Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:GeoGroup Template:Infobox Australian place Bedourie is a town and a locality in the Shire of Diamantina, Queensland, Australia.<ref name=qpnt>Template:Cite QPN</ref><ref name=qpnl>Template:Cite QPN</ref> It is on the border with the Northern Territory.<ref name="globe"/> In the Template:CensusAU, the locality of Bedourie had a population of 150 people.<ref name=Census2021/>

GeographyEdit

File:Georgina River flooding near Bedourie, 2016.jpg
Georgina River flooding covering the bridge, 2016

Bedourie is located in the Channel Country of Central West Queensland, Australia, lying on Eyre Creek. It is located Template:Convert west of the state capital, Brisbane, and Template:Convert north of Birdsville.

Bedourie is the administrative centre of the Diamantina Shire, which also comprises the towns of Birdsville and Betoota.<ref name="dsc">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

When the Georgina River experiences severe floods the town can be cut off by road for months at a time.<ref name="abc" />

Bedourie has the following mountains:

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HistoryEdit

The area around Bedourie is on Karanja land.

In 1881, a Native Police camp known as the Eyre's Creek barracks was established on the site by Sub-Inspector Robert Barrington Sharpe. Operations were conducted from the barracks until it was decommissioned in 1889. Sharpe shot himself in the head in 1886 and was replaced by Sub-Inspector Robert Kyle Little who shot numerous Indigenous people on at least one punitive expedition. Little later died from heat exhaustion just before the barracks closed.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In February 1887, Template:Convert were reserved as the site for a town.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Royal Hotel was constructed and opened in 1886 by Hylock & Co. with a thatched roof (later replaced with corrugated iron) and the locality was renamed Bedourie.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Bedourie Post Office opened around July 1903 (receiving offices known as Bidouri, Bedouri and Bedourie had been open since 1887).<ref name="Post Office">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Diamantina Shire Council moved its headquarters from Birdsville to Bedourie in 1953.

Bedourie State School opened on 16 May 1960.<ref>Template:Cite QldSchool</ref> The current school building opened in 1967.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Bedourie Public Library had a major refurbishment in 2009.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

DemographicsEdit

In the Template:CensusAU, the town of Bedourie had a population of 60 people.<ref name="abc">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In the Template:CensusAU, the locality of Bedourie and the surrounding area had a population of 142 people.<ref name="Census2006">Template:Census 2006 AUS</ref>

In the Template:CensusAU, the locality of Bedourie had a population of 122 people.<ref name=Census2016>Template:Census 2016 AUS</ref>

In the Template:CensusAU, the locality of Bedourie had a population of 150 people.<ref name=Census2021>Template:Census 2021 AUS</ref>

Heritage listingsEdit

File:Bedourie Pisé House, with Royal Hotel in background, 2016.jpg
Bedourie Pisé House, with Royal Hotel in background, 2016

There are a number of heritage-listed sites in Bedourie, including:

EducationEdit

File:Bedourie State School, 2022.png
Bedourie State School, 2022

Bedourie State School is a government primary (Early Childhood to Year 6) school for boys and girls at 3 Timor Street (Template:Coord).<ref name="SchoolList20182">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 8 students with 2 teachers and 3 non-teaching staff (1 full-time equivalent).<ref name="ACARA2017">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 7 students with 2 teachers and 5 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).<ref name="ACARA2018">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

There are no secondary schools in Bedourie or nearby.<ref name="globe">Template:Queensland Globe</ref> The options are distance education and boarding school.<ref name=":1" />

AmenitiesEdit

Bedourie has an aquatic centre, museum, outback golf course, visitor information centre, and a racetrack.<ref name="dsc" />

The Royal Hotel was built from adobe bricks in the 1880s.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Diamantina Shire Council operates the Bedourie Library on 13 Herbert Street.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

File:Simpson Desert Oasis Roadhouse, 2016.jpg
Simpson Desert Oasis Roadhouse, 2016

The Simpson Desert Roadhouse provides petrol and automotive services, accommodation, general supplies, accommodation, restaurant and bar.<ref name=":0" />

AttractionsEdit

The Bedourie Camel Races are held annually in July. The event is coordinated by the Bedourie Golf and Leisure Club and is a major tourist event for the region. As well as camel racing, the event hosts pig races, live music and entertainment and a camp oven cook off.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Total solar eclipsesEdit

Bedourie will have the rare experience of being located within the path of totality of two total solar eclipses, only nine years apart. The first will occur on 22 July 2028 and the second on 13 July 2037.

ClimateEdit

Bedourie experiences a hot desert climate (Köppen: BWh), with very hot summers and very mild winters, albeit with cool nights. Due to its inland location, there is strong seasonal temperature variation, with average maxima vary from Template:Convert in June and July to Template:Convert in January. Average annual rainfall is very low: Template:Convert, occurring within 16.3 rainfall days, primarily in the summer. Precipitation is highly erratic, evidenced by the Template:Convert of rain falling on 6 March 2011. The town is very sunny, averaging 186.4 clear days and only 48.6 cloudy days annually. Extreme temperatures have ranged from Template:Convert on 8 July 2014 to Template:Convert on 24 December 2019.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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See alsoEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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