The land is predominantly used for growing sugarcane except for the north-east of the locality which is used for aquaculture, mostly prawns.[7] Parts of the north-east of the locality are marshland and undeveloped.[3]
History
In the late 1800s, the farming district located between the Pimpama River and the Logan River called Pimpama Island and encompasses the modern localities of Jacobs Well, Norwell, Steiglitz and Woongoolba. It was referred to as an island because there were a number of lagoons and swamps that isolated the area during the wet season; however, this disadvantage made it good land for growing sugar cane.[8]
The district was predominantly settled by German immigrants who arrived in the period 1864–1900.[9]
The Pimpama Island Provisional School opened on 17 April 1876 under the direction of teacher Joseph Schindler with 13 pupils (of German parentage). It became Pimpama Island State School on 7 September 1898. It was renamed Woongoolba State School in 1930. Additional classrooms and a library were built in 1941, with further expansions in 1991, 1997 and 2010.[9][10][11]
The Rocky Point Sugar Mill was established by Carl Heinrich Heck in 1878 on Mill Road (and crosses the boundary between Woongoolba and Steiglitz). Despite being one of the oldest sugar mills in Australia, it is still privately owned by the Heck Group. There were once other sugar mills in the area, but they have now closed and Rocky Point has expanded to replace their lost capacity.[12]
The first Bethlehem Lutheran church was built in 1882. It was replaced by the current building in 1908, which was renovated in 1930.[13]
In December 2016, the prawn industry in Woongoolba was disrupted by an outbreak of white spot virus.[16] The disease was found in imported prawns in June 2016, and it is believed that recreational fishermen used these imported prawns as bait in the Logan River (from where the prawn industry draws its water), introducing the disease into the prawn farms. In 2021, one prawn farming company initiated legal action for damages of over $44 million against the prawn importing companies and the Australian Government for their role in this biosecurity failure.[17] In 2021, submissions were made to the Australian Government to require imported prawns to be cooked rather than raw (which would kill the white spot disease and hopefully minimise biosecurity risk of other diseases).[18]
There are no secondary schools in Woongoolba. The nearest government secondary schools are Ormeau Woods State High School in Ormeau to the south-west and Beenleigh State High School in Beenleigh to the west.[3]
^"History". Alberton Lutheran Parish. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
^"NEWS FROM THE COUNTRY". Daily Mail. No. 4500. Queensland, Australia. 18 July 1917. p. 3. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.