Esk, Queensland

Esk
Queensland

Main street of Esk, the Brisbane Valley Highway
Esk
Coordinates 27°14′0″S 152°25′0″E / 27.23333°S 152.41667°E / -27.23333; 152.41667Coordinates: 27°14′0″S 152°25′0″E / 27.23333°S 152.41667°E / -27.23333; 152.41667
Population 1,755 (2011 census)[1]
Established 1872
Postcode(s) 4312
LGA(s) Somerset Region
County Cavendish
Parish Esk
State electorate(s) Nanango
Federal Division(s) Blair
Localities around Esk:
Biarra Toogoolawah Mount Beppo
Crows Nest Esk Glen Esk
Gatton Mount Hallen Fernvale

Esk is a town and locality in the Somerset Region in South East Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2011 census, Esk had a population of 1,755 people.[1]

Geography

Esk Post Office, 2010
Aerial view of Esk with flooded Wivenhoe Dam in the background, photographed a week after the devastating floods of January 2011

Esk is approximately 64 kilometres (40 mi) northwest of Ipswich on the Brisbane Valley Highway. It was named after the River Esk in Scotland and England. It is the administrative centre of the Somerset Region.

The town of Esk is contained in the Queensland electoral district of Nanango.

History

The land around Esk was first explored by Captain Patrick Logan in 1830. The town was established to service the short-lived copper mines of Eskdale and Cressbrook Creek.[4] Settlers moved into the region during the 1840s.

Mount Esk Post Office opened on 1 February 1874 (a receiving office had been open from 1873) and was renamed Esk by February 1881.[5]

Mount Esk State School was opened on 1 November 1875 and was renamed Esk State School in 1887.[6][7]

In 1886, the Brisbane Valley railway line reached Esk from Lowood.[4] Several sawmills were built and in 1904 a butter factory opened. The timber industry declined in the 1920s.

In July 1941, a Lutheran church was opened.[8]

Dairying slowed from the 1960s onwards, which has eventually led to the decline of the town's importance as a major rural centre.[4]

View across the grass to Cressbrook Homestead, circa 1887

The Caboonbah Homestead was destroyed by fire on 10 May 2009.[9]

During the 2010–2011 Queensland floods, the centre of Esk was flooded when Redbank Creek burst its banks for the first time ever.[10]

Heritage listings

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

War memorial and memorial park

War Memorial and War Memorial Park, 2010
War memorial

On 30 November 1920, Dr Graham Butler laid the foundation stone of the Esk War Memorial.[14] The finished memorial was unveiled by General Lachlan Chisholm Wilson on 27 August 1921.[15] The memorial records the names of 462 Shire residents who enlisted during the First World War. It also contains bronze honour rolls bearing the names of 83 local men who died during the war. Four commemorative plaques have subsequently been added to the structure. The war memorial stands in Esk Memorial Park, which also contains a memorial to Captain Logan, who was murdered while exploring the Brisbane Valley in 1830.[16][17]

Economy

The small town serves as a centre for a rich farming area.

Education

Esk State School, a government primary (P-7) school, is located at 49 East Street (27°14′52″S 152°25′34″E / 27.247743°S 152.425994°E / -27.247743; 152.425994 (Esk State School)).[18] In 2012, there were 168 students in 8 classes, mostly with multi-aged groups. As there is no high school in Esk, students from the Esk State School typically attend Toogoolawah State High School in Toogoolawah, Lockyer District High School in Gatton or Lowood State High School in Lowood or private schools in and around Ipswich.[19]

Attractions

Grand Hotel, Esk

Nearby attractions include Lake Somerset and Lake Wivenhoe, both lakes created by dams, and Ravensbourne and Crows Nest National Parks.

The historic Bellevue Homestead is located in the area. Also close by are the peaks Glen Rock and Mount Esk.

Past population

At the 2006 census, Esk had a population of 1,166.[20]

Media

Esk is serviced by a Christian radio station on FM 87.6 MHz.

Notable persons from Esk

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Esk (SSC)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "Esk (town) (entry 44224)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Esk (locality) (entry 45517)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) (2000). Heritage Trails of the Great South East. State of Queensland. p. 47. ISBN 0-7345-1008-X.
  5. ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  6. ↑ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "Agency ID5200, Esk State School". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "LUTHERAN CHURCH.". The Queensland Times. Ipswich, Queensland: National Library of Australia. 22 July 1941. p. 2 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  9. ↑ Earley, David (11 May 2009). "Fire destroys Caboonbah Homestead". couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  10. ↑ Korner, Andrew (11 January 2011). "Floods hit Esk". The Queensland Times. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Esk War Memorial and Esk Memorial Park (entry 600494)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  12. ↑ "St Agnes Rectory and Church (entry 600493)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  13. ↑ "St Andrews Presbyterian Church (entry 602408)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "ESK SOLDIERS' MEMORIAL.". The Brisbane Courier. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 2 December 1920. p. 7. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  15. ↑ "ESK SHIRE MEMORIAL.". The Brisbane Courier. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 1 September 1921. p. 10. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  16. ↑ "Esk War Memorial and Esk Memorial Park (listing QLD600494)". Australia Heritage Places Inventory. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
  17. ↑ "Esk War Memorial". Monument Australia. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  18. ↑ "Queensland State and Non-State Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  19. ↑ "Annual Report 2012" (PDF). Esk State School. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  20. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Esk (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 May 2011.

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