Flaxton, Queensland

Flaxton
Queensland
View from Flaxton towards the Pacific Ocean, 2012
Flaxton is located in Queensland
Flaxton
Flaxton
Coordinates26°39′34″S 152°52′09″E / 26.6594°S 152.8691°E / -26.6594; 152.8691 (Flaxton (centre of locality))
Population992 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density85.5/km2 (221.5/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4560
Area11.6 km2 (4.5 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Sunshine Coast Region
State electorate(s)Glass House
Federal division(s)Fairfax
Suburbs around Flaxton:
Mapleton Mapleton Dulong
Obi Obi Flaxton Hunchy
Obi Obi Montville Hunchy

Flaxton is a rural locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2021 census, Flaxton had a population of 992 people.[1]

History

Flaxton Inn, 1976
Life-sized stocks at the Flaxton Model Village, 1978

The locality is named after Flaxton Hall Farm in the fens of Eastern England.[2] Joseph Dixon, who originally grew sugarcane at Buderim, selected land at Flaxton in 1882.[3] From 1892 the land was cleared so bananas and citrus fruit could be farmed.

Local residents began to lobby for a school in 1921 with Mr J. C. Dixon senior donating a 1-acre (0.40 ha) parcel of land on the main range road with panoramic views to the coast.[4] Having been advised that a state school built by the government would be unlikely, the residents decided to raise the funds locally to build a provisional school which could also be used as a public hall outside of school hours. A stump-capping ceremony was held on 8 October 1921. Flaxton Provisional School opened in February 1922. It closed in 1967.[5][6][7][8] It was at 360-362 Flaxton Drive (26°39′33″S 152°52′55″E / 26.65916°S 152.88194°E / -26.65916; 152.88194 (Flaxton Provisional School (former))).[9]

A fruit-packing shed which could process the district's entire harvest was opened 1931.[3] A sawmill operated for more than 20 years before being burned down in 1956.[3]

On 21 March 1970, the Minister for Tourism, John Herbert, officially opened the Flaxton Model Village display which was built and operated by Mr and Mrs Malcolm Bradley. The model village had one-twelfth scale replicas of old English buildings, including a castle, water mill, church, market square etc. There were also life-sized replicas used as a theatre, cafe, and shop etc.[10]

Demographics

In the 2016 census, Flaxton had a population of 931 people.[11]

In the 2021 census, Flaxton had a population of 992 people.[1]

Education

There are no schools in Flaxton. The nearest government primary schools are Mapleton State School in neighbouring Mapleton to the north and Montville State School in neighbouring Montville to the south. The nearest government secondary school is Burnside State High School in Burnside to the north-east.[12]

Amenities

There are a number of parks in the area:

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Flaxton (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ a b "Flaxton – locality in Sunshine Coast Region (entry 48636)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) (2000). Heritage Trails of the Great South East. State of Queensland. p. 133. ISBN 0-7345-1008-X.
  4. ^ "Flaxton". Chronicle And North Coast Advertiser. Vol. XVII, no. 917. Queensland, Australia. 27 May 1921. p. 4. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  6. ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  7. ^ "Flaxton: Provisional School". Chronicle And North Coast Advertiser. Vol. XVIII, no. 928. Queensland, Australia. 12 August 1921. p. 5. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "District Notes". Chronicle And North Coast Advertiser. Vol. XVIII, no. 937. Queensland, Australia. 14 October 1921. p. 7. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "Parish of Maroochy sheet 2" (Map). Queensland Government. 1955. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  10. ^ "A walk down memory lane of Coast tourism". Sunshine Coast Daily. 9 July 2017.
  11. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Flaxton (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018. Edit this at Wikidata
  12. ^ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Land for public recreation - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.

Further reading

  • Plowman, Gordon; Montville History Group, (issuing body.); Montville Villiage Association, (associated name.); Montville Community, (sponsoring body.) (2020), Silky Oaks and Camphor Laurels : centenary of the opening of the Flaxton Provisional (State) School 1922-2022 (First ed.), Montville History Group, a sub-committee of the Montville Village Association Inc, ISBN 978-0-648-75096-3
  • Plowman, G. (2020). Sawdust and steam : the story of the Flaxton Sawmill 1936 to 1963 / by Gordon Plowman (First ed.). Montville History Group, a sub-committee of the Montville Village Association Inc. ISBN 9780648750949.
  • Patterson, C., Patterson, D. (2020). Early settlers of Hunchy, Razorback, Flaxton and Montville, 1885 to 1914 / by Cate and Doug Patterson. Montville History Group, a sub-committee of the Montville Village Association Inc. ISBN 9780648750918.
  • "Flaxton". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.