SIR THOMAS MITCHELL
Mitchell Queensland was named after the explorer Sir Thomas Mitchell who camped on and named the Maraona River in June 3, 1846 during an expedition to find an overland route from Sydney to the Gulf of Carpentaria. A memorial now stands on this camp site.
The property “Mitchell Downs’ was taken up in 1854 by Edmund Morey. Its first homestead, situated in the corner of Mary and Winchester Street, was substantially destroyed by the floods of 1964 and the ruins were taken over by Thomas Close and became the Maranoa Hotel. This was virtually the beginning of the community settlement that was to become the town of Mitchell Queensland.
THE HEART OF THE KENNIFF COUNTRY
Patrick and James Kenniff are two infamous bushrangers brothers. In 1902, Police Constable George Doyle and Station Manager Albert Dahlke were hunting the Kenniff brothers over the theft of a pony.
They came upon the brothers at Lethbridge Pocket in Queensland's Carnarvon region and were murdered. A reward was offered for the Kenniffs' capture and they were caught after three months on the run at Arrest Creek near Mitchell. Patrick was hanged at Brisbane's Boggo Road Gaol in January 1903. His brother served 16 years in prison.
The Arrest Creek statues near Mitchell, designed by Peter Baulch are depicting the capture of the Kenniffs.
The Kenniff Courthouse located at the western end of Cambridge St, was the original courthouse where the Kenniffs were commited to stand trial. A display in the Courthouse tells the tale of the Kenniff brothers life of crime throughout the district.
HOMETOWN OF FRANK FORDE
The statesman Francis Michael (Frank) Forde was born in Mitchell Queensland in 1890. Frank Forde became an ALP State Parliamentarian 1917-1922, then a Federal Member 1922-1946 during which time he was Deputy Prime Minister and then Prime Minister for six days after the death of PM John Curtin.
During his lifetime, he made many significant contributions to the State of Queensland, the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Australian Labour Party and could truly be regarded as one of our great statesmen.
THE GREAT ARTESIAN SPA
Mitchell Queensland is situated on the Great Artesian Basin providing a continual, naturally hot bore water supply. The Great Artesian Basin has a very long history and it is the life blood of settlements in inland Queensland.
Mitchell's first Artesian Bore was sunk in 1908 with depth of 1405 feet and flow of 205.000 G.P.D. The towns people of the time carried water for the first 20 years of the bores existence.
Artesian groundwater from the Basin was first discovered in 1878, a shallow bore was sunk near Bourke in N.S.W producing flowing water. By 1915 over 1500 flowing artesian bores had been drilled throughout the Basin.