Monkland, Queensland

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Monkland Gympie,  Queensland
Scottish Gympie Gold Mine, No. 2 shaft, 1900
Monkland
Coordinates	26°12′35″S152°41′10″E / 26.2097°S 152.6861°E / -26.2097; 152.6861 (Monkland (centre of locality))
Population	1,125 (2016 census) [1]
• Density	204.5/km2 (530/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4570
Elevation	63 m (207 ft)
Area	5.5 km2 (2.1 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	4 km (2 mi) SSE of Gympie 164 km (102 mi) N of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Gympie Region
State electorate(s)	Gympie
Federal division(s)	Wide Bay
Suburbs around Monkland: Gympie Victory Heights East Deep Creek Gympie Monkland East Deep Creek Southside Glanmire Mothar Mountain

Monkland is a rural locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. ^[2] In the 2016 census Monkland had a population of 1,125 people. ^[1]

Geography

Monkland is a suburb of Gympie, 4 kilometres (2 mi) south-east of the centre of Gympie on the north-east bank of the Mary River. The Bruce Highway passes through from south to north-west, and Brisbane Road (State Route 15) diverges to the north and then north-east from the highway. Between these two roads is the Lake Alford Recreational Park, which includes the Goldminer’s Monument. The eastern boundary of the locality is immediately to the east of the North Coast railway line, ^[3] with Glanmire railway station serving the locality ( 26°12′27″S152°41′39″E / 26.2075°S 152.6942°E / -26.2075; 152.6942 (Glanmire railway station) ). ^[4]

History

The Gympie region was the site of a gold rush in the late 1860s and onwards, and the suburb of Monkland, named by a prospector after a town in Scotland, ^[5] itself contained a number of profitable mines including the No.2 Great Eastern Gold Mine. By 1873, rapid expansion of the area had led to the construction of a number of shops and four hotels in the main street, with many families living in the area. ^[6]

In April 1873 the Primitive Methodist Church opened their enlarged church building, while the construction of a Presbyterian Church was underway. ^[7]

In 1880 a public meeting called for the establishment of a school, ^[8] due to the number of families in the district and the long walk to the One Mile State School which had been established in 1869. Monkland State School opened on 24 September 1884 ^[9] with 74 pupils in attendance. The school was struck by a tornado in 1932, and a new building had to be constructed. An extensive reconstruction occurred in 1958, and demountables were added in the 1970s and 1980s. The original timber-frame headmaster's residence, designed by architect Robert Ferguson, is largely fenced off from the school and has been heritage listed by the Queensland Government. ^[6]

The North Coast railway line was built through the area in 1889 connecting Gympie to Brisbane, which involved a considerable gradient between Monkland and Gympie of 30 metres (98 ft). The section of the line was decommissioned a hundred years later when the North Coast railway line was electrified and realigned in 1989.^{[ citation needed ]}

Steam locomotive on the Mary Valley railway

The Mary Valley railway line was a branch line of the North Coast railway line, which branched west at Monkland railway station ( 26°12′40″S152°41′04″E / 26.2110°S 152.6845°E / -26.2110; 152.6845 (Monkland railway station) ) ^[4] and continued to Brooloo in the upper Mary Valley. It was constructed between 1911 and April 1915 to facilitate closer settlement of the Mary River valley. ^[10] The line reached Kandanga railway station in February 1914 and the terminus of Brooloo in April 1915. ^[10] In March 1920 an extension of 10 miles 20 chains (16.5 km) to Kenilworth was approved at an estimated cost of £175,000. ^[11] However, the extension was never constructed. By the 1970s the line become increasingly unprofitable, due to the economic impact on the dairying industry of lower butter consumption due to competition of margarine and the loss of the United Kingdom export market when the UK entered the European Economic Community. The Wide Bay Co-Operative Butter Factory in Gympie (Australia's largest butter factory in 1925) closed in May 1978 after nearly 80 years of operation. In 1988 staff were withdrawn from Imbil, Amamoor and Dagun. ^[12] The pineapple industry lobbied successfully to keep the line operational until 1995. The Mary Valley Heritage Railway Board proposed to operate a tourist train on the line in 1996 using volunteers and trainees. The tourist train service known as the Mary Valley Rattler commenced on 23 May 1998. ^[10]

The closure of the Mary Valley railway line and the realignment of the North Coast railway line resulted in the closure of Monkland railway station, but it is now listed on the Gympie Local Heritage Register. ^[13]

In the 2006 census Monkland had a population of 1,042 people. ^[14]

In the 2016 census Monkland had a population of 1,125 people. ^[1]

Heritage listings

Monkland State School Residence, 1997

Monkland has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Old Brisbane Road ( 26°12′56″S152°41′20″E / 26.2156°S 152.689°E / -26.2156; 152.689 (No. 1 Scottish Gympie Mine and Battery) ): No. 1 Scottish Gympie Mine and Battery ^{[15] [16]}
• Brisbane Road: Monkland State School ^[17]
• Brisbane Road ( 26°12′46″S152°41′14″E / 26.2129°S 152.6871°E / -26.2129; 152.6871 (Monkland State School Residence) ): Monkland State School Residence ^[18]
• Brisbane Road: Monkland Railway Station ^[13]
• 208 Brisbane Road: Inglewood Hill Pottery ^[19]
• 215 Brisbane Road ( 26°12′48″S152°41′04″E / 26.2132°S 152.6845°E / -26.2132; 152.6845 (Andrew Fisher's Cottage) ):Andrew Fisher's Cottage ^[20]

Economy

Monkland has a small industrial area and a particle board plant for Carter Holt Harvey.^{[ citation needed ]}

Education

Monkland State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 220 Brisbane Road ( 26°12′50″S152°41′09″E / 26.2138°S 152.6859°E / -26.2138; 152.6859 (Monkland State School) ). ^{[21] [22]} In 2008 the school had 134 students and offered an instrumental music program.^{[ citation needed ]} In 2018 the school had an enrolment of 78 students with 17 teachers (14 full-time equivalent) and 16 non-teaching staff (8 full-time equivalent). ^[23]

There is no secondary school in Monkland. The nearest government secondary school is Gympie State High School located about two kilometres away in Gympie ^[24] to the north. ^[24]

Amenities

Lake Alford, 2013

Australian White Ibis nesting in Lake Alford park, 2022

Lake Alford Park located beside the Bruce Highway ( 26°12′57″S152°41′09″E / 26.2159°S 152.6858°E / -26.2159; 152.6858 (Lake Alford Park) ) contains an all-abilities playground and is known for the range of bird life around the lake. ^[25]

The suburb contains a junior rugby league club.^{[ citation needed ]}

Classic Hits 558 AM (4GY) radio station operates from Monkland.^{[ citation needed ]}

Attractions

Monkland contains the Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum, which contains a collection of documentation, artifacts and photographs, with each building in the museum exploring different aspects of the history of the Gympie region, and containing parts of the former No.2 Great Eastern Gold Mine. ^[26] The personal collection of Andrew Fisher, an early Labor Prime Minister of Australia who represented the area in the Federal Parliament, is also located here.

The Monkland railway station, built in 1911, is part of the Mary Valley Rattler which has been operated by the Apex Club of Gympie since 1998.

Transport

Polleys Coaches bus services also provide public transport access, with four or five services a day to and from Gympie on weekdays and three on Saturdays. ^[27]

Politics

2013 Federal Election Source: AEC   The Nationals 37.99%   Labor 25.04%   Katter's Australian Party 6.84%   Family First 1.89%   Greens 6.84%   Palmer United Party 20.82%	2010 Federal Election Source: AEC   The Nationals 61.06%   Labor 23.85%   Independent 9.16%   Family First 3.92%   Greens 8.53%   One Nation 2.65%	2007 Federal Election Source: AEC   The Nationals 51.01%   Labor 26.87%   Independent 9.16%   Family First 5.59%   Greens 5.59%	2004 Federal Election Source: AEC   The Nationals 39.65%   Labor 24.44%   Independent 19.83%   One Nation 6.73%   Greens 4.24%	2001 Federal Election Source: AEC   Liberal 47.60%   Labor 21.98%   Independent 13.39%   One Nation 13.10%   Democrats 2.48%
2006 State Election Source: ECQ   The Nationals 47.47%   Ind. (ex-ALP) 15.86%   Labor 10.92%   Family First 10.44%   Independent 9.18%	2004 State Election Source: ECQ   Independent 34.89%   Labor 26.17%   The Nationals 21.50%   Independent 8.52%   One Nation 8.49%	2001 State Election Source: ECQ   Labor 32.61%   One Nation 24.31%   The Nationals 24.31%   CCA 18.77%

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Monkland (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
2. "Monkland – locality in Gympie Region (entry 47106)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 27 December 2020.
3. Google (13 August 2019). "Monkland, Queensland" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
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. "Monkland railway station (entry 22516)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 22 June 2017.
6. "Monkland State School Residence (entry 602013)". Queensland Heritage Register . Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
7. "NOTES OF THE MONTH". Gympie Times And Mary River Mining Gazette . Vol. V, no. 650. Queensland, Australia. 10 May 1873. p. 3. Retrieved 17 September 2021– via National Library of Australia.
8. "Gympie Gold Mining Precinct: Strategic Plan" (PDF). Gympie Regional Council . October 2019. p. 7. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
9. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN   978-1-921171-26-0
10. "Imbil Railway Bridge (entry 602791)". Queensland Heritage Register . Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
11. "QUEENSLAND PARLIAMENT". Morning Bulletin . Queensland, Australia. 5 March 1920. p. 6. Retrieved 20 February 2020– via Trove.
12. "About Us". Mary Valley Rattler. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
13. "Monkland Railway Station" (PDF). Local Heritage Register. Gympie Regional Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
14. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Monkland (Cooloola Shire) (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
15. "No. 1 Scottish Gympie Mine and Battery (entry 600536)". Queensland Heritage Register . Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
16. "No. 01 Scottish Gympie Gold Mine" (PDF). Local Heritage Register. Gympie Regional Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
17. "Monkland State School" (PDF). Local Heritage Register. Gympie Regional Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
18. "Monkland State School Residence (entry 602013)". Queensland Heritage Register . Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
19. "Inglewood Hill Pottery" (PDF). Local Heritage Register. Gympie Regional Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
20. "Andrew Fishers Cottage (entry 600537)". Queensland Heritage Register . Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
21. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
22. "Monkland State School". Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
23. "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
24. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland . Retrieved 3 March 2021.
25. "Lake Alford Recreational Park". Tourism & Events Queensland . Retrieved 3 March 2021.
26. Shearman, Wayne (5 June 2005). "A town with a golden past". ABC (Wide Bay). No longer online
27. Polleys Coaches. "Polleys - Gympie and Cooloola Bus Services". Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 19 March 2008.

External links

• "Mary Valley Rattler (official site)".