The Leap, Queensland

The Leap is a coastal rural locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2016 census The Leap had a population of 642 people.[1]

The Leap
Queensland
The Leap is located in Queensland
The Leap
The Leap
Coordinates21.0638°S 149.0227°E / -21.0638; 149.0227 (The Leap (centre of locality))
Population642 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density11.588/km2 (30.01/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4740
Area55.4 km2 (21.4 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Mackay Region
State electorate(s)Whitsunday
Federal division(s)Dawson
Suburbs around The Leap:
Mount Jukes Coral Sea Habana
Kuttabul The Leap Habana
Hampden Balnagowan Farleigh

Geography

The locality is bounded to the north-west by Constant Creek and to the north by its mouth (21.0000°S 149.0167°E / -21.0000; 149.0167 (Constant Creek (mouth))) into the Coral Sea.[3] Sand Bay is offshore (20.95000°S 149.0536°E / -20.95000; 149.0536 (Sand Bay)).[4][5][6]

The Bruce Highway enters the locality from the south-east (Farleigh) and exits to the south-west (Hampden). The North Coast railway line follows a similar route to the north of the highway but there are no railway stations on that line serving the locality.[6] There is a network of cane tramways in the locality to transport the harvested sugarcane to the sugar mill for processing.[7]

The locality has a number of named peaks, including:

History

The Leap is named for a historical event in which it is widely believed an Aboriginal woman carrying her child leapt off a cliff to evade capture by the Queensland Native Police circa 1860.[11]

A census estimate of approximately 200 Aboriginal men, women and children are believed to have resided in the Mandarana area at the beginning of the white settlement advancing on the area with pastoral leases north of the Pioneer River.[12]

The North Coast railway line reached The Leap in 1924 with the area being served by the following now-abandoned stations (from south to north):

In the 2011 census, The Leap had a population of 673 people.[13]

In the 2016 census The Leap had a population of 642 people.[1]

The Leap Provisional School opened on 13 March 1893. On 1 January 1909 it became The Leap State School. In 1919 Arthur Edward Hunter (of The Leap Hotel) donated 1.1786 hectares (2.912 acres) of land for the school.[14] The school closed on 8 August 1969.[15] As the land had been donated for school purposes, the usual practice was that the land was returned to the donor or their heirs. Two people made claims to be Hunter's relatives, the Queensland Government did not find the claims to be proven and decided in 1988 to sell the land and kept the proceeds.[14] The school was at 2105 Maraju Yakapari Road (21.0700°S 149.00847°E / -21.0700; 149.00847 (The Leap State School (former))).[16][17][6]

Heritage listings
The Leap cane lift, 2011

The Leap has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Attractions

A sculpture representing Koweha, holding a shawl, was erected outside a local hotel in the area, circa 1980s.

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "The Leap (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  2. "The Leap – locality in Mackay Region (entry 46844)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  3. "Constant Creek – watercourse in the Mackay Region (entry 7980)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  4. "Bays - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  5. "Sand Bay – bay in the Mackay Region (entry 29571)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  6. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  7. "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.
  8. "Mountain peaks and capes - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  9. "The Leap – mountain in Mackay Region (entry 34007)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  10. "The Sister – mountain in Mackay Region (entry 34110)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  11. ABC News, accessed 14 April 2023.
  12. Moore, Clive. "Blackgin's Leap: A Window into Aboriginal-European Relations in the Pioneer Valley, Queensland in the 1860s" (PDF). Aboriginal History Incorporated. p. 61. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 March 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  13. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "The Leap". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  14. "Item ID3000035, Disposal of the Former The Leap State School Site. - Mr B.G. Littleproud". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  15. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  16. "Mackay (western half)" (Map). Queensland Government. 1942. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  17. "Queensland Two Mile series sheet 2m309" (Map). Queensland Government. 1952. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  18. "The Leap Cane Lift (entry 602748)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 10 July 2013.

Further reading
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