The Bowen Independent started as the
Bowen Record in 1902, before becoming the
Bowen Independent and Proserpine Agriculturalist in 1903. In 1920 the paper incorporated the
Bowen Chronicle and was renamed the
Bowen Independent. The
Bowen Independent also publishes a weekend counterpart called the
Weekend Independent. The paper was bought by News Ltd via North Queensland Newspaper Co. in 1986.
The Bowen Independent is still running today and serves the residents of Bowen shire, the Whitsundays and the Burdekin district. Along with many other regional Australian newspapers owned by
NewsCorp, the newspaper ceased print editions in June 2020 and became an online-only publication from 26 June 2020. == Digitisation ==