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Nerang is a town and
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
in the
City of Gold Coast The City of Gold Coast is the Local government in Australia, local government area spanning the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, and surrounding areas. With a population of 606,774, it is the second most populous local ...
,
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia. In the , the suburb of Nerang had a population of 17,048 people.


Geography

The
Nerang River The Nerang River is a perennial river in South East Queensland, Australia. Its drainage basin, catchment lies within the City of Gold Coast, Gold Coast Local government in Queensland, local government area and covers an area of . The river is app ...
flows through the locality from south to east, passing through the town. The river ultimately flows into the most southern part of
Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...
. Nerang has a small town centre in which banking and a range of other commercial and retail services are available. Of more prominence within the Division, is the development of a series of light industrial parks which house a diverse range of small and large business operations providing services such as panel beating, motor vehicle wrecking, a wide range of trades, printing and equipment hire services. Administration offices of the Gold Coast City Council are also located at Nerang including Council functions such as finance, town planning and building services.


History

The town takes its name from the river which, in turn, is reportedly a word from the
Yugambeh language Yugambeh (or ''Mibanah'', from , 'language of men' or 'sound of eagles'), also known as Tweed-Albert Bandjalang, is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Yugambeh living in South-East Queensland between and within the Logan Rive ...
meaning ''small river'' or the
Bundjalung language Bundjalung may refer to: * Bundjalung people The Bundjalung people, also spelled Bunjalung, Badjalang and Bandjalang, are Aboriginal Australians who are the original custodians of a region from around Grafton, New South Wales, Grafton in north ...
meaning ''shovel nosed shark''. Before British colonisation the area was inhabited by the
Kombumerri clan The Kombumerri clan are one of nine distinct named clan estate groups of the Yugambeh people and the name refers to the Indigenous people of the Nerang area on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Australia Name The ethnonym ''kombumerri'' has been rel ...
and the
Wanggeriburra clan The Wanggeriburra clan are one of nine distinct named clan estate groups of the Yugambeh people and the name refers to the Indigenous people of the Tamborine area in the Scenic Rim, Queensland, Australia. Name The ethnonym Wanggeriburra has b ...
of the
Yugambeh people The Yugambeh ( ''(see alternative spellings)''), also known as the Minyangbal ( ), or Nganduwal ( ), are an Aboriginal Australian people of South East Queensland and the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, their territory lies between the L ...
. Raids by the
Native Police Australian native police were specialised mounted military units consisting of detachments of Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal troopers under the command of European officers appointed by British colonial governments. The units existed in va ...
in the 1850s extinguished most of the Aboriginal population from the area. In one operation conducted along the Nerang River in 1857 by Sub-Inspector Frederick Wheeler, an Aboriginal camp was fired upon and dispersed, with a blind man named Nyajum being executed in front of his female relatives. The township of Nerang was surveyed by Martin Lavelle in June 1865.Queensland Police Service - Nerang
. Centre for the Government of Queensland, Queensland Police Service. Retrieved on 24 April 2018.
Lavelle named a street after himself and others after local pioneers like William White the local squatter, and Edmund Price the local planter. Nerang has focused very much on the river crossing and the head of navigation. Land was first sold here in 1871. Daily
Cobb & Co Cobb & Co was the name used by several independent Australian coach businesses. The first company to use 'Cobb & Co' was established in 1853 by American Freeman Cobb and his partners. The name grew to great prominence in the late 19th century, ...
coach services from
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
began the same year and river transport to the settlement became more regular. Benjamin Cockerill erected the first hotel, The Nerang, in early 1872. The population of the 'town' of Nerang in the 1871 census was too small even to be included in the list of towns in the region. A thrice weekly Cobb & Co coach service provided the incentive for the opening of a second hotel called the Southern Cross, followed by the Royal Mail in 1873. With an abundant supply of red cedar amongst other tree species, the first industry to flourish in the area was timber cutting. Nerang State School opened on 1 November 1875 with 47 students under teacher Thomas Johnson. With the establishment of a telegraph office, two stores, a butcher, a saddler, a baker and a boot maker it was clear that a township was forming. By 1881 the population reached 95. On 30 September 1885 J. Howard Maynard auctioned 34 allotments on the bank of Mooyumbin Creek, bound by Martin Street, Tibbing Street and Price Street. At the time the amenities advertised included the Commercial Hotel, agricultural and saw-milling district and a railway station was promised. By 1888 there were three schools in Nerang and the population had grown to 343 by 1901. By 1905 Nerang was becoming a centre for dairying. Maize was the main industry with arrowroot and potato crops also becoming more important. Although the economic focus of the Gold Coast today is tourism, in the 19th century the South Coast (as it was then known) was an agricultural area.
Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
and
maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
were grown by farmers along the upper reaches of the Nerang River. At that time, Nerang was the one of those townships in the Gold Coast hinterland that reflected that the economic focus of the area was agriculture. The South Coast railway arrived in Nerang in 1887 with the town being serviced by the old Nerang railway station . The railway linked these rural towns together and gave impetus to their development. Subdivision was conventional and buildings were traditional rural or rural commercial. In 1927, a timber building was the first built specifically for use as the Nerang Council Chambers. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
the Australian Army's 4th Armoured Brigade operated a tank training centre at Nerang. The
Shire of Nerang The Shire of Nerang was a local government area in South East Queensland, Australia. The shire existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 1949. History On 11 November 1879, the Nerang Division was created as one of 74 divisions withi ...
became part of the
Shire of Albert The Shire of Albert was a Local government in Australia, local government area in Queensland, located south of the capital, Brisbane, and taking in areas to the north and west of the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast. It was named after the Pri ...
in 1950 and the Nerang Council Chambers became a post office. It was not until the mid 20th century that the beaches of the South Coast attracted significant interest as a holiday destination, which led to the coining of the name Gold Coast where tourism became the dominant sector of the economy. The Gaven Way, a highway connecting the Pacific Highway to Nerang, opened to traffic on 10 December 1960. It was the first stage of the Pacific Motorway in Queensland and the first initiative to diverting the major highway traffic travelling between Queensland and New South Wales to bypass the coastal recreational areas of the Gold Coast. The South Coast railway and the Nerang railway station closed in 1964, partly reflecting the rising use of automobiles and partly reflecting the declining importance of agriculture. The Pacific Motorway development through the Gold Coast hinterland mostly followed the route of the reserved land corridor of the South Coast railway. The highway shifted development in the town in a manner which extended and perhaps dominated the early township. Nonetheless the early township still retains its connection to the river and its early subdivisions and commercial centre survives. The Nerang town centre was bypassed by the Pacific Motorway in 1979. Nerang State High School opened on 28 January 1986. St Brigid's Catholic Primary School opened on 1994. In the 1990s, it was realised that the Gold Coast needed a railway leading to the construction of the
Gold Coast railway line The Gold Coast railway line is an interurban railway line operated by Queensland Rail in Queensland, Australia, connecting Brisbane with the Gold Coast. The line has 17 stations. In 2021, a journey from Central station to the terminus of ...
which reached Nerang in 1997, although the new railway line had to follow a different route and the new
Nerang railway station Nerang railway station is located on the Gold Coast line in Queensland, Australia. It serves the Gold Coast suburb of Nerang. History Nerang station opened on 16 December 1997 when the Gold Coast line was extended from Helensvale. It serv ...
was in a different location to the former station on the South Coast line. This railway line was not to service agriculture but for workers and tourists to commute between the Gold Coast and
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
(including connection to
Brisbane Airport Brisbane Airport is an international airport serving Brisbane, the capital of the Australian state of Queensland. The airport services 31 airlines flying to 50 domestic and 29 international destinations, total amounting to more than 22.7 mill ...
for business and leisure travelers). Like other Gold Coast hinterland towns, Nerang began to change from being a service centre for agriculture to becoming increasingly residential suburbs for workers in the coastal tourism industries. This was officially recognised in 2003 when Nerang was re-designated a suburb rather than a
locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...
. Recent years have seen the early Nerang flourish as an administrative centre for the growing Gold Coast. The Nerang public library was opened in 2003.


Demographics

In the , the suburb of Nerang had a population of 16,256 people. In the , the suburb of Nerang had a population of 16,864 people. In the , the suburb of Nerang had a population of 17,048 people.


Transport

Nerang is a regional and transportation hub, containing several shopping centres and
Nerang railway station Nerang railway station is located on the Gold Coast line in Queensland, Australia. It serves the Gold Coast suburb of Nerang. History Nerang station opened on 16 December 1997 when the Gold Coast line was extended from Helensvale. It serv ...
.


Education

Nerang State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 3 Nerang Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 325 students with 28 teachers (23 full-time equivalent) and 21 non-teaching staff (12 full-time equivalent). It includes a
special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...
program. St Brigid's Catholic Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 39-49 McLaren Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 406 students with 31 teachers (25 full-time equivalent) and 17 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent). Nerang State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at Weedons Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1026 students with 93 teachers (88 full-time equivalent) and 43 non-teaching staff (31 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.


Community amenities

The Nerang Branch Library is located on the corner of White & Price Streets. The Nerang Branch Library also holds the Special Needs Library Collection which contains specialist materials for developmental and disability needs. The Nerang branch of the
Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...
meets at the Girl Guide Hut at 40 Ferry Street.


Sport and recreation

A number of well-known sporting teams represent the local area, including the Nerang Roosters is the local
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
club and Nerang Bulls RUC are the local
Rugby Union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
club who play home games at Robert Dalley Park. The Carrara Sports Ground is located a short distance away from the Nerang Train Station with Metricon Stadium being the home for of the Gold Coast Suns AFL football team. The area surrounding the Carrara Sports Ground has undertaken significant development in anticipation for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Nerang also boasts a velodrome and a public swimming pool complex that has 3 pools and a junior splash area owned and operated by the Gold Coast City Council. The Mudgeeraba/Nerang Cricket Club also has its home ground at Carrara with turf wicket, practice nets and club house facilities. It has teams in all grades from juniors through to first grade in the Gold Coast District Cricket competition. There are also a number of world class golf courses within easy reach from Nerang. The Nerang Division takes in areas such as Springbrook, Natural Arch, the Rock Pools and Lower Beechmont; all great places to take the family for picnics, horse riding and bush walking.


Heritage listings

There are a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 68 Billabirra Crescent (Country Paradise Parklands): Nerang Police Lock-up (Old Nerang Gaol) * 48 Nerang Street (Bischof Pioneer Park, ): Maid of Sker * 48 Nerang Street (Bischof Pioneer Park, ): Ceramic House * 48 Nerang Street (Bischof Pioneer Park, ): Preece House * 34 Price Street: Nerang Hall (formerly Nerang School of Arts) Relocated from Nerang: * 135 Bundall Road,
Surfers Paradise Surfing is a list of surface water sports, surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in Glossary of surfing, tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wind wave, wave of water, whic ...
(Surfers Paradise Administration Centre): St Margaret's Church (originally in Nerang)Gold Coast Local Heritage Register - N to Z, pp. 109-110


Notable residents

*
Sara Carrigan Sara Carrigan (born 7 September 1980 in Gunnedah, New South Wales) is a professional cycle sport, cyclist from Australia, who commenced her cycling career in 1996 at the age of fifteen and is currently a member of the Belgian Lotto–Belisol L ...
- Athens 2004 Olympic gold medalist in
road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The ...
* Billy Drumley, Indigenous community leader *
Sydney Barber Josiah Skertchly Sydney Barber Josiah Skertchly (14 December 1850 – 2 February 1926) was an English and later Australian botanist and geologist. He described and mapped the geology of East Anglia and The Fens, travelled the world exploring geology and other as ...
(1850 – 1926), botanist and geologist, buried in the cemetery. * Reece Walsh - current
Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...
and Queensland State of Origin representative, brought up in the suburb and grew up playing junior rugby league for the Nerang Roosters.


References


Sources

* *


Further reading

*


External links

* * *
Gold Coast Hinterland Heritage MuseumNerang National Park and Nerang State Forest


* Contains local history. {{Authority control Suburbs of the Gold Coast, Queensland Populated places established in 1865 1865 establishments in Australia Queensland in World War II Towns in Queensland