Gheerulla 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

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. In the , Gheerulla had a population of 291 people.

Geography

Much of the locality is within the Mapleton National Park, which extends into neighbouring Belli Park, Cooloolabin, and beyond. The

Blackall Range The Blackall Range is a mountain range in South East Queensland, Australia. The first European explorer in the area was Ludwig Leichhardt. It was named after Samuel Blackall, the second Governor of Queensland. The Blackall Range dominates the ...

() runs through the east and north-east of the locality within the national park. Gheerulla has the following mountains and cliffs: * Mount Thilba Thalba () * Gheerulla Bluff () * Rocky Bluff () Apart from the national park, the land use in the locality is predominantly

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...

on native vegetation and some

rural residential A hobby farm (also called a lifestyle block, acreage living, or rural residential) is a smallholding or small farm that is maintained without expectation of being a primary source of income. Some are held simply to bring homeowners closer to n ...

housing.

History

''Gheerulla'' is an Aboriginal word meaning ''empty creek''. The

was named in 1868 by Edward Parker Bedwell, a hydrographic surveyor in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, after the

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the state of Queensland. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, governor-general at the national level, the governor Governors of ...

Samuel Wensley Blackall. St Matthew's Anglican Church was dedicated on 28 June 1926 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 ...

Gerald Sharp. 200 people attended the opening. Its closure was approved by Bishop Jonathan Holland with a final service on Sunday 17 May 2015. The church was at 2210 Eumundi Kenilworth Road () on a site. It was sold on 14 March 2016 for $210,000.

Demographics

In the , Gheerulla had a population of 214 people. In the , Gheerulla had a population of 291 people.

Education

There are no schools in Gheerulla. The nearest government primary schools are Kenilworth State College in neighbouring

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District of Warwickshire, England, southwest of Coventry and north of both Warwick and Leamington Spa. Situated at the centre of t ...

to the west and Mapleton State School in neighbouring Mapelton to the south. The nearest government secondary schools are Mary Valley State College (to Year 10) in

Imbil Imbil is a rural town and locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Imbil had a population of 1,071 people. Geography Imbil is in the Wide Bay–Burnett district in the Mary River valley, north of the st ...

to the north-west and Noosa District State High School (to Year 120 which has its junior campus in Pomona to the north and its senior campus in

Cooroy Cooroy is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Noosa, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Cooroy had a population of 4,801 people. Geography Cooroy is inland from the northern Sunshine Coast hinterland about west of Noosa ...

to the north-east.

Attractions

There are a number of lookouts in Gheerulla: * Gheerulla Valley Viewpoint () * Oaky Creek Lookout (), its name is presumed to refer to nearby Oaky Creek * Thilba Thalba Viewpoint (), its was suggested by the Sunshine Coast Environment Council as part of the Great Walk Project believed to have been found on an old map and probably of Aboriginal origin * Ubajee Viewpoint (), its name (pronounced ''yu'ba'djee)'' is an Aboriginal word in the

Gubbi Gubbi The Kabi Kabi people, also spelt Gubbi Gubbi, Gabi Gabi, and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people native to South Eastern Queensland. During the Australian frontier wars of the 19th century, there were several mass killings o ...

and

Butchulla The Butchulla, also written Butchella, Badjala, Badjula, Badjela, Bajellah, Badtjala and Budjilla, are an Aboriginal Australian people of K'gari, Queensland, and a small area of the nearby mainland of southern Queensland. Language The Butchul ...

languages meaning ''home'' Although in Gheerula, Gheerulla Falls are accessed from Delicia Road in Mapleton via a walking track (). The rugged Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk takes at least four days to complete. It leaves from

Baroon Pocket Dam The Baroon Pocket Dam is a rock-fill dam, rock and earth-fill dam, earth-fill embankment dam, embankment dam with an Spillway#Types, un-gated spillway across the Obi Obi Creek, in North Maleny, Sunshine Coast Region, in South East Queensland, S ...

and traverses through the

. Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the Great Walk pass through this area.

References