Gunalda
Town in Queensland, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gunalda is a rural town in the Gympie Region and a locality split between Gympie Region and Fraser Coast Region in Queensland, Australia.[2][3][4] In the 2021 census, the locality of Gunalda had a population of 426 people.[1]
Gunalda | |||||||||||||
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Gunalda Hotel | |||||||||||||
  Gunalda | |||||||||||||
 Interactive map of Gunalda | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates: 25.9944°S 152.5613°E | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Queensland | ||||||||||||
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| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 67.3 km2 (26.0 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 426 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 6.330/km2 (16.394/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+10:00 (AEST) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 4570 | ||||||||||||
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Geography
The town is 196 kilometres (122 mi) from the state capital, Brisbane.
The Bruce Highway runs through from south-west to north.[5]
The North Coast railway line enters the locality from the south-west (Curra) and passes to the west of the town and exists to the north-west (Theebine).[6] Previously the railway line passed through the town,[7] which was served by the now-dismantled Gunalda railway station (25.9943°S 152.5620°E).[8]
History
Thompson's Flat Provisional School opened on 8 August 1881. In 1889, the school was renamed Gunalda Provisional School. On 1 January 1909, it became Gunalda State School.[9]
Eaton Post Office opened on 1 September 1882 and was renamed Gunalda in 1883.[10]
The town was originally called Keelar but after the railway station was named Gunalda on 2 November 1923, the town was renamed Gunalda.[2]
In December 1938, the foundation stone was laid for a Catholic church. On Sunday 8 October 1939, Archbishop James Duhig officially opened and dedicated the Catholic Church of the Little Flower.[11]
In 1947, Christ Church Anglican was relocated from Munna Creek to 11 King Street (25.9934°S 152.5613°E) in Gunalda where it retained the name Christ Church Anglican.[12][13]
Demographics
In the 2006 census, the locality of Gunalda and the surrounding area had a population of 574 people.[14]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Gunalda had a population of 392 people.[15]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Gunalda had a population of 426 people.[1]
Education
Gunalda State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at King Street (25.9927°S 152.5604°E).[16][17] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 35 students with 3 teachers (2 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[18]
There are no secondary schools in Gunalda. The nearest government secondary school is James Nash State High School in Gympie to the south-east.[6]
Facilities
Gunalda Cemetery is on the western end of Cotter Drive (25.9875°S 152.5553°E).[19]
