Collinsville
Postcode: 4804
Collinsville is a mining town in the coal-rich Bowen Basin region of central Queensland, Australia, 1245 km north of Brisbane and 87 km south-west of the coastal town of Bowen. The town is part of the Bowen Shire.
European settlement of the region began in 1861 with the opening of the lands to pastoralists, with some cattle stations still in operation. Coal was discovered in 1866 but it wasn’t until 1912 that large-scale mining operations commenced. Now two new mines are planned to begin operation in the next two years and hope to supply 250 new jobs. A town developed around the site of the mine and was named Collinsville, after local politician Charles Collins. The current population of Collinsville is approximately 2500.
Facilities in Collinsville include two primary schools (Collinsville Primary and St John Bosco’s Catholic Primary), a high school, four churches (Catholic, Anglican, Uniting, Assembly of God), a pharmacy, a district hospital, some shops and sporting facilities.
Compared to larger regional centres shopping opportunities in Collinsville are restricted to five newsagents, toyshop, bakery, two fuel stations, two medium size grocery stores, four places to buy clothing and a hardware shop.
Eighty-two kilometres south-west of Bowen, Collinsville and the bush communities on a first-class road offer travellers a striking scenic contrast to the tropical coastline.