Wooroolin is a rural town and 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 ...

in 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.

Geography

Wooroolin is on 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 ...

, 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 ...

, and 17 km's North of the main town, Kingaroy. Immediately to the east of the town is the Wooroolin Wetland, which is classified as a

palustrine Palustrine wetlands include any inland wetland that contains ocean-derived salts in concentrations of less than 0.5 parts per thousand, and is non-tidal. The word ''palustrine'' comes from the Latin word ''palus'' or marsh. Wetlands within this ca ...

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

, a non-tidal, inland, seasonally flooded,

vegetated Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic character ...

swamp.

History

Wooroolin Provisional School (also known as Wooroolin Lagoon Provisional School) opened on 18 February 1901 and become Wooroolin State School on 1 January 1909. The section of the Nanango railway line from Wondai to Kingaroy opened on 19 December 1904, with Wooroolin served by the Wooroolin railway station (). That section of railway line was closed in 2009. Track removal occurred in 2014 making way for the new

Kingaroy-Kilkivan Rail Trail The Kilkivan to Kingaroy Rail Trail (KKRT, in part also known as the South Burnett Rail Trail or SBRT) is an recreation trail from Kilkivan to Kingaroy. The trail follows the old Kingaroy Branch railway and is open to walkers, cyclists and hor ...

. Wooroolin Presbyterian Church was opened in 1909 with the first wedding held in the church in December 1909. It subsequently closed and has been used as a restaurant. It is at 1 Alexander Street (). In August 1913, the Catholic community in Wooroolin accepted a tender from B. Robinson to construct a church for £206. On Sunday 9 November 1913, St Patrick's Catholic Church was officially opened by

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

James Duhig Sir James Duhig KCMG (2 September 187110 April 1965) was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest-ser ...

in the presence of 400 to 500 people, 300 of them came by a special train provided for the occasion. It was and built from timber in the

Gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

at a cost of £330. It was on a site on a hill overlooking the town at 24-26 Frederick Street (). It has since been demolished. St Andrew's Anglican Church was officially opened on Sunday 20 November 1921 by Archdeacon Osborn. It was a timber church capable of seating 50 people. It celebrated its centenary on Sunday 21 November 1921. Wooroolin West Provisional School opened on 2 April 1929; it closed at some time between 1944 and 1949.From the late 1950s to the 1970s, the Wooroolin – Tingoora R.S.L. organised an annual Highland Gathering at the Wooroolin sportsgrounds, featuring

pipe bands A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common. The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland bagpipe, a ...

and

Scottish highland dance Highland dance or Highland dancing ( gd, dannsa Gàidhealach) is a style of competitive dancing developed in the Scottish Highlands in the 19th and 20th centuries, in the context of competitions at public events such as the Highland games. It ...

. At the , Wooroolin had a population of 164. After successive floods in

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, the wetland burst its banks and Wooroolin was flooded for the first time in

recorded history Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world hist ...

. As at 2015, the wetland was still completely full and resembled a large, shallow lake. Due to a bad drought in later years from 2015 to late 2020, the wetlands drained completely. In November 2021, 305 ml of rain fell across the area in and filled up the wetlands in a matter of weeks for the first time in years. In the , Wooroolin had a population of 315 people.

Education

Wooroolin State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 34 Frederick Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 44 students with 5 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 7 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 42 students with 4 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 7 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent). The school is known for its school band with bugles and drums, established in 1958. The band regularly performs at Anzac Day ceremonies,

agricultural shows An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which breeding stock is exhibit ...

, festivals and other community events. There are no secondary schools in Wooroolin. The nearest government secondary schools are Wondai State School (to Year 10) in

Wondai Wondai is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wondai had a population of 1,975 people. Geography Wondai is located to the south of the Bunya Highway, north west of the state capital, Brisbane ...

to the north-east and Kingaroy State High School (to Year 12) in

Kingaroy Kingaroy is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. The town is situated on the junction of the D'Aguilar and the Bunya Highways, north-west of the state capital Brisbane and south west of Gympie. As a ...

to the south.

Amenities

St Andrew's Anglican Church is at 19 Short Street (). The Wooroolin 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 Lot 41 Frederick Street.

Notable people

Galfry Gatacre Rear Admiral Galfry George Ormond Gatacre, (né Gataker; 11 June 1907 – 12 August 1983) was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), who also played first-class cricket. His naval career began in 1921 and lasted until his retiremen ...

(1907–1983), Royal Australian Navy rear admiral and first-class cricketer

References

External links

Town map of Wooroolin, 1978
{{authority control Towns in Queensland South Burnett Region Localities in Queensland