Beerwah () is a rural town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

in the

hinterland Hinterland is a German word meaning the 'land behind' a city, a port, or similar. Its use in English was first documented by the geographer George Chisholm in his ''Handbook of Commercial Geography'' (1888). Originally the term was associated wi ...

of the

Sunshine Coast Region The Sunshine Coast Region is a local government area located in the Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia, from which it takes its name. It was created by the amalgamation in 2008 of the City of Caloundra and the Shires o ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. At the , the locality of Beerwah had a population of 7,734 people.

Australia Zoo Australia Zoo is a zoo in the Australian state of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast near Beerwah/ Glass House Mountains. It is a member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA), and is owned by Terri Irwin, the widow of Steve Irwin, whose ...

established by

Steve Irwin Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 19624 September 2006), known as "the Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, Conservation movement, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist. Irwin grew up ar ...

is a major tourist attraction and is visited daily by many tourists.

Geography

Beerwah is situated north of

Glass House Mountains The Glass House Mountains are a cluster of thirteen hills that rise abruptly from the coastal plain on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. The highest hill is Mount Beerwah at 556 metres above sea level, but t ...

, approximately north of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, and just south of Landsborough. The main road through Beerwah is called Steve Irwin Way. It was formerly known as the Glasshouse Mountain Tourist Route and is accessed by 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 Natio ...

, which bypassed the town in 1985.

Kilcoy–Beerwah Road Kilcoy–Beerwah Road is a continuous road route in the Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast local government areas of Queensland, Australia. It is designated as part of State Route 6. It is a state-controlled regional road (number 492). It is par ...

enters from the west.

Beerwah railway station Beerwah railway station is a heritage-listed railway station on the North Coast line in Queensland, Australia. It serves the town of Beerwah in the Sunshine Coast Region. It is listed on the Sunshine Coast Region Heritage Register. History D ...

() on the

Nambour and Gympie North railway line The Sunshine Coast railway line refers to the section of Queensland's North Coast line that has regular interurban passenger services, which connect Brisbane with the Sunshine Coast and as far north as Gympie. It is the longest line on the ...

serves the town.

History

The name ''Beerwah'' comes from the

Kabi Kabi or KABI may refer to: Places *Kabi Longstok, town in North Sikkim district, Sikkim, India *Kabi, Sikkim, village in North Sikkim district, Sikkim, India * Kabi River (''Kafu River''), river in Uganda People *Boris Kabi (born 1984), Ivorian fo ...

language (

Turrbal The Turrbal are an Aboriginal Australian people from the area now known as Brisbane. The boundaries of their traditional territory are unclear and linguists are divided over whether they spoke a separate language or a dialect of the Yuggera la ...

dialect) word ''birrawaman'', with ''birra'' meaning ''sky'' and ''wandum'' meaning ''climbing up''. Beerwah Post Office opened by August 1907 (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 1891). The Coochin Creek Provisional School opened on 27 November 1888 with an initial enrolment of 19 students under teacher William Verrants. By the end of 1888, there were 43 students enrolled. It was on the main Peachester road, from the Beerwah railway station. On 1 January 1909, it became Coochin Creek State School. In about November 1928, it was renamed Beerwah State School. The school celebrated its golden jubilee in 1938. On 10 July 1952, another Coochin Creek State School opened, but it closed on 11 March 1962. On Saturday 26 September 1914, the local Anglican residents held a meeting to consider erecting a church in Beerwah. Mr Mawhinney donated a piece of land by the railway station. On Saturday 7 November 1914 Archdeacon

Henry Le Fanu Henry Frewen Le Fanu (1 April 1870 – 9 September 1946) was an Anglican bishop in Australia. Early life Le Fanu was born in Dublin, Ireland. He was educated at Haileybury and Keble College, Oxford. Religious life Le Fanu was ordaine ...

officially capped the first stump of the new church building. All the materials for the church and the labour were all donated so the church would be free of debt. On Saturday 6 March 1916, Archdeacon Le Fanu returned to officially open and dedicate St James' Anglican Church. In the 1990s, diminishing numbers in the congregations led to a decision to close a number of churches in the area. St James' was closed and sold for removal. On 4 July 1991, the Mary MacKillop Catholic Centre was blessed and 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 ...

Francis Rush.

Beerwah State High School Beerwah State High School (often abbreviated to Beerwah High School, Beerwah High or simply BSHS) is a government-owned secondary school in Beerwah, Queensland, Australia that was established in 1992. Faculties Subject offerings at Beerwah Sta ...

opened on 1 January 1992. The Beerwah Library opened in 2000. Glasshouse Country Christian College was established on 31 January 2000 by the Glasshouse Country Baptist Church with an initial 16 students. Glasshouse Country Uniting Church opened its church at Beerwah on 16 December 2000, The architects were Thomson Adsett Architects. It was a result of the merger of the Glasshouse Uniting Church, Beerwah Uniting Church, Landsborough Uniting Church and Mooloolah Uniting Church. Beerwah experienced growth in residential housing 2010. In October 2009, a small bypass opened south of the town, including an overpass of the railway, a large roundabout at Roberts Road, and traffic signals at Kilcoy-Beerwah Road and Steve Irwin Way. As part of that project, the original

level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...

was closed and demolished, causing concern among local residents who claimed the railway sliced the town in two. In 2010, many residents began to complain about the lack of signage to the town centre, resulting in two distinctive large directional signs, one at the Steve Irwin Way entrance, and one at the roundabout after travelling over the railway bridge.

Demographics

In the , the locality of Beerwah had a population of 6,769 people, 52% female and 48% male. The median age was 39 years, compared to the national median age of 38. Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders ( ) are the Indigenous Melanesians, Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal peoples of the res ...

people made up 2.8% of the population. 77.2% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

5.1% and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

4.8%. 90.8% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion in Beerwah were No Religion 32.8%,

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

17.2% and

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

14.4%. In the , the locality of Beerwah had a population of 7,734 people.

Heritage listings

Beerwah has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Beerwah Hotel, 53 Beerwah Parade *Site of Coochin Homestead, 2719 Old Gympie Road * Beerburrum Scientific Area No 1, Roys Road and Mawsons Road (Beerburrum State Forest) *

, Simpson Street *former Beerwah Forest Station and Arboretum, Toys Road, approximately east of Mawsons Road intersection

Education

Beerwah State School is a government primary (Early Childhood to Year 6) school for boys and girls at 2788 Old Gympie Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 367 students with 40 teachers (32 full-time equivalent) and 21 non-teaching staff (15 full-time equivalent). It includes a

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

program. Glasshouse Christian College is a private primary and secondary (Prep–12) school for boys and girls at 58 Roberts Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1074 students with 75 teachers (70 full-time equivalent) and 67 non-teaching staff (48 full-time equivalent).

is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 35 Roberts Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 895 students with 86 teachers (79 full-time equivalent) and 44 non-teaching staff (30 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.

Amenities

The

Sunshine Coast Regional Council The Sunshine Coast Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia, from which it takes its name. It was created by the amalg ...

operates a public library at 25 Peachester Road. The Beerwah 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 39 Simpson Street. Anglican church services are held at the Mary MacKillop Catholic Centre at 160 Peachester Road (). Glasshouse Country Uniting Church (also known as Beewah Uniting Church) is at 29 Twin Peaks Drive (). There are a number of parks in the locality, including: * Beerwah Sports Ground, Roberts Rd, Beerwah () * Biondi Crescent Park () * CWA Park () * Cabrera Park () * Caralan Way Park () * Caralan Way/Emma Place Park 2 () * Carnarvon Drive Bushland Park * Chantilly Park () * Coochin Creek Riparian Zone on Steve Irwin Way () * Coochin Nature Park * Esplanade () * Emma Place Park () * Foley Road Buffer () * Gowen Park () * Hibiscus Park () * Jubilee Park * Kello Road Environmental Reserve () * Kindy Park () * Lachlan Crescent Busland Reserve () * Lachlan Crescent North Drainage Reserve () * Lachlan Crescent Park () * Lachlan Crescent South Drainage Reserve () * Lindeman Road Natural Amenity Reserve () * Mill Park () * Monarch Place Natural Amenity Reserve () * Monica Smith Park () * Newell Park () * Newells Rd Buffer () * Newton Park () * Old Peachester Road Natural Amenity Reserve () * Otto Northling Road Natural Amenity Reserve () * Otto Nothling Place Drainage Reserve * Otto Nothling Place Park * Park () * Parkside Drive Bushland Park () * Peachester Dr/Parkside Dr Walkway Link () * Pinelands Park () * Reserve () * Roberts Road Park () * Settlement Park () * Shaws Road Drainage Reserve () * Sidney Drive Bushland Reserve () * Sidney Drive Park * Steve Irwin Way Buffer Kello Road Estate * Thompson Road Buffer * Turner Park () * Twin Peaks Park () * Whistler Place Open Space () * Woodgrove Boulevard Drainage Reserve () * Woodgrove Boulevard Park () * Woodgrove Esplanade Walkway 1 () * Woodgrove Esplanade Walkway 2 () * Woodgrove Stage 7 ()

Tourism

Beerwah is one of the largest towns in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, set within the backdrop of the Glasshouse Mountains National Park with 13 volcanic peaks.

Attractions

is located in Beerwah. The zoo was founded by Bob Irwin and later made famous by his son,

. It is a major tourist attraction and is visited daily by large numbers of local, national and international tourists. Another attraction, the Glass House mountain range, is located nearby. The largest mountain in the range, at 555m, is Mount Beerwah. Access to the Mount Beerwah summit route has been closed since 2008 due to the erosion and destabilization of some walking tracks, leading to a high risk of rock fall. The Big Mower, one of

Australia's big things The big things of Australia are large structures, some of which are novelty architecture and some sculptures. In Australia, big things have come to be seen as a uniquely Australian phenomenon, although they emerged at the same time as the so-c ...

, is located in Beerwah.

Notable residents

* Lawrence Daws, painter and printmaker * The Irwin family:

Bob Irwin Robert Eric Irwin (born 8 June 1939) is an Australian natural history, naturalist, animal conservation movement, conservationist, former zookeeper, and a herpetologist known for his conservation and husbandry work with apex predators and reptil ...

Terri Irwin Terri Raines Irwin (née Raines, born July 20, 1964) is an American-Australian conservationist, television personality, author and zookeeper who is the owner of Australia Zoo in Beerwah, Queensland. She is the widow of Steve Irwin. Born in O ...

, Bindi Irwin, Robert Irwin, environmentalists and operators of Australia Zoo

References

External links

* * *
Beerwah cemetery
{{authority control Towns in Queensland Suburbs of the Sunshine Coast Region Localities in Queensland