Grantham Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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![]() Grantham Hotel, located in Anzac Ave | |||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 27°34′37″S152°12′08″E / 27.5769°S 152.2022°E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 796 (2021 census) [1] | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 16.146/km2 (41.82/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 4347 | ||||||||||||||
Elevation | 109 m (358 ft) | ||||||||||||||
Area | 49.3 km2 (19.0 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
LGA(s) | Lockyer Valley Region | ||||||||||||||
County | Cavendish | ||||||||||||||
Parish | Lockyer | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Lockyer | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Wright | ||||||||||||||
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Grantham is a rural town and locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia. [2] [3] The town is located 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of the state capital, Brisbane. In the 2021 census, the locality of Grantham had a population of 796 people. [1]
The Warrego Highway passes through from east to west. The north-west corner is occupied by part of the Lockyer State Forest.
The area was first settled in 1841, by George Mocatta. [4] He named his pastoral run Grantham, which became the name of the town. [2]
In 1866, a railway siding from the main Toowoomba line was opened which assisted in the development of a small settlement. It wasn't until the mid-1870s that the Grantham railway station was built. [4]
In August 1895, tenders were called for the erection of a provisional school at Grantham Scrub. [5] In January 1896 teacher, Catherine M. Ludeman was appointed to the Grantham Scrub Provisional School, suggesting it opened around that time. [6] [7] On 1 January 1909, it became Grantham Scrub State School. It closed circa 1950. [8] It was located at 119 Missouri Road (corner of Grantham Scrub Road, 27°35′36″S152°11′06″E / 27.59327°S 152.18507°E ) within the present-day locality of neighbouring Veradilla. [9] [10]
Grantham Provisional School opened on 23 January 1905. On 1 January 1909 it became Grantham State School. [8]
A butter factory was established in 1907. The building was replaced in 1926 by a brick building which operated until 1971. [4]
Grantham Post Office opened on 1 January 1890 (a receiving office had been open from 1876). [11]
On 10 January 2011, Grantham was severely damaged in a huge flash flood. 12 people died and a large number of houses and other buildings were destroyed. [12] Following the floods, Grantham received visits by politicians including Queensland Premier Anna Bligh on numerous occasions. Australia's Governor-General Quentin Bryce also visited the town. [13] In May 2011, it was announced that the town would be moved to higher ground to prevent future damaging floods. [14] A 935-acre site was purchased so that landholders could be provided a voluntary swap of equivalent-sized blocks. The new site is situated on a hill overlooking Grantham and has permission from the state government to bypass the normal development approval process. [15] Residents of nearby Murphys Creek, Postmans Ridge, Withcott and Helidon have been included in the fast-tracked plan. As of March 2022, 110 houses are on the hill but over 50 dwellings remain in the older part of town. [16]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Grantham had a population of 634 people. 81.1% of people were born in Australia and 90.9% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 24.3%, Catholic 17.8% and Anglican 15.5%. [17]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Grantham had a population of 796 people. [1]
Grantham State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 15 Victor Street ( 27°34′26″S152°12′07″E / 27.5740°S 152.2020°E ). [18] [19] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 95 students with 6 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent). [20]