Tambo, Queensland
| Tambo Queensland | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Arthur Street, Tambo | |||||||||
  Tambo | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 24°53′0″S 146°15′0″E / 24.88333°S 146.25000°ECoordinates: 24°53′0″S 146°15′0″E / 24.88333°S 146.25000°E | ||||||||
| Population | 367 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1863 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4478 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 395 m (1,296 ft) | ||||||||
| Location |
| ||||||||
| LGA(s) | Blackall-Tambo Region | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Gregory | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Maranoa | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Tambo is a town located in Central West Queensland, Australia, on the banks of the Barcoo River. Tambo is 101 kilometres (63 mi) southeast of the town of Blackall via the Landsborough Highway, and approximately 862 kilometres (536 mi) north west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Tambo had a population of 345.[2]
The town was settled in 1863, making it the oldest town in western Queensland. Like much of the west, sheep became the mainstay of the economy. The town takes its name from an Indigenous Australian word, meaning "hidden place",[3] or, "resting place, fish, shady waters, hidden waters, a secluded spot, hidden place and native yam."[4]
Today, cattle and tourism are of major importance to the town. A number of heritage buildings survive from the earliest days of settlement. The Carnarvon National Park (Salvator Rosa section) lies to the east of the town.
History
Indigenous
The area on which the town of Tambo now sits was home of many different Aboriginal groups including the Wadjaling, Wadjalad, Wadjabangai, and Pitjara.
European exploration and settlement
The first European exploration of the district was by Sir Thomas Mitchell, popularly known as "Major Mitchell", in 1846. Tambo was originally known as Carrangarra.[5] The settlement was renamed Tambo in 1868. For approximately the next 15 years the area was unused until selectors began taking land in 1861. The town was founded in 1863.[5]
A branch of the Queensland National Bank was first established in 1875.[6]
Tambo was the location of QANTAS's first fatal accident.[7] An Airco DH.9 crashed on 24 March 1927 with the loss of three lives after the plane stalled while landing.[7]
Recent events
Tambo was cut off for eight days during the February 2012 Queensland floods.[8]
Geography and Climate
The Barcoo River runs through the town and sits near the Grey Range – part of the "Roof of Queensland" section of the Great Dividing Range.
The Landsborough Highway—part of the National Highway network linking Brisbane and Darwin—passes through Tambo. Tambo is also connected to Alpha by the Dawson Development Road.
In the 2006 census, Tambo had a population of 345, a small decline from the 2001 census population of 357.[2][9] Around 7% of the population of Tambo identity as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and around 6% were born outside Australia.[2]
Temperatures in Tambo range from 35 °C in summer to 21 °C in winter. Minimum temperatures in winter often drop below freezing. The average annual rainfall is 535.7 mm (21.0 in), the majority of which falls between December and March.
| Climate data for Tambo (Tambo Post Office 1957–2013) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 44.2 (111.6) |
42.8 (109) |
40.5 (104.9) |
37.1 (98.8) |
34.4 (93.9) |
31.7 (89.1) |
30.0 (86) |
35.0 (95) |
39.0 (102.2) |
41.0 (105.8) |
43.3 (109.9) |
43.3 (109.9) |
44.2 (111.6) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 34.9 (94.8) |
33.8 (92.8) |
32.4 (90.3) |
29.1 (84.4) |
24.9 (76.8) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.2 (70.2) |
23.5 (74.3) |
27.3 (81.1) |
30.9 (87.6) |
33.2 (91.8) |
34.8 (94.6) |
29.0 (84.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 20.4 (68.7) |
20.0 (68) |
17.5 (63.5) |
12.7 (54.9) |
8.1 (46.6) |
4.9 (40.8) |
3.6 (38.5) |
5.1 (41.2) |
9.0 (48.2) |
13.7 (56.7) |
17.0 (62.6) |
19.1 (66.4) |
12.6 (54.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 10.4 (50.7) |
9.5 (49.1) |
5.8 (42.4) |
0.0 (32) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−5.0 (23) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
4.4 (39.9) |
7.0 (44.6) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 81.0 (3.189) |
77.5 (3.051) |
58.3 (2.295) |
37.1 (1.461) |
34.4 (1.354) |
28.6 (1.126) |
27.1 (1.067) |
18.7 (0.736) |
21.3 (0.839) |
34.6 (1.362) |
47.0 (1.85) |
70.1 (2.76) |
535.7 (21.09) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2mm) | 7.6 | 6.8 | 5.7 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 55.7 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology[10] | |||||||||||||
Heritage
The "Tambo Heritage Trail" includes 17 buildings within the town's precinct of historical importance. They include:
- Post and Telegraph office building
- Reg Barry's Memorial
- Survey Marker
- Old Tambo Post Office (1876)
- Courthouse (1888)
- Tambo Shire Hall
- Masonic Lodge
- Old Powerhouse
- Tambo State School
- Windmill at Tambo Mill Motel
- Primary Health Care
- The Club Hotel
- General Store
- Royal Carrangarra Hotel
- Tambo Teddies Workshop
- Queensland National Bank
Tambo Educational Academy. 1905
Volk's Club Hotel, circa 1912
The Club Hotel, 2012
Tambo Public Library, previously Tambo Courthouse. Built in 1888
Tambo Post Office, built 1904
Tambo Post and Telegraph Office. Built 1876
Tambo Electronic Telegraph Office. Built 1885
Reg Barry's Memorial
Tambo Survey Marker
Tambo Shire Hall
Tambo Windmill
Royal Carrangarra Hotel
Tambo Teddies Workshop
Teddy Crossing Tambo
Heritage listings
Tambo has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Arthur Street: former Tambo Post Office[11]
- 9 Arthur Street: former Tambo Court House[12]
Economy and services
The heritage-listed former Courthouse in Arthur Street contains the Tambo Visitor Information Centre and the Tambo Library.[13] The Courthouse was built in 1888.[14]
Tambo is also famous for its Tambo Teddy Workshop, set up by 3 local women in 1992 to help promote the wool industry after years of drought had cause wool prices to fall.
The chief industries of the town and district are grazing properties for sheep and cattle. There was a sawmill which closed in 2011.
Tambo State School opened on 28 February 1876 and caters for students in years P-10.[15][16] Distance education services are provided for students in years 11 and 12.[17]
Governance
Until 2008, Tambo was the administrative centre of the Shire of Tambo. In 2008, as part of the Queensland Government's amalgamation of local government areas, the Shire of Tambo was abolished and Tambo is now a part of the Blackall-Tambo Regional Council.[18]
References
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Tambo (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- 1 2 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Tambo (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
- ↑ (31 October 2001). What's in a name? – 3. Australia's Centenary of Federation. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- ↑ L'Estrange (1996), p. 21.
- 1 2 "Post Office, Tambo". University of Queensland. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
- ↑ "TAMBO (QUEENSLAND)". Australian Town and Country Journal. NSW. 4 December 1875. p. 6. Retrieved 13 March 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
- 1 2 Gunn, John (1985). The Defeat of Distance: QANTAS 1919 – 1939. Brisbane, Australia: University of Queensland Press. p. 96. ISBN 0702217077. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
- ↑ Ball, Chris. "Flood recovery in Western Queensland – Tambo – their stories". ABC Western Queensland. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Tambo (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
- ↑ "Tambo Post Office". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. March 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ↑ "Tambo Post Office (former) (entry 600833)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
- ↑ "Tambo Court House (former) (entry 600834)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
- ↑ "Tambo Library". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. 7 August 2014. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- ↑ "Blackall-Tambo Regional Council Tambo Visitor Information Centre". Archived from the original on 12 March 2012.
- ↑ "Opening and closing dates of schools in Queensland". Education Queensland. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ↑ "Tambo State School". Education Queensland. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ↑ "Tambo Schools". Blackall-Tambo Regional Council. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
- ↑ "Tambo and Tambo Shire". Queensland Places:. Centre for the Government of Queensland. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
Bibliography
- L'Estrange, Jan (1996). Belle of the Barcoo: Tambo – genesis of Queensland's Central West. Harrison Printing. ISBN 0646288938.
External links
