Lyra 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

Southern Downs Region The Southern Downs Region is a local government area (LGA) in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The region runs along the state's southern boundary with New South Wales and was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of War ...

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 , Lyra had a population of 35 people.

Geography

The western and central part of the locality is relatively flat but the eastern part of the locality consists of foothills of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...

. Accommodation Creek flows down from the range from the south-east ( Wyberba) and exits to the north-west (

Ballandean Ballandean is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. The town has a number of nearby vineyards which attracted tourists to the area. In the , the locality of Ballandean had a population of 316 people. Ge ...

). Bald Rock Creek flows down from the range from the north-east (Ballandean) and becomes a tributary of Accommodation Creek at . Doctors Creek flows down from the range from the west ( Girraween) and becomes a tributary of Bald Rock Creek at . The

New England Highway New England Highway is an long highway in Australia running from Yarraman, Queensland, Yarraman, north of Toowoomba, Queensland, at its northern end to Hexham, New South Wales, Hexham at Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle, New South Wales, ...

enters the locality from the north-west (Ballandean) and exits to the south (Wyberba). The Southern railway line runs parallel immediately to the east of the highway. There are no protected areas within Lyra, but it borders

Girraween National Park Girraween National Park is an area of the Granite Belt in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia reserved as a national park. Girraween is known for its diverse flowers, landscapes and unique wildlife. Bushwalking and rock climbing are ...

to the east.The land use is a mixture of horticulture and

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. There are a number of vineyards in Lyra, including those of Sirromet Wines at 115 Anderson Road ().

History

The extension of the Southern railway line from

Stanthorpe Stanthorpe is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Stanthorpe had a population of 5,286 people. The area surrounding the town is known as the Granite Belt. Geography Stant ...

Wallangarra Wallangarra is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia on the border with New South Wales. It is the third-most southerly town in Queensland, south west of Brisbane. Wal ...

was completed on 14 February 1887 with the district being served by Lyra railway station (), which was named by the

Queensland Railway 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 tr ...

after the constellation

Lyra , from ; pronounced: ) is a small constellation. It is one of the 48 listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and is one of the modern 88 constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Lyra was often represented on star ...

. The locality takes its name from the railway station. The Sacred Heart Catholic Church opened in 1908. Lyra State School opened on 7 November 1929 with an enrolment of 10 students under head teacher Kathleen May O'Donohue. The school site was donated by Evan Hindmarsh. The school building was relocated from the former Applevale State School while the school furniture came from the former Somme State School. The school closed on 19 June 1966, with the students being transferred to Ballandean State School. The school was on the western side of the New England Highway, opposite the railway station (approx ).

Demographics

In the , Lyra had a population of 53 people. In the , Lyra had a population of 35 people.

Education

There are no schools in Lyra. The nearest government primary school is Ballandean State School in neighbouring

to the north-west. The nearest government secondary school is Stanthorpe State High School in

to the north. There is a Catholic primary-and-secondary school in Stanthorpe.

Amenities

The Sacred Heart Catholic Church is at 28608 New England Highway (). It is part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba The Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba: is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, established in 1929, covering the Darling Downs and south west regions of Queensland, Australia. St Patrick's Cathedral is the seat of the Cathol ...

References

External links

{{Southern Downs Region Southern Downs Region Localities in Queensland