Visiting Burke Shire
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Burketown on the Albert River, is the administrative centre of the Shire. It was named for Robert O'Hara Burke (many of the subsequent explores who passed through the area were actually searching for the Burke and Wills expedition) and was first settled in 1865 when it was known as Burke City. This was in keeping with the first colonists' dream of rapid transformation into a major trading depot with Asia. Obviously there were Aboriginal and Macassan seafarers here originally but John Lort Stokes were the first European's eyes to look up and name the "Plains of Promise". |
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The Burke Shire was declared on 31 January 1885. It is located in the north west of Queensland at the bottom of the Gulf of Carpentaria and covers an area of 41,802 square kilometres. There are two main communities: Burketown and Gregory. The balance of the Shire is pastoral properties. Within the Shire is the Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council.