Guide to Georgetown Queensland Australia

Georgetown is a town of about 350 people on the Gulf Developmental Road, 380 kilometres south-west of Cairns. It is the centre of the Etheridge goldfield, a rough, rocky district that has produced gold, agate, topaz and sapphire for 150 years.

Known For

• The Ted Elliott Mineral Collection
• Gem and gold fossicking
• The turn-off for Cobbold Gorge

Things To Do in Georgetown

TerrEstrial Centre

The visitor centre houses a collection of more than 4,500 mineral specimens gathered over a lifetime by a local man, displayed in themed rooms. It is one of the finest collections of its kind in Australia and a surprise in a town this size.

Cumberland Chimney

Twenty kilometres west, a tall brick chimney is all that stands of a gold-crushing plant. The lagoon beside it is one of the best birdwatching spots on the Savannah Way.

Fossicking

Agate Creek, south of Forsayth, is a designated fossicking area for banded agate, and there are gold fossicking areas in the district. You need a licence and local advice.

Cobbold Gorge

A narrow sandstone gorge on a cattle station about 90 kilometres south is the district’s best-known attraction, visited on guided tours in the dry season.

Where To Stay

Georgetown has motels, a hotel and caravan parks.

Eat & Drink

The hotel and roadhouses serve meals, and there is a bakery and store.

History

This is the country of the Ewamian people. Gold was found on the Etheridge in the late 1860s and the town grew in the 1870s.

Getting to Georgetown

Georgetown is on the sealed Savannah Way, 90 kilometres west of Mount Surprise and 150 kilometres east of Croydon.