Gumlu is a town and coastal locality in the Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Gumlu had a population of 124 people.[1]
| Gumlu Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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 Big Pumpkin at Gumlu, 2015 | |||||||||||||||
  Gumlu | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 19°52′42″S 147°41′06″E / 19.8783°S 147.685°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 124 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.3192/km2 (0.827/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4805 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 388.5 km2 (150.0 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Whitsunday Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Burdekin | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Dawson | ||||||||||||||
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Geography
editGumlu is located in between Home Hill and Bowen. It is 38.9 kilometres (24.2 mi) by road from Home Hill and 65.7 kilometres (40.8 mi) by road from Bowen.
The town of Gumlu is located near the eastern boundary of the suburb. The Bruce Highway and the North Coast railway line traverse the locality from east to west passing through the town.[4] There are three railway stops within the locality:
- Bobawaba railway station (19°49′24″S 147°34′25″E / 19.8233°S 147.5737°E)[5]
- Wakala railway station, now abandoned (19°51′02″S 147°37′21″E / 19.8505°S 147.6225°E)[5]
- Gumlu railway station, serving the town (19°52′43″S 147°41′10″E / 19.8786°S 147.6860°E)[5]
The north-eastern boundary of the locality is the Coral Sea. Molongle Creek (19°50′00″S 147°42′00″E / 19.8333°S 147.7000°E)[6] is the eastern boundary and Wangaratta Creek (19°49′00″S 147°35′00″E / 19.8166°S 147.5833°E)[7] is the western boundary. The north-eastern half of the locality is most flat land at sea level with the south-western half rising gradually with unnamed peaks of about 300 metres.[4]
History
editThe town takes its name from the Gumlu railway station which was assigned by the Queensland Railways Department on 15 January 1912, and is believed to be a corruption of an Aboriginal word gunyaloo, meaning rock wallaby.[2]
Molongle Creek Provisional School opened on 13 October 1913.[8] It became Molongle Creek State School on 1 December 1914. In 1920 it was renamed Gumlu State School.[9]
Houses have boomed in Gumlu lately[when?] by about 100% in a year, because of a coal mine opening up.
Demographics
editIn the 2016 census, the locality of Gumlu had a population of 181 people.[10]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Gumlu had a population of 124 people.[1]
Economy
editGumlu is a major region for growing of winter vegetables from April/May through to November with mangoes being harvested in the summer months.[11] To celebrate their horticultural focus, a "Big Pumpkin" and a "Big Watermelon" have been constructed in a public rest area beside the Bruce Highway in the town
Education
editGumlu State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at De Salis Street (19°52′46″S 147°41′09″E / 19.8794°S 147.6858°E).[12][13] In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 14 students with 2 teachers (1 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).[14] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 19 students with 2 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[15]
There is no secondary school in Gumlu. The nearest government secondary school is Home Hill State High School in Home Hill to the north-west.[4]
Amenities
edit
Gumlu has a petrol station.
References
edit- ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Gumlu (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Gumlu – town in Whitsunday Region (entry 15042)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Gumlu – locality in Whitsunday Region (entry 46874)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ a b c "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ a b c "Railway stations and sidings - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ "Molongle Creek – watercourse in Whitsunday Regional (entry 22459)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Wangaratta Creek – watercourse in Whitsunday Regional (entry 36453)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Our school". Gumlu State School. 14 January 2020. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Gumlu (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "Production: Quick Industry Statistics". Bowen Gumlu Growers Association Inc. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ^ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Gumlu State School". Gumlu State School. 14 January 2020. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ "Annual Report 2016" (PDF). Gumlu State School. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ^ "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
External links
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