Woombye is a 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

Sunshine Coast Region The Sunshine Coast Region is a local government area located in the Sunshine Coast district of South East Queensland, Australia. It was created by the amalgamation in 2008 of the City of Caloundra and the Shires of Maroochy and Noosa. It cont ...

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 , Woombye had a population of 3,246 people.

Geography

Woombye is located on the Sunshine Coast hinterland in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, approximately north of the

Brisbane CBD Brisbane City is the central suburb and central business district of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is colloquially referred to as the "Brisbane CBD" or "the city". It is located on a point on the northern bank of the ...

. The name is derived from words from the local Aboriginal language - a place () of black snake, or (wambai) black myrtle or axe handle made from black myrtle. The

Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Na ...

forms the eastern boundary of the locality. The North Coast railway line runs from north to south through the western part of the locality; the town is centred around the

Woombye railway station Woombye railway station is located on the North Coast line in Queensland, Australia. It serves the town of Woombye in the Sunshine Coast Region. History The station today consists of one platform with a wooden structure. In 2009, the platfor ...

in the west of the locality. Woombye is accessible by

Translink Translink (or TransLink) may refer to: * TransLink (British Columbia), the public transport operator in Vancouver, Canada * Translink (Northern Ireland) Translink is the brand name of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCo), a ...

trains and buses. There are numerous rail services departing for Brisbane daily. The small township of Woombye is surrounded by what were once pineapple farms, which today are acreage properties and gated communities. The first pineapple farm was owned and operated by Hugh and Alice Moorhouse, located on Moorhouse Road, which overlooks the township. The Woombye Light Horse Memorial is also named after MAJ Hugh Vardy Moorhouse (2 Feb 1903 – 11 Oct 1993).

Woombye–Montville Road Blackall Range road network is a group of roads that provide access to the mountain localities and towns from various lowland places, and enable travel between the mountain communities. The network ensures continuity of access in times of floodi ...

exits to the south.

History

The town has its roots in a settlement first known as Middle Camp, and later Cobb's Camp. It was established in 1868 as a staging depot and hotel for

Cobb & Co Cobb & Co was the name used by many successful sometimes quite independent Australian coaching businesses. The first was established in 1853 by American Freeman Cobb and his partners. The name Cobb & Co grew to great prominence in the late 19th ...

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

es at the halfway point on the road between

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

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River (Queen ...

, after the discovery of gold at Gympie. Cobbs Camp Provisional School opened on 17 August 1885. The town was renamed as ''Woombye'' in the 1880s. The name ''Woombye'' comes from the Kabi word ''wambai'' meaning ''black myrtle tree'', which was used for handles for axes. The school was renamed Woombye State School in 1892. In 1891 the North Coast railway from Landsborough to Yandina was opened, and it became a rail centre until 1914. Woombye Pub was opened in 1900 as The Criterion Hotel, a hotel which stands on the site as a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

The Woombye War Memorial was unveiled on 18 June 1925 by the

Queensland Governor The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial functi ...

Matthew Nathan Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan (3 January 1862 – 18 April 1939) was a British soldier and colonial administrator, who variously served as the Governor of Sierra Leone, Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast, Hong Kong, Natal and Queen ...

. The Woombye 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 ...

had formed before 1930. In 1977, a preschool was added to Woombye State School. On 5 February 1979 the Christian Outreach College (Sunshine Coast) was established by the Nambour Christian Outreach Centre on a pineapple farm. The church and school were later renamed Suncoast Church and Suncoast Christian College respectively. In 2004, an adjoining pineapple farm was purchased to expand the school. On 29 January 1980, Nambour Christian College was established with 36 students by the families of the New Life Assembly of God Nambour church. The name was changed to Nambour Christian College in 1992. In the , Woombye had a population of 2,094.

Education

Woombye State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 95 Pine Grove Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 506 students with 41 teachers (32 full-time equivalent) and 21 non-teaching staff (14 full-time equivalent). The school includes a

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

program. Suncoast Christian College is a private primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at the corner of Schubert & Kiel Mountain Roads (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 803 students with 67 teachers (57 full-time equivalent) and 70 non-teaching staff (42 full-time equivalent). Nambour Christian College is a private primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at McKenzie Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 1,131 students with 87 teachers (80 full-time equivalent) and 95 non-teaching staff (59 full-time equivalent). There are no government secondary schools in Woombye, but there are government secondary schools in neighbouring

Nambour Nambour is a rural town and locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nambour had a population of 11,187 people. Geography Nambour is north of the state capital, Brisbane. The town lies in the sub ...

and Burnside.

Amenities

Woombye is home to one of the longest established soccer clubs on the Sunshine Coast, the Woombye Snakes.

Visitor attractions

Woombye is home to

The Big Pineapple The Big Pineapple is a heritage-listed tourist attraction at Nambour Connection Road, Woombye, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Peddle Thorp and Harvey, Paul Luff, and Gary Smallcombe and Associates. It i ...

, a tourist attraction which is one of

Australia's big things The big things of Australia are large structures, some of which are novelty architecture and some are sculptures. There are estimated to be over 230 such objects around the country. There are big things in every state and territory in contin ...

Heritage listings

Woombye has a number of

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...

sites, including: * Nambour Connection Road:

North Coast Roadside Rest Areas The North Coast Roadside Rest Areas are a group of three heritage-listed rest areas in Queensland, Australia. They are (from north to south): * Paynter's Creek Roadside Rest Area at Nambour Connection Road, Woombye, Sunshine Coast Region () * ...

* Nambour Connection Road:

(former Sunshine Plantation)

References

External links

*
Town map of Woombye, 1979
{{authority control Towns in Queensland Suburbs of the Sunshine Coast Region Localities in Queensland