Blackwater is a rural town and locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Blackwater had a population of 4,702 people.[1]

Blackwater
Queensland
Sign at the entrance to Blackwater, 2018
Blackwater is located in Queensland
Blackwater
Blackwater
Coordinates23°34′33″S 148°53′13″E / 23.5758°S 148.8869°E / -23.5758; 148.8869 (Blackwater (town centre))
Population4,702 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density7.1590/km2 (18.542/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4717
Area656.8 km2 (253.6 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Central Highlands Region
State electorate(s)Gregory
Federal division(s)Flynn
Localities around Blackwater:
Mackenzie River Mackenzie River Jellinbah
Mackenzie River Blackwater Bluff
Comet Stewarton Stewarton

It is a town in a significant coal mining area in Central Queensland. The name of the township was inspired by the dark colour of local waterholes.[4][3]

Geography

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Six major open cut coal mines and one underground dot the landscape surrounding the town and provide its main employment opportunities. The town is also situated close to the Blackdown Tableland National Park which lies to the southeast and Blackwater coal mine located south of the town. Emerald is 74 kilometres (46 mi) to the west.

Bonnie Doon is a neighbourhood in the centre of the locality (23°30′00″S 148°49′00″E / 23.5°S 148.8166°E / -23.5; 148.8166 (Bonnie Doon)) and is associated with the Bonnie Doon pastoral station established in 1893.[5][6]

Rangal, a neighbourhood in the locality (23°35′00″S 148°49′00″E / 23.5833°S 148.8166°E / -23.5833; 148.8166 (Rangal)), is associated with former Rangal railway station (originally called Frasers Siding), assigned by the Queensland Railways Department on 7 June 1927. It is an Aboriginal word referring to a species of Callistemon (ti tree).[7]

History

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Blackwater was established on Gangulu territory, and is named after the Blackwater Creek which apparently was first observed to flow with black water, believed to be caused by the local coal deposits.[2][3]

Coal deposits were discovered there by Ludwig Leichhardt on his expedition from Moreton Bay to Port Essington (now Darwin, Northern Territory) in 1845.[8] Leichhardt saw "beds of coal indistinguishable from those on the Hunter at Newcastle".[9]

Blackwater Post Office opened on 19 July 1877.[10]

 
Blackwater State School ca.1900

Blackwater Provisional School opened on 21 November 1877 but closed sometime after September 1878. It reopened in 1883 and on 1 January 1909 became Blackwater State School.[11][12]

It wasn't until over a century after Leichhardt first discovered the beds of coal at Blackwater that the town saw major coal mining development. With the opening up of several coal mines near the town in the 1960s, Blackwater's population rapidly increased as people searching for work found employment in the town's booming mining industry.[citation needed]

Blackwater State High School opened on 30 January 1973.[12]

By the mid-late 1970s, the town had 3 Rugby League clubs: South Blackwater, Blackwater Devils and Blackwater Centrals.[citation needed]

Blackwater North State School opened on 30 January 1979.[12]

Approximately 100,000 workers have been employed in coal mining at Blackwater over its 50-year history. The town has provided considerable economic development for Queensland and Australia more generally.[citation needed]

1867 Gold Escort murders

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Blackwater is located close to the site of the infamous double murder of two police constables at the hands of gold commissioner Thomas Griffin.[13]

Griffin killed the two troopers, John Power and Patrick Cahill, on 6 November 1867 on the banks of the Mackenzie River near the present day site of Blackwater's Bedford Weir, which is located approximately 25 kilometres north of the town.[14] The three men had been a part of a gold escort, escorting £4000 in cash from Rockhampton to the Clermont goldfields, which Griffin stole after he killed Power and Cahill.[13] Griffin was later convicted of the crime and hanged in Rockhampton.[13]

A memorial to Power and Cahill was erected at the Bedford Weir in 2013.[15] The 150th anniversary of their murders, in 2017, was commemorated in both Blackwater and Rockhampton.[13]

1980 John Howard visit

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Blackwater attracted national media attention in 1980 after violent scenes occurred outside the Capricorn Hotel on 1 August 1980, when angry striking coal miners confronted Federal Treasurer, John Howard.[16][17]

Howard had arrived in Blackwater with Deputy Prime Minister, Doug Anthony, and Queensland Treasurer, Llewellyn Edwards, to negotiate with union officials in an attempt to end the protracted industrial action.[16] The strike by the miners was in protest against a government plan to make coal miners pay tax on housing subsidised by the mining companies.[16][17]

The miners, who had been supplied with free alcohol, confronted the politicians as they left the hotel after negotiations reached a stalemate.[16][17] As police officers attempted to hastily escort the politicians to the safety of waiting police vehicles, Howard was shoved, jostled, sworn at and grabbed in a headlock.[16][17] A police officer sustained a suspected broken nose, a camera operator was punched in the face and eggs were thrown.[16] A police vehicle was also damaged when its tail light was kicked in.[16]

The 10-week strike ended in September 1980 when the Federal Government eventually reached an agreement with the Combined Mining Unions.[18][19][20]

1999 Australian Story controversy

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In 1999, a production crew from ABC Television's documentary series Australian Story arrived in Blackwater to film jazz musician Don Burrows' visit to the town.[21] Burrows had already visited Blackwater on two previous occasions. On this occasion Burrows performed a concert in the town with pianist Kevin Hunt and briefly spent time with members of Blackwater State High School's concert band.[22] The Australian Story program, entitled "Mr Burrows goes to Blackwater" and introduced by Julie Anthony, aired on 29 July 1999.[23]

The Blackwater community's reception to the program was mostly negative.[24] Complaints ranged from the way Blackwater was portrayed in the program, to the way the program implied that Burrows was single-handedly responsible for the success of the high school band when in actuality he had only played a very minor role.[24] Principal of Blackwater State High School, Jim Reay, said he was disappointed with the program, particularly by the failure of the program to acknowledge the contribution of bandmaster and music teacher John Evenhuis.[24] It was also a sentiment shared by many local residents who felt that Evenhuis had achieved much more than Burrows regarding the success of the concert band and was more deserving of the praise which had been afforded to Burrows.[24][25][26][27]

The substantial negative reaction prompted Australian Story producer John Millard to write a lengthy open letter to the Blackwater community which was published in local newspaper, the Blackwater Herald, in an attempt to explain why the program was produced the way it was.[28]

2008 Bedford Weir fabridam failure

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On 23 November 2008, a fabridam barrier at the Bedford Weir on the Mackenzie River near Blackwater suddenly failed, causing 6,000 megalitres of water to surge downstream into a popular recreational area where people were swimming.[29] A four year old girl, Nelani Koefer, who had been paddling in shallow water, was washed away and drowned.[29] Her body was recovered the following day.[29]

The Bedford Weir's operator SunWater Limited and the manufacturer of the fabridam wall, Trelleborg Engineered Systems, were held responsible for the failure.[30] In 2013, SunWater pleaded guilty to a breach of the Workplace Health & Safety Act in the Rockhampton Industrial Magistrates Court and was fined $80,000, but no conviction was recorded.[30] Trelleborg Engineered Systems was also fined $80,000.[30]

A coronial inquest was held in 2015, the findings of which were delivered on 17 March 2016.[31] The coroner found that the collapse had been caused by a manufacturing fault in the wall, which had been designed by Trelleborg.[32] The coroner advised that the walls should be removed, never to be used again.[33]

In 2016, it was reported that Nelani Koefer's mother had filed a claim in the Rockhampton Supreme Court suing SunWater and Trelleborg for $1.48 million.[34]

2020 COVID-19 scares

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In 2020, it was feared that the Blackwater community was potentially exposed to COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia after it was confirmed on two separate occasions that there had been positive COVID-19 test results. On both occasions it was confirmed the initial test results had been false positives.

In the first incident, it was reported on 11 April 2020 that a Rockhampton-based worker employed at BHP's BMA coal mine at Blackwater had tested positive to COVID-19.[35] The positive result prompted BHP to contact people who may have been in contact with the employee who had not been on site since 1 April 2020.[36] However, several days later the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service confirmed that the man had tested negative to COVID-19 following a secondary test and that the first test had been a false positive.[37][38]

In the second incident, it was confirmed on 27 May 2020 by the Queensland Government that 30-year-old mine worker Nathan Turner had died at his Blackwater home and had subsequently tested positive to COVID-19.[39] At the time, Turner was believed to have been the youngest person in Australia to have died from COVID-19, a fact that generated significant national media interest.[39][40][41]

Following the announcement, a special COVID-19 response team was dispatched to Blackwater and many of the town's residents came forward to be tested. Blackwater's sewerage was also tested in an attempt to determine whether the virus had spread through the community.[42] There were also fears that they may have been a link between Turner and a Rockhampton aged care nurse who had earlier travelled to Blackwater while infectious with COVID-19.[43]

Several days after they had said that Turner had died from COVID-19, the Queensland Government revealed that the coroner had advised them that Turner did not have COVID-19 and that the initial test may have been a false positive.[44]

The revelation that Turner did not have COVID-19 sparked anger in the Blackwater community.[45] It also prompted almost 10,000 people to sign a petition on Change.org demanding Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young apologise to Turner's family.[46] Palaszczuk and Deputy Premier Steven Miles both publicly apologised to Turner's family while Young said she believed nothing could have been done differently and was confident the correct actions were taken to protect the Blackwater community following the initial positive test result.[47]

There was also criticism that news of Turner's false positive was first revealed on social media by his partner's workplace rather than Queensland Health, who only confirmed the news several hour afterwards.[48] The government's actions, however, received support from Turner's father who said although he didn't understand how a false positive had occurred, he understood that the potential risk required immediate action and that the public needed to be informed.[49]

Demographics

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There were 77 people living in Blackwater when the 1961 census was recorded. This increased to almost 2,000 when the 1971 census was recorded.[citation needed]

By the mid-late 1970s, the population of Blackwater was more than 10,000 people.[citation needed]

6,760 people living in Blackwater in 1991. Since then, the population of the town has gradually waned. In the 2011 census, there were still over 5,000 people living in the Blackwater community.[50]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Blackwater had a population of 4,749 people.[51]

In the 2021 census, the locality of Blackwater had a population of 4,702 people.[1]

Education

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Blackwater State High School, 2018

Blackwater State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at Wey Street (23°35′00″S 148°52′40″E / 23.5834°S 148.8778°E / -23.5834; 148.8778 (Blackwater State School)).[52][53] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 183 students with 14 teachers and 18 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent).[54]

Blackwater North State School is a government primary (Early Childhood to Year 6) school for boys and girls at William Street (23°33′58″S 148°53′11″E / 23.5662°S 148.8864°E / -23.5662; 148.8864 (Blackwater North State School)).[52][55] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 397 students with 27 teachers (26 full-time equivalent) and 19 non-teaching staff (13 full-time equivalent).[54] It includes a special education program.[56]

Blackwater State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at Elm Street (23°34′21″S 148°52′58″E / 23.5724°S 148.8827°E / -23.5724; 148.8827 (Blackwater State High School)).[52][57] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 316 students with 36 teachers (35 full-time equivalent) and 24 non-teaching staff (17 full-time equivalent).[54] It includes a special education program.[52]

Amenities

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Frank Tutungi Memorial Lions Park, 2018

The Central Highlands Regional Council Library Services operates a Library in Blackwater at the Community Centre on Wey Street.[58]

Frank Tutungi Memorial Lions Park is on the corner of the Capricorn Highway and Mackenzie Street. It is named after one of the Blackwater Lions Charter Members, Frank Tutungi, who was one of the original members of the Blackwater Lions Club and was the first from Blackwater to become a District Governor. The park displays the flags of the 37 nationalities who have lived and worked in the town.[59]

The Blackwater branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the QCWA Hall at 1 Ardurad Road.[60]

Blackwater Uniting Church is at 1 Coolibah Street (23°34′55″S 148°52′43″E / 23.5820°S 148.8787°E / -23.5820; 148.8787 (Blackwater Uniting Church)). It is part of the Central Queensland Presbytery.[61][62][63]

Fossils

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Discoveries in the Blackwater region include Bowengriphus, and Ebenaqua.

Notable people from Blackwater

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Olympic track cyclist Anna Meares was born in Blackwater in 1983. In 2012, a street was named after her, when Meares Street was constructed as part of a new subdivision in the centre of Blackwater.[64]

Australian television personality, actor and comedian Josh Thomas was born in Blackwater in 1987, but moved with his family to Brisbane soon after.[65]

Australian rugby league players PJ Marsh and David Taylor both grew up in Blackwater. They have represented various teams in the National Rugby League competition.[66]

Wayne Denning, who established the award-winning creative agency Carbon Creative, was born in Blackwater.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Blackwater (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.  
  2. ^ a b "Blackwater – town in Central Highlands Region (entry 3109)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Blackwater – locality in Central Highlands Region (entry 46918)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  4. ^ Kennedy, Brian and Barbara (2006). Australian Place Names. ABC Books. ISBN 073331760X.
  5. ^ "Bonnie Doon – locality unbounded in Central Highlands Regional (entry 3563)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Rangal – locality unbounded in Central Highlands Regional (entry 27977)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Coal mining in Blackwater". Blackwater International Coal Centre. Archived from the original on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  9. ^ Leichhardt, Ludwig (1847), Journal of an overland expedition in Australia, from Moreton Bay to Port Essington, a distance of upwards of 3000 miles, during the years 1844-1845, T. & W. Boone, archived from the original on 24 March 2014, retrieved 23 April 2014, available online Archived 11 July 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  11. ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  12. ^ a b c "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  13. ^ a b c d Hendry, Megan (6 November 2017). "Slain police remembered 150 years after their murder at the hands of corrupt government official". ABC News. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  14. ^ (23 October 2018) Head for the water Archived 16 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Central Queensland News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  15. ^ Shield, Tanya (19 July 2013) Memorial for officers - Double murder: Two constables killed 1867 Archived 19 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine, myPolice Rockhampton. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g (2 August 1980) Angry miners jostle Howard Archived 7 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine, The Canberra Times. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  17. ^ a b c d (4 August 1980) Qld miners attack Canberra Archived 7 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Papua New Guinea Post-Courier. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  18. ^ (9 August 1980) Howard regrets house-tax confusion Archived 7 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine, The Canberra Times. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  19. ^ (3 September 1980) Miners to vote on ending tax strike Archived 7 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine, The Canberra Times. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  20. ^ (6 September 1980) Union muscle wins again Archived 7 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine, The Canberra Times. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  21. ^ (15 June 1999), TV crew to film concert, Blackwater Herald. Accessed 2 October 2020.
  22. ^ (13 July 1999), All eyes on TV screens, Blackwater Herald. Accessed 2 October 2020.
  23. ^ (29 July 1999) Mr Burrows goes to Blackwater (transcript) Archived 7 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Season 4; Episode 24, Australian Story. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  24. ^ a b c d (3 August 1999), Program angers band supporters, Blackwater Herald. Accessed 2 October 2020.
  25. ^ (3 August 1999), Letter: Band credit where credit's due, Blackwater Herald. Accessed 2 October 2020.
  26. ^ (3 August 1999), Letter: Comments disappointing, Blackwater Herald. Accessed 2 October 2020.
  27. ^ (3 August 1999), Letter: Comments distort the truth, Blackwater Herald. Accessed 2 October 2020.
  28. ^ (10 August 1999), Letter: Producer responds, Blackwater Herald. Accessed 2 October 2020.
  29. ^ a b c (25 November 2008) Weir to be drained after child drowns Archived 29 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, ABC News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  30. ^ a b c (8 November 2013) SunWater fined over death of child at Blackwater weir Archived 31 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, ABC News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  31. ^ Edwards, Alyse (7 December 2015) Nelani Koefer inquest: Mother recalls moment 4yo was swept to her death after dam wall burst Archived 1 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine, ABC News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  32. ^ Higgins, Isabella (18 March 2016) Nelani Koefer inquest: Coroner warns against inflatable barriers after 4yo's Bedford Weir drowning Archived 12 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine, ABC News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  33. ^ (17 March 2016) Findings of Inquest: Inquest into the death of Nelani Ciara Koefer Archived 30 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Office of the State Coroner, Queensland Courts. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  34. ^ Lodge, Jess (14 January 2016) Nelani Koefer's mother suing for almost $1.5 million over Bedford Weir death in central Queensland Archived 22 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, ABC News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  35. ^ Evans, Jack (11 April 2020) BMA confirms CQ miner is positive for COVID-19 Archived 6 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine, The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  36. ^ Allen, Steph (13 April 2020) Blackwater miner tests positive for COVID-19 Archived 16 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Central Queensland News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
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  38. ^ Smith, Leighton (17 April 2020) CQ miner free of COVID-19 feeling 'very grateful' Archived 2 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Central Queensland News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  39. ^ a b Horn, Allyson; Burt, Jemima (27 May 2020) Queensland man Nathan Turner dies with coronavirus, youngest victim in Australia Archived 25 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine, ABC News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  40. ^ (28 May 2020) Coronavirus: Race to find how youngest victim became infected in small town Archived 28 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Nine News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  41. ^ Layt, Stuart (28 May 2020) Blackwater residents urged to get tested for COVID-19 as race is on to trace source Archived 6 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine, The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  42. ^ Wuth, Robyn (30 May 2020) Zero new COVID-19 cases in Queensland as Blackwater sewage tested Archived 29 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Brisbane Times. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  43. ^ Burt, Jemima; Siganto, Talissa (29 May 2020) Blackwater coronavirus death sees nurse's union accuse Queensland Government of witch-hunt Archived 6 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine, ABC News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  44. ^ (1 June 2020) Nathan Turner did not have coronavirus, Queensland Health confirms, after miner's death prompted widespread testing in Blackwater Archived 12 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine, ABC News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  45. ^ Plane, Melanie (2 June 2020) Shock findings: Blackwater COVID backflip sparks anger Archived 10 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Central Queensland News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  46. ^ Muller, Nicole (1 June 2020) Petition: Annastacia Palaszczuk and Jeannette Young to make a national apology to Nathan Turner's family, Change.org. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  47. ^ (2 June 2020) Coronavirus false positive result for Blackwater man Nathan Turner prompts apology from Queensland Premier Archived 9 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine, ABC News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  48. ^ Horn, Allyson (4 June 2020) Confusion over Blackwater COVID-19 test could jeopardise confidence in Premier's handling of coronavirus crisis Archived 16 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine, ABC News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  49. ^ Burt, Jemima (3 June 2020) Father of Blackwater man Nathan Turner backs Queensland Health response to coronavirus result Archived 10 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine, ABC News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  50. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Blackwater (SSC)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 24 April 2014.  
  51. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Blackwater (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.  
  52. ^ a b c d "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  53. ^ "Blackwater State School". Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  54. ^ a b c "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  55. ^ "Blackwater North State School". Blackwater North State School. 19 February 2020. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  56. ^ "Blackwater North SS - Special Education Program". Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  57. ^ "Blackwater State High School". Blackwater State High School. 28 May 2019. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  58. ^ "Blackwater Library". Public Libraries Connect. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  59. ^ "Frank Tutungi". Monument Australia. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  60. ^ "Branch Locations". Queensland Country Women's Association. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  61. ^ "Find a Church". Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  62. ^ "Blackwater Uniting Church". Churches Australia. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  63. ^ "Blackwater – Central Queensland". Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  64. ^ Di Stanley (10 October 2012). "Anna Meares name on new Blackwater street". Central Queensland News. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  65. ^ "Panelist: Josh Thomas". Q&A. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  66. ^ "B'water stars go head-to-head". Central Queensland News. 5 February 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
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