Georgetown

History

Georgetown area may have been part of North America 1.7 billion years ago based on the characteristics of rocks found in Georgetown matching those of northern Canada rather than the rest of Australia. Researchers at Curtin University have postulated that 100 million years later, this landmass collided with what is now northern Australia, at the Mount Isa region, forming the Nuna supercontinent. Ewamian are the traditional owners of the area around Georgetown. The Etheridge River was the site of a gold rush in the 1870s; the town of Georgetown was established on the site of the diggings. Originally known by the name Etheridge, the town's name was changed in 1871 to honour an early gold commissioner, Howard St George. Georgetown Post Office opened on 15 January 1872. Georgetown State School opened on 14 September 1874. As in many places around Australia associated with gold, Chinese miners also prospected and this included one or possibly two Joss Houses. By 1900, grazing had replaced gold mining as the region's primary source of income. The Georgetown Public Library opened in 2003.

Geography

Georgetown is on the Etheridge River in Far North Queensland, Australia. The Gulf Developmental Road passes through the town, linking Cairns - to the east - and Normanton - to the west. Georgetown is the administrative headquarters of the Shire of Etheridge, a local government area encompassing the nearby settlements of Mount Surprise, Forsayth and Einasleigh.

Most-observed species

• Apostlebird

  Struthidea cinerea Gould, 1837 · Aves
  287
• Torresian Crow

  Corvus orru Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  265
• Blue-faced Honeyeater

  Entomyzon cyanotis (Latham, 1801) · Aves
  260
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  250
• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  233
• Pied Butcherbird

  Cracticus nigrogularis (Gould, 1837) · Aves
  207
• Crested Pigeon

  Ocyphaps lophotes (Temminck, 1822) · Aves
  207
• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  196