Valkyrie is a rural

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

Isaac Region The Isaac Region is a local government area located in Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia created in March 2008 as a result of the report of the Local Government Reform Commission released in July 2007. History Yagalingu is an Australia ...

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 Valkyrie had a population of 122 people.

Geography

The

Isaac River The Isaac River is a river and anabranch located in Central Queensland, Australia. Course The headwaters of the river rise south east of Glenden, Queensland and flow in a generally southern direction, crossing the Peak Downs Highway near Mora ...

passes through the locality forming part of the locality's south-western boundary. The

Fitzroy Developmental Road The Fitzroy Developmental Road is a designated road in the Central Highlands Region of Queensland consisting of three separate sections. The general direction is from south to north. Route description Southern section The southern section leav ...

passes through the locality from north to south. The Duania open-cut coal mine is in the western part of the locality and is serviced by the

Goonyella railway line The Goonyella railway system is located in Central Queensland, Australia. It services the coal mining area of the Bowen Basin, carrying coal to the Hay Point and Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminals 20 km southeast of Mackay, as well as products t ...

. However, the land use of Valkyrie is predominantly cattle grazing.

History

Valkyrie State School opened on 9 January 1974. In 2011, there was a proposal to develop the Codrilla coal mine on a site approximately 800 metres from the school. The proposal included the relocation of the school and its teacher's residence to a new location to avoid any environmental impacts from the mine. As of 2017, the mine proposal and school relocation have not yet occurred. In the Valkyrie had a population of 122 people.

Education

Valkyrie State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls at 43092 Fitzroy Developmental Road (). In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 19 students with 2 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 22 students with 3 teachers (2 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).

Water supply issue

Valkyrie State School has become known for its ongoing struggle in attempting to obtain a permanent

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

since opening in 1974. In 2015, a student suffered a

broken arm In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between th ...

after falling on the dry surface of the school's unwatered oval. Students were subsequently banned from playing on the oval to prevent similar incidents from occurring. Since June 2020, the school has been relying on a mining company

Peabody Energy Peabody Energy is a coal mining and energy company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Its primary business consists of the mining, sale, and distribution of coal, which is purchased for use in electricity generation and steelmaking. Peabody ...

to transport

potable water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ag ...

to supplement the school's

rainwater tank A rainwater tank (sometimes called a rain barrel in North America in reference to smaller tanks, or a water butt in the UK) is a water tank used to collect and store rain water runoff, typically from rooftops via pipes. Rainwater tanks are devices ...

s free of charge. The school's rainwater tanks ran out of water in May 2021. In 2021, the school was banned by the state government from accepting donated water from any company apart from its own commercial business unit QBuild. The Parents & Citizens' Association, the Isolated Children's Parent's Association and local MP Dale Last have all criticised the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

's handling of the issue. The government was also criticised by the P&C for not allocating any money in the 2021

state budget A government budget is a document prepared by the government and/or other political entity presenting its anticipated tax revenues (Inheritance tax, income tax, corporation tax, import taxes) and proposed spending/expenditure (Healthcare, Educat ...

to address the lack of water supply at Valkyrie State School, despite funding ten new schools in

South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. T ...

, and allocating money for new infrastructure at Parkhurst State School. According to the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

, an additional three new water tanks with ultraviolet filtration would be installed at the school in 2021. However, the P&C said they would prefer a permanent water source and proposed that the school either be connected to the nearest pipeline or have a nearby dam rehabilitated so water could be pumped to the school from there.

References

{{Isaac Region Isaac Region Localities in Queensland