Dunwich is one of three towns on North Stradbroke Island – the others being Amity Point and Point Lookout.[4]
History
Originally known as Goompi by the Indigenous Nunukul people, it was renamed Green Point and then Dunwich by British colonists.[5]
The first British establishment at Dunwich was built in 1825 as a military post and an adjunct convict station to the larger nearby Moreton Bay Penal Settlement.[6] The convicts assigned at Dunwich were put to work cutting and preparing timber from cedar logs which were rafted across the bay from the mainland. They also laboured on a cotton plantation formed there.[7][8]
Dunwich was considered a good place to load and discharge cargo from visiting ships that travelled through the South Passage between Stradbroke and Moreton Islands. However cargo was lost in bad weather and local Aboriginals were hostile so the post was disbanded in 1831.[6]
Dunwich Provisional School opened on 21 January 1889 as a school for aboriginal children. In 1890-1 it was moved to Bribie Island. In November 1892, it was moved to Peel Island. It was later moved to the new Myora Mission on North Stradbroke Island.[10]
In 1892, a leper colony was established at Dunwich; later this facility was closed and the lepers moved to the Peel Island lazaret.[11] A quarantine station opened in 1850, although this was eventually moved to the more isolated St Helena Island in Moreton Bay. The station was converted into a nursing home for the elderly and infirmed, one of Queensland's first such facilities. The home was moved to Sandgate in 1946. The main cemetery on the island (Dunwich Cemetery) is found in this small town and contains the graves of over 10,000 people, most of which are unmarked. Other small cemeteries were established for the indigenous community and the leper colony.[citation needed]
Dunwich Post Office opened on 22 October 1896 (a receiving office had been open from 1885).[12]
A second Dunwich Provisional School opened on 18 August 1904. On 1 May 1915, it became Dunwich State School.[10] The school later[when?] expanded to include a secondary department which closed in 2012,due to low enrolment numbers (6 students).[13]
In 1942, after the closure of the Myora Mission, the residents were not allowed to move into Dunwich, but were instead sent to One Mile (also known as Moopi Moopi Pa), which was a fringe camp between Myora and Dunwich. Other families chose to leave the island altogether.[14]
The 'Aboriginal Gang' that worked the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum were the first Aboriginal people in Australia to receive equal wages. In 1944, after a 25-year campaign, the Aboriginal workers gained equal wages almost 20 years before anywhere else in Australia. The Asylum closed shortly after with the Aboriginal Gang only getting equal wages for one and a half years.[15]
Demographics
In the 2011 census, the locality of Dunwich had a population of 883 people, 48.1% female and 51.9% male. The median age of the Dunwich population was 39 years, 2 years above the national median of 37. 86.2% of people living in Dunwich were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were New Zealand 3.8%, England 2.4%, India 0.7%, France 0.6%, Germany 0.6%. 90.8% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 0.6% Indonesian, 0.5% Other Australian Indigenous Languages, nec, 0.5% German, 0.5% Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole).[16]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Dunwich had a population of 864 people.[17]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Dunwich had a population of 737 people.[1]
Heritage listings
St Mark's Anglican Church and Dunwich Public Hall, 2009
Dunwich State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at Bingle Road (27°29′46″S153°24′15″E / 27.4960°S 153.4041°E / -27.4960; 153.4041 (Dunwich State School)).[24][25] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 172 students with 14 teachers (11 full-time equivalent) and 14 non-teaching staff (9 full-time equivalent).[26] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 177 students with 15 teachers (12 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent).[27] The school includes a special education program.[24]
There are no secondary schools in Dunwich, nor on the island. The nearest government secondary school is Cleveland District State High School in Cleveland on mainland to the south-west.[4]
Transport
There is no bridge to North Stradbroke Island. Vehicular ferries which cross Moreton Bay link the mainland with North Stradbroke Island dock at Dunwich. Mining companies have also extensive barge docking and loading facilities at Dunwich.[citation needed]
123Hogan, Janet (1982). Living History of Brisbane. Spring Hill, Queensland: Boolarang Publications. p.23. ISBN0-908175-41-8.
↑"Colonial Politics". The Colonist. Vol.I, no.52. New South Wales, Australia. 24 December 1835. p.1. Retrieved 14 December 2025– via National Library of Australia.
↑"95 YEARS AGO". The Brisbane Courier. No.20, 429. Queensland, Australia. 14 July 1923. p.18. Retrieved 14 December 2025– via National Library of Australia.
↑"Government Orders". The Monitor (Sydney). Vol.II, no.66. New South Wales, Australia. 19 July 1827. p.2 (EVENING). Retrieved 14 December 2025– via National Library of Australia.
↑"Stradbroke Island". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
↑Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Archived from the original on 19 August 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
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