Wheatvale 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

Southern Downs Region The Southern Downs Region is a local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, along the state's boundary with New South Wales. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Warwick and the Shire of Stanthor ...

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 , establishe ...

, Australia. In the , Wheatvale had a population of 56 people.

Geography

The

Cunningham Highway The Cunningham Highway is a national highway located in south-eastern Queensland, Australia. The highway links the Darling Downs region with the urbanised outskirts of via Cunninghams Gap. The Cunningham carries the National Highway 15 shie ...

passes from east to west through the locality. The South Western railway line also passes from east to west through the locality but to the north of the highway; the locality is served by the Wheatvale railway station (). The

Condamine River The Condamine River, part of the Balonne River, Balonne catchment that is part of the Murray-Darling Basin, drains the northern portion of the Darling Downs, an area of sub-coastal southern Queensland, Australia. The river is approximately 500 k ...

flows through the locality.

History

The locality takes its name from its railway station which in turn was named on 5 February 1904 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 ...

, after the property of James Clancy McMahon, a pioneer wheat grower in the area. On 1 April 1896, James Clancy McMahon built and furnished a school building and also paid a teacher's salary. At the start of 1897, it became Wheatvale Provisional School with the teacher being appointed by the Queensland Public Instruction Department. However, the sale of the land on 28 February 1901 caused the school to close. In 1908 Wheatvale Provisional School reopened on a new site and became Wheatvale State School on 1 January 1909. On 21 June 1924, a group of local women met at the school and formed the Condamine 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 ...

. In the , Wheatvale had a population of 56 people.

Education

Wheatvale State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 4194 Leyburn-Cunningham Road (). In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 53 students with 5 teachers (3 equivalent full-time) and 7 non-teaching staff (3 equivalent full-time). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 41 students with 3 teachers and 5 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).

Amenities

The

Southern Downs Regional Council The Southern Downs Region is a local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, along the state's boundary with New South Wales. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Warwick and the Shire of Stanthorpe ...

operates a

mobile library A bookmobile or mobile library is a vehicle designed for use as a library. They have been known by many names throughout history, including traveling library, library wagon, book wagon, book truck, library-on-wheels, and book auto service. Bookm ...

service which visits the Wheatvale School on the Leyburn-Cunningham Road.

Geography

History

Education

Amenities

References

Further reading