Torrens Creek


Torrens Creek is a town and locality in the Shire of Flinders in northern Queensland, Australia.

Geography

The town is on the Flinders Highway, north-west of the state capital, Brisbane and west of the regional centre of Townsville.
The creek of the same name arises in the Great Dividing Range, flowing southward to the Thomson River system to eventually run into Lake Eyre.

History

The creek after which the town is named was named after Sir Robert Richard Torrens by the explorer William Landsborough, who discovered it in 1862 while searching for Burke and Wills. Torrens introduced Torrens title to the then colony of South Australia by means of the Real Property Act 1858; it soon spread to the other colonies and to other countries and is still in use today.
The Great Northern Railway reached Torrens Creek in 1885, at which time it became the supply centre for a large district. Mailmen rode out far and wide to various stations, delivering mail along routes which are still used today. There is a cairn and plaque erected by Torrens Creek residents to honour the district's most famous mailman, Jack Blunt, who served from 1931 to 1954.
In 1942 a large World War II ammunition dump, associated with the Battle of the Coral Sea, exploded when a fire lit by American and Australian soldiers to create a firebreak got out of control. A series of 12 explosions resulted leaving craters deep, nearly destroying the town.
Torrens Creek State School, now closed, opened in 1891.
At the, Torrens Creek and the surrounding area had a population of 64.

Amentities

The town has a hotel and a garage.

Transport