Mutarnee, Queensland

Summary

Mutarnee is a rural town and coastal locality in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Mutarnee had a population of 120 people.[4]

Mutarnee
Queensland
Ploughed paddock, Mutarnee, 1984
Mutarnee is located in Queensland
Mutarnee
Mutarnee
Coordinates18°57′14″S 146°17′31″E / 18.9538°S 146.2919°E / -18.9538; 146.2919 (Mutarnee (town centre))
Population120 (SAL 2021)[1]
Postcode(s)4816
Area59.7 km2 (23.1 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)City of Townsville
State electorate(s)Hinchinbrook
Federal division(s)Herbert
Suburbs around Mutarnee:
Coolbie Coolbie Coral Sea
Crystal Creek Mutarnee Coral Sea
Crystal Creek Crystal Creek Rollingstone

Geography edit

Mutarnee is approximately 67 kilometres north-west of Townsville, Queensland, Australia and 44 kilometres south-east of Ingham. It is situated on the banks of Crystal Creek and is near the rainforest village of Paluma.

The town is in the north-west of the locality and consists of rural residential housing. The rest of the locality is used for a mix of agriculture, including growing sugarcane and grazing on native vegetation.[5]

The Bruce Highway enters the locality from the south-east (Rollingstone), passes through the town, and exits to the north-west (Coolbie). The North Coast railway line enters the locality from the south-east (Rollingstone) and is immediately parallel and west of the highway. It passes through the town and exits to the north-west (Coolbie). There are two railway stations:

  • Mutarnee railway station, serving the town (18°57′00″S 146°17′25″E / 18.9499°S 146.2903°E / -18.9499; 146.2903 (Mutarnee railway station))[6]
  • Moongobulla railway station, in the south of the locality, now abandoned (18°58′41″S 146°19′50″E / 18.9781°S 146.3305°E / -18.9781; 146.3305 (Moongobulla railway station))[6]

History edit

Mutarnee takes its name from its railway station, which in turn was named on 23 December 1920 by the Queensland Railways Department using an Aboriginal word meaning food, as suggested by Archibald Meston.[2][7]

Ollera Provisional School opened in 1905 and closed in 1906. Ollera Creek State School opened on 17 May 1920. In 1923, it was renamed Mutarnee State School.[8][9]

Demographics edit

In the 2016 census, the locality of Mutarnee had a population of 116 people.[10]

In the 2021 census, the locality of Mutarnee had a population of 120 people.[4]

Education edit

Mutarnee State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at School Road (18°57′18″S 146°17′14″E / 18.9550°S 146.2871°E / -18.9550; 146.2871 (Mutarnee State School)).[11][12] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 19 students with 3 teachers (1 full-time equivalent) and 3 non-teaching staff (1 full-time equivalent).[13]

Mungalla Silver Lining School is a private secondary school (7-12) school for Indigenous boys and girls at 64 Spiegelhauer Road (18°58′07″S 146°17′17″E / 18.9685°S 146.2881°E / -18.9685; 146.2881 (Mungalla Silver Lining School)).[14]

There is no government secondary school is Mutarnee. The nearest government secondary schools are Ingham State High School in Ingham to the north and Northern Beaches State High School in Deeragun, Townsville, to the south-east.[5]

Facilities edit

Facilities at Mutarnee include a state primary school,[15] a recreational waterhole, and a camping area at nearby Crystal Creek.

References edit

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mutarnee (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.  
  2. ^ a b "Mutarnee – town in City of Townsville (entry 23665)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Mutarnee – locality in City of Townsville (entry 44616)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  4. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mutarnee (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.  
  5. ^ a b "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b "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.
  7. ^ "Mutarnee – railway station in City of Townsville (entry 23666)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  8. ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  9. ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  10. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Mutarnee (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.  
  11. ^ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  12. ^ "Mutarnee State School". Mutarnee State School. 29 November 2020. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  13. ^ "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  14. ^ "Mungulla Silver Lining School Annual Report 2022 (based on 2021 data)" (PDF). Mungulla Silver Lining School. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  15. ^ Mutarnee State School Archived 3 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 1 November 2010.