Murgon () 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

South Burnett Region The South Burnett Region is a local government area in the South Burnett district of Queensland, Australia. In the , the South Burnett Region had a population of 32,996 people. Geography The South Burnett Region covers an area , containing a ...

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 Murgon had a population of 2,220 people.

Geography

Murgon is in the region of Queensland known as the

South Burnett The South Burnett is a peanut growing and wine-producing area on the Great Dividing Range, north of the Darling Downs, in Queensland. It is with the basin of the Burnett River. The area is within two local government areas, South Burnett Region ...

, the southern part of the

Burnett River The Burnett River is a river in the Wide Bay–Burnett and Central Queensland regions of Queensland, Australia. Course and features The Burnett River rises in the Burnett Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, close to Mount Gaeta and east ...

catchment A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, th ...

. Industries include

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large ...

dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

and cattle production and wine. The

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

settlement of

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

is just south of Murgon.

History

Wakka Wakka Wakka Wakka, or Waka Waka, people are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Queensland. Name "''Wakka''" was assigned the meaning "no" by Western linguists who documented the Wakawaka language. Ethnonyms based on the duplication of t ...

(Waka Waka, Wocca Wocca, Wakawaka) is an

Australian Aboriginal language The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...

spoken in the Burnett River catchment. The Wakka Wakka language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the North and South Burnett Regional Council, particularly the towns of

, Murgon,

Kingaroy Kingaroy () is a rural town and suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. The town is situated on the Road Junction, junction of the D'Aguilar Highway, D'Aguilar and the Bunya Highway, Buny ...

Gayndah Gayndah () is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre for the North Burnett Region. In the , the locality of Gayndah had a population of 1,949 p ...

, Eidsvold and

Mundubbera Mundubbera ( ) is a rural town and a locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Mundubbera had a population of 1,120 people. Mundubbera is the self-proclaimed "Citrus Capital of Queensland", although ...

. Opened on 14 September 1903, the fourth stage of the Nanango railway line took the line from

Goomeri Goomeri ( ) is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Goomeri had a population of 677 people. Geography The town is located on the intersection of ...

south to Wondai after passing through Manyung, Moondooner and Murgon, with the town served by Murgon railway station. The fifth stage, opened on 19 December 1904, terminated at Kingaroy. In July 1906, 32 allotments were advertised for selection by the Department of Public Lands Office. The map advertising the land selection states the allotments are portions in the Parishes of Murgon, Goomeribong and Barambah. The portions were left over from 5 April. Murgon State School opened on 24 February 1908. Murgon Post Office opened by June 1908 (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 1904). The first Murgon Methodist Church was officially opened on Sunday 4 October 1908. The foundation stone of the current Murgon Methodist Church (now the Murgon Goomeri Uniting Church) was laid on 17 March 1962. The current church opened in 1963. The foundation stone of the Murgon War Memorial was laid on 25 April 1920 (

ANZAC Day Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...

) by Lieutenant Colonel Wilder Neligan. On 11 November 1921, the digger memorial was dedicated by RSL chairman, Major General Spencer Browne. The town was the administrative centre for the former Shire of Murgon which existed from 1914 until 2008. Christ Church Anglican was dedicated in 1920. It closed in October 2023. It was at 29 Taylor Street East (). Murgon Baptist Church opened on Sunday 30 October 1921. A tender to build the church was accepted in August 1921. On 31 July 1930, a new Baptist church was officially opened. The current church was opened in 1965, while the original church was sold to the Church of Christ in 1961. St Joseph's Catholic School opened 27 February 1937. Murgon State High School opened on 27 January 1959. Murgon Special School closed on 31 December 1980. The 1986 Bruce Beresford feature film The Fringe Dwellers featuring the fictional town of 'Curgon' was based on and shot in Murgon. The 'Family Camp' set was located at the far end of Ashton Street, and the Housing Commission home was located Dutton Street West; the house still stands today. The film is acclaimed as being the first Australian film featuring Indigenous actors in all the major roles, and won Best Adapted Screenplay at the

AACTA Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the cinema of Australia, film and ...

. The Theebine to Kingaroy railway line fell into disuse by 2004, and was officially closed in early 2010. All tracks (with the exception of some sidings) were eventually removed to make way for the Kingaroy-Kilkivan Rail trail which was opened in Spring 2017. The current Murgon Library facility opened in 2010.

Demographics

In the , the locality of Murgon had a population of 2,378 people. In the , the locality of Murgon had a population of 2,220 people.

Heritage listings

Murgon 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: * Murgon State School, 91 Gore Street * Murgon Civic Centre, 62–70 Lamb Street * former South Burnett Co-operative Dairy Association Factory, Macalister Street

Fossils

Murgon is also close to a famous

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

site. The Murgon fossil site is the only such site in Australia with a diverse

vertebrate Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

dating to the early

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

epoch, around 55 million years ago, only 10 million years after the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Education

Murgon State School is a government primary (Early Childhood to Year 6) school for boys and girls at 91 Gore Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 242 students with 21 teachers and 23 non-teaching staff (14 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. St Joseph's School is a Catholic primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 32 Angel Avenue (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 107 students with 12 teachers and 14 non-teaching staff (9 full-time equivalent). Murgon State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 2 Dutton Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 347 students with 43 teachers (41 full-time equivalent) and 30 non-teaching staff (24 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.

Amenities

The

South Burnett Regional Council The South Burnett Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the South Burnett district of Queensland, Australia. In the , the South Burnett Region had a population of 32,996 people. Geography The South Burnett Regio ...

operates a public library in Murgon at 42 Stephens Street West (). Public

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...

is available at this facility. There are a number of churches in Murgon, including: * St Joseph's Catholic Church, 24 Angel Avenue () * Murgon Goomeri Uniting Church, 55 Gore Street ()

Attractions

Attractions of Murgon include

winemaking Winemaking, wine-making, or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its Ethanol fermentation, fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

on the nearby Bjelke-Petersen Dam and gem-fossicking. The Queensland Dairy and Heritage Museum is at 2 Sommerville Street (). The Kilkivan to Kingaroy Rail Trail follows the old railway line between the two towns. It is long and passes through

, Murgon, Wondai, Tingoora, Wooroolin, Memerambi, 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. It passes the Local Heritage listed Railway Complex which includes the former railway station and station master's residence, and what were a goods shed and platforms, and some railway tracks and the remains of the water tank stand.

Sport

Murgon has a vibrant sporting society. The Murgon Mustangs play

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

in the

competition.

Notable residents

Notable residents of Murgon include: * Gavin Cooper, Australian rugby league player born in Murgon * Dustin Cooper, Australian rugby league player born in Murgon *

John Mickel John Mickel may refer to: * John Mickel (racing driver) (b. 1971) * John Mickel (politician) (b. 1953) * John Mickel (rugby union) * John T. Mickel (1934–2024), botanist {{hndis, Mickel, John ...

, Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly born in Murgon *

Leah Purcell Leah Maree Purcell (born 14 August 1970) is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actress, playwright, film director, and novelist. She made her film debut in 1999, appearing in Paul Fenech's ''Somewhere in the Darkness'', which led to rol ...

, Australian actress, director and writer was born in Murgon. *

Steve Renouf Steven Renouf (born 8 June 1970) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Nicknamed 'the Pearl', he was known as one of the sport's greatest s. Renouf set numerous records for the ...

, Australian rugby league player born in Murgon

References

External links

University of Queensland: Queensland Places:Murgon and Murgon Shire
{{authority control Towns in Queensland South Burnett Region Localities in Queensland