Beaudesert, Queensland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beaudesert () is a town of approximately 4,000 persons and the administrative centre of the Beaudesert Shire Local Government Area (pop. approx. 60,000 (2006)) in South East Queensland, Australia. Beaudesert town is located on the Mount Lindesay Highway, some 64 km south of Brisbane. It was named after the Beaudesert Estate of Charles Henry Alexander Paget, 6th Marquess of Anglesey in Staffordshire, England.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Located in the Logan River and Albert River valleys, Beaudesert is a regional hub serving surrounding communities such as Rathdowney, Kooralbyn, Canungra, Mt Tamborine and Jimboomba. Beaudesert town is supported by industries such as Gelita, the gelatine factory, AJ Bush pet foods, several quarries and an abattoir.
Beaudesert is situated to the near north of many National Parks, most notably Lamington National Park and Tamborine National Park. The shire of Beaudesert sources its water supply from Maroon Dam.
[edit] Population and Community
According to the last census (2001) the population of Beaudesert was 54,091, which is 0.68% of the total population of Queensland (3,654,701). This will change drastically when the August 2006 census results are available.
[edit] Transport
A branch railway line runs from the outer Brisbane suburb of Bethania to Beaudesert town and was in regular use from 1886 to 1996. Until 1991 it had served the meat-packing plant on the outskirts of the town. A petition from railway enthusiasts, and considerable grants of government money, resulted in its re-opening in 1999. Beaudesert Rail operated steam-driven tourist trains on the line for a short while thereafter. The company ceased operating in August 2004 after a series of fires, lit by sparks from the train, were set along the trainline. The company attempted to cover the fault on their train by saying people had thrown cigarettes out of the windows. The company was in large debt and has ceased to exist, with the rolling stock liquidated and physical infrastructure demolished. Several areas of the track have been damaged by erosion, and roadworks conducted in September 2006 at the level crossing in Woodhill removed the train tracks, cutting the line in two. It seems unlikely that the line will be operated in the foreseeable future.
The main, standard gauge Brisbane-Sydney railway line runs through Bromelton, a few kilometres to the west of Beaudesert. This line is utilised by Countrylink's Sydney-Brisbane XPT passenger train and FreightCorp's (owned by Toll and Lang Corp) Sydney-Brisbane freight train services. The passenger service no longer stops at Bromelton. Beaudesert Shire Council is hoping that new industries will be attracted to Bromelton because of its proximity to the Port of Brisbane and to road-transport routes that are clear of the cities to the north.
[edit] Industry and Tourism
Other than the two larger industries mentioned above, the main manufacturing industries in the Shire are small parts and assemblies industries, such as trailer manufacturing, sheet-metal working, turned and milled parts, and fibre-glass swimming pool fabrication. Quarrying and concrete plants offer a small addition to the area's revenue. Service industries, especially those to the equine husbandary industry, form a large part of the industrial income.
Dairying still offers a sparse income for farmers, but only where water for irrigation is plentiful near to the main rivers. Most of the other grazing is taken up by small holdings offering beef-cattle fattening, and horse-spelling and breeding services.
Jimboomba is known for its turf farming areas where large areas of specialised lawn grasses are grown for transplanting to stadiums, parks and household lawns. International secondary schooling is a permanent part of the Jimboomba area.
The natural, pristine in some parks, environment, particularly in the southern border ranges, is an attractive get away for many tourists that are overwhelmed by the rat-race in nearby coastal resourts. Beechmont has an annual international hang gliding and Paragliding competition and Kooralbyn is a centre for parachuting and skydiving.
More than 100,000 tourists visit the area annually, for from a day to two weeks, or more.
