Woongoolba, Queensland

Woongoolba is a coastal rural locality in the northern part of City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2016 census, Woongoolba had a population of 280 people.[1]

Woongoolba
Gold Coast, Queensland
Cattle grazing, Woongoolba, 1956
Woongoolba is located in Brisbane
Woongoolba
Woongoolba
Coordinates27.7277°S 153.3147°E / -27.7277; 153.3147 (Woongoolba (centre of locality))
Population280 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density8.62/km2 (22.3/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4207
Area32.5 km2 (12.5 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)City of Gold Coast
State electorate(s)Coomera
Federal division(s)Fadden
Suburbs around Woongoolba:
Alberton Carbrook Redland Bay
Gilberton Woongoolba Steiglitz
Norwell Norwell Jacobs Well

Geography

The locality is bounded to the north by the Logan River (27.6958°S 153.3408°E / -27.6958; 153.3408 (Logan River (mouth))) and to the north-east by Moreton Bay.[3]

Little Rocky Point is a headland jutting into Moreton Bay (27.7122°S 153.3561°E / -27.7122; 153.3561 (Little Rocky Point)).[4]

The land is low-lying (less than 10 metres above sea level) with only three places higher than this in the locality:[3]

The land is predominantly used for growing sugarcane except for the north-east of the locality which is used for aquaculture, mostly prawns.[7] Parts of the north-east of the locality are marshland and undeveloped.[3]

History
Bethlehem Lutheran Church gathering, Pimpama Island (Carl Heinrich Heck is centre of the middle row)

In the late 1800s, the farming district located between the Pimpama River and the Logan River called Pimpama Island and encompasses the modern localities of Jacobs Well, Norwell, Steiglitz and Woongoolba. It was referred to as an island because there were a number of lagoons and swamps that isolated the area during the wet season; however, this disadvantage made it good land for growing sugar cane.[8]

The name Woongoolba is believed to be an Aboriginal word for the geebung tree.[2]

The district was predominantly settled by German immigrants who arrived in the period 1864–1900.[9]

The Pimpama Island Provisional School opened on 17 April 1876 under the direction of teacher Joseph Schindler with 13 pupils (of German parentage). It became Pimpama Island State School on 7 September 1898. It was renamed Woongoolba State School in 1930. Additional classrooms and a library were built in 1941, with further expansions in 1991, 1997 and 2010.[9][10][11]

Rocky Point Sugar Mill, Woongoolba and Steiglitz, 2014

The Rocky Point Sugar Mill was established by Carl Heinrich Heck in 1878 on Mill Road (and crosses the boundary between Woongoolba and Steiglitz). Despite being one of the oldest sugar mills in Australia, it is still privately owned by the Heck Group. There were once other sugar mills in the area, but they have now closed and Rocky Point has expanded to replace their lost capacity.[12]

The first Bethlehem Lutheran church was built in 1882. It was replaced by the current building in 1908, which was renovated in 1930.[13]

On Friday 13 July 1917, the Pimpama Island Public Hall was officially opened by James Stodart, the Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Logan.[14] In the 1970s or 1980s, the original Norwell State School building was relocated to the site and used to extend the hall.[15]

In the 2011 census, Woongoolba had a population of 460 people.[16]

In the 2016 census, Woongoolba had a population of 280 people.[1]

In December 2016, the prawn industry in Woongoolba was disrupted by an outbreak of white spot virus.[17] The disease was found in imported prawns in June 2016, and it is believed that recreational fishermen used these imported prawns as bait in the Logan River (from where the prawn industry draws its water), introducing the disease into the prawn farms. In 2021, one prawn farming company initiated legal action for damages of over $44 million against the prawn importing companies and the Australian Government for their role in this biosecurity failure.[18] In 2021, submissions were made to the Australian Government to require imported prawns to be cooked rather than raw (which would kill the white spot disease and hopefully minimise biosecurity risk of other diseases).[19]

in July 2019 the Heck family homestead "‘Friedensheim" (House of Peace), then at 129 Mill Road, opposite the Rocky Point Sugar Mill (27.7345°S 153.3263°E / -27.7345; 153.3263 (Heck family homestead "‘Friedensheim" (former location))), was divided into three pieces and relocated to the Beenleigh Historical Village, an open-air museum. Following work to reconstruct and restore the building, it was officially reopened in November 2021 at the museum. The homestead was built in 1914 for the Heck family who operated the sugar mill but had not been used as a home since the 1970s.[20][21][22]

Education
Woongoolba state school, 2014

Woongoolba State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 1219 Jacobs Well Road (27.7451°S 153.3193°E / -27.7451; 153.3193 (Woongoolba State School)).[23][24] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 224 students with 20 teachers (13 full-time equivalent) and 11 non-teaching staff (8 full-time equivalent).[25]

There are no secondary schools in Woongoolba. The nearest government secondary schools are Ormeau Woods State High School in Ormeau to the south-west and Beenleigh State High School in Beenleigh to the west.[3]

Amenities
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Woongoolba, 2014

The Gold Coast City Council operates a fortnightly mobile library service which visits Woongoolba State School on Jacobs Well Road.[26]

Bethlehem Lutheran Church is at 1281 Stapylton Jacobs Well Road (27.7459°S 153.3258°E / -27.7459; 153.3258 (Bethlehem Lutheran Church)).[27]

Woongoolba Public Hall (also known as Pimpama Island & Districts Community Centre) is at 1226 Stapylton Jacobs Well Road (27.7457°S 153.3201°E / -27.7457; 153.3201 (Woongoolba Public Hall)).[28][29][30]

Accessed via a causeway through the mangroves, the Cecil Zipf Park at Little Rocky Point (27.7166°S 153.3537°E / -27.7166; 153.3537 (Cecil Zipf Park)) offers views of Moreton Bay, off-leash dog area, BBQ and toilets. The beach below the park is a good place for fishing, especially for bream.[31][32][33]

Cecil Zipf Park, 2014

There are a number of other parks in the locality, including:

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Woongoolba (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  2. "Woongoolba – locality in City of Gold Coast (entry 46102)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  3. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  4. "Little Rocky Point – point in City of Gold Coast (entry 19702)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  5. "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.
  6. "Marks Hill – mountain in Gold Coast City (entry 21014)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  7. "Gold Coast Tiger Prawns". Gold Coast Tiger Prawns. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  8. "Woongoolba History". City of Gold Coast Council. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  9. "Agency ID 5847, Woongoolba State School". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  10. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  11. "History of Woongoolba State School". Woongoolba State School. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  12. "A brief history – Carl Heinrich Heck". Heck Group. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  13. "History". Alberton Lutheran Parish. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  14. "NEWS FROM THE COUNTRY". Daily Mail. No. 4500. Queensland, Australia. 18 July 1917. p. 3. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. "Woongoolba Hall - General Community Facilities - Gold Coast Community Directory". www.mycommunitydirectory.com.au. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  16. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Woongoolba". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  17. Cluff, Renee (1 March 2017). "White spot disease forces Gold Coast prawn farmer to head north". ABC News. Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  18. "Prawn farm launches $40 million suit over white spot losses". InQueensland. 27 January 2021. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  19. Nichols, Jennifer (16 January 2021). "Deadly white spot virus killing prawns and crabs in the wild". ABC News. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  20. Holt, Simon (1 December 2021). "Homestead preserved for future generations". MyCity Logan. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  21. Kerr, Ruth (February 2022). "Queensland Report". The RHSQ Bulletin (870): 2–3.
  22. Kerr, Judith (14 June 2019). "Facelift for century-old sugar cane homestead donated to Beenleigh Historical Society". Quest Newspapers. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  23. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  24. "Woongoolba State School". Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  25. "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  26. "Mobile Library 2018 timetable" (PDF). Gold Coast City Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  27. "Bethlehem Lutheran Church". Alberton Lutheran Parish. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  28. "Pimpama Island & Districts Community Centre Ass.Inc - Organisation". Volunteering Queensland. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  29. "Woongoolba Hall". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  30. "Woongoolba Hall". newjitters. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  31. "Land for public recreation - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  32. "Cecil Zipf Park, Woongoolba" (PDF). City of Gold Coast Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  33. Downie, Dave 'Nugget' (27 April 2012). "Fishing: Any bait will do for bream". Courier-Mail. Retrieved 14 April 2014.

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