Tambo, Queensland

Tambo
Queensland

Arthur Street, Tambo
Tambo
Coordinates 24°53′0″S 146°15′0″E / 24.88333°S 146.25000°E / -24.88333; 146.25000Coordinates: 24°53′0″S 146°15′0″E / 24.88333°S 146.25000°E / -24.88333; 146.25000
Population 345 (2006 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
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
29.0 °C
84 °F		 12.6 °C
55 °F		 535.7 mm
21.1 in

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.[1]

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",[2] or, "resting place, fish, shady waters, hidden waters, a secluded spot, hidden place and native yam."[3]

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.[4] 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.[4]

A branch of the Queensland National Bank was first established in 1875.[5]

Tambo was the location of QANTAS's first fatal accident.[6] An Airco DH.9 crashed on 24 March 1927 with the loss of three lives after the plane stalled while landing.[6]

Recent events

Tambo was cut off for eight days during the February 2012 Queensland floods.[7]

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.[1][8] Around 7% of the population of Tambo identity as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and around 6% were born outside Australia.[1]

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[9]

Heritage

The "Tambo Heritage Trail" includes 17 buildings within the town's precinct of historical importance. They include:

Heritage listings

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

Economy and services

Sample of the Tambo Teddies manufactured in Tambo

Post service, telegraph.

Tambo Visitor Information Centre is located in the heritage listed historical Courthouse. The Tambo Visitor Information Centre also contains the towns public library. The Courthouse was built in 1888.[12]

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 caters for students in years P-10. Distance education services are provided for students in years 11 and 12.[13]

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.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Tambo (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  2. ↑ (31 October 2001). What's in a name? – 3. Australia's Centenary of Federation. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  3. ↑ L'Estrange (1996), p. 21.
  4. 1 2 "Post Office, Tambo". University of Queensland. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  5. ↑ "TAMBO (QUEENSLAND).". Australian Town and Country Journal (NSW : 1870 – 1907). NSW: National Library of Australia. 4 December 1875. p. 6. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  6. 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.
  7. ↑ Ball, Chris. "Flood recovery in Western Queensland – Tambo – their stories". ABC Western Queensland. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  8. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Tambo (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  9. ↑ "Tambo Post Office". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. March 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  10. ↑ "Tambo Post Office (former) (entry 600833)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  11. ↑ "Tambo Court House (former) (entry 600834)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  12. ↑ "Blackall-Tambo Regional Council Tambo Visitor Information Centre".
  13. ↑ "Tambo Schools". Blackall-Tambo Regional Council. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  14. ↑ "Tambo and Tambo Shire". Queensland Places:. Centre for the Government of Queensland. Retrieved 13 March 2012.

Bibliography

Media related to Tambo, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

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