| Name | Court Room | Time |
|---|---|---|
| APLIN E** R** | Court 1 | 9:00AM |
| BOB D** J** | Court 1 | 9:00AM |
| CHONG J** J** | Court 1 | 9:00AM |
| CONNORS A** W** | Court 1 | 9:00AM |
| DOUGLAS J** M** J** | Court 1 | 9:00AM |
| WEISE S** L** | Court 1 | 9:00AM |
Last updated: 23 May 2026, 7:34 am. Names are partially masked for privacy. Details may change — always check with the Registry.
The Burketown Magistrates Court serves one of the most remote and sparsely populated judicial districts in Australia, sitting on the southern edge of the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland's Gulf Country. Court is held at the Burketown Police Station on Gregory Street, Burketown QLD 4830, with the contact line for hearing enquiries being (07) 4745 5120. This page gives you an accurate guide to the Burketown Magistrates Court list, sitting arrangements, registry details, and the wider Gulf Circuit so that defendants, legal practitioners, and members of the public can prepare for a hearing with confidence.
Because Burketown is a circuit court rather than a permanently staffed registry, all filing and enquiry functions are handled by the Normanton Magistrates Court registry at 24 Haig Street, PO Box 23, Normanton QLD 4890, which can be reached on (07) 4745 1177. Understanding this split between where court sits and where paperwork is lodged is essential, and it is the single most common point of confusion for people appearing in the Gulf for the first time.
About the Burketown Magistrates Court and the Gulf Circuit
Burketown is the administrative seat of the Shire of Burke, a local government area that covers roughly 39,684 square kilometres yet recorded a population of only 419 people at the 2021 Census. The town itself is home to about 204 residents, making the Burketown Magistrates Court one of the smallest court venues by catchment population anywhere in the Queensland justice system. Despite the tiny population, the court services an enormous geographic area stretching across cattle stations, remote localities, and coastal country on the Albert River.
The court forms part of the Gulf Circuit, which groups together four remote hearing locations: Burketown, Doomadgee, Mornington Island, and Normanton. Under the Justices Regulation 2014, Burketown is formally listed as a place for holding Magistrates Courts within the Mount Isa Magistrates Courts District, alongside Bedourie, Birdsville, Boulia, Camooweal, Doomadgee, Mornington Island, and Mount Isa. This circuit structure allows a small number of magistrates to deliver justice across a district many times the size of some entire Australian states.
Where Burketown sits in the region
Burketown lies approximately 898 kilometres west of Cairns and 227 kilometres west of Normanton along the Savannah Way. The nearest major regional justice hub is Mount Isa, the principal court centre for North West Queensland. Many procedural steps for Gulf matters, including urgent applications and video-linked appearances, are coordinated through larger centres. Parties who need to understand how the broader district operates can review the Mount Isa court list to see how the regional hub schedules its own high volume of matters.
How the Burketown Magistrates Court list works
The Burketown Magistrates Court list is the official daily record of every matter scheduled to be heard on a given sitting day. Because Burketown sits on circuit rather than daily, the list is compiled around the published circuit calendar rather than appearing every weekday. On a typical Gulf sitting day, the Burketown list is compact by metropolitan standards. Daily law list snapshots have shown Burketown carrying around six matters on a sitting day, compared with 228 at Brisbane and 91 at Cairns, which reflects the town's small population rather than any lesser importance of the work.
Each entry on the list usually shows the defendant or party name, the matter type, the courtroom or venue, and the scheduled time. Checking the list before you travel is particularly important in the Gulf, where distances are vast and a wasted trip can mean hundreds of kilometres of unsealed road. If your matter is not showing, or you are unsure whether the circuit is sitting on your expected date, contact the Normanton registry directly to confirm.
What types of matters are heard
The Magistrates Court is the entry point for the overwhelming majority of criminal and civil matters in Queensland. Statewide, the Magistrates Courts of Queensland finalise the vast majority of all offences dealt with in the criminal justice system. According to the Magistrates Court of Queensland Annual Report 2024 to 2025, the adult criminal jurisdiction saw 9,541 fewer defendants than the previous year, a decrease of 5.85 per cent, while child protection applications rose by 1,497, an increase of 22.59 per cent. These statewide trends filter down to circuit courts like Burketown, where a single sitting day can move through summary criminal charges, bail applications, domestic and family violence order applications, and minor civil disputes.
At Burketown, the work commonly includes:
- Summary criminal offences and committal mentions for more serious charges
- Bail applications and adjournment requests
- Domestic and family violence protection order applications
- Traffic matters arising from the Burke Developmental Road and Savannah Way
- Child protection applications under the Child Protection Act 1999
More serious indictable offences that begin in the Magistrates Court are committed onward to the District or Supreme Court. For context on how frequently these higher matters travel on circuit, the District Court of Queensland Annual Report 2024 to 2025 recorded 6,373 criminal lodgements statewide, with more than two-thirds of all criminal matters lodged and finalised in centres other than Brisbane.
Registry, filing, and contact details
The distinction between the hearing venue and the registry is the key operational fact for Burketown. Court is held at the Burketown Police Station on Gregory Street, but you cannot file documents there. All enquiries and filing of material for the Gulf circuits are handled by the Normanton Magistrates Court. This arrangement is set out in the official Queensland Courts circuit information and is confirmed on the courthouse locations register.
The table below summarises the two points of contact you will need.
Hearing venue
- Location: Burketown Police Station, Gregory Street, Burketown QLD 4830
- Court enquiries phone: (07) 4745 5120
Registry (filing and enquiries)
- Address: 24 Haig Street, PO Box 23, Normanton QLD 4890
- Phone: (07) 4745 1177
- Business hours: 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday
If your matter concerns a neighbouring Gulf community, the same circuit calendar applies but the sitting town differs. People with matters at the western end of the shire may instead be listed at the Doomadgee court list, which sits within the Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee about 120 kilometres from Burketown.
Planning your appearance in a remote circuit court
Remote circuit courts operate differently from busy metropolitan registries, and a little preparation goes a long way. Sitting days are set well in advance through the published Mount Isa and Circuits calendar, and there is limited flexibility to accommodate late changes because a magistrate may only visit a Gulf town a handful of times each year. The Queensland Magistrates Court system operates across roughly 130 locations statewide, from Brisbane and the Gold Coast to the Torres Strait Islands, the Gulf of Carpentaria, and Cape York Peninsula, and the Gulf venues are among the most logistically challenging on that map.
A few practical points will help you avoid problems:
- Confirm the sitting date with the Normanton registry before you travel, as wet season road closures can affect access.
- Arrange legal representation early, since duty lawyer availability in remote circuits is limited and often coordinated from larger centres.
- Ask about video-link appearances if travel is not feasible, as urgent matters and fresh arrests are frequently video-linked to regional hubs.
- Bring identification and any documents relevant to your matter, because on-the-spot filing is not available at the hearing venue.
If your matter has been transferred or you need to check listings at the registry town itself, the Normanton court list is the companion resource, since Normanton handles filing for the entire Gulf circuit and holds its own regular sittings.
The wider North West Queensland justice district
Burketown does not operate in isolation. It is part of a connected network of remote and regional courts across North West Queensland, all ultimately supported by the Mount Isa Magistrates Courts District. Neighbouring circuit venues include Cloncurry, which lies to the south and handles its own filing separately from Mount Isa. Parties comparing sitting patterns and caseloads across the district can review the Cloncurry court list to understand how workloads differ between circuit towns in the same region.
Frequently asked questions about the Burketown Magistrates Court
Where is the Burketown Magistrates Court located?
Court is held at the Burketown Police Station on Gregory Street, Burketown QLD 4830. The court operates on circuit, so it does not sit every day. Hearing enquiries can be directed to (07) 4745 5120.
Where do I file documents for a Burketown matter?
All filing and registry enquiries for Burketown are handled by the Normanton Magistrates Court at 24 Haig Street, Normanton QLD 4890, phone (07) 4745 1177. You cannot lodge documents at the Burketown hearing venue.
How often does the Burketown Magistrates Court sit?
Burketown sits on the Gulf Circuit according to the published Mount Isa and Circuits calendar, which schedules a limited number of sitting days each year. Always confirm the next sitting date with the Normanton registry before travelling.
What if I cannot attend in person?
Remote and urgent matters are often dealt with by video link to a regional centre. If you cannot attend a Gulf sitting in person, ask the registry whether a video appearance can be arranged for your matter.
How many matters are usually on the Burketown court list?
Burketown carries a small daily list reflecting the district's population of around 419 people. Snapshots have shown roughly six matters on a sitting day, which is typical for a remote Gulf circuit court.
Which courts are part of the same Gulf Circuit?
The Gulf Circuit includes Burketown, Doomadgee, Mornington Island, and Normanton. Filing for the Gulf circuits is centralised at the Normanton Magistrates Court, while the broader district is administered from Mount Isa.
