KARUMBA, QUEENSLAND

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The major fishing port on the Gulf of Carpentaria. The town's prawn fishing and Barramundi industry earns over $130 million each year.
Location: 69 km north west of Normanton; 443 km north of Cloncurry.
Origin of name: formerly called Kimberley, Karumba is reportedly an Aboriginal word of unknown language and dialect, indicating the Norman River.
Brief history: In the 1870s a telegraph station was built on the site of the present town. It was known simply as Norman Mouth. Karumba first came to importance in the 1930s when it became a stopover point for flying boats on the run from London to Australia. By the 1950s it had become a popular spot for people eager to fish the waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Natural features: Gulf of Carpentaria; Norman River; Wellesley Group (Sweers Island; Mornington Island); Karumba Point; unusual morning tubular cloud formations known as Morning Glories.
Built features: airstrip; port facilities.
Heritage features: Old slipway from which the Sydney to England Empire Flying Boat Service operated.