Port Curtis, Queensland

This article is about the suburb in Rockhampton. For the port and pastoral district in Gladstone Region, see Port Curtis (bay).

Port Curtis Rockhampton,  Queensland
Hastings Deering at Port Curtis, 2021
Port Curtis
Coordinates	23°25′11″S150°32′26″E / 23.4197°S 150.5405°E / -23.4197; 150.5405 (Port Curtis (centre of suburb))
Population	309 (2021 census) [1]
• Density	6.732/km2 (17.44/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4700
Area	45.9 km2 (17.7 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	4.2 km (3 mi) S of Rockhampton CBD 627 km (390 mi) NNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Rockhampton Region
State electorate(s)	Mirani Rockhampton
Federal division(s)	Flynn Capricornia
Suburbs around Port Curtis: Depot Hill The Common Koongal Fairy Bower Allenstown Port Curtis Lakes Creek Bouldercombe Gracemere Midgee Nerimbera

Port Curtis is a suburb of Rockhampton in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. ^[2] In the 2021 census, Port Curtis had a population of 309 people. ^[1]

Geography

The Fitzroy River bounds the suburb to the north-east. Gavial Creek, a tributary of the Fitzroy River, flows through the locality with their confluence at the north of the suburb. The land is flat and low-lying (less than 10 metres above sea level). ^[3]

The North Coast railway line passes along the western edge of the locality with the junction with the Central Western railway line at Rocklands railway station ( 23°26′11″S150°31′13″E / 23.4364°S 150.5203°E / -23.4364; 150.5203 (Rocklands railway station) ) within Port Curtis. ^{[3] [4]}

As at January 2021, very little of the land has been developed with only a few small pockets of residential and industrial use. ^[3]

History

Archer Hotel at Port Curtis, 2012

Port Curtis Road State School opened on 23 March 1875. ^[5]

In 1912, a Baptist church opened in Port Curtis Road close to the state school. ^{[6] [7]} It was a "rapid erection" with construction of pre-fabricated sections commencing at 3pm to be completed in time for an official opening service at around 6pm on Saturday 30 November 1912. ^{[8] [9]}

Apart from some land south of Baxter Street, Port Curtis was completely flooded by the Fitzroy River in early January 2011. ^[10]

The Archer Hotel, formerly the Balmoral Hotel, was located at Port Curtis until a fire completely destroyed the pub on 1 January 2018. ^{[11] [12]} Built in the late 1800s, the hotel had been closed for four years before the fire. ^{[13] [14]} In 1983, a Ford Telstar sedan belonging to suspected murder victim Bradley Kerrisk was recovered from the Balmoral Hotel at Port Curtis after he went missing, having been last seen at Callaghan Park on 24 June 1983. ^[15] A $250,000 reward is still on offer for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for Kerrisk's disappearance and suspected murder. ^[16]

The Rockhampton site of mining and industrial equipment supplier Hastings Deering, one of Rockhampton's major employers, is located at Port Curtis. ^{[17] [18]}

Demographics

In the 2016 census, Port Curtis had a population of 281 people. ^[19]

In the 2021 census, Port Curtis had a population of 309 people. ^[1]

Education

Port Curtis Road State School, 2021

Port Curtis Road State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Port Curtis Road ( 23°24′48″S150°30′50″E / 23.4134°S 150.5140°E / -23.4134; 150.5140 (Port Curtis Road State School) ). ^{[20] [21]}

In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 54 students with 5 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent). ^[22] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 67 students with 5 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 7 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent). ^[23]

There are no secondary schools in Port Curtis. The nearest government secondary school is Rockhampton State High School in Wandal to the north.

Attractions

Billabong near the old Tropic of Capricorn marker, Port Curtis road, 2022

A pair of Tropic of Capricorn markers can be found beside the billabong on Port Curtis Road ( 23°26′17″S150°32′02″E / 23.4380°S 150.5338°E / -23.4380; 150.5338 (Tropic of Capricorn markers) ). ^[24]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Port Curtis (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
2. "Port Curtis – suburb in Rockhampton Region (entry 49353)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 29 December 2020.
3. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland . Retrieved 26 January 2021.
4. "Rocklands – railway station in Rockhampton Region (entry 28655)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 17 November 2017.
5. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN   978-1-921171-26-0
6. "Queensland Baptist churches by date of erection/opening". Baptist Church Archives Queensland. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
7. "1912 Port Curtis Rd, Rockhampton". Baptist Church Archives Queensland. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
8. "THE CHURCHES". Morning Bulletin . No. 15, 018. Queensland, Australia. 30 November 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 29 November 2021– via National Library of Australia.
9. "NEW BAPTIST CHURCH". Morning Bulletin . No. 15, 019. Queensland, Australia. 2 December 1912. p. 6. Retrieved 29 November 2021– via National Library of Australia.
10. "Port Curtis". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
11. Hooker, Amber; Gately, Michelle (1 January 2018). "Dramatic photos as Rocky pub collapses in fire". The Morning Bulletin . News Corp Australia . Retrieved 9 October 2021.
12. Gately, Michelle (1 January 2018). "'The whole sky was red': Fire rips through Rocky pub". The Morning Bulletin. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
13. Bulloch, Shayla (2 January 2018). "Floods, fights and pints: Destroyed Rocky pub's history". The Morning Bulletin. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
14. Jarrett, Vanessa (8 January 2021). "MEMORY LANE: 12 months since we lost an iconic building". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
15. Gately, Michelle (2 May 2017). "Five shocking crimes that changed Rockhampton forever". The Morning Bulletin. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
16. "Missing - Suspected Murder of Bradley Richard Kerrisk: $250,000 Reward" (PDF). Queensland Police Service . Queensland Government . Retrieved 9 October 2021.
17. Evans, Jack (22 April 2020). "Key CQ employer faring well through COVID-19" . The Morning Bulletin. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
18. Houley, Jann (13 October 2020). "PM begins Rockhampton visit at Port Curtis plant" . The Morning Bulletin. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
19. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Port Curtis (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
20. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
21. "Port Curtis Road State School". Archived from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
22. "2015 Annual Report" (PDF). Port Curtis Road State School. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
23. "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
24. Google (30 December 2022). "Old Tropic of Capricorn markers" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 30 December 2022.

Further reading

• Port Curtis Road State School (1975), Port Curtis Road State School, 1875-1975 : centenary souvenir, Port Curtis Road State School