Elizabeth Colville
Physiotherapist, Mt Isa Hospital
"The people who live out here are all friendly and welcoming. A wide range of experience can be gained by the many different types of patients".
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Location: 2,174 km north west of Brisbane, 418 km north of Mt Isa
Burketown is the small historical town located 25 kilometres from the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Named after the explorer Robert O'Hara Burke who discovered the area in 1861 with William Wills. Although small, Burketown is popular with tourists as it offers a whole host of activities including four wheel driving, scenic flights, crocodile spotting, bird watching, camping and the natural wonder “Morning Glory” cloud formation. Burketown is an ideal location for those seeking a more active outback lifestyle.
As a Queensland Health employee in Burketown, you will likely be working in the Burketown Health Clinic. Services provided by this clinic include primary health care, outpatient services, emergency services and has observation capacity.
Visiting services available include mobile women's health, paediatrics, mental health, oral health, pharmacy, dietetics, trachoma service, aged care assessment, and physiotherapy, as well as the Royal Flying Doctor service providing general practice and child health.
Burketown's small population of 173 and 418km distance from the next largest town means that fun will be what you make. The town's extraordinary
environment makes living in Burketown an ideal opportunity for you to get the active lifestyle that is not only good for you but typically Australian.
Spend your day outdoors at Lawn Hill Gorge, located 220 kilometres south of Burketown. Erosion caused by a subterranean creek, has created a beautiful
oasis of crystalline water, red rocks and verdant foliage. Canoes are available for hire and there are some pleasant swimming spots along the river. There is also
20km of walking tracks which will take you to historical sites of Aboriginal rock art, to the Island Stack with its excellent views of the Gorge, as well as a waterfall and swimming area.
Make sure you’re around the Easter weekend each year as this is when
Burketown hosts the famous World Barramundi Fishing Championships. A fun weekend for the family and fishing fanatics alike, the competition offers cash,
prizes and trophies.
See if you can spot the endangered Gulf Snapping Turtle! Thought to have been extinct during the pleistocene age, a specimen was found in 2001 at the
Lawn Hill Gorge. It’s our version of Loch Ness - palaeontologists at the Riversleigh Fossil Centre thought they had the only proof of this ancient turtle – in fossil form!
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