Rollingstone, Queensland

Rollingstone is a semi-rural/residential area approximately {{convert|54|km|mi}} north of Townsville, Queensland, Australia, and {{convert|57|km|mi}} south of Ingham, Queensland. The locality is roughly shaped like an hourglass with the town at the narrow centre area.{{Queensland Globe|access-date=24 February 2022}}

Rollingston Creek flows to the south and east of the town and into the Coral Sea and forms, in part, the boundary between Rollingstone and neighbouring Balgal Beach.

The Bruce Highway traverses Rollingstone from the south-east to the north, but deviates slightly to the south of the town.

The North Coast railway line runs roughly parallel to the highway but to the north and passes through the town. The locality was served by two railway stations:

• Kinduro railway station, in the north of the locality, now abandoned ({{coord|-19.0165|146.3671|type:railwaystation_region:AU-QLD|name=Kinduro railway station}}){{Cite web|date=2 October 2020|title=Railway stations and sidings - Queensland|url=https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/transport-features-queensland-series/resource/84fff9a0-e315-4844-9c4d-63934562a9bd|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005070354/https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/transport-features-queensland-series/resource/84fff9a0-e315-4844-9c4d-63934562a9bd|archive-date=5 October 2020|access-date=5 October 2020|website=Queensland Open Data|publisher=Queensland Government}}
• Rollingstone railway station, serving the town ({{coord|-19.0440|146.3901|type:railwaystation_region:AU-QLD|name=Rollingstone railway station}})

Kinduro is a neighbourhood in the locality ({{coord|-19.0166|146.3666|type:city_region:AU-QLD|name=Kinduro (neighbourhood)}}) around the railway station of the same name. The name Kinduro is an Aboriginal word meaning clear water.{{cite QPN|39272|Kinduro|locality unbounded in City of Townsville|accessdate=14 February 2022}}

Settled in 1883 by John Lambert, the district was originally a pastoral lease known as Armidale, extending from Bluewater Creek in the south to Clerk Creek (later known as Ollera Creek) in the north.[http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/AUS-NQ/1999-01/0917058669 Roads Out Of Townsville, North Queensland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014061801/http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/AUS-NQ/1999-01/0917058669 |date=14 October 2012 }}, accessed 1 November 2010.

In 1906, the Armidale Hotel opened along the stagecoach route between Townsville and Ingham.{{Cite news|title=Your Town: Rollingstone|last=Walsh|first=Alison|date=14 October 2017|work=The Courier-Mail}}

Once the North Coast railway opened through the area in 1915, the Armidale railway station also served as a post office as the mail was delivered by train. However concern over possible confusion with Armidale in New South Wales resulted in the town and railway station being renamed Rollingstone after the creek, which is believed to be named for the round shape of the rocks found in the creek bed. The hotel was renamed the Rollingstone Hotel.[http://queenslandplaces.com.au/balgal-beach Balgal Beach] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101118073439/http://queenslandplaces.com.au/balgal-beach |date=18 November 2010 }}, accessed 1 November 2010.{{Cite web|url=http://www.hinchinbrooklibraries.com.au/Factfile.htm|title=Hinchinbrook Fact File|website=Ingham Library|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321143349/http://www.hinchinbrooklibraries.com.au/Factfile.htm|archive-date=21 March 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=21 March 2012}}{{Cite web|date=March 2016|title=Townsville Community Profiles: Division 1|url=https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/9000/TCC_Community-Profiles_Division-1_Web.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015005017/https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/9000/TCC_Community-Profiles_Division-1_Web.pdf|archive-date=15 October 2017|access-date=15 October 2017|publisher=Townsville City Council}}

Rollingstone State School officially opened on 4 September 1916 with 28 students on land donated by the hotel owners, John and Isabella Fitzpatrick.{{Citation|title=Queensland schools past and present|publication-date=2010|author1=Queensland Family History Society|edition=Version 1.01|publisher=Queensland Family History Society|isbn=978-1-921171-26-0}}{{Cite web|date=2019-03-04|title=Our school|url=https://rollingstoness.eq.edu.au/our-school|access-date=2022-02-24|website=Rollingstone State School|language=en|archive-date=11 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311133119/https://rollingstoness.eq.edu.au/our-school|url-status=live}}

The opening of the railway opened up the beaches north of Townsville for recreational use. The beach near Rollingstone just south of the mouth of Rollingstone Creek was surveyed for a town in 1947 and named Balgal with town land allotments being sold in 1948 onwards (this area is now a separate suburb called Balgal Beach).{{Cite QPN|1356|Balgal|town in City of Townsville|access-date=15 October 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.queenslandplaces.com.au/balgal-beach|title=Balgal Beach|work=Queensland Places|publisher=Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland|access-date=15 October 2017|archive-date=14 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014182653/http://queenslandplaces.com.au/balgal-beach|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63048375|title=Advertising|date=8 April 1948|newspaper=Townsville Daily Bulletin|access-date=15 October 2017|location=Queensland, Australia|volume=LXIX|page=5|via=National Library of Australia}}

Rollingstone and District Community Association was established in 1961 and operated a community hall was located on the Bruce Highway. In 1998, it was replaced by a new community centre built in Balgal Beach.

In the {{CensusAU|2016}}, the locality of Rollingstone had a population of 125 people.{{Census 2016 AUS|id=SSC32486|name=Rollingstone (SSC)|accessdate=20 October 2018|quick=on}}

In the {{CensusAU|2021}}, the locality of Rollingstone had a population of 133 people.{{Census 2021 AUS|id=SAL32463|name=Rollingstone (SAL)|access-date=28 February 2023|quick=on}}

Rollingstone State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls on Fred Williams Drive ({{coord|-19.0437|146.3915|type:edu_region:AU-QLD|name=Rollingstone State School}}).{{cite web|date=9 July 2018|title=State and non-state school details|url=https://data.qld.gov.au/dataset/state-and-non-state-school-details/resource/5b39065c-df32-415c-994c-5ff12f8de997|url-status=live|publisher=Queensland Government|accessdate=21 November 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121065959/https://data.qld.gov.au/dataset/state-and-non-state-school-details/resource/5b39065c-df32-415c-994c-5ff12f8de997|archivedate=21 November 2018}}{{Cite web|date=2019-03-04|title=Rollingstone State School|url=https://rollingstoness.eq.edu.au/|access-date=2022-02-24|website=Rollingstone State School|language=en|archive-date=1 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401225958/https://rollingstoness.eq.edu.au/|url-status=live}} In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 89 students with 6 teachers (5 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).{{Cite web|title=Annual Report 2016|url=https://rollingstoness.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Annual%20reports/1325_Rollingstone_SS_SAR_2016final.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015002348/https://rollingstoness.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Annual%20reports/1325_Rollingstone_SS_SAR_2016final.pdf|archive-date=15 October 2017|access-date=15 October 2017|website=Rollingstone State School}} In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 65 students with 8 teachers (7 full-time equivalent) and 9 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).{{cite web|title=ACARA School Profile 2018|url=https://www.acara.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/school-profile-2018.xlsx|publisher=Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority|accessdate=28 January 2020|archive-date=27 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827085246/https://www.acara.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/school-profile-2018.xlsx|url-status=live}}

There are no secondary schools in Rollingstone. The nearest government secondary school is Northern Beaches State High School in Deeragun to the south-east.

Rollingstone Police Station is at 8 Rollingstone Street ({{coord|-19.0429|146.3900|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Rollingstone Police Station}}).{{Cite web|date=18 November 2020|title=Emergency services facilities - Queensland|url=https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/built-features-queensland-series/resource/923a4139-4a79-4744-8955-d73230796bd6|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124224500/https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/built-features-queensland-series/resource/923a4139-4a79-4744-8955-d73230796bd6|archive-date=24 November 2020|access-date=24 November 2020|website=Queensland Open Data|publisher=Queensland Government}}{{Cite web|title=Rollingstone Station|url=https://www.police.qld.gov.au/station/rollingstone-station|access-date=24 February 2022|website=Queensland Police|archive-date=9 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409180147/https://www.police.qld.gov.au/station/rollingstone-station|url-status=live}}

Located alongside the Bruce Highway, facilities in Rollingstone include a service station, general store, hotel and caravan park.[http://discover.thuringowa.qld.gov.au/resources/190.pdf Thuringowa's Northern Beaches] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220001927/http://discover.thuringowa.qld.gov.au/resources/190.pdf |date=20 February 2011 }}, accessed 1 November 2010.

Despite the name, Rollingstone Community Centre is at 44 Community Crescent in neighbouring Balgal Beach ({{Coord|-19.0447|146.4090|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Rollingstone Community Centre}}).{{Cite web|title=HOME {{!}} Rollingstone and District Community Association Inc.|url=https://www.rollingstonecommunityassociation.com/|access-date=2022-02-24|website=Rollingstone|language=en|archive-date=24 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224093207/https://www.rollingstonecommunityassociation.com/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=About us|url=https://www.rollingstonecommunityassociation.com/about-us|access-date=2022-02-24|website=The Rollingstone & District Community Association|language=en|archive-date=24 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224093213/https://www.rollingstonecommunityassociation.com/about-us|url-status=live}} The Townsville City Council operate a mobile library service which visits the Community Centre every second Wednesday morning.{{Cite web|url=https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0022/5089/Mobile-Library-Calendar_18_JanJun.pdf|title=Mobile Library Service|website=Townsville City Council|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-date=29 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129141018/https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0022/5089/Mobile-Library-Calendar_18_JanJun.pdf|url-status=live}}

Rollingstone is a popular location for recreational activities such as camping, picnicking and swimming at Rollingstone Park (als known as Bushy Park) on Rollingstone Road ({{Coord|-19.0459|146.3927|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Bushy Park}}) along Rollingstone Creek.{{Cite web|title=Rollingstone Park|url=https://www.townsvillenorthqueensland.com.au/things-to-do/product-things/?rollingstone-park-56b25e8e7b935fbe730dd8e7|access-date=2022-02-24|website=Townsville North Queensland|language=en|archive-date=18 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418225849/https://www.townsvillenorthqueensland.com.au/things-to-do/product-things/?rollingstone-park-56b25e8e7b935fbe730dd8e7|url-status=live}}

Rollingstone Museum and Visitor Information Centre is in former Rollingstone railway station building, which has been relocated and restored{{Where|date=February 2022}}. It is operated by the Rollingstone Historical Society.

{{Reflist}}

• {{Citation|title=Thirty-three miles to Rollingstone : a short history of Rollingstone and Balgal|publication-date=2003|author1=Vidonja Balanzategui, Bianka|author2=Thuringowa (Qld.). Council|author3=Queensland. Environmental Protection Agency|publisher=City of Thuringowa|isbn=978-0-9577305-7-1}} — full text available [https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE1754013 online] via the State Library of Queensland
• {{Citation|title=In the bush at Rollingstone|publication-date=1984|author1=O'Connor, Jack|publisher=J.A. O'Connor|isbn=978-0-9591445-0-5}}

{{Commons category-inline|Rollingstone, Queensland}}

• {{cite web|date=1977|title=Town map of Rollingstone|url=https://gisservices.information.qld.gov.au/arcgis/rest/directories/historicalscans/cad_scans/cad-map-town-rollingstone-1977.jpg|publisher=Queensland Government}}

{{Suburbs of Townsville}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Suburbs of Townsville

Category:Localities in Queensland