Toolooa

Toolooa Gladstone, Queensland
Fire burns down Skyring's Mill, 1930
Toolooa
Coordinates	23.8822°S 151.2694°E / -23.8822; 151.2694 (Toolooa (centre of suburb))
Population	992 (2021 census)[1]
• Density	331/km^2 (856/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4680
Area	3.0 km^2 (1.2 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	5.8 km (4 mi) SSE of Gladstone CBD 113 km (70 mi) SE of Rockhampton 512 km (318 mi) NNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Gladstone Region
State electorate(s)	Gladstone
Federal division(s)	Flynn
Suburbs around Toolooa: Sun Valley South Gladstone South Trees Telina Toolooa South Trees Glen Eden Glen Eden South Trees

Toolooa is a suburb of Gladstone in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2021 census, Toolooa had a population of 992 people.[1]

Geography

Toolooa is 5.8 kilometres (3.6 mi) south of Gladstone Central by road. Toolooa borders Telina, South Gladstone, and Glen Eden and is close to The Botanical Gardens.

The suburb is bounded to the west by Glenlyon Road and to the north and east by the Moura railway line.[3] Moura Short Line Junction railway station in the north-east of the locality is the interconnection of the Moura line with the North Coast railway line (23.8758°S 151.2738°E / -23.8758; 151.2738 (Moura Short Line Junction railway station)).[4]

Gladstone–Benaraby Road passes through the eastern part of the suburb.[3]

History

The name Toolooa is believed to be derived from the Aboriginal name in the Gurang/Goeng language for nearby Barney Point and the clan of Indigenous Australians who lived in the area.[2] When the first Government Resident Maurice Charles O'Connell came to Gladstone (then known as Port Curtis), he had a house built in 1856 called Toolooa House at Barney Point. This house was sold on 12 September 1863 and burned down on 15 August 1873. The name Toolooa was later used for a railway station 7 miles (11 km) south of Gladstone, but this station no longer exists.[5]

In 1900 the Bundaberg firm Messrs H. A. Skyring and Sons established a large sawmill in the area near the railway line.[6] It employed many workers and contributed to Gladstone's growth.[7][8] The mill was completely destroyed by fire on 4 April 1930.[9]

Skyring's Siding Provisional School opened about 2 May 1905 but was soon renamed Toolooa Provisional School. It became Toolooa State School on 1 January 1909 but closed on 30 April 1921.[10][11] The school building was relocated to Iveragh to establish Iveragh State School in 1922.[12]

Toolooa State High School opened on 27 January 1981 with 200 Year-8 students and 11 teachers.[10][13][14]

Demographics

In the 2011 census, Toolooa had a population of 1,164 people.[15]

In the 2016 census, Toolooa had a population of 944 people.[16]

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

Education

There are no schools in Toolooa. The nearest government primary schools are Gladstone South State School in neighbouring South Gladstone to the north and Kin Kora State School in Kin Kora to the west. Despite the name, Toolooa State High School is in neighbouring South Gladstone.[3]

Amenities

There are a number of parks in the area:

• Emperor Road Park (23.8827°S 151.2727°E / -23.8827; 151.2727 (Emperor Road Park))[17]
• Toolooa Park (23.8850°S 151.2675°E / -23.8850; 151.2675 (Toolooa Park))[17]

• Toondoon Botanic Gardens (23.8922°S 151.2632°E / -23.8922; 151.2632 (Toondoon Botanic Gardens))[17]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Toolooa (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
2. "Toolooa – suburb in Gladstone Region (entry 49805)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
3. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
4. "Railway stations and sidings - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
5. "HISTORY IN PLACE NAMES". The Morning Bulletin. Rockhampton, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 20 February 1950. p. 5. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
6. "Untitled". Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 28 September 1900. p. 3. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
7. "GLADSTONE". The Morning Bulletin. Rockhampton, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 30 November 1900. p. 7. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
8. "THE SKETCHER". The Queenslander. National Library of Australia. 8 May 1926. p. 11. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
9. "SAWMILL DESTROYED". The Central Queensland Herald. Rockhampton, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 10 April 1930. p. 46. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
10. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
11. "Agency ID 10683, Toolooa State School". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
12. "Toolooa, Iveragh, and Hut Creek Schools". Morning Bulletin. No. 17, 914. Queensland, Australia. 26 June 1922. p. 8. Retrieved 27 February 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
13. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
14. "History". Toolooa State High School. Toolooa State High School. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
15. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Toolooa (SSC)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
16. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Toolooa (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
17. "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.

External links

• "Gladstone Suburbs". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.