Collinsville, Queensland

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Please improve this article if you can. (August 2006)

Collinsville
Queensland

Population:

2,063 ^[1]

Postcode:

4804

Elevation:

187 m (614 ft) ^[2]

Location:

1140 km (708 mi) NW of Brisbane
273 km (170 mi) NW of Mackay
88 km (55 mi) S of Bowen

LGA:

Whitsunday Regional Council

State District:

Burdekin

Federal Division:

Capricornia

Mean Max Temp	Mean Min Temp	Rainfall
30.2 °C ^{86 °F}	16.4 °C ^{62 °F}	704.7 mm ^{27.7 in}

Collinsville is a mining town in the coal-rich Bowen Basin region of central Queensland, Australia, 1245 km north of Brisbane and 87 km south-west of the coastal town of Bowen. The town is part of the Whitsunday Region. At the 2006 census, Collinsville had a population of 2,063.^[1]

European settlement of the region began in 1861 with the opening of the lands to pastoralists, with some cattle stations still in operation. Coal was discovered in 1866 but it wasn't until 1912 that large-scale mining operations commenced. Now two new mines are planned to begin operation in the next two years and hope to supply 250 new jobs. A town developed around the site of the mine and was named Collinsville, after local politician Charles Collins. The current population of Collinsville is approximately 2500.

Facilities in Collinsville include two primary schools (Collinsville Primary and St John Bosco's Catholic Primary), a high school, four churches (Catholic, Anglican, Uniting, Assembly of God), a pharmacy, a district hospital, some shops and sporting facilities.

Sporting facilities include a golf course, rugby league grounds, tennis courts, a public swimming pool, squash courts, and lawn bowls.

Compared to larger regional centres shopping opportunities in Collinsville are restricted to five newsagents, a toyshop, a bakery, two fuel stations, two medium size grocery stores, four places to buy clothing and a hardware shop.