Bybera, Queensland

Bybera Queensland
Dr Eugen Hirschfeld, 1920
Bybera
Coordinates	28°16′03″S150°56′21″E / 28.2675°S 150.9391°E / -28.2675; 150.9391 (Bybera (centre of locality))
Population	0 (2021 census) [1]
• Density	0.0000/km2 (0.000/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4387
Area	383.5 km2 (148.1 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	34.9 km (22 mi) NW of Inglewood 82.5 km (51 mi) NE of Goondiwindi 147 km (91 mi) W of Warwick 187 km (116 mi) SW of Toowoomba 305 km (190 mi) WSW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Goondiwindi Region
State electorate(s)	Southern Downs
Federal division(s)	Maranoa
Suburbs around Bybera: Kindon Kindon Bringalily Woondul Wondalli Wyaga Bybera Canning Creek Whetstone Inglewood Inglewood

Bybera is a rural locality in the Goondiwindi Region, Queensland, Australia. ^[2] In the 2021 census, Bybera had "no people or a very low population". ^[1]

Geography

The Twenty Five Mile Rocky Waterhole is a waterhole ( 28°16′00″S150°53′00″E / 28.2666°S 150.8833°E / -28.2666; 150.8833 (The Twenty Five Mile Rocky Waterhole) ). ^[3]

White Dam is a reservoir ( 28°16′00″S151°04′00″E / 28.2666°S 151.0666°E / -28.2666; 151.0666 (White Dam) ). ^[4]

Much of the locality is within the protected areas of:

• the southern section of Wondul Range National Park ^[5]
• Bringalily State Forest, which extends into the neighbouring locality of Canning Creek to the east ^[5]
• Whetstone State Forest, which extends into the neighbouring localities of Kindon to the north-west and Whetstone to the south-west ^{[5] [6]}

Apart from these protected areas, the land use is predominantly grazing on native vegetation with some crop growing in the south-west of the locality. ^[5]

History

The name derives from the homestead "Bybera" which was owned by Eugen Hirschfeld. Hirschfeld had been a member of the Queensland Legislative Council and the Queensland Medical Board before he was interned and then later exiled for being German during World War I. He was not allowed to return to Australia after the war, until General Sir John Monash personally campaigned for his return. When Hirschfeld finally returned to Australia in 1927, he purchased pastoral properties in the Inglewood and Yelarbon areas, where he experimented with pasture improvement. He also researched the potential of Australian native vegetables, especially in relation to Aboriginal nutrition. On 18 June 1946, he died at this property Bybera and was buried there. ^[2]

Demographics

In the 2016 census, Bybera had a population of 3 people. ^[7]

In the 2021 census, Bybera had "no people or a very low population". ^[1]

Education

There are no schools at Bybera. The nearest government primary schools are Inglewood State School in neighbouring Inglewood to south-east and Yelarbon State School in Yelarbon to the south. The nearest government secondary school is Inglewood State School (to Year 10) but students in the north-west of the locality may be too distant to attend this school. Also there are no nearby schools providing education to Year 12. The alternatives are distance education and boarding school. ^[8]

Notable residents

• Eugen Hirschfeld, owned a property in the area and died and was buried there ^[9]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Bybera (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
2. "Bybera – locality in Goondiwindi Region (entry 47801)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 21 July 2025.
3. "The Twenty Five Mile Rocky Waterhole – waterhole in Goondiwindi Regional (entry 34168)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 18 September 2020.
4. "White Dam – reservoir in Goondiwindi Regional (entry 37274)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 18 September 2020.
5. "Layers: Locality; Protected areas and forests; Land use; Sugarcane areas". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
6. "Whetstone State Forest – Goondiwindi Region (entry 42150)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 21 July 2025.
7. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Bybera (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
8. "Layers: Locality; Schools and school catchments". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
9. "Pasture Research Pioneer". Queensland Country Life . Vol. 11, no. 51. Queensland, Australia. 4 July 1946. p. 6. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2020– via National Library of Australia.