Description
Mount Surprise is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Etheridge, Queensland, Australia.
Mount Surprise is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Etheridge, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census the locality of Mount Surprise had a population of 169 people.
History
The town was founded by Ezra Firth, from the English county of Yorkshire, who along with his family settled in the area in 1864.The property struggled at first; relations with the indigenous inhabitants of the country were hostile and the country was not suited for wool growing.The discovery of gold in the 1880s and the subsequent gold rush allowed Firth to sell his sheep to the miners, convert his holding to cattle and become wealthy selling goods to the miners.In 1908, the Etheridge railway line reached Mount Surprise.Mount Surprise Post Office opened by July 1908.Mount Surprise State School opened on 12 February 1917.At the 2006 census, Mount Surprise and the surrounding area had a population of 162.In the 2011 census, Mount Surprise had a population of 306 people.In the 2016 census the locality of Mount Surprise had a population of 169 people.
Weather
Things to do
Some of the Savannahlander tourist rail services start from, passes through, or stop at Mount Surprise.Collins Lookout is in the north of the locality (18.0389°S 144.4886°E? / -18.0389; 144.4886? (Collins Lookout)). It is within the Byrimine cattle station.
The town is near the Undara Volcanic National Park and Forty Mile Scrub National Park. Other activities in the area include gem fossicking.
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Population: 101-1000
Time zone: UTC +10:00
Area: 3613.136 km2
Elevation: 201-500 metres
Town elevation: 457 m
Population number: 169
Local Government Area: Etheridge Shire Council