Bowen as seen from Flagstaff Hill

Bowen is a town on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 428 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1462 × 2048 pixel, file size: 540 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Please note: This image was originally uploaded to commons licensed as noted below, per the uploader. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 428 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1462 × 2048 pixel, file size: 540 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Please note: This image was originally uploaded to commons licensed as noted below, per the uploader. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd)  - Product per capita  $40,170/person (6th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  4,070,400 (3rd)  - Density  2. ...

Geography

Bowen is located on the north-east coast of Australia, at exactly twenty degrees south of the equator. In fact, the twentieth parallel crosses the main street. Bowen is halfway between Townsville and Mackay, and 1,130 kilometres by road from Brisbane. (To give an idea of the scale of the state of Queensland, Canberra is closer to Brisbane than Bowen is, and Melbourne is closer to Brisbane than Cairns is). World map showing the equator in red In tourist areas, the equator is often marked on the sides of roads The equator marked as it crosses Ilhéu das Rolas, in São Tomé and Príncipe. ... On the Earth, a circle of latitude or parallel is an imaginary east-west circle that connects all locations with a given latitude. ... Townsville (Postcodes: 4810-4819) is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, located in the state of Queensland. ... Mackay (, pop. ... Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, as well as the third largest city in Australia, with a greater metropolitan population of just under two million. ... Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd)  - Product per capita  $40,170/person (6th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  4,070,400 (3rd)  - Density  2. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ... Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, as well as the third largest city in Australia, with a greater metropolitan population of just under two million. ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ... Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, as well as the third largest city in Australia, with a greater metropolitan population of just under two million. ... Central Cairns from Mount Whitfield looking southeast. ...

The town of Bowen sits on a square peninsula, with ocean to the north, east, and south. On the western side, where the peninsula connects with the mainland, the Don River's alluvial plain provides fertile soil that supports a prosperous farming industry.

The surrounding Bowen Shire covers an area of 21,085 square kilometres and includes the principal towns of Bowen and Collinsville, plus the smaller townships of Mount Coolon, Scottville, Heronvale, Merinda, Gumlu, and Guthalungra. The Bowen Shire is bounded by Wangaratta Creek to the North, Greta Creek to the South and the Inland Highway in the West. The Shires of Burdekin, Dalrymple, Belyando, Nebo, Mirani, Mackay and Whitsunday all border the Shire of Bowen. Bowen Shire Council is a Local Government Area in North Queensland, Australia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Scottville is a small town in the Bowen Basin coal-mining region of central Queensland, Australia. ... Burdekin Shire is a Local Government Area located at 19. ... Mackay (, pop. ...

Weather

The town of Bowen is in the dry tropics. This means it has all the warm sunny weather of a tropical climate, but it is much dryer than one would expect for tropical beaches overlooking the Great Barrier Reef. This is why Bowen is home to the Dry Tropics Research Centre^{[citation needed]}. The Great Barrier Reef is the worlds largest coral reef system,[1][2] composed of roughly 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands that stretch for 2,600 kilometres (1,616 mi) and cover an area of approximately 344,400 km².[3][4] The reef is located in the...

At Bowen's latitude, the Trade Winds provide a pleasant breeze. In summer the hottest part of the day is usually about 9am and then the wind kicks in and keeps you cool. It is not unusual in summer for Bowen to be a good ten degrees cooler than Brisbane^{[citation needed]}, which is a thousand kilometres closer to the south pole. Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi, , gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the equator. ... The trade winds are a pattern of wind that are found in bands around the Earths equatorial region. ... Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, as well as the third largest city in Australia, with a greater metropolitan population of just under two million. ... Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. ...

The warmest month is January, with an average maximum temperature of 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit). The coolest month is July, with an average maximum temperature of 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) and an average overnight minimum of 14 degrees Celsius (57 degrees Fahrenheit). Celsius is, or relates to, the Celsius temperature scale (previously known as the centigrade scale). ... Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), who proposed it in 1724. ... Celsius is, or relates to, the Celsius temperature scale (previously known as the centigrade scale). ... Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), who proposed it in 1724. ... Celsius is, or relates to, the Celsius temperature scale (previously known as the centigrade scale). ... Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), who proposed it in 1724. ...

Demographics

The Bowen Shire as a whole has a population of 10,518 (2001 Census). There are approximately 6,000 people in Bowen and 3,000 living in Collinsville and Scotsville. Bowen Shire Council is a Local Government Area in North Queensland, Australia. ...

Economy

Bowen enjoys a diversified and prosperous economy based on agriculture, fishing, tourism, and mining. For several winter months, Bowen supplies about 75% of Australia's tomatoes. The tastiest mango in Australia is the variety known as the Kensington Pride, which is popularly called the Bowen Special mango. Bowen's unusually dry climate for a tropical location, plus its fertile alluvial soil, makes it the ideal place to grow a wide variety of small crops, including tomatoes, rockmelons (i.e., cantaloupes), and capsicums (i.e., green peppers). Outside the alluvial plain, much of the Bowen Shire is used for beef cattle. Binomial name Solanum lycopersicum L. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... Species About 35 species, including: Mangifera altissima Mangifera applanata Mangifera caesia Mangifera camptosperma Mangifera casturi Mangifera decandra Mangifera foetida Mangifera gedebe Mangifera griffithii Mangifera indica Mangifera kemanga Mangifera laurina Mangifera longipes Mangifera macrocarpa Mangifera mekongensis Mangifera odorata Mangifera pajang Mangifera pentandra Mangifera persiciformis Mangifera quadrifida Mangifera siamensis Mangifera similis Mangifera... Alluvium (from the Latin, alluvius, from alluere, to wash against) is soil or sediments deposited by a river or other running water. ... Binomial name Solanum lycopersicum L. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... Trinomial name Cucumis melo cantalupensis Cucumis melo reticulatus Naudin. ... Species C. annuum (incl. ...

Just north of Bowen is the Abbot Point coal loading port. Coal mined inland of Bowen in Collinsville and other towns in the Bowen Basin is brought by rail to a deepwater pier to be loaded on bulk carriers. Coal is exported mainly to Europe and Japan. Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ...

Bowen also has an evaporative salt producing facility. That is, it uses only seawater and sunlight to make salt, without burning fossil fuels. This is only possible because of its dry tropical climate. Most of the table salt used in Australia comes from Bowen.^{[citation needed]} A magnified crystal of a salt (halite/sodium chloride) Salt covering the floor of Bad Water in Death Valley, CA, the lowest point in the US. A salt, in chemistry, is defined as the product formed from the neutralisation reaction of acids and bases. ...

Government

The Bowen Shire's local government consists of a popularly elected Mayor, and a Shire Council consisting of eight councillors. The Shire is divided into three wards (for Bowen, Queens Beach, and Collinsville). Bowen and Queens Beach each elect three councillors and Collinsville elects two.

Bowen's current Mayor is Michael R. "Mike" Brunker.

History

Bowen is Queensland's oldest town north of Rockhampton^{[citation needed]}. It was founded before Townsville, Mackay or Charters Towers and has a colourful past. Rockhampton, sometimes abbreviated to Rocky, is a city in Central Queensland, Australia, located 42 km inland from the Capricorn coast on the Bruce Highway, approximately 640 kilometres north of Queenslands capital city, Brisbane. ... Townsville (Postcodes: 4810-4819) is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, located in the state of Queensland. ... Mackay (, pop. ... Location of Charters Towers in Queensland (red) Charters Towers is a city and Local Government Area in northern Queensland, Australia. ...

Captain James Cook named Cape Gloucester on his epic voyage of exploration up the Australian coast in 1770. This "cape" turned out to be an island, and Gloucester Island dominates the view from Bowen's eastern beaches. Behind the island is a bay that forms an excellent port, which the town came to be built around. This bay was eventually discovered in 1859 by Captain Henry Daniel Sinclair, in response to a reward offered by the colony of New South Wales for finding a port somewhere north of Rockhampton. Sinclair named Port Denison after the colonial governor of New South Wales. James Cook, portrait by Nathaniel Dance, c. ... Capital Sydney Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Professor Marie Bashir Premier Morris Iemma (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 50  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $305,437 (1st)  - Product per capita  $45,153/person (4th) Population (End of March 2006)  - Population  6,817,100 (1st)  - Density  8. ... Rockhampton, sometimes abbreviated to Rocky, is a city in Central Queensland, Australia, located 42 km inland from the Capricorn coast on the Bruce Highway, approximately 640 kilometres north of Queenslands capital city, Brisbane. ...

Two years later, Sinclair led one group of settlers by sea, and George Elphinstone Dalrymple led another party overland from Rockhampton. They met on 11 April 1861 at Port Denison and founded the town of Bowen on the next day, 12 April 1861. By this time, the separate colony of Queensland had been established, and the town was named after Queensland's first colonial governor, Sir George Ferguson Bowen. April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar) // January 1 - Benito Juárez captures Mexico City January 2 - Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia dies and is succeeded by... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar) // January 1 - Benito Juárez captures Mexico City January 2 - Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia dies and is succeeded by... Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd)  - Product per capita  $40,170/person (6th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  4,070,400 (3rd)  - Density  2. ... Sir George Bowen Sir George Ferguson Bowen (Chinese Translated Name 寶雲) (November 2, 1821 - February 21, 1899) was a British colonial governor who became the 9th Governor of Hong Kong. ...

Coincidentally, not only was Bowen founded on the same day that the American Civil War began, 12 April 1861, but the Civil War caused the Lancashire cotton famine with the result that many of Bowen's early settlers were from those parts of England affected by the cotton famine. This article is becoming very long. ... Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... The cotton famine (1861 – 1865) was a depression in the textile industry in northwest England, brought about by the American Civil War. ... The cotton famine (1861 – 1865) was a depression in the textile industry in northwest England, brought about by the American Civil War. ...

Incidentally, the separation of Queensland from New South Wales meant that Sinclair never did claim the reward for discovering the port^{[citation needed]}. The NSW authorities said it was no longer their concern, and the new Queensland administration had never offered any reward and wasn't going to pay for someone else's promises. So Sinclair went back north to seek his fortune in the town he had helped to create.^{[citation needed]} Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd)  - Product per capita  $40,170/person (6th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  4,070,400 (3rd)  - Density  2. ...

Two years later in 1863, the new settlers discovered a sailor, James Morril, who had been shipwrecked 17 years previously just to the north of Bowen. Morril made his home in the new town, and his grave is still to be seen in the Bowen cemetery. Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

The coral reefs around Bowen have several shipwrecks, including the "Gothenburg" which sank in 1875 with a loss of more than 100 lives. Numerous relics of Bowen's history, from the Aboriginal past onwards, are on display at the Bowen Historical Society's museum.

During World War 2 Bowen hosted an air force base, flying PBY Catalina flying boats to search for enemy ships and submarines. Bowen was bombed by carrier-launched aircraft in 1942. A museum at the local airport has displays of the wartime events in Bowen, and includes the largest ship model in Australia. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... PBY Catalina was the United States Navy designation for an American and Canadian-built flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s. ... Model of a 19th-century vessel in the Bishop Museum, Hawaii Ship models (or model ships) are scale representations of sea-going vessels. ...

Events

Annual events include the following:

• May - Collinsvile Catfish Classic
• June - Gumlu Capsicum Festival
• June - Bowen Annual Show
• July - Bowen Multicultural Festival
• September - Bowen Lions Festival
• September - Bowen Family Fishing Classic
• October - Bowen Cup Race Day

Tourism

The Big Mango, Bowen, Queensland.

Bowen is on a peninsula, with ocean on three sides. This gives eight beaches surrounding the town, namely Kings Beach, Queens Beach, Horseshoe Bay, Murrays Bay, Greys Bay, Rose Bay, and the Front Beach. There is also the clothing-optional Coral Bay. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (970x1000, 250 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Bowen, Queensland User:Bcsr4ever/gallery Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (970x1000, 250 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Bowen, Queensland User:Bcsr4ever/gallery Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital...

These are all very different in character. Kings Beach and Queens Beach are very long beaches, so long that if you stand on one end of Queens Beach the other end is over the horizon. Kings Beach has a magnificent view of nearby Gloucester Island. On the western half of Queens Beach and all of Kings Beach, it is permitted to walk a dog without a leash.

In contrast, the other beaches are small and cosy. Horseshoe Bay is a magnificent beach with the whole coconut tree tropical paradise ambience. Murrays Bay is even more of a coconut tree paradise, if you can find it. There is a walking track along the hills between Rose Bay, Murrays Bay, and Horseshoe Bay. There is fringing coral reef offshore of those three as well as Coral Bay, which is a clothes-optional beach.

If you're driving along the Bruce Highway along the Queensland coast, you have to come off the highway and into the town to get to the beaches. Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is the major coastal highway of Queensland, Australia. ... Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd)  - Product per capita  $40,170/person (6th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  4,070,400 (3rd)  - Density  2. ...

Entertainment

Bowen boasts a cinema, the Summergarden Twin Theatre,other popular nightspots include The Denison Hotel, The Queens Beach Hotel, The Bowen Memorial Club and The Grand View Hotel. It also offers four motels and seven caravan parks. There is also an excellent golf course that overlooks Queens Beach.

Colleges

Bowen hosts the Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE. In Australia, Technical and Further Education or TAFE institutions are those which offer a wide range of post-secondary education and training, generally in vocational fields (such as hospitality, tourism, construction, woodwork, secretarial skills, community work, etc), often at a level of difficulty below that of a corresponding or related...

Sister cities

Bowen has a sister city in Japan, Oseto-cho in Nagasaki Prefecture. Oranda-zaka (Dutch Slope) in Nagasaki Castle in Shimabara The island of Hirado boasts a fine castle Nagasaki Prefecture (長崎県; Nagasaki-ken) is located on Kyushu island, Japan. ...

'Australia' (Film)

In late 2006, it was announced that Australia, directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, willl be filmed in Bowen. It is hoped that the production will provide a significant economic boost to the town and will employ many Bowen locals.[1] For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Baz Luhrmann (born Mark Anthony Luhrmann on September 17, 1962) is an Oscar-nominated Australian film director. ... Nicole Mary Kidman AC born June 20, 1967, is an Academy Award-winning Australian[1] actress. ... Hugh Michael Jackman (born October 12, 1968) is an Australian film producer, film and stage actor, known for playing Wolverine in X-Men and its sequels, and his Tony Award-winning performance in The Boy from Oz. ...

External links

• http://www.bowentourism.com.au/
• http://www.bowen.qld.gov.au
• http://www.walkabout.com.au/fairfax/locations/QLDBowen.shtml
• http://www.barrierreef.tafe.net
• http://www.bowenshs.qld.edu.au/
• http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/rlq/4791.html
• http://www.bowenss.qld.edu.au/bowen_history.htm
• http://www.darwen.org/

This page uses WikiProject U.S. States as a guide to formatting. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Coordinates: 20°01′S, 148°14′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...