Opalton
Suburb of Shire of Winton, Queensland, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Opalton is a outback rural locality in the Shire of Winton, Queensland, Australia.[2] It is known for the Opalton Opal Field, one of the largest and most extensively worked opal deposits in Queensland.[3] In the 2021 census, Opalton had a population of 59 people.[1]
Opalton | |||||||||||||
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Old Cork Homestead, erected 1870s | |||||||||||||
  Opalton | |||||||||||||
 Interactive map of Opalton | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates: 23.2474°S 142.77095°E | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Queensland | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Location |
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| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 16,932.3 km2 (6,537.6 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 59 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.003484/km2 (0.00902/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+10:00 (AEST) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 4735 | ||||||||||||
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Geography
There are two protected areas within the locality:[4]
- Bladensburg National Park in the north-west of the locality
- Lark Quarry Conservation Park in the centre of the locality
Apart from the protected areas, the land use is grazing on native vegetation.[4]
History
The Cork homestead was established in the 1870s. It was built from sandstone. It was partly owned by Thomas McIlwraith, Premier of Queensland. It is now a ruin.[5][6]
Demographics
In the 2016 census, Opalton had a population of 64 people.[7]
In the 2021 census, Opalton had a population of 59 people.[1]
Education
There are no schools in Opalton. The nearest government primary and secondary school is Winton State School (Prep to Year 12) in neighbouring Winton to the north-east. However, only students in the north-east of Opalton woud be within range of a daily commute to Winton. The alternatives are distance education and boarding school.[8]
Attractions
Lark Quarry Conservation Park is at the end of Lark Quarry Access Road (23.0154°S 142.4110°E).[9] It has the world’s only known dinosaur stampede site.[10]
Scrammy Lookout is in Bladensburg National Park (22.5554°S 143.1374°E).[9][11]
The Opalton Opal Field is popular with tourists as a place for fossicking.[3]
