Karara, Queensland

Not to be confused with Carrara, Queensland.

Karara Queensland
Karara State School
Karara
Coordinates	28°12′29″S151°33′56″E / 28.2080°S 151.5655°E / -28.2080; 151.5655 (Karara (town centre))
Population	123 (2016 census) [1]
• Density	0.3483/km2 (0.902/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4352
Elevation	477 m (1,565 ft)
Area	353.1 km2 (136.3 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	50.6 km (31 mi) W of Warwick 90.2 km (56 mi) SW of Toowoomba 208 km (129 mi) SW of Brisbane 59 km (37 mi) ENE of Inglewood
LGA(s)	Southern Downs Region
State electorate(s)	Southern Downs
Federal division(s)	Maranoa
Localities around Karara: Stonehenge Leyburn Thanes Creek Mosquito Creek Karara Thane Gore Cement Mills Greymare

Karara ( /kərærə/ ) is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. ^{[2] [3]} In the 2016 census, the locality of Karara had a population of 123 people. ^[1]

Geography

The town is on the Darling Downs on the Cunningham Highway, 208 kilometres (129 mi) south west of the state capital, Brisbane. The highway passes through the locality from the east to the south-west. The Toowoomba–Karara Road (State Route 48) connects the highway through to the north of the locality to Leyburn and ultimately through to Toowoomba. The South Western railway line passes through the locality roughly parallel and to the north of the highway with the locality served by two railway stations:

• Durikai railway station, now abandoned ( 28°11′23″S151°36′55″E / 28.1896°S 151.6153°E / -28.1896; 151.6153 (Durikai railway station) ) ^[4]
• Karara railway station, serving the town ( 28°12′33″S151°33′49″E / 28.2091°S 151.5636°E / -28.2091; 151.5636 (Karara railway station) ). ^[4]

Both the line and Karara railway station are no longer in active use. ^[5]

The Durakai State Forest occupies the southern and eastern areas within the locality; otherwise it is freehold land predominantly used for farming apart from a small urban centre. There are a number of creeks running south to north through the locality which is in the drainage basin of the Condamine River. ^[5]

History

The name Karara is believed to be an Aboriginal name for Canal Creek. ^[3]

The South Western railway line from Warwick to Karara was opened in 1904. ^[6]

Karara State School opened on 20 July 1908. ^{[7] [8]}

Karara Post Office opened on 1 July 1927 (a receiving office had been open from 1909) and closed in 1990. ^[9]

In the 2006 census, Karara and the surrounding area had a population of 140. ^[10]

In the 2011 census, Karara had a population of 278 people. ^[11]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Karara had a population of 123 people. ^[1]

Amenities

The Southern Downs Regional Council operates a mobile library service which visits the Recreation Reserve. ^[12]

The Karara branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the Karara Public Hall at 33 School Street. ^[13]

Education

Karara State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Karara School Road ( 28°12′13″S151°33′55″E / 28.2037°S 151.5652°E / -28.2037; 151.5652 (Karara State School) ). ^{[14] [15]} In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 5 students with 3 teachers (2 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (1 full-time equivalent). ^[16] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 8 students with 2 teachers (1 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent). ^[17]

There are no secondary schools in Karara. The nearest government secondary schools are Warwick State High School (to Year 12) in Warwick to the east, Inglewood State School (to Year 10) in Inglewood to the south-west, Millmerran State School (to Year 10) in Millmerran to the north-west, Clifton State High School (to Year 12) in Clifton to the north-east, and Allora State School (to Year 10) in Allora to the north-east. ^[5]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Karara (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
2. "Karara – town in Southern Downs Region (entry 17738)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 14 August 2022.
3. "Karara – locality in Southern Downs Region (entry 45942)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 14 August 2022.
4. "Railway stations and sidings - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
5. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland . Retrieved 28 August 2022.
6. "Southern Downs Region". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland. Retrieved 12 July 2015.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
7. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government . Retrieved 12 July 2015.
8. "Karara SS" . Retrieved 30 January 2017.
9. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
10. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Karara (Warwick Shire) (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
11. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Karara". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
12. "Library Details". Southern Downs Regional Council . Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
13. "Branch locations". Queensland Country Women's Association . Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
14. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
15. "Karara State School". Karara State School. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
16. "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
17. "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority . Retrieved 28 January 2020.

External links

• Town map of Karara, 1964