Calliope, Queensland

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. At the 2006 census, Calliope had a population of 1,550.

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:
The Port Curtis Historical Village is situated on the banks of the Calliope River, as well as the Boyne River.

Lake Awoonga resulted from the construction of a dam on the Boyne River. 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.

Lake Awoonga is home to a thriving array of native animals, several of which are of conservation significance. Two fauna species are listed as vulnerable: the Yellow-bellied Glider and the Grey-headed Flying Fox. For the bird-watching enthusiast, Lake Awoonga is a paradise with more than 225 species or over 27% of Australia's bird species found in the region. The Southern Squatter Pigeon is listed as vulnerable and of conservation significance, and twenty-seven species are listed on International Migratory Conservation Agreement lists. Lake Awoonga is arguably one of the most important near-coast bird refuges on the East Coast of Australia.

The Gladstone Area Water Board operates a fish hatchery which breeds barramundi and mangrove jack for release into Lake Awoonga. Barramundi over 20 kg are regularly caught, and the heaviest caught by August 2008 weighed in at a hefty 36.5 kg. In addition, the mangrove jack breeding program has resulted in Lake Awoonga holding the largest stocks in Australia with over 13,000 released. Since 1996 over two and a half million barramundi fingerlings and 340,000 mullet fingerlings have been released into Lake Awoonga.

Other Information
Until very recently Calliope was the council headquarters of the Calliope Shire which included Boyne Island, Tannum Sands, Ambrose, Mount Larcom to name a few towns. Calliope has now become one of the towns under the umbrella of the Gladstone Regional Council after the merger of the Calliope Shire Council and the former Gladstone City Council.