Before the arrival of Europeans, the Maranoa region was occupied by the Mandandanji and Gunggari Aboriginal peoples. Based on archaeological excavations in the Mount Moffatt area, it has been deduced that the Aboriginals had lived there for around 19,500 years. Descendants of the original peoples still live in and visit the area today. Mandandanji is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Mandandanji people. The Mandandanji language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Maranoa Regional Council, particularly Roma, Yuleba and Surat, then east towards Chinchilla and south-west towards Mitchell and St George. The town is named after Sir Thomas Mitchell explorer and Surveyor General of New South Wales, who explored the area in 1846. In 1854, Edmund Morey established the property ofMitchell Downs. When the original homestead was largely destroyed by a flood in 1864, Thomas Close acquired the building's ruins and established the Maranoa Hotel. On 1 January 1865, Mitchell Downs Post Office opened and around 1878 was renamed Mitchell Post Office. Mitchell State School opened on 1 April 1876. In 1902, after a short stand-off, bushrangers Patrick and James Kenniff were captured south of Mitchell at a location previously known as Back Creek but now known as Arrest Creek. Patrick was hanged in 1903 for the murder of Constable George Doyle and Albert Dahlke, while James was released after 12 years imprisonment and died peacefully in 1940. Long Gully Provisional School opened on 1915 on the road from Mitchell to St George; it closed in 1918. St Patrick's Catholic Primary School opened on 4 November 1923. Mitchell Aboriginal Provisional School opened on 1 May 1935 and was later proclaimed Mitchell Aboriginal State School. It closed on 19 November 1948. At the 2006 census, Mitchell had a population of 944. Mitchell was once the administrative centre of the Shire of Booringalocal government area. Since 2008, the town is now part of the Maranoa Region. In the March 2010 floods, the Maranoa River reached a peak of 13.4 m in the town causing an inundation of 25 houses. The town experienced the worst flooding ever in 2012 when a monsoon trough hovered over central and southern Queensland. In the 2011 census, Mitchell had a population of 1,311 people.
Mitchell has a heritage museum and the Maranoa art gallery. The Maranoa Regional Council operates a public library in Cambridge Street and offers public wifi. The Mitchell branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms at 87 Cambridge Street.
Education
Mitchell State School is a government primary and secondary school for boys and girls at 105 Cambridge Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 132 students with 16 teachers and 15 non-teaching staff. Students come from Mitchell, Mungallala, Amby and surrounding properties. St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic primary school for boys and girls at 100 Alice Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 37 students with 2 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff.
Climate
Mitchell has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and cold winters by Queensland standards. On 15 August 1979 Mitchell recorded a minimum temperature of −9.4 °C, which is the 3rd coldest temperature ever recorded in the state. The town gets an average of 157.5 clear days annually.
Great Artesian Spa
The Great Artesian Spa was opened in 1998 and is situated in the town's aquatic centre. There are two pools of artesian water, one heated and the other designed for those who prefer a cooler experience. Both spa pools have been designed with disabled access in mind and facilities include a chairlift to allow easy access for physically disabled people. The water used in the spa pools is renewed regularly and comes from the Great Artesian Basin, which is one of the largest artesian basins in the world, which underlies around one-fifth of Australia. It covers a total area of more than 1,711,000 square kilometres, and has been relied upon for the town water supply since 1927.
Notable people
The 15thPrime Minister of Australia, Francis Forde was born in Mitchell. He is Australia's shortest serving Prime Minister, with a term lasting just eight days. He was also Australia's longest living Prime Minister, until Gough Whitlam took that mantle. Daniel Casey, often referred to as Dan Casey, was a lawyer born in Mitchell QLD in 1899. He died in 1987 at the age of 88. Douglas Young, referred to as Dougie was an Aboriginal singer and songwriter who was born on August 30, 1933. William Morris "Billy" Hughes worked on the Railway at Mitchell at one time.
Water supply
The water supply for the town comes from three bores. The depth of the bores is about 1,000 metres. The water is pumped into a large concrete water tower on the western side of the town. The water is hot when it emerges from the ground, and in the tank it is about 50 °C. Houses close to the tank, have free hot water. In fact it is necessary to cool the water before it can be used.
