Duaringa

Duaringa
Queensland
Duaringa
Coordinates 23°44′S 149°40′E / 23.733°S 149.667°ECoordinates: 23°44′S 149°40′E / 23.733°S 149.667°E
Population 247 (2006 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 4712
Location
LGA(s) Central Highlands Regional Council
State electorate(s) Gregory
Federal Division(s) Flynn

Duaringa is a small town in central Queensland, Australia. It is on the Capricorn Highway, 116 kilometres (72 mi) kilometres west of Rockhampton. At the 2006 census, Duaringa had a population of 247.[1]

History

Colo Post Office opened on 10 November 1875. Next month it was renamed Duaringa.[2]

Duaringa was previously the administrative centre of the former Duaringa Shire Council, which became a part of the Emerald-based Central Highlands Regional Council upon amalgamation in March 2008.

Today

Although small in size, the town has a police station and courthouse, ambulance station, a hotel, post office and newsagency, a primary school, three churches, a sports complex, and a library.

Duaringa previously had a general store and butcher shop, but both closed down in the mid-1990s. There was also a railway station but apart from the platform, it hadn't been used for years and it was removed in 2007. After the removal, Queensland Rail upgraded the platform facilities for local passengers wishing to use the Spirit Of The Outback rail service which operates between Brisbane and Longreach.

The Dawson and Mackenzie Rivers flow to the east and north of the town respectively. Duaringa suffers from periodic droughts and floods, and experiences summer temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius.

Duaringa is a significant centre for Aboriginal peoples and there is a former reservation at Woorabinda. Indigenous people were granted small parcels of land under Queensland native title legislation. There are Aboriginal rock art sites at Carnarvon National Park, south-west of Duaringa.

Etymology

There are two versions on how the town came to be named Duaringa. The first reasoning behind the name is that it is derived from a word in the aboriginal language used in the Burnett River area - 'djuaringe', possibly meaning to turn oneself around.

The second possibility is that the name is derived from the aboriginal words 'D'warra D'nanjie', meaning a meeting place on the swamp oaks. This is the most popular theory, and is in fact the official origin of the name Duaringa.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Duaringa (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  2. ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  3. ↑ Duaringa Shire - 100 Years of Local Government 1881-1981

External links