Palmwoods 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

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. In the , the locality of Palmwoods had a population of 6,357 people.

Geography

Palmwoods is part of the

Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast may refer to: * Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia **Sunshine Coast Region, a local government area of Queensland named after the region **Sunshine Coast Stadium * Sunshine Coast (British Columbia), geographic subregion of the Br ...

situated near

Nambour Nambour is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nambour had a population of 12,145 people. Geography Nambour is north of the state capital ...

. Palmwoods is located 15 minutes from the beach and the

Blackall Range The Blackall Range is a mountain range in South East Queensland, Australia. The first European explorer in the area was Ludwig Leichhardt. It was named after Samuel Blackall, the second Governor of Queensland. The Blackall Range dominates the ...

. The North Coast railway line enters the locality from the south ( Eudlo), passes through the town, and exits to the north-west ( Woombye). The town is served by the Palmwoods railway station (). Pineapple growing remains the most important primary industry in the area. Eudlo Creek National Park is in the south-east of the locality. It is a conservation site providing habitat for threatened plants and animal species.

History

The small town was previously named Merriman Flats in 1881 by the Kuskopfs who were early European settlers in the area. Palmwoods Provisional School opened on 21 October 1889. On 1 January 1909, it became Palmwoods State School. A preschool was added in 1985. Palmwoods railway station opened in 1891 leading to the nearby town to be renamed Palmwoods after the

Piccabeen Palm ''Archontophoenix cunninghamiana'' – commonly known as Bangalow palm, king palm, Illawarra palm or ''piccabeen palm'' – is a tree in the palm family Arecaceae, which is endemic to the east coast of New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. ...

groves growing in the area. The Palmwoods Progress Association was established in 1902. Afterwards, the name Palmwoods was mentioned in the description of the ''Australian handbook'' in 1903. Palmwoods Post Office opened by 1902 (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 1892). Palmwoods Union Church opened in 1903. It was built from timber. From 1915 to 1935, the

Palmwoods-Buderim tramway The Palmwoods-Buderim Tramway is a heritage-listed former tramway at Telco Road, Buderim, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1914 and operated until 1935. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 28 July ...

connected Palmwoods to

Buderim Buderim ( ) is a town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It sits on a mountain which overlooks the southern Sunshine Coast communities. The name "Buderim" is usually believed to be derived from a local Gubbi Gubbi people, ...

for the transport of passengers and goods. On 30 January 1919, the first thru opening fruit train was opened along its link through Palmwoods with 350 tons of fruit. Palmwoods Presbyterian Church was opened on Saturday 1 November 1924 by the Reverend James Gibson, the Moderator of the Queensland Presbyterian Assembly. Built from timber, it was the first church to open in Palmwoods. It was built using funds raised almost entirely by the local Women's Guild. It has subsequently closed and was demolished after 1975. St Augustine of Canterbury Anglican church was opened and dedicated on Saturday 23 May 1925 by the Archbishop of Brisbane, Gerald Sharp. It was built from timber and fibro-cement at a cost of £435 and could seat 100 people. It was designed and built by Vincent Batt of Palmwoods. Palmwoods Methodist Church was built from timber in 1928. It was with a vestry and a front porch. It was officially opened on Friday 2 November 1928 by Reverend Charles Columbus Truman, President of the Queensland Methodist Synod. In 1977, it become the Palmwoods Uniting Church when the Methodist church entered into the amalgamation which formed the

Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most Wiktionary:congregation, congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church o ...

. Immaculate Conception Catholic Church was officially opened by Monsignor James Byrne on Sunday 30 May 1926. It was built from timber and was designed by

Cavanagh & Cavanagh Cavanagh and Cavanagh was an architectural partnership in Australia, active in both Western Australia and Queensland. The partners were brothers Michael Cavanagh and James Cavanagh. History In 1900 Michael Cavanagh was joined by his younger ...

. It was sold in 1977. It was at 3 Briggs Street (). Today Palmwoods is a vibrant historic town for its thriving heritage tourism industry. It is a time capsule and preserves its largely unchanged historic streets.

Demographics

In the , the locality of Palmwoods had a population of 5,492 people. In the , the locality of Palmwoods had a population of 5,676 people. In the , the locality of Palmwoods had a population of 6,357 people.

Heritage listings

Palmwoods 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: *

Palmwoods-Buderim Tramway The Palmwoods-Buderim Tramway is a heritage-listed former tramway at Telco Road, Buderim, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1914 and operated until 1935. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 28 July ...

* Second oldest surviving ES&A Bank and Bank Manager's residence

Education

Palmwoods State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 111 Palmwoods-Montville Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 495 students with 40 teachers (37 full-time equivalent) and 23 non-teaching staff (13 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 495 students with 44 teachers (37 full-time equivalent) and 25 non-teaching staff (13 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. There is no secondary school in Palmwoods. The nearest government secondary school is Nambour State College in

to the north.

Amenities

The

Sunshine Coast Regional Council The Sunshine Coast Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia, from which it takes its name. It was created by the amalg ...

operates a

mobile library A bookmobile, or mobile library, is a vehicle designed for use as a library. They have been known by many names throughout history, including traveling library, library wagon, book wagon, book truck, library-on-wheels, and book auto service. Boo ...

service which visits Main Street. The Palmwoods 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 ...

meets at the QCWA Hall at 11 Main Street. St Augustine of Canterbury Anglican church is at 13 Hill Street (). It is part of the liberal catholic tradition. Palmwoods Uniting Church is at 10 Church Street ().

Attractions

Palmwoods is regarded for its various eating and drinking establishments. The Palmwoods Pub, built in 1902, has recently undergone a multimillion-dollar renovation, and is known for creating job opportunities for backpackers.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Towns in Queensland Suburbs of the Sunshine Coast Region Localities in Queensland