Bouldercombe

Bouldercombe is a rural town and locality in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2016 census, the locality of Bouldercombe had a population of 1,085 people.[1]

Bouldercombe
Queensland
Bouldercombe and the Dee Range, 1954
Bouldercombe is located in Queensland
Bouldercombe
Bouldercombe
Coordinates23.5767°S 150.4671°E / -23.5767; 150.4671 (Bouldercombe (town centre))
Population1,085 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density6.748/km2 (17.476/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4702
Area160.8 km2 (62.1 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Rockhampton Region
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)Flynn
Localities around Bouldercombe:
Kabra Gracemere Port Curtis
Stanwell Bouldercombe Midgee
The Mine
Moongan		 Leydens Hill
Struck Oil		 Bajool

Geography

Bouldercombe is in Central Queensland. The town is on the Burnett Highway, 636 kilometres (395 mi) north west of the state capital, Brisbane and 22 kilometres (14 mi) south of the regional centre of Rockhampton.

There are a number of neighbourhoods within the locality:

History

Bouldercombe came into existence in 1865 when gold was found at nearby Crocodile Creek and Gavial Creek. Within a year over 2000 miners were living in the area.[9] The town was originally called Crocodile after the creek name.[10][11][12]

Crocodile Creek Post Office opened on 24 September 1866 and closed in 1879.[13]

Land sales occurred in 1867.[14]

Crocodile Creek Provisional School opened on 14 August 1871. It was later closed and reopened on 15 August 1881. It was later relocated to a new building at Bouldercombe. On 23 February 1900 it was renamed Bouldercombe State School.[15][16]

By 1876, the gold rush was over and the population slumped to 149, but the discovery of gold at nearby Mount Usher in 1897 caused the population to rise to over 1000 people for a short time.[11]

The first Bouldercombe Post Office opened on 7 September 1883 and closed in 1889.[13]

The Royal Hotel opened on the corner of Mount Usher Road and Oleander Street on 5 March 1897 under licensee Samuel Heiser; the hotel is still operating in 2014.[10]

Mount Usher Receiving Office opened by 1899, was raised to post office status in 1900, closed in 1906, reopened in 1909, was reduced in status in 1913, was renamed Bouldercombe in 1924 and closed in 1927.[13]

The former Dawson Valley railway line passed through the locality with the following stations (now abandoned):

The name of the neighbourhood Moonmera derives the railway station. It is an Aboriginal word meaning bottom of the hill.[6]

Moonmera Provisional School opened in 1900. On 1 January 1909, it became Moonmera State School. It closed in 1950.[18]

Mount Usher Methodist Church opened on Sunday 10 November 1901. It was on a quarter-acre block immediately opposite the pumping plant. It was 30 by 24 feet (9.1 by 7.3 m) and 14 feet (4.3 m) high with a porch. The doors and windows were in Gothic style. It was designed and built by carpenter George Nathaniel Delahunt at a cost of £142 17s.[19]

The third Bouldercombe Post Office opened on 28 August 1928 and closed in 1977.[13]

The Crocodile Creek Gold Dredging Company started up in 1935 to extract gold by alluvial washing and operated until 1946.[11]

Since that time, the area has mainly been known for its citrus growing.[9]

In 1976, a brickworks was established.[9]

At the 2011 census, Bouldercombe had a population of 698.[20]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Bouldercombe had a population of 1,085 people.[1]

Education
Bouldercombe State School, 2021

Bouldercombe State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 52599 Burnett Highway (23.5641°S 150.4717°E / -23.5641; 150.4717 (Bouldercombe State School)).[21][22] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 123 students with 7 teachers (6 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[23]

There is no secondary school in Bouldercombe. The nearest government secondary schools are Mount Morgan State High School in Mount Morgan to the south and Rockhampton State High School in Wandal, Rockhampton, to the north.[24]

Tourism

Bouldercombe is the gateway to the Bouldercombe Gorge Resources Reserve, including Bouldercombe Falls.[25]

The Bicentennial National Trail passes through Bouldercombe.[26]

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Bouldercombe (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  2. "Bouldercombe – town in Rockhampton Region (entry 3989)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  3. "Bouldercombe – locality in Rockhampton Region (entry 48540)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  4. "Bundaleer – locality unbounded in Rockhampton Regional (entry 5204)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  5. "Dee Rush – locality unbounded in Rockhampton Regional (entry 9580)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  6. "Moonmera – locality unbounded in Rockhampton Regional (entry 39294)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  7. "Mount Usher – locality unbounded in Rockhampton Regional (entry 23171)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  8. "Peters Rush – locality unbounded in Rockhampton Regional (entry 26524)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  9. "Bouldercombe". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  10. "Royal Hotel Bouldercombe: Centenary 1897-1997" (PDF). Bruce Roy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  11. "Bouldercombe". Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  12. "Crocodile Fields". The Queenslander. National Library of Australia. 27 March 1897. p. 12 Supplement: Unknown. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  13. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  14. "GOVERNMENT LAND SALES". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 26 January 1867. p. 5. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  15. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  16. "Agency ID 4997, Bouldercombe State School". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  17. "Railway stations and sidings - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  18. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  19. "MOUNT USHER METHODIST CHURCH". Morning Bulletin. Vol. LXII, no. 11, 227. Queensland, Australia. 11 November 1901. p. 6. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Bouldercombe (L)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  21. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  22. "Bouldercombe State School". Bouldercombe State School. 30 January 2020. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  23. "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  24. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  25. "Rockhampton and Capricorn Coast" (PDF). Parks and forests. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  26. "Section Four – Kabra to Biggenden". Bicentennial National Trail. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.

Further reading
  • "Bouldercombe". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.
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