The Flinders Highway passes through Pentland (both town and locality) from east to west, as does the Great Northern railway line.[5] The locality is served by the following railway stations (from west to east):
Within the town, the Flinders Highway is also known as Main Street.[5]
History
Train at Pentland railway station in 1929
The Cape River goldfields opened in July 1867 on the advice of geologist Richard Daintree.[9] By 1870 there were over 20,000 men working the goldfield but by 1873, the population of Capeville had reduced to about 30.[10]
There was a telegraph office from 1880 to 1884.[11]
Bett's Creek Post Office opened on 7 October 1884. It was renamed Pentland in 1885.[12]
Pentland Provisional School opened on 11 May 1885. On 1 January 1909, it became Pentland State School.[13]
Oakvale Provisional School opened in 1902 and closed in 1907.[13]
The Soldiers Memorial Hall was opened on Saturday 24 April 1926 by Mrs Lydia Pilcher, who had four sons in the military in World War I, one of whom, Ernest Sydney Pilcher, died of wounds in 1918.[14][15][16]
Cape River State School opened on 25 October 1915 and closed in 1938.[13]
Pentland Meatworks (also known as Cape River Meatworks) was opened in 1943 to meet the additional needs of Australian and American forces arriving in North Queensland during World War II.[17] The end of the war in 1945 meant the army no longer had a need for the facility, after which it had a number of changes of ownership.[17] The meatworks saw the township of Pentland thrive.[18] The meatworks eventually closed in September 1989.[17]
In 1964, St Mary's Catholic Church opened in Pentland. It was relocated from Sellheim where it was built in 1906.[19][20][21]
In the early 1970s, there were two grocery stores and the Pentland State School had around 70 enrolled students, the town pool was opened and the town's only hotel, the Pentland Hotel Motel was renovated.[18]
In 2009, the locality of Pentland was expanded to include the discontinued localities of The Cape, Buchanan and Torrens Creek.[2]
The 2013 Australian Federal Government budget included funds for a feasibility study on "the potential to develop land for sugarcane production, milling, ethanol and cogeneration infrastructure in the Pentland region."[22]
On Wednesday 25 April (Anzac Day) 2018, a war memorial was officially opened at the Soldiers Memorial Hall as part of the Centenary of World War I. The memorial commemorates all who have served and died in Australia's military forces.[23]
Demographics
In the 2016 census, the locality of Pentland had a population of 306 people.[24]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Pentland had a population of 248 people.[1]
Queensland Rail'sInlander service between Townsville and Mount Isa provides a twice-weekly service which can be booked to stop at Pentland and Torrens Creek.[37]
^"CAPE RIVER GOLD-FIELDS". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XXII, no. 3, 064. Queensland, Australia. 6 August 1867. p. 3. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"PENTLAND NOTES". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Vol. XLII, no. 106. Queensland, Australia. 4 May 1926. p. 10. Retrieved 13 February 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^Blake, Thom. "St Aidan's Anglican Church". Queensland religious places database. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
^Blake, Thom. "St Mary's Catholic Church". Queensland religious places database. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
