Esk, Queensland
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Esk 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
Somerset Region The Somerset Region is a local government area located in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, northwest of the City of Brisbane. The region is centred on the town of Esk, which also serves as the council seat. Somer ...
in
South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a Bioregion, bio-geographical, Megalopolis, metropolitan and Statistics, statistical Regions of Queensland, region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of ...
, Australia. In the , the locality of Esk had a population of 1,641.


Geography

Esk is approximately northwest of
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
on the
Brisbane Valley Highway The Brisbane Valley Highway is a state highway in Queensland, Australia. It links the Warrego Highway near Ipswich, Queensland, Ipswich and the D'Aguilar Highway about north of Harlin. Its direction follows the approximate course of the Brisb ...
. It was named after the River Esk in Scotland and England. It is the administrative centre of the
Somerset Region The Somerset Region is a local government area located in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, northwest of the City of Brisbane. The region is centred on the town of Esk, which also serves as the council seat. Somer ...
. The town of Esk is contained in the Queensland
electoral district of Nanango Nanango is an electoral division in the state of Queensland, Australia. Notable towns include Nanango, Kingaroy and Crows Nest. It is currently held by former Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington of the Liberal National Party. It has exist ...
.


History

Jagara (also known as Jagera, Yagara, Yugarabul, Yuggera and Yuggerabul) is one of the Aboriginal languages of South-East Queensland. There is some uncertainty over the status of Jagara as a language, dialect or perhaps a group or clan within the local government boundaries of
Ipswich City Council The City of Ipswich is a local government area (LGA) located within the southwest of Greater Brisbane, which in turn, is situated within the vast South East region of the state of Queensland. Positioned between the City of Brisbane and the Cit ...
, Lockyer Regional Council and the
Somerset Regional Council The Somerset Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, northwest of the City of Brisbane. The region is centred on the town of Esk, Queensland, Esk, ...
. Esk formed part of the southern border of the Garumga clan of the Dalla tribe. The land around Esk was first explored by Captain
Patrick Logan Captain Patrick Logan (baptised 15 November 1791 – 17 October 1830) was a Scottish army officer who was the commandant of the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement from 1826 until his death in 1830 at the hands of Aboriginal Australians. As he had b ...
in 1830. The town was established to service the short-lived
copper mine Copper extraction is the multi-stage process of obtaining copper from its ores. The conversion of copper ores consists of a series of physical, chemical, and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ...
s of Eskdale and Cressbrook Creek. Settlers moved into the region during the 1840s. Mount Esk Post Office opened on 1 February 1874 (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 1873) and was renamed Esk by February 1881. Mount Esk State School was opened on 1 November 1875 and was renamed Esk State School in 1887. On Sunday 25 November 1883, the Esk Primitive Methodist Church was opened with services conducted by the Reverend Willian Little. It was a timber church, . It became the Esk Methodist Church after the amalgamation of Methodist denominations in 1902. A new church was constructed in 1907. In 1886, the
Brisbane Valley railway line The Brisbane Valley railway line was a railway connection in Queensland, Australia connecting Ipswich, Queensland, Ipswich, west of Brisbane, to the upper Brisbane River valley. Progressively opened between 1884 and 1913, the railway provided ...
reached Esk from
Lowood Lowood is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Lowood had a population of 4,082 people. Geography The town is on the Brisbane River, west of th ...
. Several sawmills were built and in 1904 a butter factory opened. The timber industry declined in the 1920s. St Agnes' Anglican Church was dedicated on Monday 28 October 1889 by
Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
William Webber. On 30 November 1920, Dr Graham Butler laid the foundation stone of the Esk War Memorial. The finished memorial was unveiled by General Lachlan Chisholm Wilson on 27 August 1921. The memorial records the names of 462 Shire residents who enlisted during the First World War. It also contains bronze honour rolls bearing the names of 83 local men who died during the war. Four commemorative plaques have subsequently been added to the structure. The war memorial stands in Esk Memorial Park, which also contains a memorial to Captain Logan, who was murdered while exploring the Brisbane Valley in 1830. In July 1941, a Lutheran church was opened. Dairying slowed from the 1960s onwards, which has eventually led to the decline of the town's importance as a major rural centre. The Esk Library opened in 2009. The Caboonbah Homestead was destroyed by fire on 10 May 2009. During the
2010–11 Queensland floods 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
, the centre of Esk was flooded when Redbank Creek burst its banks for the first time in recorded history.


Demographics

In the , the town of Esk had a population of 1,166 people. In the , the location of Esk had a population of 1,755 people. In the , the locality of Esk had a population of 1,698 people. In the , the locality of Esk had a population of 1,641 people.


Heritage listings

Esk has a number of
heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and human-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In ma ...
sites, including: *
Esk War Memorial Esk War Memorial is a heritage-listed memorial at Ipswich Street, Esk, Queensland, Esk, Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by George Brockwell Gill and built in 1920 by Frank Williams & Co. It is also known as Esk Memorial ...
, Ipswich Street (): * St Agnes Anglican Church and Rectory, Ipswich Street * St Andrews Presbyterian Church, Ipswich Street


Economy

The small town serves as a centre for a rich farming area.


Education

Esk State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 49 East Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 172 students with 15 teachers (13 full-time equivalent) and 9 non-teaching staff (6 full-time equivalent). There are no secondary schools in Esk. The nearest government secondary school is Toogoolawah State High School in Toogoolawah to the north. Other government secondary schools in the area are Lockyer District High School in Gatton or Lowood State High School in
Lowood Lowood is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Lowood had a population of 4,082 people. Geography The town is on the Brisbane River, west of th ...
.


Amenities

The
Somerset Regional Council The Somerset Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, northwest of the City of Brisbane. The region is centred on the town of Esk, Queensland, Esk, ...
operates a public library at 19 Heap Street. The Esk 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 5 Heap Street. Esk Uniting Church is at 78 Ipswich Street (). It is part of the Brisbane Valley
Uniting Church The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost a ...
. Esk Post Office is at 97 Ipswich Street (). Esk township is also serviced by a local Hospital and racecourse and plans are underway for a retirement village.


Attractions

Nearby attractions include
Lake Somerset The Somerset Dam is a mass concrete gravity dam with a gated spillway across the Stanley River in Queensland, Australia. It is within the locality of Somerset Dam in the Somerset Region in South East Queensland. The main purpose of the dam is ...
and Lake Wivenhoe, both lakes created by dams which provide a number of camping areas with facilities and opportunities for water-based recreational activities including boating, canoeing, fishing and skiing and Ravensbourne and Crows Nest National Parks. The historic
Bellevue Homestead Bellevue Homestead is a heritage-listed homestead currently located in Coominya, Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from to . It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. The Bellevue property was ...
is located in the area. Also close by are the peaks Glen Rock and Mount Esk.


Notable people from Esk

* Douglas Berry (1907–1957), butcher and Liberal MP in the 1950s * Roderic Dallas (1891–1918), First World War fighter ace *
The Kransky Sisters The Kransky Sisters are an Australian musical comedy trio created and performed by Annie Lee ("Mourne") and Christine Johnston ("Eve") and also, initially, with Michele Watt ("Arva", 2000 to 2006) and later with Carolyn Johns ("Dawn", 2007 to pr ...
, a
comedy music Comedy music or musical comedy is a genre of music that is comical, comedic or humorous in nature. Its history can be traced back to the first century in ancient Greece and Rome, moving forward in time to the Middle Ages, Medieval Period, Class ...
al trio who claim to be "from Esk, in Queensland" before every show * Henry Newton (bishop) (1866–1947), Anglican colonial bishop


References


External links

*
Esk Tourism Association
* – a detailed description of Esk in 1929 {{Authority control Towns in Queensland Populated places established in 1872 Suburbs of Somerset Region 1872 establishments in Australia Localities in Queensland