Millaroo, Queensland Explained

Type:town
Millaroo
State:qld
Coordinates:-20.0569°N 147.28°W
Pop:86
Postcode:4807
Area:57.7
Timezone:AEST
Utc:+10:00
Dist1:64.5
Dir1:SW
Location1:Home Hill
Dist2:67.6
Dir2:SW
Location2:Ayr
Dist3:121
Dir3:SSE
Location3:Townsville
Dist4:1304
Dir4:NNW
Location4:Brisbane
Lga:Shire of Burdekin
Stategov:Burdekin
Fedgov:Kennedy
Elevation:50
Elevation Footnotes:[1]
Near-N:Kirknie
Near-Ne:Kirknie
Near-E:Bogie
Near-Se:Bogie
Near-S:Dalbeg
Near-Sw:Swans Lagoon
Near-W:Swans Lagoon
Near-Nw:Mulgrave

Millaroo is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Burdekin, Queensland, Australia.[2] [3] In the, the locality of Millaroo had a population of 86 people.

Geography

The locality is bounded to the west by the Burdekin River. The place is located about south-east of Townsville, about inland from the Coral Sea.

It is a sugarcane growing area with underground water supplies to irrigate crops.

History

The name Millaroo comes from Millaroo Creek, which in turn was recorded by surveyor Robert Abbott in 1895, but the original of that name are unknown. There was a pastoral property of that name.[4]

Following World War II, a number of soldier settlement blocks were established in the area for the purpose of growing tobacco, but it was not successful.[5]

In 1952, there was a plan to establish a new irrigation area along the Burdekin River based around a new town. The town to be called Millaroo was to be established as a "modern" "first class" planned town with reserves, parks, and industrial zones suitable for a population of 6,000 (a similar population to that of Ayr at that time). The buildings were to be constructed with brick and concrete to reduce the fire risk.[6] [7]

In 1952, the Millaroo Research Station was established by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock to undertake agricultural research to benefit North Queensland.

The Burdekin Gorge Weir on the Burdekin River (between Ravenswood and Mount Wyatt) was completed in November 1953 to provide water for irrigation.[8] This led to the land at Millaroo switching to growing sugarcane.

Millaroo State School opened on 19 July 1954.[9]

Millaroo Post Office opened on 1 July 1955 and closed in 1972.[10]

Demographics

In the, the locality of Millaroo had a population of 200 people.

In the, the locality of Millaroo had a population of 96 people.

In the, the locality of Millaroo had a population of 86 people.

Education

Millaroo State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls at 1-13 Cunningham Street (-20.0581°N 147.2806°W).[11] [12] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 9 students with 3 teachers (2 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).[13]

There is no secondary school in Millaroo. The nearest secondary school is Home Hill State High School in Home Hill to the north-east, but, given the distance, families may prefer to use distance education or boarding schools.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Map of Millaroo. 2016-11-01. 11 May 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170511033123/http://www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=9677&cmd=sp. live.
  2. 26 December 2020.
  3. 26 December 2020.
  4. News: 18 January 1952. AYR SHIRE DECISIONS. LXXII. 2. Townsville Daily Bulletin. Queensland, Australia. 2 March 2021. National Library of Australia. 2 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210302022053/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63391968. live.
  5. Web site: Millaroo Research Station Archive. live. 2021-03-02. James Cook University. en. 2 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210302022055/https://web.jcu.io/dist/images/student-mentor.jpg.
  6. News: 23 August 1952. TOP-LEVEL TEAM WILL INSPECT BURDEKIN WORKS. LXXII. 1. Townsville Daily Bulletin. Queensland, Australia. 2 March 2021. National Library of Australia. 2 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210302022108/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63552181. live.
  7. News: 30 January 1953. First-class Area For Millaroo?. LXXIII. 2. Townsville Daily Bulletin. Queensland, Australia. 2 March 2021. National Library of Australia. 2 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210302022056/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63479179. live.
  8. News: 4 November 1953. BURDEKIN GORGE WEIR COMPLETED. 6 (Daily). Queensland Times. 24,850. Queensland, Australia. 2 March 2021. National Library of Australia. 2 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210302022112/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/118423555. live.
  9. 18 April 2019.
  10. Web site: Phoenix Auctions History . Post Office List . Phoenix Auctions . 4 March 2021 . 23 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220623062949/http://www.phoenixauctions.com.au/cgi-bin/wsPhoenix.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=QLD&filter=%2AMillaroo%2A . live .
  11. 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.
  12. Web site: Millaroo State School. live. 21 November 2018. 26 February 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210226023507/https://millarooss.eq.edu.au/.
  13. Web site: ACARA School Profile 2018. 28 January 2020. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. 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.