Collinsville, Queensland

Collinsville
Queensland

A street in Collinsville, 2012
Collinsville
Coordinates 20°33′S 147°51′E / 20.550°S 147.850°E / -20.550; 147.850Coordinates: 20°33′S 147°51′E / 20.550°S 147.850°E / -20.550; 147.850
Population 1,501 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 4804
Elevation 187 m (614 ft)[2]
Location
LGA(s) Whitsunday Region
State electorate(s) Burdekin
Federal Division(s) Capricornia
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
30.2 °C
86 °F		 16.4 °C
62 °F		 704.7 mm
27.7 in
Localities around Collinsville:
Springlands Springlands Springlands
Springlands Collinsville Springlands
Springlands Scottville Springlands

Collinsville is a town and locality in the Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia.[3][4] In the 2011 census, Collinsville had a population of 1,501 people.[1]

Geography

Collinsville is in the coal-rich Bowen Basin region of Central Queensland, 1,245 kilometres (774 mi) north of Brisbane and 87 kilometres (54 mi) south-west of the coastal town of Bowen. The Bowen Developmental Road passes through the town connecting with Bowen to the north-east and the Gregory Highway at Belyando Crossing to the south-west.

History

European settlement of the region began in 1861 with the opening of the lands to pastoralists, with some cattle stations still in operation. Coal was discovered in 1866 but it wasn't until 1912 that large-scale mining operations commenced. The town was originally known as 'Moongunya', an aboriginal word that roughly translates to 'place of coal'.[3] On 20 September 1921 it was officially renamed Collinsville after Charles Collins who was the Labor Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Bowen from 1915 to 1936.

Collinsville State School opened on 27 June 1921.[5] Collinsville Post Office opened on 21 May 1923 (a receiving office had been open from 1922).[6] The St John Bosco Catholic School was established in 1936 under the Sisters of Mercy.[7] The school is named after Saint John Bosco, a Roman Catholic priest who devoted himself to the betterment of children through love and education. Collinsville State High School opened on 28 January 1986.[5]

On 13 October 1954, seven men were killed in the deepest part of the Collinsville State Coal Mine about 1.5 kilometres from the entrance of the No. 1 tunnel, when an outburst dislodged 900 tonnes of earth.[8] The Collinsville mine disaster was the largest loss of life in a Queensland mine since the Mount Mulligan mine disaster in 1921.[9]

The town has a historical association with radicalism to the extent that it earned the nickname "little Moscow".[10] This has been attributed to the involvement of the Communist Party in the local miners' union.[11]

At the 2006 census, Collinsville had a population of 2,063.[12]

Heritage listings

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

Mining

The town is home to a number of coal mines. This includes the Collinsville coal mine and the Sonoma Mine.

Facilities

Facilities in four churches (Catholic, Anglican, Uniting, Assembly of God), a pharmacy, a district hospital, some shops and sporting facilities. Sporting facilities include a golf course, rugby league grounds, tennis courts, a public swimming pool, squash courts, and lawn bowls. The town has one newsagent, a bakery, two fuel stations, two medium size grocery stores, two places to buy clothing and a hardware shop.

Education

Collinsville has two primary schools, Collinsville State School and St John Bosco's Catholic Primary School and the Collinsville State High School.[15] In 2014, the Collinsville State School had an enrolment of 42 students with 4 teachers.[16] In 2014, the Collinsville State High School had an enrolment of 77 students with 12 teachers (11 full-time equivalent).[17] In 2016, St John Bosco's Catholic Primary School had an enrolment of 50 students.[18]

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Collinsville". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  2. ↑ Bureau of Meteorology - Retrieved on 27 January 2008
  3. 1 2 "Collinsville - town (entry 7762)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "Collinsville - locality (entry 46859)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  6. ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "Overview". St John Bosco School. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "Collinsville State Coal Mine 1954- Mining Accident Database". www.mineaccidents.com.au. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  9. ↑ "Collinsville disaster remembered". Australian Mining. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  10. ↑ Murray, Georgina; David Peetz (2010). Women of the Coal Rushes. UNSW Press. p. 139. ISBN 1742232213. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  11. ↑ Walker, Jamie (9 November 2013). "A town like Collinsville". The Australian. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  12. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Collinsville (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  13. ↑ "Collinsville Cemetery (entry 602730)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Bowen River Hotel (entry 600042)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  15. ↑ "Queensland State and Non-State Schools". Queensland Government. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  16. ↑ "2014 School Annual Report" (PDF). Collinsville State School. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  17. ↑ "2014 Annual School Report" (PDF). Collinsville State High School. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  18. ↑ "St John Bosco Catholic School". St John Bosco Catholic School. Retrieved 12 January 2016.

Media related to Collinsville, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.