Biggenden is a rural town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...

in the

North Burnett Region The North Burnett Region is a local government area in Queensland, Australia in the northern catchment of the Burnett River. Established in 2008, it was preceded by several previous local government areas with histories extending back to the ear ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. In the , Biggenden had a population of 845 people.

Geography

Biggenden is on the

Isis Highway The Isis Highway is a state highway in southern Queensland, Australia. The highway is relatively short, and runs for in a north-east / south-west direction between Bundaberg North and the Burnett Highway at Ban Ban Springs. The Isis Highway link ...

north-west of the state capital

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, and west of Maryborough.

History

The name is derived from the Kabi word ''bigindhan'' meaning a ''place of stringybark''. Biggenden was founded in 1889 as a service centre to the short-lived goldrush towns of

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

and Shamrock; and for coach passengers travelling west from Maryborough. The township, including the intriguingly named ''Live And Let Live Inn'', moved to a new location alongside the railway station when the rail line arrived in 1891. Biggenden Post Office opened on 16 May 1891. Biggenden Provisional school opened on 9 May 1892 becoming Biggenden State School in 1900. In January 1953, the school experimented with offering high school subjects by correspondence. In 1958, a secondary school section was added. In October 1928, the Biggenden branch of the

Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...

rooms were officially opened by J.C. Robertson, chairman of the

Degilbo Shire Council The Shire of Biggenden was a local government area located in the northern catchment of the Burnett River, Queensland, Australia, south-southwest of the regional city of Bundaberg. The shire covered an area of , and existed as a local governmen ...

. In the , Biggenden had a population of 682 people. In the , Biggenden had a population of 845 people.

Economy

StateLibQld 2 77107 Biggenden Bismuth Mine

StateLibQld 2 179679 Mines in Biggenden, ca

The Mt Biggenden mine provided employment to the local community for over a hundred years, before its magnetite iron ore operation closed in 1999. Primary production is the most significant industry in the Shire with

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...

and

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

being predominant. Other agricultural pursuits include grain crops,

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...

geries,

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

and

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

. The area is also rich in minerals. Biggenden Mine is located eight kilometres out of town off Ban Ban Springs Road.

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

bismuth Bismuth is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Bi and atomic number 83. It is a post-transition metal and one of the pnictogens, with chemical properties resembling its lighter group 15 siblings arsenic and antimony. Elemental ...

and more recently

magnetite Magnetite is a mineral and one of the main iron ores, with the chemical formula Fe2+Fe3+2O4. It is one of the oxides of iron, and is ferrimagnetic; it is attracted to a magnet and can be magnetized to become a permanent magnet itself. With the ...

have been extracted from the mine. The township is also close to

Coalstoun Lakes National Park Coalstoun Lakes is a national park in Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane. It features a volcano, Mount Le Brun, which has two craters that contain intermittent crater lakes. Mount Le Brun is one of the youngest volcanic formations in A ...

and

Mount Walsh National Park Mount Walsh is a national park in Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane. A prominent landmark in the Biggenden region is the granite bluff area of Mount Walsh which rises to above sea level in the northern part of park. The summit has ...

Paradise Dam

In November 2005, the Queensland Government opened the Paradise Dam, about 30 minutes north-west of Biggenden, on the

Burnett River The Burnett River is a river located in the Wide Bay–Burnett and Central Queensland regions of Queensland, Australia. Course and features The Burnett River rises in the Burnett Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, close to Mount Gaeta a ...

. The 300,000ML dam, which submerges the former

gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface ...

town of the same name, is touted as securing the future of the nearby

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

and Childers region, although no water will be available for residents of the Biggenden area. However, more than 400 jobs were created during its construction and the dam site is proving to be one of the shire's largest tourist attraction. Artefacts and buildings removed from Paradise before the dam wall was built are now on display by the Biggenden Historical Society.

Amenities

Biggenden has a public library, swimming pool, bowling and golf club, memorial hall and showground. The

North Burnett Regional Council The North Burnett Region is a local government area in Queensland, Australia in the northern catchment of the Burnett River. Established in 2008, it was preceded by several previous local government areas with histories extending back to the ear ...

operates the Biggenden Library, located at 47 Edward Street, Biggenden. The Biggenden branch of the

meets at the CWA Hall at 32 Edward Street. Biggenden Uniting Church is at 32 George Street ().

Education

Biggenden State School is a government primary and secondary (Prep-10) school for boys and girls at Frederick Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 143 students with 18 teachers (16 full-time equivalent) and 12 non-teaching staff (8 full-time equivalent).

Heritage listings

Biggenden has a number of heritage-listed sites: * 8 Edward Street: former Biggenden Courthouse (now Biggenden Museum) * 11 Edward Street & Airstrip Road: former Biggenden Butter Factory * 32 Edward Street: Biggenden QCWA Building

References

External links

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Biggenden and Biggenden ShireA history of some mines of the Biggenden District
- State Library of Queensland {{authority control Towns in Queensland North Burnett Region 1889 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1889 Localities in Queensland