Goovigen 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

Shire of Banana The Shire of Banana is a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the Capricorn region of Queensland, Australia, inland from the regional city of Gladstone, Queensland, Gladstone. The shire was named after the first townsh ...

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 Goovigen had a population of 349 people. A second town, Rannes (), is also within the locality of Goovigen, near its western boundary. Koorngoo is a neighbourhood () within the locality, just west of centre, based around a former railway station.

Geography

The town is towards the south-east of the locality, approximately north west of 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

Burnett Highway The Burnett Highway is an inland rural highway located in Queensland, Australia. The highway runs from its junction with the Bruce Highway at Gracemere, Queensland, Gracemere, just south of Rockhampton, Queensland, Rockhampton, to the D'Aguilar ...

enters the locality from the north ( Dixalea) and exits to the east ( Jambin) without coming close to either of the two towns. The

Leichhardt Highway The Leichhardt Highway is a major transport route in Queensland, Australia. It is a continuation northward from Goondiwindi of the Newell Highway, via a section of the Cunningham Highway. It runs northward from Goondiwindi for more than 600 k ...

enters the locality from the south-west ( Kokotunga / Woolein) and then. forms the south-west boundary of the locality and passes immediately west of the town of Rannes before exiting to the west ( Dumpy Creek). The now-closed

Callide Valley railway line The Callide Valley railway line ran from Rannes, Queensland, Rannes to Lawgi in Queensland, Australia. The Callide Valley lies to the south-west of Rockhampton, Queensland, Rockhampton in Central Queensland. History There were grand plans to ...

ran through the locality which was served by a number of now-abandoned railway stations: * Rannes railway station, serving the town of Rannes () * Jooro railway station () *Goovigen railway station, serving the town of Goovigen () * Koorngoo railway station ()

History

Goovigen was originally established as a supply depot for the railways and was named 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 ...

on 27 April 1920. ''Goovigen'' is a local Aboriginal word for ''box tree'', a species of

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

. Koorngoo was originally a railway station name and is an Aboriginal word meaning ''food'' or '' feed bag''. Rannes State School opened on 14 March 1916. It closed on 23 February 1960 but reopened on 30 January 1962. It closed permanently on 18 March 1966. Woolein State School opened on 27 February 1918 and closed on 17 August 1924. Lake Pleasant State School opened on 23 February 1925. It closed on 17 March 1940, but reopened on 19 August 1940. It closed permanently on 1 May 1964. It was at 470 Lake Pleasant Road north of the town of Goovigen (). Goovigen State School opened on 15 March 1926. Goovigen Post Office opened on 1 July 1927 (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 1925). The Goovigen School of Arts opened on 1 June 1929. It is no longer in use but the building still stands at 9 Goovigen Rannes Road (). The Goovigen 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 ...

was established on Saturday 10 September 1932 with nine local women signing up with President Mrs L Nielson (President), Vice-president Mrs T McNae (vice-president) and Secretary-Treasurer Miss Margery Adams. The Goovigen QCWA Younger Set was established in July 1934. In 1956 the branch purchased the building at 5 Stanley Street () for its rooms which, after refurbishment were officially opened on 26 January 1957 by Rockhampton City Mayor Rex Pilbeam. Over the years there were some closures of the branch: from 1941 to June 1949 due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and then from 1960 to September 1974. The branch closed in April 2017. On Sunday 7 April 1935, St Brigid's Catholic Church was officially opened and blessed by the Bishop of Rockhampton

Romuald Denis Hayes Romuald Denis Hayes (1892–1945) was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Rockhampton in Queensland, Australia, from 2 January 1932 until his death on 25 October 1945. Educated for the priesthood at St. Patricks, Manly, and in Rome. in 1920 he joined the ...

. It was designed by R Chipps and built from timber at a cost of £612. As at 2022, the church is closed and is managed by the Goovigen Historical Society. It is at 7 Goovigen Rannes Road (). Jooro State School opened on 15 April 1935 and closed on 31 December 1963. It was on a site on the east of Claire Lane (). St John the Baptist Anglican Church was built from timber in 1955. The mobile library service commenced in 2004.

Demographics

In the , the locality of Goovigen and the surrounding area had a population of 287 people. In the , the locality of Goovigen had a population of 215 people. In the , the locality of Goovigen had a population of 349 people.

Economy

The town supports the surrounding agricultural district which produces

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

and grain. There are a number of homesteads in the locality, including: * Netley () * Smoky Creek () * Tomlin () * Wyalga Downs ()

Education

Goovigen State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Rannes Road (). In 2016 had an enrolment of 8 students. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 6 students with 2 teachers (1 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent). There is no secondary school in Goovigen. The nearest secondary schools are Biloela State High School in

Biloela Biloela ( ) is a rural town and suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Shire of Banana, Central Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the shire. In the , the locality of Biloela had a population of 5,692. The loc ...

to the south-east and Mount Morgan State High School in Mount Morgan to the north.

Facilities

Goovigen Police Station is at 5 Stone Crescent (). Goovigen Rural Fire Station is at 11 Stone Crescent (). Goovigen Post Office is part of the Goovigen Hotel Motel at 2 Stanley Street (). Goovigen Cemetery is to the north-east of the town on the north-west corner of Goovigen Connection Road and Lake Pleasant Road ().

Amenities

Banana Shire Council operate a fortnightly mobile library service to Goovigen and the school. Goovigen Community Hall is at 9 Stone Crescent (). The Goovigen Roll of Honour commemorating those who served in World War II is within the hall. St John the Baptist Anglican Church is at 30 Warren Street (). It is part of the Anglican Parish of Callide Valley. The Goovigen War Memorial commemorates military service in all conflicts. It is located in Nissen Park on the southern corner of Warren Street and Prospect Creek Goovigen Road ().

References

External links

* * {{authority control Towns in Queensland Shire of Banana Localities in Queensland