Georgetown

A permit is required for any form of fossicking. Visit the Cumberland Chimney, built by Cornish masons, and take a stroll along the town's river walk. The area was known as "Poor Man's Goldfield" because gold nuggets could be picked up from the ground. The countryside is rolling hills and wooded savannah grasslands.

The multi-award winning TerrEstrial Centre in Georgetown houses the Visitor Information Centre, council library and internet facilities. TerrEstrial is also home of The Ted Elliot Mineral Collection, and for a small entrance fee you can spend time having a look at one of Australia's most extensive mineral collections.

LOCATION

• 411 km West of Cairns
• 301 km East of Normanton
• 560 km from Townsville

AIRSTRIP

• Latitude 18Æ18.3'S
• Longitude 143Æ31.8'E
• Elevation 995 ft
• Runway Bearing 224° 17 minutes 25 seconds
• Length 1158 m
• Strip width 18 (bitumen)

ATTRACTIONS

TerrEstrial: TerrEstrial was opened in early 2003 and houses the Ted Elliott mineral collection. This collection, the work of one man contains over 4500 mineral specimens in a myriad of fascinating colours and shapes from the region and throughout the world. The Centre also provides up to date tourist information and is a fully accredited yellow Visitor Information Centre. You can make bookings to visit nearby attractions, view artwork, use the internet café and relax in the cool building.

Fossicking: Fossick for gold nuggets in the Etheridge Goldfield. Semi-precious stones are abundant - topaz, quartz, spinel, garnet, caringorn, aquamarine and sapphires. It is advisable to check with the Mining Registrar at Georgetown or Etheridge Shire Council regarding regulations and licensing requirements for fossicking. You can also obtain licences from Mount Surprise Tourist Van Park & Motel as well as Mount Surprise Gems.

Explore ghost towns: The Etheridge Goldfield was once populated with many small communities set up around gold strikes. It was known as the "poor man's goldfield" because of its ability to produce nugget gold that could be surface collected. Scattered here and there are now the remains of these temporary settlements. One of the more famous is the Gilberton area.

Visit the Cumberland Chimney: Built by Cornish masons, it is all that remains of a crushing plant, or mill, that contracted to surrounding mines to crush their gold bearing ore. The Cumberland Chimney sits next to a lagoon which was designed and built to collect water by establishing a series of earthwork channels and a dam. Today this lagoon is the home of bird life, which can be easily photographed. The Cumberland Chimney is approximately 19 kms along on the left hand side of the road going west towards Croydon. Part of the site is contaminated so care should be taken and signs observed.

Have a refreshing free swim: The public swimming pool at Georgetown is a open all year round in daylight hours and may be accessed free of charge with tokens available from the businesses on the highway or from the Council offices. [Visitors will be required to sign an indemnity form to get a token and tokens may only be issued to adults.] Remember that the pool is only open during daylight hours and the token access gate will not work after 7pm.

Take a tour of the town: There are many interesting historical features in Georgetown from the restored Shire Hall in St George Street (built in 1908 and restored in 1998), the restored ex-Clerk of the Court dwelling in the same street, the Masonic Temple on the corner of Haldane and Cumberland Streets, The Catholic Church in High Street (established 1913), the cemetery (past the Golf Course on the northern end of St George Street) and the fledgling Etheridge Heritage Park being developed in the centre of the town. This park also boasts a free electric Bar-B-Que amongst shaded trees and modern public toilets including a baby change station. There is a signed walk that goes down the river on one side of the town and along Sandy Creek on the other side of the town. There are 14 entrance gates, rest areas are strategically placed and it is ideal for bird watchers.

Georgetown is also the administrative centre of the Etheridge Shire Council and the main offices of the Council are located in the town centre.

Join in the many annual regional functions: Georgetown hosts a number of regional country activities including Races at the Georgetown Racecourse, Campdrafts and Rodeo's at the Recreation Grounds and annual Bushman's Ball at the Shire Hall. See TerrEstrial Centre for details. 

TerrEstrial Centre
Low Street, Georgetown, Qld 4871
Open: 8am to 5pm seven days a week April - Sept
Mon to Fri 8.30am to 4.30pm October-March
Phone: (07) 4062 1485
Fax: (07) 4062 1965
E-mail: terrestrialgeorgetown@bigpond.com 
Website: http://www.terrestrialgeorgetown.com.au

Information taken www.gulf-savannah.com.au/visiting/etheridge-shire