Isisford, Queensland

Isisford is a small town and locality in the Longreach Region in Central West Queensland, Australia. At the 2011 census, Isisford and the surrounding area had a population of 262. This figure has never surpassed 300.GeographyIsiford is located on the Barcoo River, and is approximately 120km south east of the town of Longreach.Small sections of both Idalia National Park and Welford National Park are located within the boundary of the town.HistoryThe first European in the area was the explorer Thomas Mitchell, who travelled through the area in 1846. Settlers followed and established a township in the 1870s. In the late 1870s, the town was named after a nearby ford on the Barcoo, and because the Isis Downs property was in proximity to it.In 1878, the town was surveyed. A post office and telegraph line were operating by 1881. Isis Downs Post Office opened on 1 June 1868, was replaced by the Wittown office in 1876 which was renamed Isisford in 1878. In the following years the town progressed with the growth of the pastoral industry.Isisford State School opened on 19 October,1881.In September 1956, a deliberately lit fire at the Isisford Hotel resulted in the deaths of a mother and her child.