Rainbow Beach Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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Coordinates | 25°54′27″S153°05′20″E / 25.9075°S 153.0888°E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 1,220 (2021 census) [1] | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 85.3/km2 (221.0/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 2021 census, the locality of Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,220 people. [1]
It is a popular tourist destination, both in its own right and as a gateway to Fraser Island, with a vehicle ferry frequently running to the Southern point of 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.[ citation needed ]
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]
Rainbow Beach Library was opened in 2012. [13]
In the 2011 census, the locality of Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,103 people. [14]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,249 people. [15]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,220 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. [16]
Created as a means of driving tourism off-season, Rainbow Beach Family Fishing Classic & Expo has been a popular event for nearly 40 years.[ citation needed ]
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 ). [17]
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 ). [18]
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 ). [19]
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 ). [20] [21] 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). [22]
Kedron is a northern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is home to the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services headquarters. In the 2021 census, Kedron had a population of 9,907 people.
Landsborough is a town and a locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Landsborough had a population of 4,446 people.
Coolum Beach is a beachside town and coastal suburb in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the suburb of Coolum Beach had a population of 9,152 people.
Goomeri is a rural town and locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Goomeri had a population of 677 people.
Noosaville is a town and suburb in Noosa in the Shire of Noosa, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the suburb of Noosaville had a population of 8,716 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 2021 census, the locality of Tin Can Bay had a population of 2,293 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.
Araluen is a residential locality in Gympie in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Araluen had a population of 649 people.
Southside is a semi-rural locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Southside had a population of 6,312 people.
Brooloo is a rural town and locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Brooloo had a population of 369 people.
Imbil is a rural town and locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Imbil had a population of 1,071 people.
Theebine is a rural town and locality split between the Gympie Region and the Fraser Coast Region, both in Queensland, Australia.
Gunalda is a rural town in the Gympie Region and a locality split between Gympie Region and Fraser Coast Region in Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Gunalda had a population of 426 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.
Tinana is a rural town and locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Tinana had a population of 5,872 people.
Torbanlea is a rural town and locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Torbanlea had a population of 841 people.
Cooloola Cove is a coastal locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Cooloola Cove had a population of 2,921 people.
Toolara Forest is a locality split between Gympie Region and Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Toolara Forest had "no people or a very low population".
Munna Creek is a locality split between the Fraser Coast Region and the Gympie Region, in Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Munna Creek had a population of 22 people.
Inskip is a coastal locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. Inskip Point at the north of the locality is a vehicular gateway to Fraser Island. In the 2021 census, Inskip had a population of 22 people.
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