Cooladdi Explained

Type:town
Cooladdi
State:qld
Coordinates:-26.6402°N 145.4619°W
Pop:7
Postcode:4479
Area:3990.2
Timezone:AEST
Utc:+10:00
Dist1:88.9
Dir1:SW
Location1:Charleville
Dist2:356
Dir2:W
Location2:Roma
Dist3:834
Dir3:W
Location3:Brisbane
Elevation:300
Lga:Shire of Murweh

Cooladdi is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Murweh, Queensland, Australia.[1] [2] The town is south-west of Charleville.

Claims have been made that Cooladdi is Australia's smallest town by population.[3] In 2015, the population was 3 (down from 4 in 2013), all of whom lived at the general store.[4] In the, the locality of Cooladdi had a population of 7 people.

Geography

The town is in the centre of the locality. The Western railway line passes from east to west through the town and locality. The locality was served by a number of railway stations (from east to west):

The Diamantina Developmental Road (which forms part of the 1578 kilometre (980 mi) Warrego Way State Strategic Touring Route between Brisbane and Birdsville) also passes from east to west through the town and locality.

History

Gunya (also known as Kunya, Kunja, Kurnja) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Gunya people. The Gunya language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Paroo Shire Council, taking in Cunnamulla and extending north towards Augathella, east towards Bollon and west towards Thargomindah.[6]

The railway station was originally called Yarronvale after a local pastoral station with the town taking its name from the railway station. However, it was renamed in 1913 to Cooladdi, an Aboriginal word meaning black duck, to avoid confusion with the pastoral station, which was 15 miles away.

Cooladdi was a railhead for the local pastoral community. At one time, Cooladdi had a school, post office, and police station with a population of about 270 people. As the railway line extended further west, Cooladdi's role and population declined.[7]

The Cooladdi State School originally opened on 19 March 1926 as a Provisional School with 9 students under teacher A.W. Marsh. In 1933, a new school building was constructed and the school redesignated as a State School. The school closed on 3 May 1974.[8] It was located opposite the railway station on Cooladdi Access Road .[9]

Demographics

In 2015, the population was 3 (down from 4 in 2013), all of whom resided at the general store.[4]

In the, the locality of Cooladdi had a population of 16 people.

In the, the locality of Cooladdi had a population of 7 people.

Education

There are no schools in Cooladi. The nearest government primary and secondary schools Charleville State School and Charleville State High School respectively both in Charleville to the north-east. However, only those living in the east of the locality would be within daily commuting range. Other options are distance education and boarding schools.

Economy

There are a number of homesteads in the locality:[10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. 28 December 2020.
  2. 28 December 2020.
  3. News: 2019-08-31 . I spent the night in Australia's smallest town. Here's what I saw. ABC News. Australia . 2022-07-03.
  4. News: Stories and photos capture vibrant past of Queensland's outback 'ghost town' Cooladdi. Arthur. Chrissy. 16 November 2015. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 September 2016. 13 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161013061712/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-15/stories-and-photos-capture-vibrant-past-outback-cooladdi/6941468. live.
  5. Web site: 2 October 2020. Railway stations and sidings – Queensland. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201005070354/https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/transport-features-queensland-series/resource/84fff9a0-e315-4844-9c4d-63934562a9bd. 5 October 2020. 5 October 2020. Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government.
  6. Web site: Gunya. 21 January 2020. State Library of Queensland. 21 January 2020. 4 February 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210204075022/https://maps.slq.qld.gov.au/iyil/view/16?embed=true. live.
  7. News: Naming Stations—Glass House Mountains.. 28 February 1914. The Brisbane Courier. 17,512. 4. National Library of Australia. 21 September 2016. 4 February 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210204075114/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/19942512. live.
  8. News: WESTERN LINE. 9 July 1925. Daily Mail. 7289. Brisbane. 14. National Library of Australia. 21 September 2016.
  9. Web site: Town map of Cooladdi. 1939. Queensland Government. 19 February 2023.
  10. Web site: 18 November 2020. Homesteads – Queensland. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201124212526/https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/built-features-queensland-series/resource/b27874c1-ccb9-463d-a26f-706abcc0ab79. 24 November 2020. 24 November 2020. Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government.