Goovigen 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

Shire of Banana The Shire of Banana is a local government area located in the Capricorn region of Queensland, Australia, inland from the regional city of Gladstone. The shire was named after the first township in the region (Banana), which in turn was named ...

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 Goovigen had a population of 215 people. A second town, Rannes (), is also within the locality of Goovigen, near its western boundary. Koorngoo is a neighbourhood () within the locality, just west of centre, based around a former railway station.

Geography

The town is towards the south-east of the locality, approximately 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 ...

. 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 ...

enters the locality from the north ( Dixalea) and exits to the east ( Jambin) without coming close to either of the two towns. The

Leichhardt Highway The Leichhardt Highway is a major transport route in Queensland, Australia. It is a continuation northward from Goondiwindi of the Newell Highway, via a section of the Cunningham Highway. It runs northward from Goondiwindi for more than 600 ki ...

enters the locality from the south-west ( Kokotunga / Woolein) and then. forms the south-west boundary of the locality and passes immediately west of the town of Rannes before exiting to the west ( Dumpy Creek). The now-closed

Callide Valley railway line The Callide Valley railway line ran from Rannes to Lawgi in Queensland, Australia. The Callide Valley lies to the south-west of Rockhampton in Central Queensland. History There were grand plans to link Monto by railway with the south, east ...

ran through the locality which was served by a number of now-abandoned railway stations: * Rannes railway station, serving the town of Rannes () * Jooro railway station () *Goovigen railway station, serving the town of Goovigen () * Koorngoo railway station ()

History

Goovigen was originally established as a supply depot for the railways and was named by the

Queensland Railways Department Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining approximately 6,600 kilometres of track and relate ...

on 27 April 1920. ''Goovigen'' is a local Aboriginal word for ''box tree'', a species of

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...

. Koorngoo was originally a railway station name and is an Aboriginal word meaning ''food'' or '' feed bag''. Rannes State School opened on 14 March 1916. It closed on 23 February 1960 but reopened on 30 January 1962. It closed permanently on 18 March 1966. Woolein State School opened on 27 February 1918 and closed on 17 August 1924. Goovigen State School opened on 15 March 1926. Goovigen Post Office opened on 1 July 1927 (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 1925). The Goovigen School of Arts opened on 1 June 1929. It is no longer in use but the building still stands at 9 Goovigen Rannes Road (). The Goovigen 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 ...

was established on Saturday 10 September 1932 with nine local women signing up with President Mrs L Nielson (President), Vice-President Mrs T McNae (Vice-President) and Secretary-Treasurer Miss Margery Adams. The Goovigen QCWA Younger Set was established in July 1934. In 1956 the branch purchased the building at 5 Stanley Street () for its rooms which, after refurbishment were officially opened on 26 January 1957 by Rockhampton City Mayor

Rex Pilbeam Reginald Byron Jarvis "Rex" Pilbeam (30 October 1907 – 31 July 1999) was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly and long-serving mayor of Rockhampton. Biography Pilbeam was born at Longreach, Queensland, the son of John Thomas Pilb ...

. Over the years there were some closures of the branch: from 1941 to June 1949 due to

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 ...

and then from 1960 to September 1974. The branch closed in April 2017. On Sunday 7 April 1935, St Brigid's Catholic Church was officially opened and blessed by the Bishop of Rockhampton

Romuald Denis Hayes Romuald Denis Hayes (1892–1945) was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Rockhampton in Queensland, Australia, from 2 January 1932 until his death on 25 October 1945. Educated for the priesthood at St. Patricks, Manly, and in Rome. in 1920 he joined the ...

. It was designed by R Chipps and built from timber at a cost of £612. As at 2022, the church is closed and is managed by the Goovigen Historical Society. It is at 7 Goovigen Rannes Road (). Jooro State School opened on 15 April 1935 and closed on 31 December 1963. It was on a site on the east of Claire Lane (). St John the Baptist Anglican Church was built from timber in 1955. The mobile library service commenced in 2004. In the , Goovigen and the surrounding area had a population of 287. In the , the locality of Goovigen had a population of 215 people.

Economy

The town supports the surrounding agricultural district which produces

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

and grain. There are a number of homesteads in the locality, including: * Netley () * Smoky Creek () * Tomlin () * Wyalga Downs ()

Education

Goovigen State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Rannes Road (). In 2016 had an enrolment of 8 students. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 6 students with 2 teachers (1 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent). There is no secondary school in Goovigen. The nearest secondary schools are Biloela State High School in

Biloela Biloela ( ) is a rural town and locality in Shire of Banana, Central Queensland, Australia. It is situated inland from the port city of Gladstone at the junction of the Burnett and Dawson highways. Biloela is the administrative centre of Banan ...

to the south-east and

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 north.

Facilities

StateLibQld 2 136158 Firefighting in the Goovigen district, Queensland, 1952

Goovigen Police Station is at 5 Stone Crescent (). Goovigen Rural Fire Station is at 11 Stone Crescent (). Goovigen Post Office is part of the Goovigen Hotel Motel at 2 Stanley Street (). Goovigen Cemetery is to the north-east of the town on the north-west corner of Goovigen Connection Road and Lake Pleasant Road ().

Amenities

Banana Shire Council The Shire of Banana is a local government area located in the Capricorn region of Queensland, Australia, inland from the regional city of Gladstone. The shire was named after the first township in the region (Banana), which in turn was named f ...

operate a fortnightly mobile library service to Goovigen and the school. Goovigen Community Hall is at 9 Stone Crescent (). The Goovigen Roll of Honour commemorating those who served in World War II is within the hall. St John the Baptist Anglican Church is at 30 Warren Street (). It is part of the Anglican Parish of Callide Valley. The Goovigen War Memorial commemorates military service in all conflicts. It is located in Nissen Park on the southern corner of Warren Street and Prospect Creek Goovigen Road ().

References

External links

* * {{authority control Towns in Queensland Shire of Banana Localities in Queensland