Northern Region
The Northern Region is the largest and most varied region in the state. With its major centre being Townsville, it extends along Queensland’s east coast from Hinchinbrook Shire to the Bowen Shire, west to the Northern Territory border, north to the Gulf of Carpentaria and south to the South Australian border (Poeppel Corner). The Region covers approximately 1,252,200 square kilometres, which is about 72% of Queensland’s area. It includes the major centre of Townsville, the mining towns of Mt Isa and Collinsville, and several remote, indigenous and island communities. The region also serves rural communities involved in sugar, small crops and livestock.
The coastal areas in the east and in the Gulf are subject to cyclones, heavy rainfall and flooding during the wet season (October to March). The inland western areas, which are mostly remote, can also be subject to major flooding. However, both the coastal and western areas have their benefits, having tourist attractions like Magnetic Island, proximity to the Great Barrier Reef, the historical gold mining town of Charters Towers, and several National Parks. There are also areas renowned for their fishing, such as Karumba. Geologically it is a fascinating and valuable area, with one of the youngest lava flows in Australia running close to part of the Burdekin River, presence of sapphires, tin, gold, silver, lead, copper, zinc and coal, and numerous areas of scientific and economic interest.
The region’s population is approximately 240,000 people, with the majority of the population being based in the coastal areas of Townsville/Thuringowa. The region includes several Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities, and much work is being done by QAS and other Departments to increase service delivery within those communities. Permanent QAS Stations have been established in the communities of Palm Island and Doomadgee in the past 3 years, and Mornington Island in the past 5 years.
Townsville is the Queensland Health tertiary referral centre for North Queensland. Northern Region plays an active role in the Queensland Emergency Medical System (QEMS), with involvement in numerous retrieval and primary response tasks with The Townsville Hospital, Queensland Rescue and the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Appropriately qualified Townsville officers respond to retrievals on the Queensland Rescue helicopter service.
Mount Isa is the mining, industrial and commercial capital of north-west Queensland. Its population of 23,000 consists of 50 nationalities. Mount Isa is situated 900 km by road west of Townsville, and about 1900 km north-west of Brisbane. Mount Isa city covers about 41,000 square kilometres, making it geographically the largest city in the world. The MIM Holdings Mount Isa Mine is the largest underground mine in Australia, and is one of the few places in the world where four minerals – copper, silver, lead and zinc – are found and mined in close proximity. QAS is contracted to provide ambulance services to the mine, and officers receive special training to equip them to perform underground work.
Other
languages