THE Gulf of Carpentaria is home to one of the world’s most extraordinary phenomena, the Morning Glory Cloud.
These clouds are so rare most people will never see one in their life.
There is only one spot on Earth where the cloud can be predicted and observed on a regular basis from late September to early November and that’s in Burketown, 30km inland from the Gulf.
To celebrate the incredible natural occurrence, the inaugural Morning Glory Festival was held from September 25-28, in Burketown.
The festival combined a program of events including a camp draft, rodeo, cultural workshops and Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation’s (CLCAC) 30 year anniversary celebrations.
Burke Shire Council Mayor, Cr. Ernie Camp said the first Morning Glory Festival has been and gone and locals not only survived but made some great memories and enjoyed some excellent entertainment over the four days.
“On behalf of Council I would like to thank all those who attended and showed their support of the various events. The happy atmosphere meant attendees – whether young or old, local or visiting, family or individual – were able to enjoy all that was on offer and have a positive experience of Burke Shire,” Cr Camp said.
The Morning Glory Festival was a joint partnership of the Burke Shire Council, the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Council and the Burketown Rodeo and Sporting Association with support from Tourism and Events Queensland and the Australian Government’s Festivals Australia.
Photo courtesy of Megan McGill.
