Thallon, Queensland

Last updated

Thallon
Queensland
AU-Qld-Thallon-Francis Hotel-2021.jpg
The Francis Hotel (2021)
Australia Queensland location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Thallon
Coordinates 28°38′13″S148°52′09″E / 28.6369°S 148.8691°E / -28.6369; 148.8691 (Thallon (town centre))
Population231 (2021 census) [1]
 • Density0.11035/km2 (0.2858/sq mi)
Postcode(s) 4497
Area2,093.3 km2 (808.2 sq mi)
Time zone AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s) Shire of Balonne
State electorate(s) Warrego
Federal division(s) Maranoa
Localities around Thallon:
St George St George Weengallon
Dirranbandi Thallon Daymar
Dirranbandi Mungindi Mungindi

Thallon is a town and a locality in the Shire of Balonne, Queensland, Australia. [2] [3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Thallon had a population of 231 people. [1]

Contents

There is a second town within the locality, Nindigully. [4]

Geography

Motor train at Thallon railway station on its way to Warwick, December 1930 StateLibQld 2 129078 Motor train at Thallon station on its way to Warwick in December 1930.jpg
Motor train at Thallon railway station on its way to Warwick, December 1930

Thallon is in South West Queensland, 571 kilometres (355 mi) west of the state capital, Brisbane.

The town is situated in roughly towards the east of the locality. The Moonie River flows from south to north through the locality and just to the west of the town. The Carnarvon Highway passes from north to south through the locality and through the town (as Hill Street) connecting the town to St George to the north and Mungindi on the border with New South Wales. The South-Western railway line passes through the locality from east to west and the town is served for freight rail by the Thallon railway station. [5] [6]

Thallon is a major wheat and woolgrowing area. [7]

History

Thallon State School group with teacher Thomas Douglas King, 1923 StateLibQld 2 145859 Thallon State School group, 1923.jpg
Thallon State School group with teacher Thomas Douglas King, 1923

Gamilaraay (Gamilaroi, Kamilaroi, Comilroy) is a language from South-West Queensland and North-West New South Wales. The Gamilaraay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Balonne Shire Council, including the towns of Dirranbandi, Thallon, Talwood and Bungunya as well as the border towns of Mungindi and Boomi extending to Moree, Tamworth and Coonabarabran in NSW. [8]

Explorer Thomas Mitchell was the first European in the Thallon district and his initials can still be found on a bloodwood tree near the Moonie River. [7]

In 1911, the area was set aside for closer settlement and 780 acres (3.2 km2) were gazetted as a town reserve. The town's name comes from its railway station, which in turn was named on 17 January 1911 by the Queensland Railways Department after James Forsyth Thallon (1847-1911) who was the Queensland Commissioner for Railways from 1900 to 1911. [7] [2]

With the coming of the railway, the town developed and shops and a hotel were established. [7]

Thallon State School opened on 24 July 1911. [9] [10] [11]

St Joseph's Catholic Church was built in 1916 from timber using a "ready-to-erect" system. It was 30 by 25 feet (9.1 by 7.6 m). It cost £268. It was officially opened by Archbishop James Duhig on Sunday 17 September 1916. It was in Garah Street ( 28°38′19″S148°51′54″E / 28.638697°S 148.865°E / -28.638697; 148.865 (St Joseph's Catholic Church) ) on a 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) site donated by F. McLoughlin. In 1980, it closed due to termite damage. [12] [13] [14] [15]

Myrtlemount Provisional School, Warrie Provisional School and Hollymount Provisional School (all named after local pastoral stations) opened on 29 September 1919 as a group of part-time schools (sharing a teacher between them). All three schools closed in 1922 due to low student numbers. [16]

Demographics

In the 2011 census, the locality of Thallon and the surrounding area had a population of 382 people. [17]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Thallon had a population of 257 people. [18]

In the 2021 census, the locality of Thallon had a population of 231 people. [1]

Heritage listings

Bullamon Homestead, 1995 Bullamon Homestead (1995).jpg
Bullamon Homestead, 1995

Thallon has the following heritage-listed sites:

Education

Thallon State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 15 Henry Street ( 28°38′01″S148°52′04″E / 28.6336°S 148.8677°E / -28.6336; 148.8677 (Thallon State School) ). [20] [21] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 36 students with 4 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 7 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent). [22] In 2022, the school had an enrolment of 18 students. [23]

There is no secondary school in Thallon; the nearest is in neighbouring St George. [5]

Facilities

Thallon Post Office, 2008 ThallonPostOffice.JPG
Thallon Post Office, 2008
Thallon Public Hall, 2008 ThallonPublicHall.JPG
Thallon Public Hall, 2008

Thallon has a post office, hotel, community hall, showground, park and sportsground. [24]

Balonne Shire Council operates a library in William Street. [25] [26]

Country Women's Association rooms, 2008 ThallonCWARooms.JPG
Country Women's Association rooms, 2008

The Thallon-Daymar branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms at 47 William Street. [27] Daymar is a neighbouring town, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) east of Thallon.

William the Wombat

William the Wombat, one of Australia's big things, 2018 William the wombat.png
William the Wombat, one of Australia's big things, 2018

In 2015, the town of Thallon decided to build a large statue of a northern hairy-nosed wombat as one of Australia's Big Things to attract tourists and to highlight the critically endangered status of the species which had once inhabited the Thallon area but is now extinct in that area. The statue is 2 m × 3.5 m (6.6 ft × 11.5 ft) and was built by David Joffe at Natureworks in Brisbane. It arrived in Thallon in October 2017 and is on display in the park. [28] [29]

There is a small population of the wombats at the Richard Underwood Nature Refuge, located between St George and Surat, established in 2009. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St George, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

St George is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Balonne, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre for the Shire of Balonne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebel, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Hebel is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Balonne, Queensland, Australia. It is on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. In the 2021 census, the locality of Hebel had a population of 62 people.

Dirranbandi is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Balonne, Queensland, Australia. The locality is on the border of Queensland with New South Wales. In the 2021 census, the locality of Dirranbandi had a population of 610 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mungindi</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Mungindi is a town and locality on the border of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland, Australia. The town is within Moree Plains Shire in New South Wales. Within Queensland, the locality is split between the Shire of Balonne and the Goondiwindi Region with the town in the Shire of Balonne. It possesses a New South Wales postcode. Mungindi sits on the Carnarvon Highway and straddles the Barwon River which is the border between New South Wales and Queensland. In the 2021 census, the locality of Mungindi had a population of 487 people in New South Wales and 124 people in Queensland, a total of 611 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Injune</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Injune is a rural town and locality in the Maranoa Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Injune had a population of 429 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collarenebri</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Collarenebri is a town in north western New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Walgett Shire Local Government Area and is situated on the Barwon River approximately 75 kilometres (47 mi) northeast of Walgett and south west of Mungindi on the Gwydir Highway. It is 16 km (9.9 mi) from Pokataroo which was the nearest railway town prior to closure of the rail service there. The town is 150 metres (490 ft) above sea level. Collarenebri is one of three towns ending in 'BRI' in Northern New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of Balonne</span> Local government area in Queensland, Australia

The Shire of Balonne is a local government area in South West Queensland, Australia, over 500 kilometres (310 mi) from the state capital, Brisbane. It covers an area of 31,104 square kilometres (12,009.3 sq mi), and has existed as a local government entity since 1879. It is headquartered in its main town, St George.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bollon, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Bollon is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Balonne, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Bollon had a population of 174 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moonie, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Moonie is a rural town in the Western Downs Region and a locality split between the Western Downs Region and the Goondiwindi Region in Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Moonie had a population of 182 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirani, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Mirani is a rural town and locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Mirani had a population of 1,806 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moonie River</span> River in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia

The Moonie River (Mooni River) is a river in Shire of Balonne, Queensland and Walgett Shire, New South Wales, both in Australia. It is a perennial river of the Barwon catchment within the Murray–Darling basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nindigully</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Nindigully is a rural town within the locality of Thallon in the Shire of Balonne, Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South West Queensland</span> Region in Queensland, Australia

South West Queensland is a remote region in the Australian state of Queensland which covers 319,808 km2 (123,479 sq mi). The region lies to the south of Central West Queensland and west of the Darling Downs and includes the Maranoa district and parts of the Channel Country. The area is noted for its cattle grazing, cotton farming, opal mining and oil and gas deposits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nindigully Pub</span> Building

The Nindigully Pub, originally built in 1864 in the town of Nindigully within the locality of Thallon, Shire of Balonne, Queensland, Australia, and is sometimes wrongly claimed to be one of Queensland's longest continually licensed premises. The license was actually surrendered by John Sparkes in 1904. It was renewed 8 years later but for a brand new building, which remains the current hotel.. It was a Cobb & Co changing station between the late 19th century and the early 20th century.

Kumbarilla is a town and rural locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Kumbarilla had a population of 223 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bungunya, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Bungunya is a rural town and locality in the Goondiwindi Region, Queensland, Australia. The locality is on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. In the 2021 census, the locality of Bungunya had a population of 62 people.

Daymar is a rural town and locality in the Goondiwindi Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Daymar had a population of 41 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talwood, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Talwood is a town in the rural locality of North Talwood in Goondiwindi Region, Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weengallon</span> Suburb of Goondiwindi Region, Queensland, Australia

Weengallon is a rural locality in the Goondiwindi Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Weengallon had a population of 46 people.

Alton is a town within the locality of St George in the Shire of Balonne, Queensland, Australia. As at 2018, it is completely covered in bushland and there are no buildings or evidence of the roads shown on the town map.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Thallon (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. 1 2 "Thallon – town in Shire of Balonne (entry 33800)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  3. "Thallon – locality in Shire of Balonne (entry 42684)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  4. "Nindigully – town in Shire of Balonne (entry 24262)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland . Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  6. "Thallon – railway station in the Shire of Balonne (entry 33801)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Thallon". Western Downs - Places to visit. Tourism Queensland . Retrieved 25 May 2007.
  8. "Indigenous Language map of Queensland". State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  9. "Thallon State School". Thallon State School. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  10. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government . Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  11. "History". Thallon State School. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  12. Blake, Thom. "St Joseph's Catholic Church". Queensland Religious Places. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  13. "LISMORE DISTRICT". The Brisbane Courier . No. 18, 181. Queensland, Australia. 25 April 1916. p. 4. Retrieved 18 July 2023 via National Library of Australia.
  14. "Thallon". Balonne Beacon . Vol. X, no. 69. Queensland, Australia. 2 September 1916. p. 3. Retrieved 18 July 2023 via National Library of Australia.
  15. "Thallon". Balonne Beacon . Vol. X, no. 75. Queensland, Australia. 23 September 1916. p. 2. Retrieved 18 July 2023 via National Library of Australia.
  16. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN   978-1-921171-26-0
  17. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Thallon (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 4 June 2013. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  18. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Thallon (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  19. "Bullamon Homestead (entry 601683)". Queensland Heritage Register . Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  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. "Thallon State School". Thallon State School. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  22. "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  23. "Annual Report 2022" (PDF). Thallon State School. p. 2. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  24. "Thallon". Balonne Shire Council. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  25. "Library location and hours". Balonne Shire Council. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  26. "Thallon Library". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland . Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  27. "Branch locations". Queensland Country Women's Association . Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  28. "William the Wombat". Southern Queensland Country Tourism. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  29. Amy-Lyne (19 October 2017). "William the Wombat to put town on map". Toowoomba Chronicle . Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  30. Robinson, Lucy (6 May 2021). "'Precious, eccentric, easy to love': Northern hairy-nosed wombat numbers reach 300". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 21 May 2021.

Further reading

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Thallon, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons