Coominya 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
Somerset Region
The Somerset Region is a local government area located in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, about northwest of Brisbane and centred on the town of Esk. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Esk and th ...
in
South East
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
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.
The town is located 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 approximately from
Wivenhoe Dam. In the , Coominya had a population of 1,200 people.
[
Coominya sits on the land of the Indigenous ]Jagera people
The Jagera people, also written Yagarr, Yaggera, and other variants, are the Australian Aboriginal people who spoke the Yuggera language. The Yuggera language which encompassed a number of dialects was spoken by the traditional owners of the te ...
.
Geography
Coominya is bounded by Logan Creek to the north and Buaraba Creek to the south. Although located closely between Atkinson Dam
The Atkinson Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam across the Buaraba Creek and a naturally forming lagoon, which is located near Lowood in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for irrigation of farming lan ...
to the south-west and Lake Wivenhoe
Lake Wivenhoe is the name both a lake formed by the Wivenhoe Dam and the locality which contains it in the Somerset Region, Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Qu ...
to the north-east, it does not bound either of these two reservoirs.
The Brisbane Valley Highway
The Brisbane Valley Highway is a state highway in Queensland, Australia. It links the Warrego Highway near Ipswich and the D'Aguilar Highway about north of Harlin. Its direction follows the approximate course of the Brisbane River. It is par ...
approximately follows its north-east border. The Brisbane Valley railway line
The Brisbane Valley railway line was a railway connection in Queensland, Australia connecting Ipswich, west of Brisbane, to the upper Brisbane River valley. Progressively opened between 1884 and 1913, the railway provided a vital transport lin ...
passes through Coominya from the north-west to the south-east with the Coominya railway station
Coominya railway station is central to all activities in historic Coominya village, located in the Somerset Region of South East Queensland.
Coominya village, a township of approximately 467 persons is located in South East Queensland approxima ...
serving the town. However, the railway line was closed in 1993.
History
From 1886 to 1906, the area was known as ''Bellevue'' (the local pastoral property). The name ''Coominya'' is believed to be derived from the Yuggera
The Jagera people, also written Yagarr, Yaggera, and other variants, are the Australian Aboriginal people who spoke the Yuggera language. The Yuggera language which encompassed a number of dialects was spoken by the traditional owners of the te ...
language where ''kung'' means ''water'' and ''nya'' means ''to see'' referring to its lagoons.[
Coominya Post Office opened by December 1907 (a ]receiving office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
had been open from 1887, known earlier as Bellevue).
Coominya State School opened on 17 September 1912.
In 1920, the Coominya soldier settlement
Coominya Soldier Settlement was a soldier settlement in Coominya in the present-day Somerset Region local government area of South East Queensland, Australia. 100 soldiers settled in the settlement, each on approximately blocks.
Approximately ...
was established to provide opportunities for soldiers returning from World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
to establish themselves as farmers. There were 100 farms each of intended for growing grapes and fruit. Like many soldier settlements in Australia, the scheme failed due to the poor quality of the land and lack of support for inexperienced farmers. The settlement closed in 1929 with only 2 farms were still operating.
Coominya Presbyterian Church was officially opened on Thursday 4 March 1920 by Reverend J. B. Galloway, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church. It was the first church to open in Coominya.
On Sunday 21 November 1920, Monsignor James Byrne laid the foundation stone for a Catholic Church in Coominya. It had been planned that Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
James Duhig
Sir James Duhig KCMG (2 September 187110 April 1965) was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest-s ...
was to lay the foundation stone, but he was unable to come on the day. John Newman donated the land for the church and also £300 worth of timber. On Sunday 6 March 1921, Duhig came to Cominya to bless and dedicate the new Catholic church. The new church was including a sacristy
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.
The sacristy is usually located ...
. The builder was Mr C. J. Madden, assisted by Messrs J. and H. Madden.
During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, an airfield was constructed west of Coominya to accommodate US air force squadrons. Today, the airfield is being used by a flight training school.
St. Martin's Anglican Church was dedicated on 24 June 1922 by Coadjutor Bishop Henry Le Fanu
Henry Frewen Le Fanu (1 April 1870 – 9 September 1946) was an Anglican bishop in Australia.
Early life
Le Fanu was born in Dublin, Ireland. He was educated at Haileybury and Keble College, Oxford.
Religious life
Le Fanu was ordaine ...
. It closed circa 2005.
The Coominya War Memorial is located on Railway Street and was dedicated on 25 April 1997.
In the , the locality of Coominya had a population of 1,751.
In the , the locality of Coominya had a population of 1,174.
In the , the locality of Coominya had a population of 1,200 people.
Heritage listings
Coominya has a number of heritage-listed
This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...
sites, including:
* Bellevue Homestead
Bellevue Homestead is a heritage-listed homestead currently located in Coominya, Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from to . It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
The Bellevue property was th ...
Economy
Coominya is known for its fresh produce.
The major employer is an abattoir
A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility.
Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...
. There is a steady increase in olive growing and Comvita have set up an olive leaf extract plant in the town.
Education
Coominya State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 7 Cornhill Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 118 students with 7 teachers (6 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).
There is no secondary school in Coominya; the nearest secondary schools are in Lowood
Lowood is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Lowood had a population of 4,159 people.
Geography
The town is on the Brisbane River, west of the ...
and Toogoolawah.
Amenities
Facilities in Coominya include a post office, a general store with newsagency, a cafe and a pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
.
A flight training school operates at Coominya Airfield, ICAO code YBCM.
There are a number of churches in Coominya, including:
* St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 453 Coominya Connection Road ()
* Coominya Presbyterian Church (also known as Central Church Coominya), 18-20 West Street ()
Attractions
Attractions in the Coominya area include the historic Bellevue Homestead
Bellevue Homestead is a heritage-listed homestead currently located in Coominya, Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from to . It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
The Bellevue property was th ...
, moved from Wivenhoe Dam to Coominya.
Coominya is known for its scenery and wildlife including lorikeet
Loriini is a tribe of small to medium-sized arboreal parrots characterized by their specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar of various blossoms and soft fruits, preferably berries. The species form a monophyletic group within the ...
parrots, koala
The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the womb ...
s, kangaroo
Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
s.
As part of Q150
Q150 was the sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) of the Separation of Queensland from New South Wales in 1859. Separation established the Colony of Queensland which became the State of Queensland in 1901 as part of the Federation of Australia. Q15 ...
(Queensland's 150th anniversary) the local heritage society commissioned a series of murals depicting early life at the town.
References
External links
*
Town map of Coominya, 1973
{{authority control
Towns in Queensland
Suburbs of Somerset Region
Localities in Queensland