Arcadia Valley is a rural locality in the

Central Highlands Region Central Highlands Region is a local government area in Queensland, Australia. History '' Wadja'' (also known as ''Wadjigu'', ''Wadya'', ''Wadjainngo'', ''Mandalgu'', and ''Wadjigun)'' is an Australian Aboriginal language in Central Queensland ...

, Queensland, Australia. In the , Arcadia Valley had a population of 102 people.

Geography

Arcadia Valley has the following mountains: * Calf () * Castle Hill () * Castle Rock () * Cow and () * Mount Wadja () * Pyramid Hill () * Sphinx ()

History

It is believed that squatters in the 1850s named the area ''Arcadia'' meaning '' quiet rural simplicity''. Arcadia Valley State School opened on 3 March 1975. Arcadia Valley was within the Shire of Bauhinia until 2008, when that shire was amalgamated into the Central Highlands Region. In the , the population of Arcadia Valley was too low to be separately reported and was included within neighbouring Rewan, which had a reported population of 465 people. In the , Arcadia Valley had a population of 102 people.

Economy

The tradition mainstay of the local economy is beef production with cattle farms being the predominant land use. However, from 2013 Santos have been purchasing land and planning infrastructure for liquid natural gas extraction in the area with a pipeline to

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

. There are a number of homesteads in the locality: * Alambee () * Arcadia () * Austral Park () * Basalt Creek () * Bila Belong () * Bundaleer () * Bylot Plains () * Castle Hill () * Clematis () * Comet Side () * Glenidal () * Harding Dale () * Harrow () * Hilly Vale () * Kiamanna () * Leeora Downs () * Linga Longa () * Marjundale () * Mount Kingsley () * Purbrook () * Red Rock () * Sunnyholt () * Tarcoola () * Tarewinnabar () * Towrie () * Wangalee () * Warremba ()

Education

Arcadia Valley State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 4831 Arcadia Valley Road (). In 2013, the school had five students and two teachers (one full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of nine students with one teacher and four non-teaching staff (one full-time equivalent). The children come from local farms. The school does not have access to reticulated water and must depend on tanks filled by rainwater. There are no nearby secondary schools. The options are distance education and boarding schools.

Amenities

There is a Uniting Church congregation in Arcadia Valley. Services are held at local homesteads.

Attractions

Lake Nuga Nuga is within the locality. Part of the Nuga Nuga National Park, it is the largest natural lake in the Central Queensland sandstone belt and is popular for bird-watching (over 150 kinds of birds), fishing and canoeing.