| Type: | suburb |
| Wonga Beach | |
| State: | qld |
| Coordinates: | -16.3338°N 145.4161°W |
| Pop: | 1042 |
| Postcode: | 4873 |
| Area: | 21.4 |
| Timezone: | AEST |
| Utc: | +10:00 |
| Lga: | Shire of Douglas |
| Stategov: | Cook |
| Fedgov: | Leichhardt |
| Near-N: | Lower Daintree |
| Near-Ne: | Lower Daintree |
| Near-E: | Coral Sea |
| Near-Se: | Coral Sea |
| Near-S: | Rocky Point |
| Near-Sw: | Bamboo |
| Near-W: | Bamboo |
| Near-Nw: | Whyanbeel |
Wonga Beach is a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia.[1] The town of Wonga is within the locality.[2] In the, Wonga Beach had a population of 1,042 people.
Wonga Beach is a beachside locality situated between the small residential towns of Rocky Point (sometimes referred to as Dayman Point) and the Daintree township. It is approximately 17km (11miles) north of the town of Mossman. In 1985 a large volcanic eruption beneath the Coral Sea released thousands of Pumice stones to the ocean surface which were then blown along north Queensland's shore by the trade winds.[3]
Rocky Point State School opened on 23 February 1939,[4] about south of the current school at Rocky Point. In 1999, the school was relocated to Wonga Beach and renamed Wonga Beach State School.[5] Most of the Rocky Point school buildings were sold for housing, but one was relocated to Wonga Beach.
In the, Wonga Beach had a population of 746 people.
In the, Wonga Beach had a population of 975 people.
In the, Wonga Beach had a population of 1,042 people.
Birdwatchers visit Wonga Beach to see three uncommon bird species: Gould's bronze cuckoo, double-eyed fig-parrot and the beach stone-curlew. The last species is easily confused with the ubiquitous bush stone-curlew noted for its wailing calls at night.[6]
A service station is the only fuel outlet in the Daintree Valley and opens early (5:30am) and closes at 8:30pm. In addition to automotive fuels, the service station incorporates a small convenience store with an ATM.
Wonga Beach State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 48-74 Snapper Island Drive (-16.3419°N 145.4129°W).[7] [8] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 90 students with 10 teachers (6 full-time equivalent) and 7 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).[9]
The school is known as a SunSmart school (an initiative of The Cancer Council Australia), enforcing strict rules on UV-protection. The school has a large area of swampland, the maintenance of which has been made a school project, with an 'eco-maze' currently being developed in the site.
School buses run twice daily from New Wonga to Old Wonga, then on to Mossman. These buses are not available to the public.
There are no secondary schools in Wonga Beach. The nearest government secondary school is Mossman State High School in Mossman to the south-west.