Georgetown



A pleasant but sleepy small town in the Newcastle Range on the Etheridge River. The focal point of the Etheridge goldfield, Georgetown is renowned for its semi-precious stones, including topaz, quartz, spinel, garnet, cairngorm aquamarine and sapphires. Georgetown is the service centre for the Etheridge Shire and there are two small supermarkets in the two service stations, but be prepared to pay outback prices . There is also a post office, butcher, police station, hospital, pub and several other services. If you feel like stretching the legs, you can take a 6km walk beside the (often dry) river, which circles the town, and the old cemetery is also worth a visit.

Location: 412 km south west of Cairns; 301 km east of Normanton; 560 km from Townsville; 299 m above sea level.

Georgetown came to life during the Etheridge gold rush of 1870. It is today a centre for prime Brahman and Droughtmaster beef grazing country. Relics of the famous gold rush days can still be found throughout the district.



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.

Cumberland is today a ghost town, located approximately 20 kilometres west of Georgetown on the Gulf Developmental Road. Cumberland was born when gold was discovered there in 1872 and the first prospecting claim was registered in that same year. By 1878, it was one of the major producers of gold in the Etheridge goldfield. The Cumberland Company dammed nearby Cumberland Creek to create a permanent water supply for the township. High levels of gold production continued through the 1880s peaking in 1886, and the town grew to a population of about 400 people. The township was officially declared in 1889.

By the 1890s, the easily obtained gold had been removed and a cynanide treatment plant was built to extract gold from the tailings. The mine and tramway closed in 1897 and the population decreased from that time. In 1899 the telegraph station closed and only one hotel remained. In 1901 only 106 people remained in the town. John Williamson was one of the last remaining residents, continuing cyanide extraction into the 1940s.



Fossicking
The distance from Georgetown to Mt Surprise is only 93km. On the way there, you traverse the Newcastle Range, which has a good viewing area near the top looking back over the volcano province. At Mt Surprise, you can fossick on the gem fields (mainly topaz, including some rare green topaz.

Back at Georgetown, you can try your hand at gold prospecting - or just enjoy the spectacular landscapes of north Queensland's gold country. The Etheridge goldfield has never been worked out. Modern day prospectors armed with metal detectors still search around Mt Surprise, O Briens Creek, Forsayth and Agate Creek for specimens such as coloured topaz, agates, sapphires, smoky quartz and other precious stones as well as nuggets of gold. A permit is required for any form of fossicking. There are several public fossicking areas close to Georgetown, including Flat Creek station, which has a camping area. Other property owners may also allow you to detect on their property. Enquire at the visitor information centre.

TerrEstrial
The TerrEstrial Centre in the centre of Georgetown contains one of the most comprehensive collections of minerals and stones in Australia, and is certainly worth a look. The centre also is home to the visitor information centre, where manager Jo is a mine of information.



Tallaroo Hot Springs
Located 38 km west of Mount Surprise and 60 km east of Georgetown on the Gulf Development Road, Tallaroo hot springs exist in a strange five-terraced sequence which rises from deep inside the earth and bubbles up in the Einasleigh River. Located in private property, the springs are open 8 am - 5 pm during the winter months for visitors. This strange landscaped country features 5 hot spring waterholes.



Cobbold Gorge
Located within the rugged sandstone formations that dominate the local area 50 km from Georgetown. This stunning gorge is extremely narrow, closing to a mere two meters wide in places, with spectacular 30 metre cliffs on either side. The Cobbold Gorge area is home to a diverse range of wildlife. Native fish abound in these waters, and of course, the freshwater or johnstone river crocodiles. A large variety of birds frequent the lower waterhole.

Regional places of interest: Newcastle Range; Copperfield Gorge; Etheridge River; Mount Surprise; gemfields of O Briens Creek (topaz) and Agate Creek (120 km south, jasper, quartz and agates); Forsayth gem fields, Tallaroo Hot Springs, Undara Lava Tubes; Cumberland Chimney (remnant of an old gold crushing plant built by Cornish masons); Cobbold and Copperfield Gorges Aboriginal rock art galleries.

Brief history
The town came to life during the Etheridge gold rush of 1870. By the early 1900s, mining had fallen into decline but the town became the administrative centre for the Etheridge Shire which, because of its rich and fertile red basalt soils, became prime Brahman and Droughtmaster beef grazing country.

Origin of name: named after the assistant gold commissioner at Gilberton, Henry St George. The town s main street is appropriately named St George Street.







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