Calliope
Postcode: 4680
Calliope is a town located in Central Queensland, Australia. It is located near the junction of the Bruce Highway and the Dawson Highway, 20 kilometres SSW of the port city of Gladstone. Calliope is the administrative centre of the Calliope Shire, which covers an area of 5,875 square kilometres, and has a population of 16,235 persons (ABS 2004 estimate).
The town is reputedly named after the ship Calliope, which brought the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy to Port Curtis in 1854. Industries of the town and surrounds since that time have included gold mining, beef, timber, and more recently, tourism.
Local attractions include the Port Curtis Historical Village, situated on the banks of the Calliope River, as well as the Boyne River. A dam on Boyne River, has resulted in the creation of a man-made lake. Lake Awoonga supplies water to the city of Gladstone, and Calliope and other townships in the region, as well as supplying the major industries for which the Gladstone region is known.
Total capacity of Lake Awoonga is 777,000 megalitres. The catchment area contributing to the Lake is 2,240 square kilometres and is surrounded by the Boyne, Dawes and Many Peaks Ranges.