Comet is a historically-rich rural town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

in the

Central Highlands Region Central Highlands Region is a local government area in Queensland, Australia. In the , the Central Highlands Region had a population of 27,836 people. History '' Wadja'' (also known as ''Wadjigu'', ''Wadya'', ''Wadjainngo'', ''Mandalgu'', a ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , the locality of Comet had a population of 360 people.

Geography

Comet is the oldest town in the

Emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr., and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991). ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York ...

area, established at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

of the

Comet River The Comet River is a river in Central Queensland, Australia. Geography Formed by the confluence of the Brown River and Clematis Creek, the Comet River rises in the Expedition Range, north of Expedition National Park and south of Rolleston ...

with the

Nogoa River The Nogoa River is a river in Central Queensland, Australia. Course and features The river rises on the Carnarvon Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, in the Carnarvon National Park and flows in a generally north easterly direction towards ...

. The town is located on the

Capricorn Highway The Capricorn Highway is located in Central Queensland, Australia, and links the city of Rockhampton with western Queensland. The highway is long, and joins the Landsborough Highway at Barcaldine. Formerly National Route 66, Queensland began ...

, north west of the state capital,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. The

Central Western railway line The Central Western railway line is a railway line in Queensland, Australia. It was opened in a series of sections between 1867 and 1928. It commences at Rockhampton and extends west to Winton. History Following the separation of Queensl ...

enters the locality from the east ( Blackwater /

Stewarton Stewarton (,
) is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. ...

), passes through the town, and exits to the west (Emerald). No passenger services stop at the local stations, which, with the exception of that at Yamala, whose use is being expanded as the CQ Inland Port, are all disused: * Yamala railway station () * Comet railway station, () * Tolmies railway station () * Burngrove railway station () Ensham railway station () is in the north of the locality on the Blackwater railway system. It provides rail services to the Ensham coal mines operated by Idemitsu Australia. The locality has a number of neighbourhoods (from north to south): * Yamala () * Leichhardt Tree () * Junction () Mount Crocker is a mountain () in the east of the locality, rising to above sea level. The area around Comet supports cotton and grain production as well as cattle, both grazing and in feedlots.

History

Originally called Cometville, the town takes its name from the Comet River, named by explorer

Ludwig Leichhardt Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt (; 23 October 1813 – ), known as Ludwig Leichhardt, was a German explorer and naturalist, most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia.Ken Eastwood,'Cold case: Leichhardt's disappearanc ...

, who made observations of Comet Wilmot (C/1844 Y2) in the area on 29 December 1844. Comet Post Office opened on 5 September 1877. Cometville State School opened on 23 October 1877. In 1912, it was renamed Comet State School in 1912. On 19 March 1931, the town's name was changed from Cometville to Comet.

Demographics

In the , the locality of Comet had a population of 233 people. In the , the locality of Comet had a population of 498 people. In the , the locality of Comet had a population of 360 people.

Education

Comet State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls off the Capricorn Highway (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 28 students with 5 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 25 students with 5 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent). There are no secondary schools in Comet. The closest government secondary school is Emerald State High School in neighbouring

, situated 41 kilometres (25 miles) west of Comet.

Attractions

Comet is home to the Leichhardt Tree, a "dig tree" established by

to indicate to others where he had buried food and journals. There is a walking trail through the town visiting points of historic interest.

References

External links

* Towns in Queensland Central Highlands Region Localities in Queensland {{authority control