Collinsville, Queensland
| Collinsville Queensland | |||||||
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A street in Collinsville, 2012 | |||||||
  Collinsville | |||||||
| Coordinates | 20°33′S 147°51′E / 20.550°S 147.850°ECoordinates: 20°33′S 147°51′E / 20.550°S 147.850°E | ||||||
| Population | 2,063 (2006 census)[1] | ||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4804 | ||||||
| Elevation | 187 m (614 ft)[2] | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
| LGA(s) | Whitsunday Region | ||||||
| State electorate(s) | Burdekin | ||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Capricornia | ||||||
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Collinsville is a mining town in the coal-rich Bowen Basin region of central Queensland, Australia, 1,245 kilometres (774 mi) north of Brisbane and 87 kilometres (54 mi) south-west of the coastal town of Bowen. The town is part of the Whitsunday Region. At the 2006 census, Collinsville had a population of 2,063.[1]
European settlement of the region began in 1861 with the opening of the lands to pastoralists, with some cattle stations still in operation. Coal was discovered in 1866 but it wasn't until 1912 that large-scale mining operations commenced. The town was originally known as 'Moongunya', an aboriginal word that roughly translates to 'place of coal'. On the 20 September 1921 it was officially renamed Collinsville after Charles Collins who was the Labor Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for the Electoral district of Bowen from 1915 to 1936.
Collinsville Post Office opened on 21 May 1923 (a receiving office had been open from 1922).[3]
Now two new mines are planned to begin operation in the next two years and hope to supply 250 new jobs. The current population of Collinsville is approximately 2500.
Facilities in Collinsville include two primary schools (Collinsville Primary and St John Bosco's Catholic Primary), a high school, four churches (Catholic, Anglican, Uniting, Assembly of God), a pharmacy, a district hospital, some shops and sporting facilities. Sporting facilities include a golf course, rugby league grounds, tennis courts, a public swimming pool, squash courts, and lawn bowls. Compared to larger regional centres shopping opportunities in Collinsville are restricted to one newsagent, a bakery, two fuel stations, two medium size grocery stores, two places to buy clothing and a hardware shop.
Mining
The town is home to a number of coal mines. This includes the Collinsville coal mine and the Sonoma Mine.
Heritage listings
Collinsville has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Collinsville-Scottville Road: Collinsville Cemetery[4]
- Station Street and Second Avenue: Bowen Consolidated Colliery[5]
- Strathbowen-Leichhardt Range Road: Bowen River Hotel[6]
See also
- Scottville, Queensland - a nearby town.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Collinsville (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
- ↑ Bureau of Meteorology - Retrieved on 27 January 2008
- ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ↑ "Collinsville Cemetery (entry 29178)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
- ↑ "Bowen Consolidated Colliery (entry 16587)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
- ↑ "Bowen River Hotel (entry 14817)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 2013-07-16.