Aloomba, Queensland
Aloomba is a town and a locality in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2016 census, Aloomba had a population of 529 people.[1]
Aloomba Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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![]() Looking south down Nielsen Street, Alloomba, 2018 | |||||||||||||||
![]() ![]() Aloomba | |||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 17.11°S 145.8322°E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 529 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 4.774/km2 (12.366/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 4871 | ||||||||||||||
Area | 110.8 km2 (42.8 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
LGA(s) | Cairns Region | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Mulgrave | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Kennedy | ||||||||||||||
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Geography
![](../I/Looking_east_along_Bennett_Road%252C_Aloomba%252C_2018_01.jpg.webp)
Aloomba is a long thin locality hemmed in east and west by mountain ranges. It is bounded to the north by the Mulgrave River which then passes through the west of the locality. The Bruce Highway passes through the west of the locality but not through the town which is about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the highway but about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) away by road. The North Coast railway line enters the locality from the south immediately to the west of the highway but then veers to the east in order to pass through the town, after which the railway veers back towards the highway but does not rejoin it within the locality.[4]
![](../I/Looking_west_along_Hesp_Road_across_the_North_Coast_railway_line%252C_Aloomba%252C_2018_01.jpg.webp)
The mountainous western part of the locality is within the Malbon Thompson Forest Reserve. The remainder is relatively flat freehold land used predominantly for farming, particularly growing sugarcane. There is a network of cane tramways to deliver the harvested sugarcane to the Mulgrave Sugar Mill in Gordonvale.[4]
History
![](../I/Aloomba_Hotel%252C_Aloomba_Queensland%252C_circa_1925.JPG.webp)
![](../I/Aloomba_State_School_Queensland%252C_circa_1914.JPG.webp)
The town name is a corruption of the Yidinji word "Ngalumba", indicating hard milkwood tree (Alstonia muelleriana).[2]
Aloomba Provisional School opened on 15 May 1899, becoming Aloomba State School on 1 January 1909.[5][6]
On 20 April 1916, the Cane Beetles March commenced at Mooliba (now Mirriwinni). It was a snowball march to recruit men into the Australian Imperial Force during World War I at a time when enthusiasm to enlist had waned after the loss of life in the Gallipoli campaign. The march began at Mooliba with 4 men, passing through Babinda, Aloomba, Gordonvale, and Edmonton, and ending in Cairns 60 kilometers later with 29 recruits.[7][8]
In the 2016 census, Aloomba had a population of 529 people.[1]
Education
![](../I/Aloomba_State_School%252C_Aloomba%252C_2018_02.jpg.webp)
Aloomba State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Nielsen Street (17.1098°S 145.8319°E).[9][10] In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 88 students with 7 teachers (6 full-time equivalent) and 8 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[11] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 91 students with 7 teachers (6 full-time equivalent) and 9 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[12]
Notable people
- Bunny Adair, Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Cook attended Aloomba State School
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Aloomba (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- "Aloomba – town in Cairns Region (entry 458)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- "Aloomba – locality in Cairns Region (entry 48495)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
- Clarke, Harry (24 April 2015). "'Cane Beetles March' mobilised farmers from Babinda to Cairns to join Australian Imperial Force in WWI". The Cairns Post. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- "CAIRNS NEWS". Daily Standard. No. 1011. Queensland, Australia. 1 April 1916. p. 5 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved 9 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- "Aloomba State School". Archived from the original on 8 May 2005. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- "Annual Report 2016" (PDF). Aloomba State School. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
External links
![](../I/Commons-logo.svg.png.webp)
- "Aloomba". 2006 Census. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 10 February 2008.