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Australian town misses 150th anniversary by three years

Charleville in Queensland planned its 150th anniversary celebrations three years too late  - Google Streetview
Charleville in Queensland planned its 150th anniversary celebrations three years too late - Google Streetview

An Australian town has missed its own 150th anniversary after planning the party three years too late.

Charleville in south-west Queensland had planned to celebrate next year, believing the town had been founded in 1868.

However, historians researching the exact date of Charleville’s inception discovered the historic date was actually 1865.

Mayor Annie Liston admitted the town was “disappointed”, blaming the confusion on a “conflict between two researchers”.

“There had been a couple of historians who have researched the history of Charleville,” she told The Telegraph. 

 Charleville in Queensland - Credit:  Google Streetview
Charleville, in Queensland, had begun planning festivities for next year to mark what locals believed was its official recognition in 1868 - but they had the wrong date Credit: Google Streetview

“The historians disagreed on the dates and one of the dates had next year as the official gazetting of the town, which is what council was going with, official researchers then came back to tell us that the date wasn’t correct

“We had a major flood in 1990 all our records were lost.”

She said the town, which has a population of around 5,000, still plans to throw a belated party next year, which may be tied to another event.

Charleville Queensland - Credit:  Google Streetview
A check of state records showed the historic moment had actually taken place in 1865. Credit: Google Streetview

“We are still planning to celebrate something next year, our events staff are currently working on what form they shall take,” she added.