Calen is a rural town and coastal

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 Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Calen had a population of 427 people.

Geography

The locality of Calen is loosely bounded by One Mile Creek to the south and Blackrock Creek to the north. The land is mostly flat and used for

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

farming, apart from some undeveloped mountains across the western boundary of the locality and some small undeveloped hill land in the east which is on the Queensland coast. 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 ...

passes from the south-east to the north-west of the locality. The North Coast railway line runs immediately north and parallel to the highway. The town of Calen is located in the south-eastern part of the locality with the highway and railway passing through it. The Calen railway station () is located in the town. A second town of Kolijo is located on the south-eastern edge of the locality, again with the highway and railway passing through it. The former Kolijo railway station is located in the town (). Calen and Kolijo are separated by St Helens Creek, which might explain the development of two towns less than apart. A neighbourhood called Moondaba exists at the north-western edge of the locality along the highway and railway line (). It takes its name from the former Moondaba railway station and is reportedly an Aboriginal word meaning ''place of snakes''. Moondaba is very close to the town of

Pindi Pindi Pindi Pindi is a rural locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Pindi Pindi had a population of 86 people. Geography The locality of Pindi Pindi is bounded to the south and east by Blackrock Creek (which ...

to the north, but they are separated by the Blackrock Creek. The locality of Calen has a network of privately operated tramway lines for transporting sugar cane to the sugar mill.

History

The town of Kolijo takes its name from the former Kolijo railway station which was named on 9 March 1923 by the

Queensland Railways Department Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Queensland Rail is owned by the Queensland Government, and operates both suburban and interurban rail services in South East Queensland, as well as long-distance passenger t ...

, reportedly an Aboriginal word meaning ''possum''. The town of Calen takes its name from the Calen railway station which was named on 8 February 1924 by the Queensland Railway Department, reportedly being an Aboriginal name meaning ''cloud''. Calen State School opened on 24 February 1925 under head teacher Honoria Mary Doherty. In 1963, it expanded to offering secondary schooling (8-10). In 1991, it further expanded to offer secondary years 11 and 12. On 13 December 2003, it was renamed Calen District State College. Cameron's Pocket State School opened on 4 February 1930 and closed in 1958. It was at 375 Calen Mount Charlton Road (). William Pratt Memorial Church was officially opened on Saturday 23 August 1930; it was a combined Presbyterian and Methodist Church. It is now Calen Uniting Church. William Pratt was a pioneer sugarcane grower in the Calen area. He served on the

Pioneer Shire Council The Shire of Pioneer was a local government area surrounding the city of Mackay and including all but its innermost suburbs. The shire, administered from Mackay itself, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1879 un ...

and was a director of the Farleigh sugar mill. Calen Post Office opened by 1933.

Demographics

In the , the town of Calen had a population of 289 people. In the , the locality of Calen had a population of 451 people. In the , the locality of Calen had a population of 390 people. In the , the locality of Calen had a population of 427 people.

Education

Calen District State College is a government primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at 38 McIntyre Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 195 students with 22 teachers (18 full-time equivalent) and 20 non-teaching staff (12 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.

Amenities

The

Mackay Regional Council The Mackay Region is a local government area located in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas with modern histories extending back as far as 1869. It has an estimat ...

operates a mobile library service on a fortnightly schedule at McIntyre Street near the school. St Helen's Catholic Church is at 71 McIntyre Street (). It is part of the Farleigh parish. Calen Uniting Church is at 42 Mcintyre Street (). It is also known as the William Pratt Memorial Calen Community Church. As at 2020, the church was closed. The Calen 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 the QCWA Hall at 120 McIntyre Street ().

Facilities

Calen Police Station is at 5379 Bruce Highway (). Calen Ambulance Station is at 145 McIntyre Street (). Calen SES Facility is at 17 Pratts Road ().

References

External links

* * {{authority control Towns in Queensland Mackay Region North Queensland Coastline of Queensland Localities in Queensland