Mount Murchison, Queensland
Suburb of Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mount Murchison is a rural locality in the Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia.[3] In the 2021 census, Mount Murchison had a population of 128 people.[1]
Mount Murchison | |||||||||||||
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Mount Murchison State School, 2013 | |||||||||||||
  Mount Murchison | |||||||||||||
 Interactive map of Mount Murchison | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates: 24.3358°S 150.5711°E | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Queensland | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Location |
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| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 76.0 km2 (29.3 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 128 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 1.684/km2 (4.362/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+10:00 (AEST) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 4715[2] | ||||||||||||
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Geography
Callide Power Station is in the south-east of the locality at 1092 Biloela Callide Road (24.3463°S 150.6189°E).[4][5]
History
Mount Murchison State School opened on 24 April 1935.[6][7] The new school was built to cater for up to 24 students with a single 18x18 foot classroom with 8 foot verandas front and rear; it was a timber building with a galvanised iron roof and was built on the property of Mr C. G. Skinner.[8][9] The teacher was Reg Davidson.[10]
Callide Power Station commenced operation in 1965.[11] It was officially opened by Queensland Premier Frank Nicklin on 21 August 1965.
The mobile library service commenced in 2004.[12]
On 25 May 2021, an explosion and subsequent fire at Callide Power Station caused a significant power outage that affected over 375,000 premises.[13][14][15][16]
Demographics
In the 2011 census, Mount Murchison had a population of 226 people.[17]
In the 2016 census, Mount Murchison had a population of 149 people.[18]
In the 2021 census, Mount Murchison had a population of 128 people.[1]
Economy
Callide Power Station is a coal-powered electricity generator with eight steam turbines with a combined generation capacity of 1,720 megawatts (MW) of electricity. As of 2018, generation capacity was 1510 MW.[11]
Education
Mount Murchison State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Lot 137 Dawson Highway (24.3338°S 150.5379°E).[19][20][21] In 2013, the school had 16 students in a single multi-age class with one teacher.[22] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 33 students with 3 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).[23]
There are no secondary schools in Mount Murchison. The nearest government secondary school is Biloela State High School in Biloela to the south-west.[24]
Amenities
Banana Shire Council operate a fortnightly mobile library service to the school.[25][26]
Biloela Dirt Riders operate the Stoneyridge Raceway on Cocups Road (24.3567°S 150.6219°E).[27][28][29]
