Coowonga is a rural

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

Shire of Livingstone The Shire of Livingstone is a local government area located in the Capricornia region of Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia, to the immediate north and east of the regional city of Rockhampton. The shire, administered from the coastal to ...

Central Queensland Central Queensland is an imprecisely-defined geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Cap ...

, Australia. In the , the locality of Coowonga had a population of 255 people.

Geography

Coowonga is located in coastal hills at the southern end of the

Capricorn Coast The Capricorn Coast is a stretch of coastline in Central Queensland, Australia and is part of the Shire of Livingstone (formerly part of Rockhampton Region). Geography The Capricorn Coasts takes its name from Cape Capricorn () on Curtis Island ...

. It is six kilometres from the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

and the nearest township of Keppel Sands. Much of the district south of Coowonga Road is grazing and fruit-growing land, while to the north lie tidal salt flats that back onto Coorooman Creek. The

Rockhampton–Emu Park Road Rockhampton–Emu Park Road is a continuous road route in the Rockhampton and Livingstone local government areas of Queensland, Australia. The route is designated as State Route 4 (Regional) and Tourist Drive 10. It is a state-controlled re ...

runs through from west to north.

History

Coowonga is the traditional land of the

Darumbal The Darumbal people, also spelt Darambal and Dharumbal, are the Aboriginal Australian people who have traditionally occupied Central Queensland, speaking dialects of the Darumbal language. and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Countr ...

Aboriginal tribe, as is all of the Capricornia region. Coowonga Provision School opened on 9 August 1897. It became Coowonga State School on 1 January 1909. Prior to local government amalgamations in 2008, the Capricorn Coast was administered by

Livingstone Shire Council The Shire of Livingstone is a local government area located in the Capricornia region of Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia, to the immediate north and east of the regional city of Rockhampton. The shire, administered from the coastal to ...

but became part of

Rockhampton Region The Rockhampton Region is a local government area (LGA) in Central Queensland, Australia, located on the Tropic of Capricorn about north of Brisbane. Rockhampton is the region's major city; the region also includes the Fitzroy River, Mount ...

in 2008. In 2014, following a deamalgamation vote, the Shire of Livingstone was re-established.

Demographics

In the , the locality of Coowonga had a population of 558 people. In the , the locality of Coowonga had a population of 260 people. In the , the locality of Coowonga had a population of 254 people. In the , the locality of Coowonga had a population of 255 people.

Economy

Coowonga is a rural community with a focus on primary production. The Koorana Crocodile Farm, on the banks of Coorooman Creek, opened in November 1981 as the first commercial crocodile farm in Queensland. It also operates as a tourist attraction. At 2014, it had 3,000 crocodiles and supplies crocodile leather and crocodile meat.

Education

Coowonga State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 269 Coowonga Road (). In 2015, it had an enrolment of 19 students with 3 teachers (2 equivalent full-time). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 17 students with 4 teachers (2 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent). There is no secondary school in Coowonga. The nearest government secondary school is Yeppoon State High School in

Yeppoon Yeppoon () is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Livingstone, Queensland, Australia. Yeppoon is renowned for its beaches, tropical climate, and the islands out on the bay. Located from the city of Rockhampton, Yeppoon is the seat of ...

to the north.

Geography

History

Demographics

Economy

Education

References

Further reading