Woongoolba, Queensland

{{Infobox Australian place

| type = suburb

| name = Woongoolba

| state = qld

| image = Queensland State Archives 1868 Cattle grazing Woongoolba Gold Coast January 1956.png

| caption = Cattle grazing, Woongoolba, 1956

| coordinates = {{coord|-27.7277|153.3147|type:city_region:AU-QLD|display=inline,title|name=Woongoolba (centre of locality)}}

| alternative_location_map = Australia Brisbane

| local_map = yes

| zoom = 12

| pop = 282

| pop_year = {{CensusAU|2021}}

| pop_footnotes =

| established =

| postcode = 4207

| area = 32.5

| timezone = AEST

| utc = +10:00

| dist1 = 8.2

| dir1 = NE

| location1 = Ormeau

| dist2 = 16.7

| dir2 = E

| location2 = Beenleigh

| dist3 = 36.5

| dir3 = N

| location3 = Southport

| dist4 = 39.5

| dir4 = N

| location4 = Surfers Paradise

| dist5 = 49.4

| dir5 = SE

| location5 = Brisbane CBD

| lga = City of Gold Coast

| stategov = Coomera

| fedgov = Fadden

| near-n = Carbrook

| near-ne = Redland Bay

| near-e = Steiglitz

| near-se = Jacobs Well

| near-s = Norwell

| near-sw = Norwell

| near-w = Gilberton

| near-nw = Alberton

}}

Woongoolba is a coastal rural locality in the northern part of City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.{{cite QPN|46102|Woongoolba|locality in City of Gold Coast|accessdate=27 December 2020}} In the {{CensusAU|2021}}, Woongoolba had a population of 282 people.

Geography

The locality is bounded to the north by the Logan River ({{Coord|-27.6958|153.3408|type:river_region:AU-QLD|name=Logan River (mouth)}}) and to the north-east by Moreton Bay.{{Queensland Globe|access-date=26 January 2022}}

Little Rocky Point is a headland jutting into Moreton Bay ({{coord|-27.7122|153.3561|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Little Rocky Point}}).{{cite QPN|19702|Little Rocky Point|point in City of Gold Coast|accessdate=27 December 2020}}

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

Marks Hill ({{coord|-27.7099|153.3318|type:mountain_region:AU-QLD|name=Marks Hill}}) rising to {{convert|20|m}} in the north-east of the locality, close to the mouth of the Logan River{{Cite web|date=12 November 2020|title=Mountain peaks and capes - Queensland|url=https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/geographic-features-queensland-series/resource/06ff12a9-862e-4aac-bf9d-693f0a63b4c9|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125215033/https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/geographic-features-queensland-series/resource/06ff12a9-862e-4aac-bf9d-693f0a63b4c9|archive-date=25 November 2020|access-date=25 November 2020|website=Queensland Open Data|publisher=Queensland Government}}{{cite QPN|21014|Marks Hill|mountain in Gold Coast City|access-date=25 November 2020}}
immediately inland of Little Rocky Point
Cecil Zipf Park along the coast

The land is predominantly used for growing sugarcane except for the north-east of the locality which is used for aquaculture, mostly prawns.{{Cite web|title=Gold Coast Tiger Prawns|url=https://www.gctigerprawns.com.au/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=Gold Coast Tiger Prawns|archive-date=15 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115105704/https://www.gctigerprawns.com.au/|url-status=live}} Parts of the north-east of the locality are marshland and undeveloped.

History

File:StateLibQld 1 101260.jpg

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.{{cite web|title=Woongoolba History|url=http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/thegoldcoast/woongoolba-history-2683.html|publisher=City of Gold Coast Council|access-date=5 April 2014|archive-date=7 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407092737/http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/thegoldcoast/woongoolba-history-2683.html|url-status=live}}

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

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

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.{{cite QSA Agency|5847|Woongoolba State School|5 April 2014}}{{Cite QldSchool|access-date=4 April 2014}}{{cite web|title=History of Woongoolba State School|url=https://woongoolbass.eq.edu.au/Ourschool/History/Pages/History.aspx|publisher=Woongoolba State School|access-date=4 April 2014|archive-date=7 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407084145/https://woongoolbass.eq.edu.au/Ourschool/History/Pages/History.aspx|url-status=live}}

File:Rocky Point Sugar Mill, Woongoolba and Steiglitz, 2014.JPG

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.{{cite web|title=A brief history – Carl Heinrich Heck|url=http://www.heckgroup.com.au/the-heck-group/history|publisher=Heck Group|access-date=4 April 2014|archive-date=7 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407075339/http://www.heckgroup.com.au/the-heck-group/history|url-status=live}}

The first Bethlehem Lutheran church was built in 1882. It was replaced by the current building in 1908, which was renovated in 1930.{{Cite web|title=History|url=http://albertonparish.org.au/about/history/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-24|website=Alberton Lutheran Parish|language=en-AU|archive-date=2 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302164314/http://albertonparish.org.au/about/history/}}

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.{{cite news|date=18 July 1917|title=NEWS FROM THE COUNTRY.|page=3|newspaper=Daily Mail|issue=4500|location=Queensland, Australia|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article215258346|via=National Library of Australia|accessdate=20 January 2022|archive-date=20 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120034000/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/215258346|url-status=live}} In the 1970s or 1980s, the original Norwell State School building was relocated to the site and used to extend the hall.{{Cite web|title=Woongoolba Hall - General Community Facilities - Gold Coast Community Directory|url=https://www.mycommunitydirectory.com.au/Queensland/Gold_Coast/Community_Centres__Halls___Facilities/General_Community_Facilities/14236/131406/Woongoolba_Hall|access-date=2022-01-21|website=www.mycommunitydirectory.com.au|archive-date=21 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121034648/https://www.mycommunitydirectory.com.au/Queensland/Gold_Coast/Community_Centres__Halls___Facilities/General_Community_Facilities/14236/131406/Woongoolba_Hall|url-status=live}}

In December 2016, the prawn industry in Woongoolba was disrupted by an outbreak of white spot virus.{{Cite news|last=Cluff|first=Renee|date=2017-03-01|title=White spot disease forces Gold Coast prawn farmer to head north|language=en-AU|work=ABC News|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2017-03-01/white-spot-disease-forces-gold-coast-prawn-farmer-to-head-north/8315420|access-date=2022-01-25|archive-date=20 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920201316/http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2017-03-01/white-spot-disease-forces-gold-coast-prawn-farmer-to-head-north/8315420|url-status=live}} 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.{{Cite web|date=2021-01-27|title=Prawn farm launches $40 million suit over white spot losses|url=https://inqld.com.au/news/2021/01/27/prawn-farm-launches-40-million-suit-over-white-spot-losses/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=InQueensland|language=en|archive-date=28 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128203148/https://inqld.com.au/news/2021/01/27/prawn-farm-launches-40-million-suit-over-white-spot-losses/|url-status=live}} 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).{{Cite news|last=Nichols|first=Jennifer|date=2021-01-16|title=Deadly white spot virus killing prawns and crabs in the wild|language=en-AU|work=ABC News|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2021-01-17/prawn-white-spot-virus-killing-wild-australian-prawns-and-crabs/13060200|access-date=2022-01-25|archive-date=19 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219103854/https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2021-01-17/prawn-white-spot-virus-killing-wild-australian-prawns-and-crabs/13060200|url-status=live}}

in July 2019 the Heck family homestead "‘Friedensheim" (House of Peace), then at 129 Mill Road, opposite the Rocky Point Sugar Mill ({{Coord|-27.7345|153.3263|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=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.{{Cite web|last=Holt|first=Simon|date=2021-12-01|title=Homestead preserved for future generations|url=https://mycitylogan.com.au/homestead-preserved-for-future-generations/|access-date=2022-01-20|website=MyCity Logan|language=en-US|archive-date=20 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120024958/https://mycitylogan.com.au/homestead-preserved-for-future-generations/|url-status=live}}{{Cite journal|last=Kerr|first=Ruth|date=February 2022|title=Queensland Report|journal=The RHSQ Bulletin|issue=870|pages=2–3}}{{Cite news|last=Kerr|first=Judith|date=14 June 2019|title=Facelift for century-old sugar cane homestead donated to Beenleigh Historical Society|work=Quest Newspapers|url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/logan/facelift-for-centuryold-sugar-cane-homestead-donated-to-beenleigh-historical-society/news-story/159e366f8817a800f716171ea3317d6a|access-date=20 January 2022}}

Demographics

In the {{CensusAU|2011}}, Woongoolba had a population of 460 people.{{Census 2011 AUS|id=SSC31814|name=Woongoolba|access-date=4 April 2014|quick=on}}

In the {{CensusAU|2016}}, Woongoolba had a population of 280 people.{{Census 2016 AUS|id=SSC33184|name=Woongoolba (SSC)|accessdate=20 October 2018|quick=on}}

In the {{CensusAU|2021}}, Woongoolba had a population of 282 people.{{Census 2021 AUS|id=SAL33154|name=Woongoolba (SAL)|access-date=28 February 2023|quick=on}}

Education

File:Woongoolba State School.jpg

Woongoolba State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 1219 Jacobs Well Road ({{coord|-27.7451|153.3193|type:edu_region:AU-QLD|name=Woongoolba 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|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|accessdate=21 November 2018|publisher=Queensland Government}}{{cite web|title=Woongoolba State School|url=https://www.woongoolbass.eq.edu.au|accessdate=21 November 2018|archive-date=21 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321030327/https://woongoolbass.eq.edu.au/|url-status=live}} 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).{{cite web|title=ACARA School Profile 2018|url=https://www.acara.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/school-profile-2018.xlsx|accessdate=28 January 2020|publisher=Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority|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 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.

Amenities

File:Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Woongoolba, 2014.JPG

The Gold Coast City Council operates a fortnightly mobile library service which visits Woongoolba State School on Jacobs Well Road.{{Cite web|title=Mobile Library 2018 timetable|url=http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/library/documents/Mobile-library-timetable-2018.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130062320/http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/library/documents/Mobile-library-timetable-2018.pdf|archive-date=30 January 2018|access-date=30 January 2018|website=Gold Coast City Council}}

Bethlehem Lutheran Church is at 1281 Stapylton Jacobs Well Road ({{Coord|-27.7459|153.3258|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Bethlehem Lutheran Church}}).{{Cite web|title=Bethlehem Lutheran Church|url=http://albertonparish.org.au/ministries/bethlehem-lutheran-church/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-24|website=Alberton Lutheran Parish|language=en-AU|archive-date=2 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302164418/http://albertonparish.org.au/ministries/bethlehem-lutheran-church/}}

Woongoolba Public Hall (also known as Pimpama Island & Districts Community Centre) is at 1226 Stapylton Jacobs Well Road ({{Coord|-27.7457|153.3201|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Woongoolba Public Hall}}).{{Cite web|title=Pimpama Island & Districts Community Centre Ass.Inc - Organisation|url=https://volunteeringqld.org.au/roles/organisation/16778|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-20|website=Volunteering Queensland|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413014859/https://volunteeringqld.org.au/roles/organisation/16778}}{{Cite web|title=Woongoolba Hall|url=https://www.facebook.com/woongoolbahall/about/|access-date=2022-01-20|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|archive-date=20 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120033959/https://www.facebook.com/woongoolbahall/about/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=Woongoolba Hall|url=https://www.jitters.com.au/woongoolba-hall|access-date=2022-01-20|website=newjitters|language=en|archive-date=10 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510013840/https://www.jitters.com.au/woongoolba-hall|url-status=live}}

Accessed via a causeway through the mangroves, the Cecil Zipf Park at Little Rocky Point ({{coord|-27.7166|153.3537|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=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.{{Cite web|date=20 November 2020|title=Land for public recreation - Queensland|url=https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/land-for-public-recreation-queensland/resource/d55804bc-f416-478b-8e9a-c12587ce8009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122211519/https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/land-for-public-recreation-queensland/resource/d55804bc-f416-478b-8e9a-c12587ce8009|archive-date=22 November 2020|access-date=22 November 2020|website=Queensland Open Data|publisher=Queensland Government}}{{cite web|title=Cecil Zipf Park, Woongoolba|url=http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/documents/mp/nth-dogexercise-cecilzipf-pk.pdf|publisher=City of Gold Coast Council|access-date=14 April 2014|archive-date=15 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415185832/http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/documents/mp/nth-dogexercise-cecilzipf-pk.pdf|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Downie|first=Dave 'Nugget'|title=Fishing: Any bait will do for bream|url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/lifestyle/health/fishing-any-bait-will-do-for-bream/story-e6frer76-1226338868346|access-date=14 April 2014|newspaper=Courier-Mail|date=27 April 2012}}File:Cecil Zipf Park, Woongoolba, 2014.JPGThere are a number of other parks in the locality, including:

Behm Creek Reserve ({{coord|-27.7633|153.3310|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Behm Creek Reserve}})
Loves Road Weir ({{coord|-27.7164|153.3023|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Loves Road Weir}})
New Norwell Rd Reserve ({{coord|-27.7585|153.3134|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=New Norwell Rd Reserve}})
Norwell Reserve ({{coord|-27.7560|153.3028|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Norwell Reserve}})
Pimpama Island Recreational Reserve ({{coord|-27.7383|153.3050|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Pimpama Island Recreational Reserve}})
Rocky Point Reserve ({{coord|-27.7120|153.3412|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Rocky Point Reserve}})
Sandy Creek Park ({{coord|-27.7141|153.3008|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Sandy Creek Park}})

References

External links

Category:Suburbs of the Gold Coast, Queensland

Category:Coastline of Queensland

Category:Localities in Queensland