Bouldercombe 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

Rockhampton Region The Rockhampton Region is a local government area (LGA) in Central Queensland, Australia, located on the Tropic of Capricorn about north of Brisbane. Rockhampton is the region's major city; the region also includes the Fitzroy River, Mount Ar ...

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 , the locality of Bouldercombe had a population of 1,085 people.

Geography

Bouldercombe is in

Central Queensland Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Capricorn Coas ...

. The town is on the

Burnett Highway The Burnett Highway is an inland rural highway located in Queensland, Australia. The highway runs between its junction with the Bruce Highway at Gracemere, just south of Rockhampton, and Nanango. Its length is approximately 542 kilometres. The ...

, 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 south of the regional centre of

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

. There are a number of neighbourhoods within the locality: * Bundaleer () * Dee Rush () * Moonmera () * Mount Usher () * Peters Rush ()

History

Bouldercombe came into existence in 1865 when gold was found at nearby Crocodile Creek and Gavial Creek. Within a year over 2000 miners were living in the area. The town was originally called ''Crocodile'' after the creek name. Crocodile Creek Post Office opened on 24 September 1866 and closed in 1879. Land sales occurred in 1867. Crocodile Creek Provisional School opened on 14 August 1871. It was later closed and reopened on 15 August 1881. It was later relocated to a new building at Bouldercombe. On 23 February 1900 it was renamed Bouldercombe State School. By 1876, the gold rush was over and the population slumped to 149, but the discovery of gold at nearby Mount Usher in 1897 caused the population to rise to over 1000 people for a short time. The first Bouldercombe Post Office opened on 7 September 1883 and closed in 1889. The Royal Hotel opened on the corner of Mount Usher Road and Oleander Street on 5 March 1897 under licensee Samuel Heiser; the hotel is still operating in 2014. Mount Usher Receiving Office opened by 1899, was raised to post office status in 1900, closed in 1906, reopened in 1909, was reduced in status in 1913, was renamed Bouldercombe in 1924 and closed in 1927. The former Dawson Valley railway line passed through the locality with the following stations (now abandoned): * Bundaleer railway station () * Moonmera railway station () The name of the neighbourhood ''Moonmera'' derives the railway station. It is an Aboriginal word meaning ''bottom of the hill''. Moonmera Provisional School opened in 1900. On 1 January 1909, it became Moonmera State School. It closed in 1950. Mount Usher Methodist Church opened on Sunday 10 November 1901. It was on a quarter-acre block immediately opposite the pumping plant. It was and high with a porch. The doors and windows were in Gothic style. It was designed and built by carpenter George Nathaniel Delahunt at a cost of £142 17s. The third Bouldercombe Post Office opened on 28 August 1928 and closed in 1977. The Crocodile Creek Gold Dredging Company started up in 1935 to extract gold by alluvial washing and operated until 1946. Since that time, the area has mainly been known for its citrus growing. In 1976, a brickworks was established. At the , Bouldercombe had a population of 698. In the , the locality of Bouldercombe had a population of 1,085 people.

Education

Bouldercombe State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 52599 Burnett Highway (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 123 students with 7 teachers (6 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent). There is no secondary school in Bouldercombe. The nearest government secondary schools are

Mount Morgan State High School Mount Morgan State High School is a heritage-listed state high school and technical college at 4 Central Street, Mount Morgan, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1908. It was formerly known as Mount Morgan Technical Co ...

in Mount Morgan to the south and

Rockhampton State High School Rockhampton State High School is a coeducational public secondary school located in Wandal, a suburb of Rockhampton in Queensland, Australia. The school has a total enrolment of more than 1000 students, with an official count of 1119 students ...

in Wandal,

, to the north.

Tourism

Bouldercombe is the gateway to the Bouldercombe Gorge Resources Reserve, including Bouldercombe Falls. The

Bicentennial National Trail The Bicentennial National Trail (BNT), originally known as the National Horse Trail, is one of the longest multi-use, non-motorised, self-reliant trails in the world, stretching 5,330 kilometres from Cooktown, Queensland, through New South Wa ...

passes through Bouldercombe.

References

External links