Wongaling Beach is a tropical beachside coastal town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Wongaling Beach had a population of 1,323 people.[1]
| Wongaling Beach Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cassowary Statue | |||||||||||||||
  Wongaling Beach | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 17°54′52″S 146°05′50″E / 17.9145°S 146.0972°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 1,323 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 90.6/km2 (234.7/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4852 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 14.6 km2 (5.6 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
| ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Cassowary Coast Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Hill | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Kennedy | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Geography
edit
The locality takes its name from the beach Wongaling Beach (17°54′14″S 146°05′51″E / 17.9039°S 146.0974°E) which extends the length of the locality's coastline,[4][5] and is part of a continuous 11-kilometre (6.8 mi) sandy coastline which links the three adjacent coastal localities (from north to south): Mission Beach (sometimes called North Mission Beach), Wongaling Beach, and South Mission Beach.[6]
Most of the residential development is along the eastern coastal strip of the locality with the town centre on the coast in the south-east of the locality. The western part of the locality is undeveloped tropical forests.[6]
Dunk Island lies off the southern coast of Wongaling Beach.[6]
History
editThe suburb takes its name from its beach where the town allotments were surveyed in 1973. Wongaling is an Aboriginal word meaning pigeon.[2]
Mission Beach State School opened on 27 January 1953 in the "tropical jungle" of Mission Beach to the north. On 1 February 1993, the school re-opened at a new site in Wongaling Beach.[7][8][9]
Wongaling Beach Library facility was given a major refurbishment in 2002.[10]
Demographics
editIn the 2016 census, the locality of Wongaling Beach had a population of 1,245 people.[11]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Wongaling Beach had a population of 1,323 people.[1]
Education
edit
Despite its name, Mission Beach State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Webb Road (17°54′15″S 146°05′33″E / 17.9042°S 146.0925°E).[12][13] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 310 students with 21 teachers (20 full-time equivalent) and 19 non-teaching staff (11 full-time equivalent).[14]
There is no secondary school in Wongaling Beach. The nearest government secondary school is Tully State High School in Tully to the south-west.[6]
Facilities
editMission Beach Police Station is at 2 Webb Street (17°54′17″S 146°05′30″E / 17.9048°S 146.0918°E).[15][16] Mission Beach SES Facility is at the rear of the police station (17°54′18″S 146°05′31″E / 17.9050°S 146.0920°E).[16]
Mission Beach Fire Station is at 4 Webb Street (17°54′17″S 146°05′32″E / 17.9047°S 146.0922°E).[17][16]
Mission Beach Ambulance Station is at 6 Webb Street (17°54′17″S 146°05′33″E / 17.9048°S 146.0926°E).[18][16]
Mission Beach Community Health Centre is at 26 Wongaling Beach Road (17°53′45″S 146°05′36″E / 17.8959°S 146.0933°E). It operates three days a week.[19][20] At other times, the nearest health services are in Tully.[21]
Amenities
editCassowary Coast Regional Council operates Wongaling Beach Library at 2018 Tully Mission Beach Drive (17°53′45″S 146°05′29″E / 17.8957°S 146.0913°E).[22]
Holy Spirit Catholic Church is at 12 Webb Road (17°54′18″S 146°05′36″E / 17.9050°S 146.0934°E). It is within the Tully Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns.[23]
Wongaling Beach contains a Woolworths supermarket, the largest supermarket within a 42 kilometres (26 mi) radius. The suburb also features a town pool and skate park. A community funded 'Splash Pad' was also opened in August of 2018.[24][citation needed]
Events
editCassowary Coast Multisports Club organise an annual 5 kilometres (3.1 mi), 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) and 21 kilometres (13 mi) run along the beach, beginning and ending in Wongaling Beach.[25]
Attractions
edit
The Big Cassowary is one of Australia's big things. It is a statue of a cassowary on the south-east corner of Tully Mission Beach Road and Wongaling Beach Road (17°53′51″S 146°05′30″E / 17.8975°S 146.0918°E).[26]
Climate
editWongaling Beach has a tropical climate. The nearest Bureau station with monthly weather statistics is in South Johnstone which is located 35.4 kilometres (22.0 mi) from Wongaling Beach.
| Climate data for South Johnstone, Queensland | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.2 (88.2) |
30.8 (87.4) |
29.9 (85.8) |
28.2 (82.8) |
26.3 (79.3) |
24.4 (75.9) |
23.9 (75.0) |
25.2 (77.4) |
27.1 (80.8) |
29.0 (84.2) |
30.5 (86.9) |
31.2 (88.2) |
28.1 (82.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.6 (72.7) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.1 (71.8) |
20.5 (68.9) |
18.4 (65.1) |
16.0 (60.8) |
15.2 (59.4) |
15.5 (59.9) |
16.7 (62.1) |
18.8 (65.8) |
20.6 (69.1) |
21.8 (71.2) |
19.2 (66.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 525.5 (20.69) |
570.5 (22.46) |
611.7 (24.08) |
387.9 (15.27) |
267.9 (10.55) |
156.1 (6.15) |
111.7 (4.40) |
88.4 (3.48) |
83.8 (3.30) |
98.3 (3.87) |
147.2 (5.80) |
260.8 (10.27) |
3,283.8 (129.28) |
| Average precipitation days | 14.3 | 15.2 | 16.7 | 15.6 | 13.8 | 10.2 | 9.1 | 8.1 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 8.3 | 10.3 | 135.6 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology [27] | |||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Wongaling Beach (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Wongaling Beach – town in Cassowary Coast Region (entry 37927)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ "Wongaling Beach – locality in Cassowary Coast Region (entry 45770)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ "Wongaling Beach – beach in Cassowary Coast Regional (entry 37926)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ "Mountain ranges beaches and sea passages - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
- ^ "Our school". Mission Beach State School. 10 February 2020. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "Facilities". Mission Beach State School. 10 February 2020. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "Public Libraries Statistical Bulletin 2016-17" (PDF). Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. November 2017. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Wongaling Beach (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.
- ^ "Mission Beach State School". Mission Beach State School. 10 February 2020. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ "Mission Beach Station". Queensland Police. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Emergency services facilities - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ "Mission Beach Fire Station". Cassowary Coast Informer. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "Mission Beach Ambulance Station". Cassowary Coast Informer. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "Mission Beach Community Health Centre". Queensland Health. 22 October 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "Landmark Areas - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ Katter, Bob (11 December 2019). "Mission Beach GP shuts down after 25 years" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "Wongaling Beach Library". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. 19 December 2017. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ "Tully Parish". Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "The Rotary Splash Pad – Now Under Construction". 9 May 2018. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "Beachruns@Mission". Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ Clark, David (2004). Big Things: Australia's Amazing Roadside Attractions. Penguin Books. pp. 18–19. ISBN 0-14-300200-7.
- ^ "Climate statistics for Australian locations". 3 May 2018. Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
External links
edit
- "Wongaling Beach". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.