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Longreach

Longreach is a town and shire located in Central Queensland, Australia, and is approximately 700 kilometres from the coast, west of Rockhampton. The town is named after the 'long reach' of the Thomson River on which it is situated, and was gazetted in 1887. In 1892, the railway reached the town, and the population swelled.

The town lies on the Tropic of Capricorn, and the shire's population is 4368 (by 2001 census). The main industries of the area are cattle, sheep, and, more recently, tourism.

Longreach is also known as being one of the founding centres for the Australian airline, Qantas. The town is now the home of the Qantas Founders Outback Museum, which includes a Boeing 747 aircraft on display.

Longreach is also the home of the Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame, which was officially opened in 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II.

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