Brooweena, Queensland Explained

Type:town
Brooweena
State:qld
Coordinates:-25.6016°N 152.2633°W
Pop:91
Established:1889
Postcode:4620
Area:84.5
Timezone:AEST
Utc:+10:00
Dist1:48.8
Dir1:W
Location1:Maryborough
Dist2:77.8
Dir2:SW
Location2:Hervey Bay
Dist3:295
Dir3:N
Location3:Brisbane
Lga:Fraser Coast Region
Stategov:Maryborough
Fedgov:Wide Bay
Near-N:Golden Fleece
Near-Ne:North Aramara
Near-E:Aramara
Near-Se:Woocoo
Near-S:Gigoomgan
Near-Sw:Teebar
Near-W:Boompa
Near-Nw:Golden Fleece

Brooweena is a rural town and locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia.[1] [2] In the, the locality of Brooweena had a population of 91 people.

Geography

The town is located in the Wide Bay–Burnett area and is 266km (165miles) north of the state capital, Brisbane. It is on the Maryborough–Biggenden Road. The north-west of the locality includes a large portion of the Wongi National Park and the Wongi State Forest.

History

The name Brooweena is believed to be an Aboriginal word meaning crab.[3] [4]

The town was established following the arrival of the Mungar Junction to Monto Branch Railway in 1889.

Brooweena Post Office opened on 23 December 1889.[5]

Braemar Provisional School opened on 21 January 1901 and closed on 1 July 1935. It closed in 1922 due to low attendances. It reopened in 1924 and closed on 1 July 1935 and the students were transferred to the newly opened Woocoo State School (which closed in 1961). Braemar is the name of a pastoral property south of Brooweena.

Brooweena Provisional School opened on 21 March 1904; the first teacher was Eugenie Eveline Hay. It was upgraded to a State School in 1909.[6]

Ballugan Provisional School opened on 12 November 1907. On 1 January 1909 it became Ballugan State School. It closed in December 1909 but reopened in August 1910. It closed permanently on 30 June 1911.In 1915, the chambers of the newly established Shire of Woocoo were constructed in the town. This small building survives to this day as part of the Early Settlers Museum operated by the Woocoo Historical Society.[7]

Elizabeth Mary Thomas née Eaton, formerly Mrs B J Nichols, donated land from the property Clifton for a church and cemetery. Subscription towards the building fund were made on the understanding that the church was dedicated in the name of St Mary to the memory of Woocoo Shire soldiers killed in action in World War I.[8] Opening services of the St Mary's Anglican Church were held on 26 October 1919.[9] The church was built by Matthew Edmund Rooney of Maryborough. There is a group of three stained glass windows behind the altar. In 2019 residents and descendants of past residents attended a 100th anniversary service, and a plaque to commemorate the occasion was unveiled in the church grounds.[10] The church is variously described as being located at Boompa, Brooweena, or Teebar.[11]

In 1922, the residents of the Woocoo Shire erected a war memorial outside St Mary's Church of England on the Maryborough-Biggenden Road at Teebar (now within Boompa). In 1992 the memorial was relocated to the Woocoo Historical Museum in Brooweena on the north-western corner of Lahey Street and Smith Street due to concerns about vandalism. It is now known as the Brooweena War Memorial.[12] [13] [14]

A timber mill was established in 1924, ensuring the continuing existence of the town by being its major employer. The mill was destroyed in a fire in 1988 and was rebuilt by local people. On Thursday 28 November 2013 the mill closed as it was no longer compliant with modern safety standards and the cost of modernising the mill would be millions of dollars.[15] [16] [17] After Robertson Bros Sawmills sold the Brooweena mill to Ken Hall, it was reopened in 2017.[18]

Idalia Provisional School opened on 20 July 1931 and closed on 16 April 1939.

New council chambers were opened in Brooweena on 14 April 1962 by Jack Pizzey, the Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Isis.

The town set an unofficial record in 2009 when 134 people simultaneously played the lagerphone.[19]

Demographics

In the, the locality of Brooweena and surrounds had a population of 263 people.

In the, the locality of Brooweena had a population of 104 people.

In the, the locality of Brooweena had a population of 91 people.

Heritage listings

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

Additionally, Fraser Coast Regional Council has placed the following sites on its Local Heritage Register.-

Education

Brooweena State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Lahey Street (-25.5989°N 152.261°W).[26] [27] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 12 students with 2 teachers (1 full-time equivalent) and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).[28] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 14 students with 2 teachers (1 full-time equivalent) and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).[29]

There are no secondary schools in Brooweena. The nearest government secondary schools are Aldridge State High School (to Year 12) in Maryborough to the east, Isis District State High School (to Year 12) in Childers to the north, and Biggenden State School (to Year 10) in Biggenden to the north-west.[30]

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. 29 November 2019.
  2. 29 November 2019.
  3. News: NOMENCLATURE OF QUEENSLAND.—60. 7 December 1935. The Courier-mail. 25 January 2020. Queensland, Australia. 12. Trove. 29 July 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240729084040/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/35945457. live.
  4. News: SKETCHER.. 28 March 1914. The Queenslander. 25 January 2020. Queensland, Australia. 8. Trove. 2 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201202054051/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/25505199. live.
  5. Web site: Premier Postal History . Post Office List . Premier Postal Auctions . 10 May 2014 .
  6. 2 June 2014.
  7. Web site: Woocoo Historical Society Inc. Woocoo Historical Society. 2 June 2014. 7 June 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140607141255/https://sites.google.com/site/woocoohistoricalsocietyinc/home/history-of-brooweena. live.
  8. News: 20 May 1918 . WOOCOO FALLEN SOLDIERS MEMORIAL. . 3 . . 14,037 . Queensland, Australia . 23 January 2023 . National Library of Australia . 29 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240729084108/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/151093295 . live .
  9. News: 25 October 1919 . TEEBAR. . 7 . . 14,282 . Queensland, Australia . 23 January 2023 . National Library of Australia . 29 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240729084042/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/152602501 . live .
  10. Web site: Murree . Erica . 5 November 2019 . St Mary’s Anglican Church celebrates 100 years of worship . 24 January 2023 . The Courier Mail.
  11. Web site: Design . UBC Web . St Mary's Anglican Church Churches Australia . 2023-01-22 . www.churchesaustralia.org . en . 22 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230122231824/https://www.churchesaustralia.org/list-of-churches/locations/queensland/a-b-towns/directory/3697-st-maryand#39;s-anglican-church . live .
  12. 3 April 2014.
  13. Web site: Brooweena War Memorial (Digger). Queensland War Memorial Register. 3 April 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407093645/http://www.qldwarmemorials.com.au/Pages/MemoDet.aspx?Memorial=Brooweena%20War%20Memorial%20(Digger). 7 April 2014. dead.
  14. Web site: Brooweena War Memorial . 2024-01-30 . Monument Australia . 29 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240729084049/https://monumentaustralia.org.au/search/display/90869-brooweena-war-memorial- . live .
  15. Web site: Brooweena. 8 February 2004. Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. 30 November 2009. 12 April 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080412092922/http://www.smh.com.au/news/Queensland/Brooweena/2005/02/17/1108500202186.html. live.
  16. Web site: 26 November 2013. Robertson Brothers’ sawmill closes down. live. 2021-03-22. Gympie Times. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20131129173005/http://www.gympietimes.com.au:80/news/sawmill-closes-down/2095211/ . 29 November 2013 .
  17. Web site: Johnson. Hayden. 27 November 2013. Brooweena sawmill closure destroys a family of workers. live. 2021-03-22. Fraser Coast Chronicle. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20131202164629/http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au:80/news/sawmill-closure-destroys-family-workers/2096773/ . 2 December 2013 .
  18. News: Brooweena Sawmill to be given new life . The Courier-Mail .
  19. Web site: Unofficial lagerphone record set in Brooweena. 9 June 2009. ABC Wide Bay. Australian Brooadcasting Corporation. 30 November 2009. 3 April 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100403222314/http://www.abc.net.au/local/videos/2009/06/09/2593526.htm. live.
  20. 7 July 2013.
  21. 7 July 2013.
  22. Web site: 20 October 2021 . Local Heritage Register v6 . 23 January 2023 . . Place ID 87 . 12 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230312005359/https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/downloads/file/2323/local-heritage-register . live .
  23. Web site: 20 October 2021 . Local Heritage Register v6 . 23 January 2023 . . Place ID 90 . 12 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230312005359/https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/downloads/file/2323/local-heritage-register . live .
  24. Web site: 20 October 2021 . Local Heritage Register v6 . 23 January 2023 . . Place ID 91 . 12 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230312005359/https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/downloads/file/2323/local-heritage-register . live .
  25. Web site: 20 October 2021 . Local Heritage Register v6 . 22 January 2023 . . Place ID 93 . 12 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230312005359/https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/downloads/file/2323/local-heritage-register . live .
  26. Web site: 9 July 2018 . State and non-state school details . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20181121065959/https://data.qld.gov.au/dataset/state-and-non-state-school-details/resource/5b39065c-df32-415c-994c-5ff12f8de997 . 21 November 2018 . 21 November 2018 . Queensland Government.
  27. Web site: 2020-11-29 . Brooweena State School . 2024-01-30 . Brooweena State School . en . 31 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231031132341/https://brooweenass.eq.edu.au/ . live .
  28. Web site: ACARA School Profile 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20181122010027/http://www.acara.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/school-profile-20172c7b12404c94637ead88ff00003e0139.xlsx?sfvrsn=0 . 22 November 2018 . 22 November 2018.
  29. Web site: ACARA School Profile 2018 . 28 January 2020 . . 27 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200827085246/https://www.acara.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/school-profile-2018.xlsx . live .
  30. Web site: Layers: Locality; Schools and school catchments. Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. 30 January 2024. 19 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171219175447/https://qldglobe.information.qld.gov.au/. live.

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