CLONCURRY
After leaving Winton for the 350k
drive to Cloncurry, the traveler must be prepared for long stretches
of a very quiet road. Road Trains
and likeminded caravaners make up 80% of the vehicular traffic. Flat
and seemingly changeless scenery is your partner for the next four
hours. Cruise Control and music lessoning fatigue. Out here most
drivers still give courtesy finger acknowledgements. 
When you reach Cloncurry from Winton
the traveler is well north in Qld and the weather warmer. Even in high
winter. Cloncurry has once experienced a 53.1 Celsius day in 1891.
This place can get very hot.
The town lies adjacent to
the Cloncurry River. Cloncurry was proclaimed a town in 1884, and the
railway arrived in 1908. Until the advent of Mount Isa, the town was
the largest settlement in north west Queensland.
The first Europeans to
traverse the area were Burke and Wills on their epic, and ultimately
fatal, transcontinental expedition. The Cloncurry River was named by
Burke after Lady Elizabeth Cloncurry, his cousin, with the town
eventually taking its name from the river.
Cloncurry is the town where the Flying
Doctor service was born. John Flynn
had the vision way back in 1920’s to who first hand saw the need and
then the vision to establish what is now correctly described as an
iconic development in the outback of Australia.
When visiting Cloncurry a visit to the John Flynn Heritage Centre and
Museum
is an absolute must. The presentation and displays are informative and
poignant. To give your visit justice allow plenty of time. 
The Mary Kathleen Centre is also
recommended. (Photos to come)
The Cloncurry Churches are of the
modern era.    
The Cloncurry War Memorial is located
near the centre of town.
The Post Office Hotel has 1965 photo
of the finish of the Melbourne Cup,
that may stir memories
for the odd traveler. The Central Hotel being the grandest in style. 
Allow a more than two days to enjoy
Cloncurry.
Heritage diary   
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