Rainbow Beach Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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Coordinates | 25°54′27″S153°05′20″E / 25.9075°S 153.0888°E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 1,249 (2016 census) [1] | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 87.3/km2 (226.2/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Established | 1969 | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 4581 | ||||||||||||||
Elevation | 14 m (46 ft) | ||||||||||||||
Area | 14.3 km2 (5.5 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
Location | |||||||||||||||
LGA(s) | Gympie Region | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Gympie | ||||||||||||||
Federal Division(s) | Wide Bay | ||||||||||||||
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Rainbow Beach is a coastal rural town and locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. [2] [3] In the 2016 census, Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,249 people. [1]
It is a popular tourist destination, both in its own right and as a gateway to Fraser Island.
Rainbow Beach is bounded to the east by Wide Bay in the Coral Sea. [4]
The town's name derives from the rainbow-coloured sand dunes surrounding the settlement. According to the legends of the Kabi people, the dunes were coloured when Yiningie, a spirit represented by a rainbow, plunged into the cliffs after doing battle with an evil tribesman. [5] Much of the sand colours stem from the rich content of minerals in the sand, such as rutile, ilmenite, zircon, and monazite. A black dune of ilmenite sands, overgrown by dune vegetation, can be found north west of the main town. This is currently being removed for sale in China with complete removal expected to take two years.
The Cooloola Section of the Great Sandy National Park borders the town to the south. A number of walking tracks through the national park depart from the southern outskirts of Rainbow Beach. [6] This includes the northern end point of the Cooloola Great Walk. [7]
By road, Rainbow Beach is located 75 kilometres (47 mi) from the Bruce Highway town of Gympie, and 239 kilometres (149 mi) from the Queensland state capital, Brisbane.
The town's war memorial commemorating those who died in the World War I and subsequent conflicts was refurbished in 1993 and is also located in Laurie Hanson Park. [8]
Rainbow Beach State School opened on 28 January 1986. [9]
The Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd opened on 15 September 1993. The church and hall were relocated from Yeronga in Brisbane in a 15-hour journey and re-erected in Rainbow Beach. The church had operated in Yeronga under the same name from 1958 to 1992. [10] [11] [12]
At the 2011 census, Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,103. [13]
Rainbow Beach Library was opened in 2012. [14]
In the 2016 census, Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,249 people. [1]
The town's economy is now dominated by tourism, featuring quiet and idyllic holidays, fishing and retirement getaway. The town caters to beach-orientated holiday-makers with hotels, motels, and caravan parks. The town promotes itself as the "Gateway to Fraser Island" as vehicular ferries for Fraser Island depart from Inskip Point, north of town. Double Island Point, a popular destination amongst 4WD enthusiasts, is located east of town. It is also promoted as an eco-tourism destination.
Although it has a permanent population of about 1,000, about 70,000 visitors come to the town each year. [15]
Gympie Regional Council operates Rainbow Beach Library at Rainbow Beach Community Hall, 32 Rainbow Beach Road ( 25°54′16″S153°05′25″E / 25.9045°S 153.0902°E ). [16]
The Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd is at 17-19 Carlo Street ( 25°54′27″S153°05′13″E / 25.9075°S 153.0870°E ). [17]
St Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church is at the south-east end of Manooka Drive ( 25°54′38″S153°05′19″E / 25.9105°S 153.0887°E ). [18]
Rainbow Beach State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Warooga Road ( 25°54′26″S153°04′43″E / 25.9073°S 153.0787°E ). [19] [20] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 93 students with 8 teachers (6 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent). [21]
Mooloolaba is a coastal suburb of Maroochydore in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It is located 97 kilometres (60 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane, and is part of the Maroochydore urban centre. In the 2016 census, Mooloolaba had a population of 7,730 people.
Gympie is a city and a locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about 170.7 kilometres (110 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River, which floods Gympie occasionally. Gympie is the administrative centre for the Gympie Region area. As of June 2018 Gympie had a population of 51,578.
Sandgate is a northern coastal suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Sandgate had a population of 4,909 people.
Chermside is a major suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The suburb is situated just 9 km north of the city and is one of Brisbane's fastest developing suburbs. Chermside is known as a mini CBD of Brisbane. It is home to the largest Westfield shopping centre in Australia.
Coolangatta is a coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is the Gold Coast's southernmost suburb and it borders New South Wales. In the 2016 census, Coolangatta had a population of 5,948 people.
Caloundra is a coastal town and the southernmost town in the Sunshine Coast Region in South East Queensland, Australia.
Burleigh Heads is a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Burleigh Heads had a population of 10,077 people.
Kedron is a northern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Goomeri is a town and locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Goomeri had a population of 664 people.
The Shire of Cooloola was a local government area located about 170 kilometres (106 mi) north of Brisbane – the state capital of Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of 2,968.8 square kilometres (1,146.3 sq mi), and was the product of a merger in 1993 between the City of Gympie and the Shire of Widgee, which had both existed since 1879-1880. It merged with several other LGAs to form the Gympie Region on 15 March 2008.
Noosaville is a town and suburb in Noosa in the Shire of Noosa, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Noosaville had a population of 8,124 people.
Cooloola is a coastal locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Cooloola had a population of 3 people.
Tin Can Bay is a coastal town and locality in the Wide Bay–Burnett region in Queensland, Australia. The locality is split between the Fraser Coast Region and the Gympie Region, but the town itself is within Gympie Region. In the 2016 census, Tin Can Bay had a population of 2,242 people.
The Gympie Region is a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about 170 kilometres (110 mi) north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is between the Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay and centred on the town of Gympie. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shires of Cooloola and Kilkivan and part of the Shire of Tiaro.
Southside is a semi-rural locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Southside had a population of 5,737 people.
Imbil is a rural town and locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Imbil had a population of 924 people.
Gunalda is a town in the Gympie Region and a locality split between Gympie Region and Fraser Coast Region in Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality had a population of 392 people.
Wide Bay–Burnett is a region of the Australian state of Queensland, located between 170–400 km (110–250 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane. The area's population growth has exceeded the state average over the past 20 years, and it is forecast to grow to more than 430,000 by 2031. It is the subject of the Draft Wide Bay–Burnett Regional Plan, which aims to facilitate this growth while protecting over 90% of the region from urban development.
The City of Gympie is a former local government area in the south-east of Queensland, Australia, responsible for governing Gympie.
Toolara Forest is a locality split between Gympie Region and Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Toolara Forest had a population of 0 people.
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