Bowenville 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

Toowoomba Region The Toowoomba Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area (LGA) on the border of Darling Downs and South East Queensland regions of Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, the LGA was preceded by several other local go ...

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. The town's economy rested on the rail industry and with the winding down of the railways the population declined. In the , the locality of Bowenville had a population of 219 people.

Geography

Just north of the

Warrego Highway The Warrego Highway is located in southern Queensland, Australia. It connects coastal centres to the south western areas of the state, and is approximately 715 km in length. It takes its name from the Warrego River, which is the endpoint ...

east of Dalby, Bowenville has the basic requirements for the traveler, including fuel, a post office, barbecues, a hotel and public telephone. It is a short drive from two major tourist attractions in the region, the historic Jondaryan Woolshed and the New Acland Coal Mine. The Western railway line passes through the locality with Bowenville railway station () serving the town. Further west of the town are three other railway stations on the line: * Auchmah railway station, now closed () *Koomi railway station () * Kommamurra railway station ()

History

Bowen Provisional School opened on 21 June 1898. It became Bowenville State School on 1 January 1909. In 1921, the school was located south-west of the railway line near Blaxland Road (approx ). In 1951, a site of just over on the corner of Irvingdale and Grant Streets was reserved as a new site for the Bowenville school. A new school was built in 1953, opening in 1954 (this is the current school). In September 1906, Major William Grant of the Bowenville pastoral station donated land next to the railway line on the corner of Railway Street and Cockburn Street () for a Presbyterian church as well as £20 towards the building costs. John Nicholson of Blaxlands pastoral station donated a further £10. The construction of the church was completed in September 1909. The church was officially opened on Friday 22 October 1909 by Eveline Grant, wife of William Grant. The church was designed by

Alexander Brown Wilson Alexander Brown Wilson (5 June 1857, in Glasgow, Scotland – 5 May 1938, in Kangaroo Point, Queensland, Australia) was an architect in Queensland, Australia. A number of his works are listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. Life Alexande ...

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 built by D.A. Mever of

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...

. It had a cedar pulpit and leadlight windows. The first divine service was held on Sunday 24 October 1909 by Reverend George Tulloch. Bowenville Post Office opened by June 1908 (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 1878). In March 1916, a severe storm blew the roof off the Presbyterian church as well as damaging the Bowenville railway station and many houses. The remains of the church were auctioned off and the church rebuilt at a cost of £200 by carpenter Thomas Hodge of Dalby. Many suppliers and tradesmen donated their goods and services. The Dalby Presbyterian Church provided a new organ. On Sunday 13 August 1916 the re-built church was officially re-opened by the Reverend Richard Glaister, the principal of Emmanuel College at the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

. The Bowenville Public Hall was built in 1925. It was a popular venue for dancers as its floor was made of Crow's Ash ('' Flindersia australis'') which is very resistant to impact, making it an excellent surface for dancing. The hall was later extended with materials recycled from the public hall at Irvingdale when it closed. The hall hosts a wide variety of local events, including meetings, classes, dances, concerts, and receptions. The local 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 ...

met in this hall. St Luke's Anglican Church was dedicated on 30 March 1952 by Venerable Frank Knight. It had been relocated from Ducklo. It closed on 31 March 1982.

Demographics

In the , the locality of Bowenville had a population of 250 people. In the , the locality of Bowenville had a population of 219 people.

Education

Bowenville State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 2 Irvingdale Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 15 students with 4 teachers (1 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent). There is no secondary school in Bowenville, the closest secondary schools being Oakey State High School in

Oakey Oakey is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. The Oakey Army Aviation Centre, Museum of Army Aviation is located at Oakey Airport. In the , the locality of Oakey had a pop ...

to the east or Dalby State High School, Dalby Christian College and Our Lady of the Southern Cross College in Dalby to the west.

Facilities

Library services in Bowenville are provided by the Toowoomba Regional Council's

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. Boo ...

service. The van visits Bowenville State School on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. The Bowenville Reserve (in Wainu), situated along the Oakey Creek, provides a free camping area with access to non-potable water and toilet facilities. There are also picnic areas, bins, shelters, tables, and a playground. Shore fishing, small water craft, and electric motors are permitted.

References

External links

* {{authority control Toowoomba Region Localities in Queensland Towns in Queensland