Alligator Creek, Queensland (Mackay)

Alligator Creek
Queensland
Alligator Creek is located in Queensland
Alligator Creek
Alligator Creek
Coordinates21°18′53″S 149°12′38″E / 21.3147°S 149.2105°E / -21.3147; 149.2105 (Alligator Creek (centre of locality))
Population897 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density11.912/km2 (30.85/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4740
Area75.3 km2 (29.1 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Mackay Region
State electorate(s)Mirani
Federal division(s)Capricornia
Suburbs around Alligator Creek:
Balberra Coral Sea Hay Point
Munbura Alligator Creek Grasstree Beach
Sarina Sarina Sarina

Alligator Creek is a coastal rural locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2021 census, Alligator Creek had a population of 897 people.[1]

Geography

Dudgeon Point is a headland into the Coral Sea at the northernmost tip of the locality (21°14′45″S 149°15′17″E / 21.2458°S 149.2547°E / -21.2458; 149.2547 (Dudgeon Point)).[3]

Mount Hector is a mountain (21°16′07″S 149°15′56″E / 21.2687°S 149.2655°E / -21.2687; 149.2655 (Mount Hector)) on the Coral Sea coast at the mouth of Louisa Creek.[4] It is 55 metres (180 ft) above sea level.[5]

History

Alligator Creek Provisional School opened on 14 September 1896. On 1 January 1909, it became Alligator State School.[6][7]

On 17 November 1911, a mother and her five children were murdered in their home at Alligator Creek.[8] The family's farm hand, George David Silva, was convicted of the murder of the mother, and was hanged on 10 June 1912.[9]

Demographics

In the 2016 census, Alligator Creek had a population of 791 people.[10]

In the 2021 census, Alligator Creek had a population of 897 people.[1]

Education

Alligator Creek State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 50 Grasstree Road (21°19′45″S 149°12′41″E / 21.3293°S 149.2115°E / -21.3293; 149.2115 (Alligator Creek State School)).[11][12] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 308 students with 24 teachers (20 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (11 full-time equivalents).[13] It includes a special education program.[11]

There is no secondary school in Alligator Creek. The nearest secondary school is Sarina State High School in neighbouring Sarina to the south.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Alligator Creek (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "Alligator Creek – locality in Mackay Region (entry 49129)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Dudgeon Point – point in Mackay Regional (entry 10726)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Mount Hector – mountain in Mackay Regional (entry 15638)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  6. ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  7. ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  8. ^ "TRAGEDY AT MACKAY". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 20 November 1911. p. 4. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  9. ^ Kate Kyriacou (12 January 2015). "George David Silva responsible for one of Queensland's worst mass murders in Mackay". The Courier-Mail. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  10. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Alligator Creek (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018. Edit this at Wikidata
  11. ^ a b "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  12. ^ "Alligator Creek State School". Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  13. ^ "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.