Governor visits Julia Creek in North West Queensland

Queensland towns don’t come much more charming than Julia Creek, in the McKinlay Shire, population about 500.

The Governor met as many of them as possible in a few short hours this week, during a Vice-Regal visit to the State’s North West, in keeping with her pledge to visit Queenslanders where they live.

Her Excellency was met with a warm welcome from Mckinlay Shire Council, and after a lovely morning tea at Council Chambers toured the main street.

Along the way she met with Christine Rae, the town’s librarian who doubles as its funeral director. Ms Rae, who has lived in Julia Creek for 22 years, said people in small towns had to be adaptable, given the remote location and lack of services many city-dwellers take for granted. However, she said, having experienced both, she wouldn’t trade small-town life for anything.

Her Excellency also dropped in on the staff and students of Julia Creek State School, where she learned about an innovative pilot program jointly run by Mount Isa School of the Air. The program enables students to complete Years 7 to 10 in Julia Creek, so that they need not travel to bigger towns and cities to attend high school.

The Governor also read to the children from the Government House children’s book, ‘A Place for all Queenslanders’, leaving a copy for their library.

And she visited the famous Julia Creek dunnart at the information centre, ‘At The Creek’. Dunnarts are carnivorous nocturnal marsupials. Those found in North West Queensland are the largest of the 19 species of Sminthopsis found in Australia.