Gununa, sometimes spelt Gunana, is a rural town on Mornington Island within the locality of Wellesley Islands in the Shire of Mornington, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2021 census, the town of Gununa had a population of 1,022 people.[1]

Gununa
Queensland
Gununa is located in Queensland
Gununa
Gununa
Coordinates16°39′57″S 139°10′48″E / 16.6657°S 139.1800°E / -16.6657; 139.1800 (Gununa (town centre))
Population1,022 (2021 census)[1]
Postcode(s)4892
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Mornington
State electorate(s)Traeger
Federal division(s)Division of Kennedy


Geography

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Gununa is located on the southwestern end of Mornington Island, on the Gulf of Carpentaria. The town faces the Appel Channel, (16°40′55″S 139°11′31″E / 16.682°S 139.192°E / -16.682; 139.192 (Appel Channel)) on the other side of which is Denham Island (16°42′52″S 139°09′35″E / 16.7144°S 139.1597°E / -16.7144; 139.1597 (Denham Island)).[3][4][5]

History

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The town was founded in 1914[6] as Mornington Island Community, and renamed by the Queensland Place Names Board on 16 January 1982.[2] Gunana or Gununa is a Lardil word.[6]

Mornington Island State School opened on 28 January 1975.[7]

Gununa Post Office was open by 1982.[8]

Demographics

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In the 2016 census, the town of Gununa had a population of 1,136 people,[9] which is almost all of the 1,143 people who live within the shire as a whole.[10]

In the 2021 census, the town of Gununa had a population of 1,022 people,[1] which is almost all of the 1,025 people who live within the shire as a whole.[11]

Education

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Mornington Island State School is a government-run primary and secondary school for boys and girls from early childhood through Year 10. It is located at Lardil Street (16°39′59″S 139°10′57″E / 16.6663°S 139.1825°E / -16.6663; 139.1825 (Mornington Island State School)).[12][13] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 263 students, with 25 teachers and 14 part-time and full-time non-teaching staff (the equivalently of 11 full-time employees).[14] It includes a special education program.[12]

There are no schools offering education to Year 12 on the island; nor are there any nearby.[15] Distance education or boarding school are the only options for education past Year 10.

Amenities

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Gununa Post Office is in Mukukiya Street (16°39′49″S 139°10′38″E / 16.6635°S 139.1771°E / -16.6635; 139.1771 (Gununa Post Office)).[16]

Mornington Island Uniting Church is at 21 Dajibuka Street (16°39′49″S 139°10′36″E / 16.6635°S 139.1766°E / -16.6635; 139.1766 (Mornington Island Uniting Church)).[17] It is part of the Calvary Presbytery of the Uniting Church in Australia.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Gununa (UCL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 16 June 2024.  
  2. ^ a b "Gununa – town in Shire of Mornington (entry 15097)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Appel Channel – channel in the Shire of Mornington (entry 680)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Denham Island – island in the Shire of Mornington (entry 9734)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Useful Information". Mornington Shire Council. 30 April 2021. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  7. ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  8. ^ Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  9. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Gununa (UCL)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.  
  10. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Mornington (S)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 October 2018.  
  11. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mornington (Shire)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 16 June 2024.  
  12. ^ a b "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  13. ^ "Mornington Island State School". Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  14. ^ "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  15. ^ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  16. ^ "Community facilities - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 22 October 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Find a Church". Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Queensland congregations and faith communities" (PDF). Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod. March 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.