Quamby, Queensland
Quamby is a rural town in the Shire of Cloncurry in Northwest Queensland, Australia. It is 44 kilometres from the town of Cloncurry. The town rests on the eastern side of the Burke Developmental Road and these days consists of a solitary hotel, fifteen 'dongas' and a handful of sheds, watertanks and memorabilia from nearby stations.
Geography
Quamby is within to the Parish of Corella in the County of Beaconsfield.History
The Quamby hotel was originally built as a customs house in the 1860s and converted to a hotel somewhere around 1921. It was also used as a staging post for Cobb & Co stagecoaches who required fresh teams of horses every 10 – 30 miles.The Quamby State School operated from 1924 until 1969.
In the 1930s, the town is reputed to have had 40 homes but the demise of the railway saw most of the existing buildings relocated as is common with the stumped, timber frame houses of north Queensland.
In 1934, Quamby was also the scene of what was described at the time as a 'Shooting Affray'. Mr Charles Cameron, a schoolteacher, shot Mr James Croke after a dispute in Mr Croke's home. Croke was taken to hospital in a critical condition while Charles Cameron was later found dead in his hotel room at The Quamby Hotel. The police noted a pea rifle was nearby.
Economy
Cattle grazing and mining are the significant industries in the region. Local pastoral holdings include 'Dipvale', 'Carsland', 'Malakoff' and 'Bannock Burn'.Mining interests in the region have been predominantly gold and copper with many small operations existing since settlement.
A major zinc mine expansion is underway just north of Quamby at Dugald River. Project capital expenditure is expected to be in the range of US$1–1.25 billion. The mine has a 88 MW solar farm, and plans for a 144 MW wind farm, in order to reduce its operational costs of buying gas power from the Diamantina Power Station.