A piece of old mining equipment stands in a park beside the Etheridge river at Georgetown

Georgetown (including Agate Creek and O'Briens Creek)
Sleepy little outback town.
Georgetown is a pleasant, sleepy little town on the Etheridge River located 412 km south west of Cairns and 301 km east of Normanton on the Gulf Development Road. It is 299 m above sea level. The decline of the town in recent times is obvious by the number of unoccupied buildings in the main street. The one aberration to this apparent decline is the presence of two Shire Offices. This rather eccentric duplication is not based on any love of the old building but rather that the old building contains the local hall where balls, meetings and functions are still held.

Georgetown owes its existence to gold which was found on the Etheridge goldfields in 1870. That same year the township which sprung up along the goldfields was named Georgetown after the assistant gold commissioner in Gilberton, a man named H. St George. The town's main street is appropriately St George Street.

Mining in the area flourished in the 1880s but by the 1900s it was on the wane and the town became the administrative centre for the Etheridge Shire which, because of its rich and fertile red basalt soils, became prime grazing country. The cattle in the area are predominantly Brahmin and Droughtmaster. The locally developed Droughtmaster is immortalised by a huge statue in Charters Towers.

Georgetown is recognised as the centre of some of the best gemfields in Queensland. It is said that everyone who goes to O'Brien's Creek (north of Mount Surprise) will bring back a piece of topaz.

About 20 km out of Georgetown on the road to Croydon is the Cumberland Chimney, all that is left of an old gold crushing plant. Nearby is a particularly attractive lagoon which is a popular watering hole for birds from the surrounding area.

Things to see:  

Agate Creek
Agate Creek, 120 km south of the town, is another popular place for gem fossickers. The agate in the area, most notably the formations known as 'thunder eggs', ranges from green and yellow to blue and red, pink and white and macaroni. The agate is a result of the large number of volcanic batholiths in the region.Guided tours can be arranged by contacting Len Morris, P.O. Box 93, Georgetown. His Agate Creek Safari Camp offers tours which encompass the Aboriginal art of the area, the local flora and fauna, as well as the best places to fossick for jasper, quartz and agates.

	Motels
	Latara Resort Gulf Development Rd Georgetown QLD 4871 Telephone: (07) 40621 190 Rating: **
	Hotels
	Georgetown Wenaru Hotel St George St Georgetown QLD 4871 Telephone: (07) 40621 208
	Caravan Parks
	Goldfields Caravan Park George St Georgetown QLD 4871 Telephone: (07) 40621 269 Rating: *
	Midway Caravan Park North St Georgetown QLD 4871 Telephone: (07) 40621 219 Rating: *
	Restaurants
	Latara Resort Gulf Development Rd Georgetown QLD 4871 Telephone: (07) 40621 190