Douglas, Queensland (Toowoomba Region) Explained

Type:suburb
Douglas
State:qld
Coordinates:-27.3316°N 151.9175°W
Pop:152
Postcode:4354
Area:49.2
Timezone:AEST
Utc:+10:00
Dist1:7.1
Dir1:E
Location1:Goombungee
Dist2:19.3
Dir2:SW
Location2:Crows Nest
Dist3:23.1
Dir3:N
Location3:Highfields
Dist4:37.3
Dir4:N
Location4:Toowoomba
Dist5:161
Dir5:WNW
Location5:Brisbane
Lga:Toowoomba Region
Stategov:Condamine
Fedgov:Groom
Fedgov2:Maranoa
Near-N:Bergen
Near-Ne:Plainby
Near-E:Groomsville
Near-Se:Groomsville
Near-S:Meringandan
Near-Sw:Muniganeen
Near-W:Goombungee
Near-Nw:Goombungee

Douglas is a rural locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia.[1] In the, Douglas had a population of 152 people.

Geography

The Pechey-Maclagan Road runs through the locality from east to west.[2]

The predominant land use is grazing on native vegetation and crop growing.

History

German settlers arrived in the district in 1875. A Lutheran congregation formed and worshipped in private homes, until the Jesus Lutheran Church was opened on 24 July 1882 on the Douglas Plainby Road . The church was enlarged in 1938.

On 21 December 1886, the Queensland Government reserved a 10acres site for a cemetery. A section for Lutheran burials was created in the north-west of the site and a section for Catholic burials in the south.[3]

Gomoron Provisional School opened on 28 February 1889 under head teacher Mary Ann Frawley. It was most likely named after Gomaren Creek which flows through the area.[4] It became Goromon State School in 1890. In 1911, its name was changed to Douglas State School, to avoid post office confusion as there was another place called Gomaren. The school closed on 29 March 1959 with the remaining students transferred to Goombungee State School. It was at Douglas Plainby Road (corner Guy Road,). The building was relocated to becomes to Girl Guides building in Crows Nest.[5] Pastor Wilhelm Georg Friedrich Poland was the Lutheran minister in Douglas from 1910 until his retirement in 1933. During World War I, he was interned at Trial Bay Gaol as an enemy alien.[6]

In 1992, the Jesus Lutheran church building was relocated to be the chapel at the Ballon Outdoor Education Centre in the Barakula State Forest in Durah (Western Downs Region), operated by Concordia Lutheran College in Toowoomba.[7] In 2019, it was relocated to the Googa Outdoor Education Centre, operated by a number of Lutheran organisations, in the Googa State Forest on Nukku Road at Googa Creek (Toowoomba Region).[8] [9] The site of the church in Douglas is marked with a small monument.[10]

Demographics

In the, Douglas had a population of 112 people.

In the, Douglas had a population of 152 people.

Economy

There are a number of homesteads in the locality, including:[11]

Education

There are no schools in Douglas. The nearest government primary school is Goombungee State School in neighbouring Goombungee to the west and Haden State School in Haden to the north-west. The nearest government secondary schools are Crows Nest State School (to Year 10) in Crows Nest to the north-east and Highfields State Secondary College (to Year 12) in Highfields to the south-east.

Facilities

Douglas Cemetery is on Douglas Plainby Road (-27.3182°N 151.9121°W).[12] It is operated by the Toowoomba Regional Council.

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. 14 August 2022.
  2. Douglas, Queensland. OpenStreetMap. 28 March 2022. 28 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220328005922/https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/11675741. live.
  3. Web site: Cemetery location, open hours and interment options: Douglas . 2022-09-11 . . en-AU . 11 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220911214012/https://www.tr.qld.gov.au/content-page/222-cemetery-locations/3227-drayton-a-toowoomba . live .
  4. 5 May 2019.
  5. Web site: 1947. Parish of Goombungee. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201217092640/https://gisservices.information.qld.gov.au/arcgis/rest/directories/historicalscans/cad_scans/cad-map-40chain-parish-goombungee-1947.jpg. 17 December 2020. 17 December 2020. Queensland Government. Map.
  6. Web site: Pastor Wilhelm Poland with his family at Crows Nest . 12 September 2022 . State Library of Queensland.
  7. Web site: Ballon Outdoor Education Centre - Information Booklet 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220911214003/https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/29596855/ballon-outdoor-education-centre-concordia-college-toowoomba . 11 September 2022 . 2022-09-11 . yumpu.com . . en.
  8. Web site: 2019-08-19 . The Expansion of Googa Outdoor Education Centre Needs Your Help . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220328043127/https://qld.lca.org.au/2019/08/19/the-expansion-of-googa-outdoor-education-centre-needs-your-help/ . 28 March 2022 . 2022-09-11 . Qld District . . en-AU.
  9. Web site: Blake . Thom . Jesus Lutheran Church . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220911214012/https://www.thomblake.com.au/qc_new/view_p.php?id=6178 . 11 September 2022 . 2022-09-11 . Queensland religious places database.
  10. Web site: Jesus Lutheran Church - Douglas . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201023214043/https://www.churchesaustralia.org/list-of-churches/denominations/lutheran/directory/4597-jesus-lutheran-church-douglas . 23 October 2020 . 2022-09-11 . Churches Australia . en.
  11. 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.
  12. Web site: 12 November 2020. Cemetery Areas - Queensland. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201115100513/https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/built-features-queensland-series/resource/2baca5c3-a111-4fbc-86c9-3b896884438b. 15 November 2020. 12 November 2020. Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government.