Bunya Mountains is a

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 ...

split between the

Western Downs Region Western Downs Region is a local government area in Queensland, Australia. The Western Downs Regional Council manages an area of , which is slightly smaller than Switzerland, although with a population of 34,467 in June 2018, it is over 228 ti ...

and the

South Burnett Region The South Burnett Region is a local government area in the South Burnett district of Queensland, Australia. Origins This Local Government was created in March 2008 as a result of the report of the Local Government Reform Commission released in ...

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 of Mount Mowbullan () is located on the boundary of Bunya Mountains and the enclosed locality of Mowbullan. In the , Bunya Mountains had a population of 144 people.

Geography

The locality is split between the two local government areas: the smaller north-eastern part of the locality in South Burnett Region and the larger south-western part in the Western Downs Region. The north-eastern part is almost entirely within the

Bunya Mountains National Park Bunya Mountains is a national park in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. Geography The park includes much of the mountain range called the Bunya Mountains. The park are encompasses the most westerly area of subtropical rainforest ...

, with a small portion of the south-western part also in the National Park. In contrast, most of the south-western part is freehold land used for agriculture. However, only a very small portion of the north-eastern part as freehold land, used for residential and agricultural purposes. The Bunya Mountain Road roughly follows the split between the two local government areas. The

Bunya Highway The Bunya Highway is a state highway of Queensland, Australia. It is a relatively short road, running approximately 173 kilometres in a south-westerly direction from Goomeri to Dalby. The highway connects the Warrego and Burnett Highways. Th ...

passes through the western corner of the locality. The locality of Mowbullan (in the Western Downs Region) is completely enclosed by the locality of Bunya Mountains and does not form part of the national park. This enclosure within another locality is unusual in Queensland and contrary to the Queensland Government's normal policies.

History

The locality name comes from the mountain range,

Bunya Mountains The Bunya Mountains are a distinctive set of peaks forming an isolated section of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland. The mountain range forms the northern edge of the Darling Downs in the locality also called Bunya Mountains near ...

, and is a

Kabi language Kabi Kabi, also spelt Gabi-Gabi/Gubbi Gubbi, is a language of Queensland in Australia, formerly spoken by the Kabi Kabi people of South-east Queensland. The main dialect, Kabi Kabi, is extinct, but there are still 24 people with knowledge of th ...

word ''bonyi'' or ''bunyi'', indicating the Bunya pine tree (''

Araucaria bidwillii ''Araucaria bidwillii'', commonly known as the bunya pine and sometimes referred to as the false monkey puzzle tree, is a large evergreen coniferous tree in the plant family Araucariaceae. It is found naturally in south-east Queensland Austral ...

''). Bunya Mountains Provisional School opened on 6 October 1919 and closed on 15 December 1922. From 1923 to 1928, a 670-metre tramway for 250 metre descent from mountain top to bottom at Wengenville, used with

winches A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in (wind up) or let out (wind out) or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope (also called "cable" or "wire cable"). In its simplest form, it consists of a spool (or drum) attach ...

, winders and

flying foxes ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Austra ...

. The logs were transferred to a horse-drawn tram for movement to a log dump. A “not to scale” model of the tramway c can be seen at the natural history museum at the Dandabah camping area. In the , Bunya Mountains had a population of 144 people.

References

{{South Burnett Region Western Downs Region South Burnett Region

Geography

History

See also

References