Goomeri ( ) 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

Gympie Region The Gympie Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is between the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast and ...

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 , the locality of Goomeri had a population of 677 people.

Geography

The town is located on the intersection of the Burnett, Bunya and

Wide Bay Highway The Wide Bay Highway is a short state highway of Queensland, Australia running between Goomeri on the Burnett Highway and a junction on the Bruce Highway. From the junction it is 12 kilometres south to Gympie or 69 kilometres north to Maryboro ...

s, from the state capital,

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 ...

. The main street is Moore Street; the Burnett Highway follows Moore Street through the town. Goomeri lies west of the Coast Range.

History

European settlement in the Goomeri area began in 1846 with the establishment of Booubyjan Homestead and Boonara Station. The Kilkivan to Goomeri section of the

Nanango railway line The Nanango railway line was a narrow-gauge branch railway located in Queensland, Australia. On 31 October 1882, parliament approved the construction of a branch line from Theebine (then called Kilkivan Junction) west to Kilkivan after gol ...

opened in 1902, and the Goomeri to Wondai section opened on 14 September 1903. The line was officially closed in early 2010. Closer settlement took place in 1911 with the sale of rural allotments and town blocks.Kilkivan
– Goomeri tourist information Goomeri Post Office opened by June 1912 (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 1902). Goomeri Provisional School opened on 5 February 1912. In 1913, it became Goomeri State School. Goomeri Methodist Church opened on 30 August 1912. It closed in January 2014 and is now used as a house. It was at 10 Mactaggart Street ().The Anglican Church of the Epiphany was dedicated on 12 March 1916 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 ...

St Clair Donaldson St Clair George Alfred Donaldson (11 February 1863 – 7 December 1935) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the first Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, Australia. Early life Donaldson was the third son of Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson and h ...

. On Sunday 21 March 1920, St Kevin's Catholic Church was officially opened and blessed by

James Duhig Sir James Duhig KCMG (2 September 187110 April 1965) was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest- ...

. The church building had been relocated from

Nanango Nanango is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nanango had a population of 3,679 people. Geography Nanango is situated north-west of the ...

, where it was originally opened in 1901. On 15 November 1940, the Goomeri War Memorial Clock was unveiled by the State President of the RSL, Raymond Huish. Goomeri Library opened in 1986. Circa 1997, the Apostolic Church at 103 Wittenberg Road, Tansey, was relocated to 19 Olive Street in Goomeri. It originally opened in Tansey on 26 September 1926 by Reverend W. Neimeyer.

Demographics

In the , the locality of Goomeri had a population of 664 people. Of these 49.4% were male and 50.6% were female. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people made up 8.7% of the population. The most common ancestries in Goomeri were Australian 34.6%, English 30.3%, Irish 7.1%, German 7.1% and Scottish 6.4%. In the , the locality of Goomeri had a population of 677 people.

Heritage listings

Goomeri 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: * Goomeri Hall of Memory, Boonara Street () * Goomeri War Memorial Clock, Burnett Highway () * Barambah Homestead, Goomeri Road, Barambah

Education

Goomeri State School is a government primary and secondary (Prep–10) school for boys and girls at 5 Munro Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 146 students with 19 teachers (17 full-time equivalent) and 12 non-teaching staff (9 full-time equivalent). There is no secondary school offering education to Year 12 in Goomeri; the nearest government secondary school offering education to Year 12 is Murgon State High School in

Murgon Murgon () is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Murgon had a population of 2,220 people. Geography Murgon is in the region of Queensland ...

to the south-west.

Amenities

Goomeri has a library at 35 Moore Street () operated by the

Gympie Regional Council The Gympie Region is a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is between the Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay and centred on the town of Gympie. It was creat ...

. The Anglican Church of Epiphany is at 9–11 Hodge Street (). St Kevin's Catholic Church is at 17 Hodge Street (). The Apostolic Church is at 19 Olive Street (). Goomeri Bowls Club is at 57 Moore Street. Goomeri has a Swimming Pool with advertised opening hours.

Attractions

With parks and a number of buildings built in the 1920s, Goomeri is a quiet place that is known for its "relaxed old world charm". Goomeri's Hall of Memory – still in use today – was built in 1926 and is now a heritage-listed building. The town is also well known for its gourmet food. Goomeri offers fine dining, country food, gourmet cheeses and locally grown olives to award winning pies. Goomeri is a gateway to the South Burnett wine district, with vineyards and cellar doors within proximity. Other industries in the area include beef and dairy.

Goomeri’s information centre is situated at 41 Moore Street (Burnett Highway, ), beside the windmill at Lions Park. Goomeri also has an hotel and an art studio. The Kinbombi Falls picnic and camping area is south of the

along Kinbombi Road, and from Goomeri. A walking track leads to a deep natural pool. A track skirts the top of the gorge, offering views of the area. The Kilkivan to Kingaroy Rail Trail follows the old railway line between the two towns. It is long and passes through Goomeri,

Wondai Wondai () is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Wondai had a population of 1,975 people. Geography Wondai is located to the south of the Bunya Highway, north west of the st ...

Tingoora Tingoora is a rural town and a locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Tingoora had a population of 272 people. Geography The town is on the Bunya Highway, north west of the state capital, Brisbane ...

, Wooroolin,

Memerambi Memerambi is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Memerambi had a population of 338 people. Geography The town is on the Bunya Highway, nor ...

, and Crawford. The trail from Kilkivan to Murgon is unsealed. Queensland’s first and longest sealed rail trail section of from Murgon to Kingaroy is for walkers and cyclists only. Short distances between towns means coffee is never far away.

Events

The Goomeri

Pumpkin A pumpkin is a cultivar, cultivated winter squash in the genus ''Cucurbita''. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many dif ...

Festival, held on the last Sunday in May each year, attracts up to 14,000 visitors each year. The highlight of the Pumpkin Festival is the "Great Australian Pumpkin Roll" down Policeman's Hill.

References

External links

*
Gympie Cooloola Tourism – official tourism body for Goomeri
* * {{authority control Towns in Queensland Gympie Region 1911 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1911 Localities in Queensland