Harristown is a residential

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 ...

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...

in the

Toowoomba Region The Toowoomba Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area (LGA) on the border of Darling Downs and South East Queensland regions of Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, the LGA was preceded by several other local go ...

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 , Harristown had a population of 9,081 people.

Geography

Harristown is located to the southwest of the

Toowoomba city centre Toowoomba City is an urban locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the central suburb of Toowoomba, containing its central business district and informally known as the Toowoomba CBD. In the , Toowoomba City had a populat ...

History

The locality is named after George Harris (1831–1891), a Brisbane businessman and Member of the

Queensland Legislative Council Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...

. Originally in the

Shire of Drayton The Shire of Drayton was a local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, west of Toowoomba. It existed between 1887 and 1949. History The ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'' created local government areas across Queensl ...

, the locality was first opened as the Harristown Estate in 1902. The estate consisted of 177 building sites ranging from . Forty blocks were sold at the auction. Harristown State School opened on 4 September 1911 with 67 students. The official opening on Saturday 30 September 1911 was performed by the acting Secretary for Education Kenneth Grant, by which time the enrolment had already increased to 84 students. From 1915 until 1993, the suburb had a functioning railway station on the Toowoomba–Wyreema line. After

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 ...

, the area boomed. Although the need for Lutheran schooling in Toowoomba had been identified since 1926, the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

followed by

prevented a school being established. Concordia Lutheran College opened on 17 February 1946 in the (now heritage-listed) house Redlands on a site in Stephens Street with 27 students (23 of them being boarders). In 1964 a primary school campus opened nearby in Warwick Street with an initial 64 students. A second primary school campus (originally called Martin Luther Primary School) was established in 1977 in Hume Street, Centenary Heights. St Anthony's Catholic Primary School was established in 1954 by the

Presentation Sisters The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The sisters of the congregation use th ...

. The

foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

was laid on 21 November 1954, which is a significant day for the sisters as their order celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple on 21 November each year. The first classroom was ready in February 1955 and by the end of 1955 there were 116 students enrolled. The Presentation Sisters ran the school until the first

lay Lay or LAY may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada * Lay, Loire, a French commune *Lay (river), France * Lay, Iran, a village * Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community * Lay Dam, Alaba ...

principal was appointed in 1985, although the sisters continued to teach in the school until the end of 1997. Harristown State High School opened on 24 January 1955.

Demographics

In the , Harristown had a population of 8,555 people. In the , Harristown had a population of 9,081 people.

Heritage listings

Harristown 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: * Smithfield House, 8 Panda Street *

Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at the corner of South Street and Anzac Avenue, Harristown, Queensland, Harristown, Queensland, Australia. It was surveyed in May 1850, and is one of the earliest surviving cemeteries ...

, corner of South Street and Anzac Avenue * Harristown State High School Buildings, 341–367 South Street * Redlands (house), 154 Stephen Street

Education

Harristown State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 332 South Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 397 students with 34 teachers (28 full-time equivalent) and 32 non-teaching staff (21 full-time equivalent). It includes a

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

program. Harristown State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 341-367 South Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 1,661 students with 142 teachers (130 full-time equivalent) and 57 non-teaching staff (46 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program and an Intensive English program. St Anthony's School is a Catholic primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 9 Memory Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 244 students with 18 teachers (14 full-time equivalent) and 11 non-teaching staff (7 full-time equivalent). Concordia Lutheran College is a private primary (Prep–6) campus of Concordia Lutheran College for boys and girls at 67 Warwick Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 644 students with 68 teachers (48 full-time equivalent) and 75 non-teaching staff (45 full-time equivalent). Concordia Lutheran College is a private secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 154 Stephen Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 644 students with 68 teachers (48 full-time equivalent) and 75 non-teaching staff (45 full-time equivalent).

Features

* Milne Bay Museum * Elders and Landmark Saleyards

References

External links

*
Suburb Profile: Harristown

Australian Dictionary of Biography - Harris, George (1831–1891)
{{Toowoomba Region Suburbs of Toowoomba Localities in Queensland