Meridan Plains is a

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 ...

on the north-western edge of the

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the town of Caloundra had a population of 96,305 people. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is acce ...

urban area 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. Traditionally a rural area, the locality is attracting residential development from the expansion of Caloundra. In the , Meridan Plains had a population of 4,589 people.

Geography

Meridan Plains is west-northwest of

. A large portion of the western boundary follows the

Mooloolah River The Mooloolah River is a river in South East Queensland, Australia. The river rises from the eastern slopes of the Blackall Range and flows east-northeast, similar to the Maroochy River to the north. The mouth of the river is at southern Mooloo ...

, while a small section aligns with the

Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Natio ...

. Caloundra Road passes through from west to south-east.

History

Meridan Plains is named either using a corruption of a

Kabi language Gubbi Gubbi, also spelt Kabi Kabi, is a language of Queensland in Australia, formerly spoken by the Kabi Kabi people of South-east Queensland. The main dialect, Gubbi Gubbi, is extinct, but there are still 24 people with knowledge of the Butc ...

word meaning place of kangaroos or dingoes, or after the birthplace of John Westaway in Devonshire, England. Queensland State Archives 1869 Westaways cattle property Meridan Plains Caloundra January 1956

Queensland State Archives 1869 Westaways cattle property Meridan Plains Caloundra January 1956

In early 1861 the tender of Edmund Lander was accepted, by the Commissioner for

Crown Lands Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...

, for the

pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...

run of Mooloolah Plains in the Wide Bay and Burnett District. A year later the lease was transferred to John Westaway. Lander went on to select in 1869 on the main coach road between

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 ...

and

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. Located in the Greater Sunshine Coast, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River ( ...

at the Mooloolah Bridge. On this property the Mooloolah Post Office was conducted. A postal receiving office was established at Mooloolah Plains in charge of Mr. W. H. Westaway in 1874, and in 1890 the office's name was changed to Meridan. Pacific Lutheran College opened on 26 September 2001. The primary campus of Meridan State College opened on 1 January 2006, junior secondary in 2008 and the senior secondary campus in 2010. On 14 June 2019 the boundaries of the localities of Bells Creek and Meridan Plains were reduced to create the new localities of

Banya Banya may refer to: Places Australia * Banya, Queensland, a locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia Bulgaria * Banya, Blagoevgrad Province, a thermal spa and mountain resort in southwest Bulgaria * Banya, Burgas P ...

, Corbould Park, Gagalba and Nirimba to accommodate future suburban growth in the Caloundra South Priority Development Area.

Demographics

In the , Meridan Plains had a population of 3,675 people. In the , Meridan Plains had a population of 4,589 people.

Education

Meridan State College is a government primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at 214 Parklands Boulevard (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 2,711 students with 194 teachers (182 full-time equivalent) and 94 non-teaching staff (64 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program. Pacific Lutheran College is a private primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at Woodlands Boulevard (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 948 students with 75 teachers (69 full-time equivalent) and 60 non-teaching staff (45 full-time equivalent).

References

External links

* {{Sunshine Coast Region Suburbs of the Sunshine Coast Region Caloundra Localities in Queensland