West Stowe, Queensland

Summary

West Stowe is a rural locality in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] It is immediately west of the Gladstone urban area and immediately south of the small town of Yarwun.[3] In the 2021 census, West Stowe had a population of 391 people.[4]

West Stowe
Queensland
West Stowe is located in Queensland
West Stowe
West Stowe
Coordinates23°55′22″S 151°07′47″E / 23.9227°S 151.1297°E / -23.9227; 151.1297 (West Stowe (centre of locality))
Population391 (SAL 2021)[1]
Postcode(s)4680
Area120.6 km2 (46.6 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Gladstone Region
State electorate(s)Gladstone
Federal division(s)Flynn
Suburbs around West Stowe:
Aldoga Yarwun Byellee
East End West Stowe Beecher
Wooderson Calliope
River Ranch
Burua

Geography edit

The Calliope River forms the southern boundary and most of the eastern boundary.[5][6]

The Bruce Highway enters the locality from the south (River Ranch) and exists to the south-west (East End).The Gladstone–Mount Larcom Road (State Route 58) runs along part of the northern boundary.[7]

The North Coast railway line also forms part of the north and north-eastern boundary. There are two stations on the north-east boundary:[7]

  • Mount Miller railway station (23°51′09″S 151°09′54″E / 23.8525°S 151.1651°E / -23.8525; 151.1651 (Mount Miller railway station))[8][9]
  • Wiggins Island Balloon Loop railway station (23°51′45″S 151°10′18″E / 23.8625°S 151.1718°E / -23.8625; 151.1718 (Wiggins Island Balloon Loop railway station))[8]

The Wiggins Island Balloon Loop is a 13-kilometre (8.1 mi) balloon loop within West Stowe. The loop is for unloading coal trains and transferring the coal onto a conveyor belt to the Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal in Callemondah where it is loaded onto ships.[10]

The terrain varies from 10 to 314 metres (33 to 1,030 ft) above sea level. There are a number of named peaks, all in the north of the locality:[6]

  • Mount Sugarloaf (23°51′30″S 151°06′01″E / 23.8584°S 151.1003°E / -23.8584; 151.1003 (Mount Sugarloaf)) 316 metres (1,037 ft)[11][12]
  • Mount Martin (23°52′29″S 151°09′40″E / 23.8747°S 151.1610°E / -23.8747; 151.1610 (Mount Martin)) 228 metres (748 ft)[11][13]
  • Mount Stowe (23°53′41″S 151°09′57″E / 23.8947°S 151.1657°E / -23.8947; 151.1657 (Mount Stowe)) 239 metres (784 ft)[11][14]
  • White Hill (23°54′19″S 151°08′37″E / 23.9054°S 151.1436°E / -23.9054; 151.1436 (White Hill)) 81 metres (266 ft)[11][15]

Calliope Conservation Park is in the north-east of the locality and there are three sections of the Mount Stowe State Forest in the north of the locality. Apart from these protected areas, the land use is predominantly grazing on native vegetation.[3]

History edit

The locality was officially named and bounded on 27 August 1999. It most likely takes its name from the parish.[2][16]

The Wiggins Island Balloon Loop was built in 2012 to 2013.[10]

Demographics edit

In the 2016 census, West Stowe had a population of 311 people.[17]

In the 2021 census, West Stowe had a population of 391 people.[4]

Education edit

There are no schools in West Stowe. The nearest government primary schools are:[18]

  • Yarwun State School in neighbouring Yarwun to the north
  • Clinton State School in Clinton (suburb of Gladstone) to the north-east
  • Calliope State School in Calliope to the south-east
  • Mount Larcom State School in Mount Larcom to the north-west

The nearest government secondary schools are:[18]

  • Gladstone State High School (to Year 12) in West Gladstone (suburb of Gladstone) to the north-east
  • Calliope State High School (to Year 12) in Calliope to the south-east
  • Mount Larcom State School (to Year 10) in Mount Larcom to the north-east

There are also non-government schools available in Gladstone.[18]

References edit

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "West Stowe (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.  
  2. ^ a b "West Stowe – locality in Gladstone Region (entry 49124)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Layers: Locality; Protected areas and forests; Land use". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "West Stowe (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.  
  5. ^ Google (15 September 2021). "West Stowe, Queensland" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Layers: Locality; Mountains and ranges; Contours; Watercourses". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Layers: Locality; Road and rail". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Mount Miller – railway station in the Gladstone Region (entry 23094)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Wiggins Island Rail Project: Balloon Loop" (PDF). Aurizon. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d "Mountain peaks and capes - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  12. ^ "Mount Sugarloaf – mountain in Gladstone Region (entry 32752)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Mount Martin – mountain in Gladstone Region (entry 21126)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Mount Stowe – mountain in Gladstone Region (entry 32621)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  15. ^ "White Hill – mountain in Gladstone Region (entry 37284)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  16. ^ "West Stowe – parish in the Gladstone Region (entry 37079)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  17. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "West Stowe (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.  
  18. ^ a b c "Layers: Locality; Schools and school catchments". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2024.