Bluff is a rural town and locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Bluff had a population of 324 people.[1]
| Bluff Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bluff railway station, 2017 | |||||||||||||||
  Bluff | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 23°34′47″S 149°04′14″E / 23.5797°S 149.0705°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 324 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.4749/km2 (1.2299/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4702 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 682.3 km2 (263.4 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Central Highlands Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Gregory | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Flynn | ||||||||||||||
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Geography
editThe town is located on the Capricorn Highway in Central Queensland, 804 kilometres (500 mi) north west of the state capital, Brisbane.
Bluff's location between some of Queensland's largest coal mines and the port of Gladstone has led to it becoming a major interchange station for large coal trains, some up to two kilometres long.[4]
History
edit
Based on artefacts found on the nearby Blackdown Tableland National Park, Aboriginal people lived in this area for thousands of years.[5]
The first European settlement occurred in the district in the 1860s as early pastoralists moved to the area.
The district was originally called Duckworth or Duckworth Creek, but in 1877 the name was changed to Bluff to match the name of the railway station. The Bluff name was derived from a local hill known as Arthur's Bluff.[2][3][5][6]
Duckworth Post Office opened by September 1906 (a receiving office had been open from late 1905) and was renamed Bluff in 1907.[7]
Duckworth Provisional School was established in January 1907 and opened in June 1907. However, the local people disliked the name Duckworth and a few months later, the name was changed to Bluff or Bluff Colliery Provisional School. On 1 January 1909, it became Bluff State School.[8]
In 2017, a suspicious fire completely destroyed the Bluff Family Store, the town's local general store.[9] Without anywhere to buy groceries, local Bluff residents needed to travel to Blackwater for supplies following the fire.[9] However, three years after the fire, an independent business called the Bluff Servo opened in the town to continue supplying the community with groceries, toiletries and fuel.[10]
Bluff and the surrounding districts are served by the Bluff Town and Rural Fire Brigade which has had active members on its books since 1975.[11] A small shed in Church Street was built to house the brigade in 1980.[11] After obtaining funding to build a larger facility in 2016, a new fire shed was built in Church Street which was officially opened in May 2018.[12]
Demographics
editIn the 2011 census, the locality of Bluff had a population of 370 people.[13]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Bluff had a population of 373 people.[14]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Bluff had a population of 324 people.[1]
Education
edit
Bluff State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at Main Street (23°34′56″S 149°04′08″E / 23.5821°S 149.0688°E).[15][16] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 15 students with 2 teachers and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).[17]
Notable residents
edit- Casey Conway, National Rugby League player for Sydney Roosters
References
edit- ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Bluff (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Bluff (town) (entry 3323)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Bluff (locality) (entry 46919)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ "Bluff Rail Station". Tourism Queensland. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
- ^ a b "Supporting information document" (PDF). Bluff project. Carabella Resources Ltd. pp. 410–411. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ "The Progress of Surveys on the Northern Railway". Rockhampton Bulletin (Daily. ed.). 29 June 1874. p. 2. Retrieved 25 April 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ "Agency ID 4860, Bluff State School". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ^ a b Booth, Kristen (8 December 2017). "42km round trip for groceries after devastating CQ fire". The Morning Bulletin. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ Booth, Kristen (8 December 2020). "New business saves CQ locals a 42km trip for fuel, supplies". Central Queensland News. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ a b "New home for Bluff Rural Fire Brigade". The Morning Bulletin. News Corp Australia. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "New shed for Bluff Rural Fire Brigade". Central Highlands Regional Council. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Bluff (SSC)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Bluff (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Bluff State School". Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
External links
edit- "Bluff". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.
- "Town map of Bluff". Queensland Government. 1977.
