Grantham is a rural town and locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] The town is located 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of the state capital, Brisbane. In the 2016 census, the locality of Grantham had a population of 634 people.[1]
Grantham Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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Grantham | |||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 27°34′37″S 152°12′08″E / 27.5769°S 152.2022°E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 634 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 12.860/km2 (33.31/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 4347 | ||||||||||||||
Elevation | 109 m (358 ft) | ||||||||||||||
Area | 49.3 km2 (19.0 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
LGA(s) | Lockyer Valley Region | ||||||||||||||
County | Cavendish | ||||||||||||||
Parish | Lockyer | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Lockyer | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Wright | ||||||||||||||
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The Warrego Highway passes through from east to west. The north-west corner is occupied by part of the Lockyer State Forest.
The area was first settled in 1841, by George Mocatta.[4] He named his pastoral run Grantham, which became the name of the town.[2]
In 1866, a railway siding from the main Toowoomba line was opened which assisted in the development of a small settlement. It wasn't until the mid-1870s that the Grantham railway station was built.[4]
In August 1895, tenders were called for the erection of a provisional school at Grantham Scrub.[5] In January 1896 teacher, Catherine M. Ludeman was appointed to the Grantham Scrub Provisional School, suggesting it opened around that time.[6][7] On 1 January 1909, it became Grantham Scrub State School. It closed circa 1950.[8] It was located at 119 Missouri Road (corner of Grantham Scrub Road, 27°35′36″S 152°11′06″E / 27.59327°S 152.18507°E) within the present-day locality of neighbouring Veradilla.[9][10]
Grantham Provisional School opened on 23 January 1905. On 1 January 1909 it became Grantham State School.[8]
A butter factory was established in 1907. The building was replaced in 1926 by a brick building which operated until 1971.[4]
Grantham Post Office opened on 1 January 1890 (a receiving office had been open from 1876).[11]
On 10 January 2011, Grantham was severely damaged in a huge flash flood. 12 people died and a large number of houses and other buildings were destroyed.[12] Following the floods, Grantham received visits by politicians including Queensland Premier Anna Bligh on numerous occasions. Australia's Governor-General Quentin Bryce also visited the town.[13] In May 2011, it was announced that the town would be moved to higher ground to prevent future damaging floods.[14] A 935-acre site was purchased so that landholders could be provided a voluntary swap of equivalent-sized blocks. The new site is situated on a hill overlooking Grantham and has permission from the state government to bypass the normal development approval process.[15] Residents of nearby Murphys Creek, Postmans Ridge, Withcott and Helidon have been included in the fast-tracked plan. As of March 2022, 110 houses are on the hill but over 50 dwellings remain in the older part of town.[16]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Grantham had a population of 634 people. 81.1% of people were born in Australia and 90.9% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 24.3%, Catholic 17.8% and Anglican 15.5%.[1]
Grantham State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 15 Victor Street (27°34′26″S 152°12′07″E / 27.5740°S 152.2020°E).[17][18] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 95 students with 6 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).[19]