Eungella 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

Mackay Region The Mackay Region is a local government area located in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas with modern histories extending back as far as 1869. It has an estima ...

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 , Eungella had a population of 194 people.

Geography

The town of Eungella sits at the top of the escarpment of the

Clarke Range The Clarke Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, is a rainforest-covered mountain range located in North Queensland, Australia. The range is located approximately from the Coral Sea and west of the coastal city of Mackay. The highest poi ...

at above sea level, falling to an elevation of in

Netherdale Netherdale is a sports complex in Galashiels, Scottish Borders, consisting of two adjacent stadiums used for rugby union and football. The rugby ground is the home of Gala RFC and was formerly used by the professional Border Reivers team. It host ...

to the immediate east. The southern branch of Cattle Creek forms on this escarpment and creates the fertile valley to the east, where it becomes a tributary of the

Pioneer River The Pioneer River is a river located in North Queensland, North Queensland, Australia. The long river flows through the city of . History Captain John Mackay (Australian pioneer), John Mackay and his party were the first Europeans to discover ...

in Mirani, which eventually flows into the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the Fre ...

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airpor ...

. The escarpment and several other parts of the locality are within the

Eungella National Park Eungella National Park ( ; meaning "Land of the clouds") is a protected area in Queensland, Australia. It is on the Clarke Range at the end of the Pioneer Valley 80 km west of Mackay, and 858 km northwest of Brisbane. Eungel ...

, which extends into the neighbouring localities of Netherdale and Broken River and beyond. In the west and south of the locality are parts of the Crediton Forest Reserve which extends into the neighbouring localities of

Crediton Crediton is a town and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon in England. It stands on the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, about north west of Exeter and around from the M5 motorway ...

and

Eungella Dam Eungella Dam is an earth and rockfill dam in the locality of Eungella Dam, Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. It is one of Queensland's freshwater fisheries. Eungella has made a name for producing extra oversized sooty grunter and more rece ...

. There is also a section of the Crediton State Forest within the locality with another section in Crediton. Due to the mountainous terrain and the protected areas, there is limited development of the land in the locality. Apart from residential use, the remaining land is used for grazing on native vegetation.

History

The town takes its name from a pastoral run named by explorer and pioneer

Ernest Favenc Ernest Favenc (21 October 1845 – 14 November 1908) was an explorer of Australia, a journalist, author of verse, novels and short stories, and an historian. Personal life Favenc was born in Walworth, Surrey, England. Of Huguenot descent, he ...

in July 1876. The name is believed to be an Aboriginal word meaning ''land of cloud''. The locality was within the proclaimed boundaries of the Eungella Goldfield at the end of the 1800s and early 1900s. Access to the area was by a pack horse track or by a road via Nebo and Mount Britton. The Eungella Range Road opened in 1909. However damage had been incurred within twelve months, and repairs and a deviation instigated. In 1923 the first car traveled on the Eungella Range in wet slippery conditions, and resorted to tying a heavy

sapling In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

behind the car to steady the car. Landslips continue to be an issue following heavy rain. Eungella Provisional School opened on circa 1891 but closed circa 1899. On 31 January 1928, another Eungella Provisional School was opened and later became Eungella State School. The Eungella Post Office was opened in 1930, but had to change its name due to another post office with the same name in

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 ...

. After twelve months of community consultation the name Dalrymple Heights Post Office, after the nearby Mount Dalrymple, was found acceptable by the

Postmaster General's Department The Postmaster-General's Department (PMG) was a department of the Australian federal government, established at Federation in 1901, whose responsibilities included the provision of postal and telegraphic services throughout Australia. It was ...

. Eungella was a cool retreat from the heat and humidity of the coast for picnic parties and tourists, and a venue for dances. Nineteen families from the region invested in a syndicate to build and operate the Eungella Chalet which was opened in 1933. The foundation stone of the Eungella Presbyterian Church was laid in July 1947 and it was officially opened on 23 November 1947. The church was designed to be a replica of Reverend Maitland's father's church in

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 ...

. The church was damaged in March 2010 in

Cyclone Ului Severe Tropical Cyclone Ului was one of the fastest intensifying tropical cyclones on record, strengthening from a tropical storm to a Category 5 equivalent cyclone within a 30-hour span in March 2010. Throughout Queensland, Australia, infr ...

and again in February 2011 in

Cyclone Yasi Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi () was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that made landfall in northern Queensland, Australia in early 2011, causing major damage to the affected areas. Originating as a tropical low near Fiji on 26 Jan ...

. The church was demolished in April 2011. In the , Eungella had a population of 194 people.

Education

Eungella State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 36 Eungella Dam Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 38 students with 3 teachers (2 full-time equivalent) and 9 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent). There is no secondary school in Eungella. The nearest secondary school is Mirani State High School in Mirani to the east.

Amenities

Eungella Memorial Hall is at 13 North Street (). It is also known as the Eungella Hub and is managed by the Eungella District Community Association. The Eungella Uniting Church is part of the Pioneer Valley Uniting Church. The Eungella congregation meet at the Eungella Memorial Hall.

Events

The Eungella Markets are held on the first Sunday morning of every month at the Eungella Memorial Hall.

Attractions

is a popular attraction and is noted for rain forest walking trails and sightings of platypus. There are also a number of lookouts from the escarpment down the valley, including Goodes Lookout () in the town and Sky Window lookout () in the national park.

References

External links

* {{Mackay Region Mackay Region Towns in Queensland Localities in Queensland