke the Iningai language, they were able to communicate with the Iningai and were told the geography of the region and shown the best roads to travel by. An Iningai man named Wittin acted as their guide.[8]

In 1862, the enormous Bowen Downs cattle station was established across the region by William Landsborough, Nathaniel Buchanan and Edward Cornish, with the financial backing of Robert Morehead and Matthew Young of the Scottish Australian Investment Company. In 1872, Bowen Downs was divided into two huge properties, the section along the Thomson River being named Mount Cornish, managed by Edward R. Edkins. An outstation of this Mount Cornish cattle station was called Longreach, because it was situated on a long reach of the Thomson River. This location later developed into the township of Longreach.[9]

The town of Longreach was gazetted in 1887,[10] and its post office opened on 1 October 1891.[11] The Central Western railway line reached the town on 15 February 1892,[12] causing the population to grow. Longreach State School opened on 22 May 1893 with an enrolment of 102 students,[13] and the Presentation Sisters founded a primary school in 1900 that became Our Ladies' College. In 1920 Qantas was formed making a big start to the little town. St Joseph's Primary School was established in 1925. In 1935 Our Ladies' College expanded to offer secondary education to Year 10, becoming the first secondary school in Central Western Queensland.[14]

Cominos Brothers opened a cafe in Eagle Street, the town’s main street in 1911.[15] The cafe was known as Comino Bros. Central Café and American Bar, probably because it had an American-style soda fountain.[16]

Longreach Rail Post Office opened by April 1940 and closed in 1962.[11]

Longreach State High School opened on 24 January 1966.[17]

Evesham State School opened in the former Morella on 23 January 1967. It was mothballed on 31 December 2009 and then permanently closed on 31 December 2010.[18][19][20]

In 1970, Queen Elizabeth II, The Duke of Edinburgh and Her Royal Highness Princess Anne toured Australia including Queensland. The Queensland tour began on Sunday 12 April when the royal yacht Britannia entered Moreton Bay at Caloundra, sailing into Newstead Wharf. After several days of engagements in the city of Brisbane, Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh commenced their regional tour flying to Longreach on Wednesday 15 April. The primary purpose for their stopover in Longreach was to visit the first operational base of Queensland’s first airline, Qantas, which became Australia’s Overseas Airline. During the visit they viewed an exhibition of Qantas memorabilia, including a replica of the company’s first aircraft, the AVRO 504K of 1921. The occasion marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of The Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services, Limited (Qantas). Qantas Airways celebrated its centenary in 2020.[21]

On 1 January 1986, Our Ladies' College relocated to the St Joseph's site.[14] A pre-school was added in 1992. It returned to being only a primary school (P-6) at the end of 1994. In 2002, the school changed its name to Our Ladies' School.[14]

Longreach School of Distance Education (also known as Longreach School of the Air) opened on 27 January 1987.[22][23]

In early April 2010, Longreach experienced a significant locust plague described by local residents as the worst in three decades.[24][25]

In January 2019, it was decided to reduce the number of localities within Longreach Region by amalgamating the localities to the north and west of the town of Longreach into the locality of Longreach. The localities amalgamated were: Camoola, Chorregon, Ernestina, Maneroo, Morella, Tocal, and Vergemont.[26] As a consequence of this amalgamation, the Longreach Region has only three localities: Longreach, Ilfracombe and Isisford.[27]

On 17 August 2024, the purchase of this land[which?] to turn into a national park[which?], Queensland's environment minister, Leanne Linard, assured the industry that small-scale opal mining would still be permitted in suitable areas, aiming for a balance between conservation and mining. However, many in the industry, including Erik Madsen, founder of the Australian Opal Centre, remain sceptical. Madsen emphasized that opal is Australia's national gemstone, making this issue one of national significance. On that date, the miners have been mandated to retrieve licenses and permits to continue their work.[citation needed]

Demographics

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In the 2011 census, the town of Longreach had a population of 3,137 people.[28]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Longreach had a population of 2,970 people.[29]

In the 2021 census, the locality of Longreach had a population of 3,124 people.[1]

Heritage listings

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Longreach has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Economy

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4.9% of the population works in beef cattle farming compared to 0.7 per cent nationally.[1]

Facilities

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Longreach has a visitor information centre, swimming pool, Powerhouse Museum[35] and parks. Shopping facilities in the town include IGA, FoodWorks and Prices Plus. As part of nationwide restructuring, Target Country closed its store on Eagle Street in April 2021.[36]

Longreach Regional Council operates the Longreach Library at 106 Eagle Street.[37]

The Longreach branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms in Duck Street.[38] There is also a branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association in the former Morella (now part of Longreach).[38]

Until 2021, Longreach had a local cinema. Star Cinema Longreach operated for 33 years before closing due to a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in popularity of streaming services.[39] Prior to the construction of the modern Star Cinema in 1988, films were shown at the Roxy Theatre which was rebuilt and reopened in 1953 after a fire destroyed the original premises in 1952 forcing films to be temporarily screened in the shire hall.[40][41][42]

Education

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Longreach State School is a government primary (Early Childhood to Year 6) school for boys and girls at 125 Ibis Street (23°26′29″S 144°14′43″E / 23.4413°S 144.2454°E / -23.4413; 144.2454 (Longreach State School)).[43][44] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 197 students with 19 teachers (18 full-time equivalent) and 17 non-teaching staff (12 full-time equivalent).[45]

Longreach State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at Jabiru Street (23°26′18″S 144°15′43″E / 23.4382°S 144.2619°E / -23.4382; 144.2619 (Longreach State High School)).[43][46] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 179 students with 24 teachers (22 full-time equivalent) and 16 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent).[45]

Longreach School of Distance Education is a government primary and secondary (Early Childhood to Year 10) school for boys and girls at Sir James Walker Drive (23°26′29″S 144°16′57″E / 23.4413°S 144.2825°E / -23.4413; 144.2825 (Longreach School of Distance Education)).[43][47] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 181 students with 28 teachers (24 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (11 full-time equivalent).[45]

Longreach State School Special Education Program is a primary and secondary (Early Childhood to Year 12) special education program at Longreach State School at Kingfisher Street (23°26′27″S 144°14′39″E / 23.4408°S 144.2442°E / -23.4408; 144.2442 (Longreach SS - Special Education Program)).[43][48]

Our Lady's Catholic Primary School is a Catholic primary (Preparatory to Year 6) school for boys and girls at 85 Eagle Street (23°26′22″S 144°15′04″E / 23.4394°S 144.2511°E / -23.4394; 144.2511 (Our Lady's Catholic Primary School)).[43][49] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 91 students with 10 teachers (9 full-time equivalent) and 7 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).[45]

Media

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The Longreach Leader newspaper is issued weekly.[50] The Longreach area is also served by several locally based radio stations including ABC Western Queensland, and commercial stations 4LG and West FM.

Attractions

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Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame in Longreach
 
The world's third oldest airline, Qantas, commenced operating in Longreach - from this hangar - now part of the Qantas Founders Museum.

Longreach is the home of the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame, which was officially opened in 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II. The purpose of the centre is to showcase the history and the culture of life in rural Australia. Since its opening, over 1 million people have passed through its doors.

 
Qantas Founders Outback Museum

Longreach was one of the founding centres for Qantas, the Australian domestic and international airline, the third oldest airline in the world (after KLM and Avianca), being founded on 16 November 1920 in Winton.[51] One of the airline's original hangars remains in use at the Longreach Airport and is listed on the Australian National Heritage List. The town is now the home of the Qantas Founders Outback Museum, which includes amongst its displays a decommissioned Qantas Boeing 747-200 aircraft, registration VH-EBQ, The City of Bunbury, and Qantas's first jet aircraft VH-XBA (formerly VH-EBA), a Boeing 707, The City of Canberra. In recognition of the town's place in company history, as well as a play on the airliner's extended range, all of Qantas's Boeing 747-400s had "Longreach" printed on both sides of the first jetway entry/exit doors.

The town is home to the Australian Agricultural College's Longreach Campus, which prepares students for work in the agricultural and pastoral industries. It was known previously as the Longreach Pastoral College. The campus was opened in 1967. Adjacent to the college is the Longreach School of Distance Education, which provides lessons to remote students, formerly by HF radio but now using telephone lines. The agricultural college in Longreach closed December 2019.[52]

Notable residents

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Notable residents of Longreach include:

Climate

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Longreach experiences a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh), with very hot summers and very mild winters, albeit with cool nights. There is strong seasonal temperature variation, with average maxima vary from 23.7 °C (74.7 °F) in July to 37.6 °C (99.7 °F) in December. Average annual rainfall is low: 430.5 mm (16.95 in), occurring within 32.6 rainfall days, primarily in the summer. The town is sunny, averaging 163.7 clear days and only 51.6 cloudy days annually.[53] Extreme temperatures have ranged from −3.3 °C (26.1 °F) on 27 June 1908 and 6 July 1908 to 47.9 °C (118.2 °F) on 26 January 1947.[54]

Climate data for Longreach (23º26'24"S, 144º16'48"E, 192 m AMSL) (1966-2024 normals and extremes, rainfall to 1949)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 47.9
(118.2) 		45.6
(114.1) 		45.0
(113.0) 		39.6
(103.3) 		36.5
(97.7) 		34.4
(93.9) 		34.0
(93.2) 		37.5
(99.5) 		41.5
(106.7) 		43.9
(111.0) 		45.8
(114.4) 		46.6
(115.9) 		47.9
(118.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 37.2
(99.0) 		36.0
(96.8) 		34.8
(94.6) 		31.6
(88.9) 		27.1
(80.8) 		23.9
(75.0) 		23.7
(74.7) 		26.2
(79.2) 		30.4
(86.7) 		34.1
(93.4) 		36.3
(97.3) 		37.6
(99.7) 		31.6
(88.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 23.4
(74.1) 		22.6
(72.7) 		20.6
(69.1) 		16.6
(61.9) 		12.1
(53.8) 		8.4
(47.1) 		7.3
(45.1) 		8.6
(47.5) 		12.8
(55.0) 		17.1
(62.8) 		20.2
(68.4) 		22.3
(72.1) 		16.0
(60.8)
Record low °C (°F) 13.4
(56.1) 		12.8
(55.0) 		3.9
(39.0) 		2.9
(37.2) 		0.5
(32.9) 		−3.3
(26.1) 		−3.3
(26.1) 		−1.7
(28.9) 		−0.6
(30.9) 		2.2
(36.0) 		5.0
(41.0) 		6.6
(43.9) 		−3.3
(26.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 76.8
(3.02) 		75.1
(2.96) 		57.0
(2.24) 		34.0
(1.34) 		23.2
(0.91) 		17.9
(0.70) 		18.6
(0.73) 		10.9
(0.43) 		11.8
(0.46) 		22.6
(0.89) 		29.9
(1.18) 		52.7
(2.07) 		430.5
(16.95)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 5.2 4.9 3.3 2.0 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.2 1.5 2.5 3.0 4.3 32.6
Average afternoon relative humidity (%) 32 35 30 29 31 32 28 23 20 19 20 24 27
Average dew point °C (°F) 13.7
(56.7) 		15.1
(59.2) 		12.2
(54.0) 		8.8
(47.8) 		6.5
(43.7) 		4.2
(39.6) 		2.0
(35.6) 		1.1
(34.0) 		1.9
(35.4) 		3.7
(38.7) 		6.4
(43.5) 		9.4
(48.9) 		7.1
(44.8)
Source: Bureau of Meteorology (1966-2024 normals and extremes, rainfall to 1949)[55][56]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Longreach (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023. Edit this at Wikidata 
  2. ^ "Longreach – town in Longreach Region (entry 20044)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Longreach – locality in Longreach Region (entry 49510)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Where the streets have bird names". ABC Western Queensland. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 22 February 2013. Archived from the original on 14 April 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Iningai". State Library of Queensland. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  7. ^   This Wikipedia article incorporates CC BY 4.0 licensed text from: "Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map". State Library of Queensland. State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  8. ^ Landsborough, William (1862). Journal of Landsborough's Expedition from Carpentaria in search of Burke and Wills. Melbourne: Bailliere Publisher.
  9. ^ "The Story of Longreach". The Western Champion. Vol. XLIV, no. 1612. Queensland, Australia. 9 December 1922. p. 14. Retrieved 2 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Celebrating 125 years of Longreach". Queensland State Archives. 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 11 February 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  11. ^ a b Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  12. ^ Kerr, John (1990). Triumph of narrow gauge : a history of Queensland Railways. Boolarong Publications. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-86439-102-5.
  13. ^ "Longreach SS". Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  14. ^ a b c "History". Our Ladies' School. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  15. ^ "COMINO BROS". The Longreach Leader. Queensland, Australia. 4 December 1935. p. 21 (THE LONGREACH LEADER). Retrieved 5 February 2020 – via Trove.
  16. ^ "Greek cafés: a specialty in Queensland's central west | John Oxley Library". 5 December 2019. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  17. ^ "Longreach SHS". Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  18. ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  19. ^ "Evesham school's $250K upgrade on hold". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 September 2009. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  20. ^ "Queensland state school - centre closures" (PDF). Queensland Government. 20 August 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  21. ^   This Wikipedia article incorporates text from The state of Queensland welcomes royalty in 1970 - Part 1 The Inland Tour (6 May 2022) published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence, accessed on 18 May 2022.
  22. ^ "Longreach School of Distance Education". Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  23. ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  24. ^ "Millions of locusts swarm Central Queensland town of Longreach". The Courier-Mail website. News Limited. 6 April 2010. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  25. ^ "Locust plague prompts fears for crops". ABC News website. ABC. 8 April 2010. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  26. ^ "Recent place name decisions: Job number 17-050: Longreach". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  27. ^ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  28. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Longreach (Urban Centre)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 9 September 2014. Edit this at Wikidata 
  29. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Longreach (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018. Edit this at Wikidata 
  30. ^ "Longreach Railway Station (entry 601970)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  31. ^ "QATB Centre (former) (entry 600663)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  32. ^ "Qantas Museum/Former Qantas Hangar (entry 600664)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  33. ^ "Darr River Downs (entry 600666)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  34. ^ "Longreach Powerhouse (former) (entry 601541)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  35. ^ "Powerhouse Museum Longreach". Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  36. ^ "Job losses from Target closure feared in Longreach". Queensland Country Life. 25 May 2020.
  37. ^ "Longreach Library". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. 18 August 2014. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  38. ^ a b "Branch locations". Queensland Country Women's Association. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  39. ^ Grounds, Ellie; Prosser, Dan (3 July 2021). "'We didn't want to close': Longreach's beloved Star Cinema calls curtains after 33 years". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  40. ^ "Roxy Theatre and adjoining premises gutted by fire". The Longreach Leader. 2 May 1952. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  41. ^ "Pictures will continue in shire hall". The Longreach Leader. 9 May 1952. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  42. ^ "Free night for new Roxy opening". The Longreach Leader. 31 July 1953. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  43. ^ a b c d e "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  44. ^ "Longreach State School". Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  45. ^ a b c d "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  46. ^ "Longreach State High School". Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  47. ^ "Longreach School of Distance Education". Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  48. ^ "Longreach SS - Special Education Program". Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  49. ^ "Our Lady's Catholic Primary School". Archived from the original on 30 October 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  50. ^ "Longreach Leader". Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  51. ^ "Oldest Airlines In The World That Are Still Operating". World Atlas. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  52. ^ "ABC News". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 October 2019. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  53. ^ "Longreach Aero Climate (1949-2024)". FarmOnline Weather. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  54. ^ "Longreach Post Office Climate (1893-1985)". FarmOnline Weather. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  55. ^ "Longreach Aero Climate Statistics (1949-2024)". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  56. ^ "Longreach Post Office Climate Statistics (1893-1985)". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 20 July 2024.

Further reading

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  • Mims, Jeanne M; Queensland Country Women's Association. Morella Branch (1992), Morella memories : a local history, Q.C.W.A. Morella Branch, ISBN 978-0-646-11367-8
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  Media related to Longreach, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

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