Mayi-Thakurti Region

Australian postcode 4824 is centred on Cloncurry in far-western Queensland, with the postal area also encompassing the very small communities of Three Rivers, Four Ways, Kuridala, Selwyn and Gidya; the 2021 Census recorded about 3,380 people, with a relatively young median age of 34. Cloncurry is a classic remote outback service town, with its economy closely connected to mining, pastoralism, transport and regional services, and it provides basic shopping, healthcare and community facilities—including Cloncurry Hospital and local supermarkets such as Cornetts IGA Cloncurry—but residents needing highly specialised services generally have to travel to a larger regional centre. The landscape is dry, open and distinctly outback, with very hot summers, warm winters and large distances between communities, so reliable transport and tolerance of isolation are important; the 2021 Census recorded an average of 1.9 motor vehicles per dwelling and median weekly rent of $240. The area also has a significant Aboriginal population, with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people comprising about 22.5% of the postcode population in 2021. Overall, 4824 is one of the clearest examples of a small, remote regional hub serving a very large geographic hinterland, making it particularly relevant to the distributed connectivity and local-service model being explored for SENA.