Middleton, Queensland

Middleton Queensland
Cornpore Lookout along the Kennedy Development Road
Middleton
Coordinates	22°21′0″S 141°33′0″E / 22.35000°S 141.55000°ECoordinates: 22°21′0″S 141°33′0″E / 22.35000°S 141.55000°E
Population	121 (2006 census)[1]
Postcode(s)	4735
Location	1,524 km (947 mi) NW of Brisbane 435 km (270 mi) SE of Mount Isa 169 km (105 mi) W of Winton
LGA(s)	Shire of Winton
State electorate(s)	Mount Isa
Federal Division(s)	Maranoa
Localities around Middleton: Selwyn McKinlay Kynuna Warburton Middleton Corfield Min Min Diamantina Lakes Opalton

Middleton is a locality in the Shire of Winton in central western Queensland, Australia.^[2] At the 2006 census, Middleton and the surrounding area had a population of 121.^[1]

Geography

The locality is on the Kennedy Developmental Road, 1,524 kilometres (947 mi) northwest of the state capital Brisbane and 435 kilometres (270 mi) southeast of the regional centre of Mount Isa.

Lying within the locality is the former site of Collingwood (22°19′58″S 142°32′6″E / 22.33278°S 142.53500°E), a town that lost out in regional competition to its neighbour, Winton. It had been given up by about 1900.

The region in which Middleton lies is a circular zone that has been shown to be a crustal anomaly. Scientists from Geoscience Australia believe that it is an impact structure formed by an asteroid that struck the area about 300,000,000 years ago. Final proof of this as the anomaly's genesis has not yet been found.

History

Elderslie Homestead, 1993

European exploration of the Middleton area began with explorer John McKinlay's expedition in search of the missing Burke and Wills expedition in 1862. McKinlay named a watercourse in the area Middleton Creek after his second-in-charge W. Middleton.^[3] The Middleton Hotel was established at the creek crossing as a Cobb & Co changing station on the route between Winton and Boulia.^[3]

Middleton Post Office opened by March 1916 (a receiving office had been open from 1889) and closed in 1968.^[4]

Heritage listings

Winton has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Winton-Boulia Road: Elderslie Homestead^[5]

Facilities

The town has been mostly abandoned and now consists of the "Middleton Hotel, campground and [a] disused Hall".^[3]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Middleton (Winton Shire) (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
2. "Middleton (entry 22001)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
3. "Middleton". Experience Winton. Shire of Winton. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
4. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
5. "Elderslie Homestead (entry 600966)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 16 July 2013.