Monkland, Queensland

Monkland Gympie, Queensland
Population	1,042 (2006 census)[1]
• Density	204.3/km^2 (529/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4570
Elevation	63 m (207 ft)
Area	5.1 km^2 (2.0 sq mi)
Location	4 km (2 mi) SE of Gympie
LGA(s)	Gympie Region
State electorate(s)	Gympie
Federal Division(s)	Wide Bay
Suburbs around Monkland: Gympie Victory Heights East Deep Creek Gympie Monkland East Deep Creek Southside Glanmire Mothar Mountain

Monkland is a suburb of Gympie, Queensland, Australia, 4 kilometres (2 mi) south-east of Gympie's central business district on the north-east bank of the Mary River.

History

The Gympie region was the site of a gold rush in the late 1860s and onwards, and the suburb of Monkland, named by a prospector after a town in Scotland,^[2] itself contained a number of profitable mines including the No.2 Great Eastern Gold Mine. By 1873, rapid expansion of the area had led to the construction of a number of shops and four hotels in the main street, with many families living in the area.^[3] The North Coast railway line was built through the area in 1889 connecting Gympie to Brisbane, which involved a considerable gradient between Monkland and Gympie of 30 metres (98 ft). The line was decommissioned a hundred years later when the North Coast railway line was electrified and upgraded.

Heritage listings

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

• Old Brisbane Road: No. 1 Scottish Gympie Mine and Battery^[4]
• Brisbane Road: Monkland State School Residence^[5]
• 215 Brisbane Road: Andrew Fisher's Cottage^[6]

Facilities

Tourism and recreation

Monkland contains the Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum, which contains a collection of documentation, artifacts and photographs, with each building in the museum exploring different aspects of the history of the Gympie region, and containing parts of the former No.2 Great Eastern Gold Mine.^[7] The personal collection of Andrew Fisher, an early Labor Prime Minister of Australia who represented the area in the Federal Parliament, is also located here. Next to the museum is the Lake Alford Park which contains an all-abilities playground, and backs onto a restaurant and motor inn. The Monkland railway station, built in 1911, is part of the Mary Valley Heritage Railway which has been operated by the Apex Club of Gympie since 1998.

Education

The suburb's primary school, Monkland State School, first opened on 24 September 1884 with 74 pupils in attendance. A public meeting in 1880 called for its establishment, due to the number of families in the district and the long walk to the One Mile State School which had been established in 1869. The school was struck by a tornado in 1932, and a new building had to be constructed. An extensive reconstruction occurred in 1958, and demountables were added in the 1970s and 1980s. The original timber-frame headmaster's residence, designed by architect Robert Ferguson, is largely fenced off from the school and has been heritage listed by the Queensland Government.^[3] Today, the school has 134 students (2008) and offers an instrumental music program. The school has a feeder arrangement with Gympie State High School which is located about two kilometres away.

Other

The suburb contains a junior rugby league club, the studio for Classic Hits 558 AM (4GY), a small industrial area and a particle board plant for Carter Holt Harvey.

Transport

Bruce Highway forms the main transport artery through the suburb. Polleys Coaches bus services also provide public transport access, with four or five services a day to and from Gympie on weekdays and three on Saturdays.^[8]

Politics

2007 Federal Election Source: AEC   The Nationals 51.01%   Labor 26.87%   Independent 9.16%   Family First 5.59%   Greens 5.59%	2004 Federal Election Source: AEC   The Nationals 39.65%   Labor 24.44%   Independent 19.83%   One Nation 6.73%   Greens 4.24%	2001 Federal Election Source: AEC   Liberal 47.60%   Labor 21.98%   Independent 13.39%   One Nation 13.10%   Democrats 2.48%
2006 State Election Source: ECQ   The Nationals 47.47%   Ind. (ex-ALP) 15.86%   Labor 10.92%   Family First 10.44%   Independent 9.18%	2004 State Election Source: ECQ   Independent 34.89%   Labor 26.17%   The Nationals 21.50%   Independent 8.52%   One Nation 8.49%	2001 State Election Source: ECQ   Labor 32.61%   One Nation 24.31%   The Nationals 24.31%   CCA 18.77%

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Monkland (Cooloola Shire) (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
2. Department of Natural Resources and Water (Queensland). "Place name details - Monkland Railway Station". Retrieved 19 March 2008.
3. "Monkland State School Residence (entry 602013)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
4. "No. 1 Scottish Gympie Mine and Battery (entry 600536)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
5. "Monkland State School Residence (entry 602013)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
6. "Andrew Fishers Cottage (entry 600537)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
7. Shearman, Wayne (5 June 2005). "A town with a golden past". ABC (Wide Bay). No longer online
8. Polleys Coaches. "Polleys - Gympie and Cooloola Bus Services". Retrieved 19 March 2008.

External links

• The Valley Rattler (official site)

Coordinates: 26°12′36″S 152°41′10″E / 26.210°S 152.686°E