Kureelpa is a rural locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2021 census, Kureelpa had a population of 968 people.[1]

Kureelpa
Queensland
Kureelpa panorama, 2015
Kureelpa is located in Queensland
Kureelpa
Kureelpa
Coordinates26°36′24″S 152°53′34″E / 26.6066°S 152.8927°E / -26.6066; 152.8927 (Kureelpa (centre of locality))
Population968 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density71.18/km2 (184.3/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4560
Area13.6 km2 (5.3 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Sunshine Coast Region
State electorate(s)Nicklin
Federal division(s)Fairfax
Suburbs around Kureelpa:
Gheerulla Kiamba Image Flat
Gheerulla Kureelpa Highworth
Mapleton Dulong Burnside
Perwillowen

Geography

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Poona Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam with a toe drain with an un-gated spillway across a tributary of the South Maroochy River.[3][4] The main purpose of the dam is for storage of potable water for the Sunshine Coast region.[citation needed]

History

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The name Kureelpa is reportedly derived from an Aboriginal name, Kuril-ba, meaning a place of rats and mice.[2]

Kureelpa Provisional School opened on 24 February 1914, becoming Kureelpa State School on 1 June 1916. The school closed on 1 December 1967.[5] It was at 551 Nambour Mapleton Road (26°37′05″S 152°54′03″E / 26.61797°S 152.90081°E / -26.61797; 152.90081 (Kureelpa State School (former))),[6] now the site of the Blackall Range Independent School.[7]

Poona State School opened on 9 November 1915 and closed on 30 June 1933. Despite the name, this school was not located in Poona in the Fraser Coast Region, but "via Nambour", possibly in the vicinity of the Poona Dam in Kureelpa.[8] The first teacher was Ethel Edwards.[9] It closed due to low student numbers in June 1933.[10] The school buildings were sold in 1937.[11]

The Poona Dam was built in 1959. The height of the dam wall was increased in 1969 with upgrades to the spillway in 1998.[4]

Blackall Range Independent School opened on 2 February 1975.[5] It initially occupied the Kureelpa Hall and then moved to the building of the former Kureelpa State School.[7]

Demographics

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In the 2016 census, Kureelpa had a population of 907 people.[12]

In the 2021 census, Kureelpa had a population of 968 people.[1]

Education

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Blackall Range Independent School is a private primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at 551 Nambour Mapleton Road (26°37′04″S 152°54′04″E / 26.6178°S 152.9012°E / -26.6178; 152.9012 (Blackall Range Independent School)).[13][14] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 54 students with 8 teachers (6 full-time equivalent) and 11 non-teaching staff (7 full-time equivalent).[15]

There are no government schools in Kureelpa. The nearest government primary schools are Mapleton State School in neighbouring Mapleton to the south-west, Burnside State School in neighbouring Burnside to the south-east, and Nambour State College (junior school) in Nambour to the east. The nearest government secondary schools are Burnside State High School in Burnside and Nambour State College (senior school) in Nambour.[16]

Bushwalks

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The 8.5-kilometre (5.3 mi) Kureelpa Falls circuit starts at the Mapleton day-use area trailhead and passes through a gorge and various rockpools. It should be avoided after heavy rains.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Kureelpa (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.  
  2. ^ a b "Kureelpa – locality in Sunshine Coast Region (entry 48715)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Poona Dam – reservoir in the Sunshine Coast Region (entry 49658)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Poona Dam". Seqwater. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  6. ^ "Parish of Maroochy sheet 2" (Map). Queensland Government. 1955. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Our History". Blackall Range Independent School. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  8. ^ "Advertising". The Brisbane Courier. No. 17, 881. Queensland, Australia. 8 May 1915. p. 1. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "Family Notices". Nambour Chronicle And North Coast Advertiser. No. 1981. Queensland, Australia. 29 May 1942. p. 5. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "YANDINA". The Brisbane Courier. No. 23, 534. Queensland, Australia. 5 July 1933. p. 14. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "POONA STATE SCHOOL BUILDINGS PURCHASED". Nambour Chronicle And North Coast Advertiser. Vol. XXXI, no. 1723. Queensland, Australia. 11 June 1937. p. 5. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Kureelpa (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.  
  13. ^ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  14. ^ "Blackall Range Independent School". Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  15. ^ "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  16. ^ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Tips For Kureelpa Falls". 27 November 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
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  Media related to Kureelpa, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

  • "Kureelpa". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.