Bungunya 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

Goondiwindi Region The Goondiwindi Region is a local government area located in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia along the state's border with New South Wales. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas which d ...

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 , establishe ...

, Australia. The locality is on the border of Queensland and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. In the , Bungunya had a population of 75 people.

Geography

Bungunya is located immediately north of the Macintyre River, which is the

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

between Queensland and

. The Weir River flows from east to west through the northern part of the locality. Other creeks flow from east to west through other parts of the locality. All of these rivers and creeks ultimately flow into the Barwon River in New South Wales. The town is located in the approximate centre of the locality. The

Barwon Highway The Barwon Highway is one of the shorter state highways of Queensland, Australia. It starts at the Carnarvon Highway in Nindigully, 44 kilometres south of St George, and travels east for about 155 kilometres until it reaches Goondiwindi, wher ...

(from St George to

Goondiwindi Goondiwindi () is a rural town and locality in the Goondiwindi Region, Queensland, Australia. It is on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. In the , Goondiwindi had a population of 6,355 people. Geography Goondiwindi is on the MacInt ...

) passes from east to west through the middle of the locality, immediately to the north of the town. The Meandarra – Talwood Road ( State Route 74) runs north from the Barwon Highway through the centre of the northern part of the locality. The South Western railway line (from

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

to Dirranbandi) also passes from east to west through the locality, but to the immediate south of the town. The locality was once served by the former Bungunya railway station () in the town and by the former Welltown railway station () in the east of the locality. The land is very flat, approximately 180 metres above sea level, and is extensively developed for agriculture.

History

The name ''Bungunya'' is allegedly an Aboriginal word, meaning a high or safe living place. The language and dialect is unknown but it may be an imported name from

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Gamilaraay The Gamilaraay, also known as Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, Kamillaroi and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Au ...

(Gamilaroi, Kamilaroi, Comilroy) is a language from South-West Queensland and North-West New South Wales. The Gamilaraay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Balonne Shire Council, including the towns of Dirranbandi, Thallon, Talwood and Bungunya as well as the border towns of

Mungindi Mungindi is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality on the border of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland, Australia. The town is within Moree Plains Shire in New South Wales. Within Queensland, the locality is split between the ...

and Boomi extending to Moree, Tamworth and Coonabarabran in NSW. Bungunya Provisional School opened on a half-time basis in 1916, sharing the teacher with Glengower Provisional School. It became a full-time school in 1918 and a state school soon after. Bungunya was once a busy railway centre from which thousands of bales of wool were transported from local

sheep station A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...

s following the

shearing Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a '' shearer''. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (a sheep may be said to have been "shorn" or ...

season. In the 2011 census, Bungunya had a population of 189 people. In the , Bungunya had a population of 75 people.

Education

Bungunya State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at George Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 22 students with 3 teachers (2 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).

Gallery

File:Watering facility, Meandarra Rd, Bungunya near Goondiwindi, c 1954.jpg, Watering facility, Meandarra Rd, Bungunya, circa 1954 File:AU-Qld-Bungunya-Barwon Highway-2021.jpg, Barwon Highway westbound, east of Bungunya turn-off (2021). File:AU-Qld-Bungunya-railway siding-2021.jpg, Railway siding and silos (2021). File:AU-Qld-Bungunya-post office-2021.jpg, Post office building, Main Street (2021).

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in Queensland Goondiwindi Region Localities in Queensland