Places in the Croydon Region
Croydon
LOCATION
- 561 km West of Cairns
- 642 km Northeast of Mt Isa via Normanton
AIRSTRIP
- Latitude 18 13 '30 "S
- Longitude 142 15 '30 "E
- Elevation 350ft
- Length 1463 m
- Strip width 90 m
- Runway Bearing 094/274
SURROUNDING ENVIRONS
The town of Croydon is surrounded by Savannah grasslands and low rolling hills which are rich in the historic remains of early gold mining activity.
THINGS TO DO AND SEE
Croydon Historic Precinct, is what remains of a much larger gold mining city of the late 1800s. The town once boasted three aerated water factories, gas lamps lighting the streets, two foundries, coachbuilders and town criers with names like Ole King Cole and Bodo.
Outdoor Museum, on Samwell Street, is a display of early mining machinery from the age of steam. This machinery was brought in from Esmeralda Station and other satellite mining towns.
The Old Court House and Mining Warden's office still have their original furnishings and other artefacts collected by the Council and interested parties for the day when finance is available to display it properly. It was in the Court House that disputes over mining claims were heard.
The Club Hotel is the last of the many hotels that once serviced this thriving community. A great place to have a cold one and meet the locals.
Golden Gate, some 4.5 miles west of Croydon, produced more than forty tons of gold and was once the largest satellite town of Croydon.
The Croydon terminus of the Normanton to Croydon railway, has just opened a replica of the railway station destroyed by a storm in 1967. This is well worth a look. Each Wednesday afternoon the "Gulflander" can be seen on the existing siding and on Thursday morning you can catch this historic railmotor and travel to Golden Gate, or any of seven other places along the line, if you have a vehicle to pick you up, or enjoy the entire trip to Normanton.
Croydon General Store. This old building was established in 1894 and sold groceries, haberdashery and also housed an ironmonger's outlet. The fixtures, shelves and lights are museum pieces on their own. The owners also have displayed a mini museum.
The old jail, behind the old Police Station, once held the bushranger, Joe Flick. He escaped only to be tracked from Turn Off Lagoons to Lawn Hill where he was surrounded and shot in the ensuing gun battle. It's worth sitting in the jail for a few minutes to contemplate what it must have been like to be confined while waiting for the Judge to hear your case.
The old butcher shop, which no longer operates as a business, is opposite the Club Hotel, and is a great photographic study.
The Old Hospital Ward. This restored section of the old hospital is now used as the SES building and is located opposite the Club Hotel. The hospital was funded by a gold miner who had made a great deal of money in Croydon. In his will he left his fortune to build a hospital in Croydon and enough money for his wife to buy a rope to hang herself.
Croydon Shire Visitor Information Centre (Accredited yellow I)
Samwell Street
P.O. Box 17
CROYDON Q 4871
Telephone: 61 7 4745 6125
Fax: 61 7 4745 6147
Email: info@croydon.qld.gov.au
Take a tour with your local Savannah Guide Site Interpreter, Chris Weirman.
The Historic Precinct Tour is a short stroll through the four historic buildings, with an informative description of the town in 1887-88 and later. The duration is approximately 1 hour. Contact the Visitor Information Centre for further details.
Tours are subject to availability of the Tour Guide.
Please ask at the information centre about Croydon's self guided walking tours and bird watching sites.
- Genealogy of Families of Croydon
- Tourist and General Information
