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Roma is a rural town and locality in the
Maranoa Region Maranoa Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in South West Queensland, Australia. The town of Roma, Queensland, Roma is the administrative headquarters of the region. In the , the Maranoa Region had a population of 1 ...
,
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. It is the administrative centre of the
Maranoa Region Maranoa Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in South West Queensland, Australia. The town of Roma, Queensland, Roma is the administrative headquarters of the region. In the , the Maranoa Region had a population of 1 ...
. The town was incorporated in 1867 and is named after Lady Diamantina Bowen (née di Roma), the wife of Sir George Bowen, the
Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the state of Queensland. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, governor-general at the national level, the governor Governors of ...
at the time. In the , the locality of Roma had a population of 6,838 people.


Geography

Roma is in the Maranoa district of
South West Queensland South West Queensland is a remote region in the Australian state of Queensland which covers . The region lies to the south of Central West Queensland and west of the Darling Downs and includes the Maranoa, Queensland, Maranoa district and parts o ...
. It is situated at the junction of the Warrego and Carnarvon highways. It is also a major town on the Western Railway Line from
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 ...
and
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 ...
. It is the centre of a rich pastoral and wheat-growing district.


History


Mandandanji

Prior to British colonisation, the Aboriginal peoples of the
Mandandanji The Mandandanyi are an Aboriginal Australian people of Queensland. Country The Mandandanji occupied of tribal territory, which took in the Maranoa and Balonne rivers north of St. George. Their western extension reached as far Bollon and Wall ...
Nation occupied this region.
Mandandanji The Mandandanyi are an Aboriginal Australian people of Queensland. Country The Mandandanji occupied of tribal territory, which took in the Maranoa and Balonne rivers north of St. George. Their western extension reached as far Bollon and Wall ...
(also known as Mandandanyi, Mandandanjdji, Kogai) 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 by the Mandandanji people. The Mandandanji language region is within the local government boundaries of the
Maranoa Region Maranoa Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in South West Queensland, Australia. The town of Roma, Queensland, Roma is the administrative headquarters of the region. In the , the Maranoa Region had a population of 1 ...
, particularly Roma, Yuleba and
Surat Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...
, then east towards
Chinchilla Chinchilla refers to either of two species ('' Chinchilla chinchilla'' and '' Chinchilla lanigera'') of crepuscular rodents of the parvorder Caviomorpha, and are native to the Andes mountains in South America. They live in colonies called "her ...
and south-west towards Mitchell and
St George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...
.


British exploration

The first documented British explorers to enter the region were Sir Thomas Mitchell and
Edmund Kennedy Edmund Besley Court Kennedy J. P. (5 September 1818 – December 1848) was an explorer in Australia in the mid-19th century. He was the Assistant-Surveyor of New South Wales, working with Thomas Mitchell (explorer), Sir Thomas Mitchell. Kenned ...
on their 1846 expedition. Mitchell named a nearby hill Mount Abundance due to the rich plains he encountered around what is now Roma. He called these plains the Fitzroy Downs in honour of the newly appointed
Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, Governor-General of Australia at the national level, the governor ...
,
Charles Augustus FitzRoy Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy, (10 June 179616 February 1858) was a British Army officer, politician and colonial administrator who held governorships in several British colonies during the 19th century. Family and peerage ...
. Mitchell and Kennedy encountered a community of around 200 Aboriginal people in this vicinity. After initial friendly communication, hostilities arose with Kennedy's men dispersing a group of Mandandanji after they tried to burn down the explorer's encampment.


Arrival of British pastoralists and frontier conflict

When Mitchell returned to
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
from his expedition, he encouraged his friend and head colonial government bureaucrat, William Macpherson, to take up land on the Fitzroy Downs. Macpherson's son, Allan Macpherson, subsequently took 20 men and around 10,000 head of sheep and cattle from his property at Keera on the Gwydir River and headed for the Fitzroy Downs. In October 1847, he established the Mount Abundance pastoral station, which covered 400,000 acres from Muckadilla Creek on the west to Bungil Creek on the east. The township of Roma now stands on the part of the station where Macpherson decided to graze his cattle. In August 1848, James Blyth attempted to establish a
sheep station A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...
on Bungil Creek but the resident Mandandanji drove him off, spearing Blyth in the leg, killing his stockman and taking 3,000 of his sheep. This incident was the start of a lengthy war between the Aboriginal people of the area and the colonists. In late 1848, Macpherson had several skirmishes with Aboriginal people around Bungil Creek, killing an indeterminate number. By April 1849 the Mandandanji had killed seven of Macpherson's stockmen, and the local Crown Lands Commissioner, John Durbin, with his contingent of mounted
Border Police A border guard of a country is a national security agency that ensures border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Federal Police (Germany), Germany, Guardia di Finanza, Italy or State Border Guar ...
troopers was called in to give armed assistance. Despite this, Macpherson was defeated and forced to abandon his Mount Abundance station in May 1849. Upon their exit, Macpherson and Durbin requested the government to mobilise the newly formed
Native Police Australian native police were specialised mounted military units consisting of detachments of Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal troopers under the command of European officers appointed by British colonial governments. The units existed in va ...
force to eliminate Aboriginal resistance in the region. Subsequently, in July 1849, Frederick Walker led his Native Police troopers against the "Fitzroy Downs blacks", shooting many during a large skirmish. In late 1850, the Mandandanji regrouped to attack Paddy McEnroe who had attempted to re-establish the Mount Abundance pastoral station. They killed one of his shepherds, burnt down a hut and took 400 cattle. Roderick Mitchell, the local Crown Lands Commissioner who had replaced Durbin, led a reprisal raid consisting of his police troopers and nearby squatter colonists, which recovered the cattle and killed 13 Aborigines. In 1851, a large Native Police barracks was established at nearby Wondai Gumbal which housed up to 35 troopers. These troopers under officers George Fulford, James Skelton and Richard Dempster, conducted several patrols of the Mount Abundance area, shooting Aborigines when hostile contact was encountered. In November 1852, Mandandanji resistance on the Fitzroy Downs was finally crushed when Skelton dispersed with "severe means" a large group of Aborigines, killing at least six including Mandandanji leader Possum Murray (Bussamarai). In 1858, the Mount Abundance pastoral station was sold to Stephen Spencer who was able to peacefully re-occupy the property with his family, 13 stockmen and 1,000 head of cattle. A new Native Police barracks was formed in 1859 on Bungil Creek under Sub-Lieutenant William Morehead which ensured British control of the region.


Township of Roma

In 1862, the
Government of Queensland The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the state Legislative Assembly, with the governo ...
issued instructions for a town to be created in the
Maranoa Region Maranoa Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in South West Queensland, Australia. The town of Roma, Queensland, Roma is the administrative headquarters of the region. In the , the Maranoa Region had a population of 1 ...
. Surveyors Robert Austin and A.C. Gregory chose a site adjacent to Bungil Creek on Stephen Spencer's Mount Abundance pastoral station. This site became the township of Roma. Initially consisting of nothing more than three
public houses A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...
, Roma was named after Lady Diamantina Bowen (Contessa Diamantina di Roma), wife of the first
Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the state of Queensland. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, governor-general at the national level, the governor Governors of ...
, George Bowen. In 1863 Samuel Symons Bassett brought Queensland's vine cuttings to Roma and established the Romavilla Winery in 1866 on Bungil Creek north of Roma. In 1864, Reverend Adam McIntyre of the Free Church of Scotland commenced services at pastoral stations in the Maranoa district with the intention that he would be established as a permanent minister in Roma. However, on 22 May 1866 he died at Brucedale pastoral station on Bungil Creek south-east of Roma (), now in Tingun . Captain Starlight, a cattle rustler, was tried and acquitted in the Roma Courthouse in February 1873. Roma State School, the first school in Roma, opened on 21 March 1870 and closed on 31 December 1986. St John's School was established by the
Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute for women in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. In 2019, the institute had about 6,200 Religious sister, sisters worldwide, organized into a number ...
in 1881. Roma was the site of Australia's first oil and gas discoveries. During
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 ...
, Roma was the location of RAAF No.22 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD), completed in 1942 and closed on 29 August 1944. Usually consisting of 4 tanks, 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supply of aircraft fuel for the
RAAF The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the governor-general of Aus ...
and the
US Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
at a total cost of £900,000 ($1,800,000). Roma Special School opened on 25 January 1982 and closed on 31 December 1995. In 2004, Roma had a low unemployment rate of 2.9%, which is among the lowest unemployment rates in Australia. 68.5% of the people in the labour force living in Roma were employed full-time, with 21.9% working on a part-time basis. The Roma State College opened on 1 January 2006 as an amalgamation of Roma Junior School and Roma Middle School, and the addition of a new senior component. In 2010, a Santos project study investigated the possibility of introducing treated CSG produce water into Roma's existing underground aquifer which supplies the town's water needs, including drinking water The Roma Managed Aquifer Recharge Study is the first of its kind in Australia. It is also considered experimental in nature as the risks are largely unknown. The Roma CSG Field pilot trial (Hermitage) Stage 4 is in operation (Completed Q4 2012) and Roma CSG Field (The Bend) Stage 4 operation is due to commence Q3/Q4 2014. The project will allow for the injection of up to 24 ML/d of treated coal seam gas water into the Gubberamunda Sandstone aquifer for up to 20 years. Water bores have been shut down and hence been restarted at nearby Wallumbilla due to
methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The abundance of methane on Earth makes ...
being detected in the Gubberamunda Sandstone aquifer (2014).


Demographics

In the , the locality of Roma had a population of 6,848 people. 78.2% of the people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were the Philippines 2.4%, New Zealand 1.6%, England 1.1%, India 1.1% and South Africa 0.5%. 83.1% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Tagalog 1.4%, Filipino 0.7%, Punjabi 0.7%, Mandarin 0.4% and Afrikaans 0.2%. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 27.2%, Anglican 21.8%, No Religion 18.4% and Uniting Church 5.3%. The median age stood at 33, below the national average of 38. In the , the locality of Roma had a population of 6,838 people.


Heritage listings

Roma 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: * State Butchers Shop, 75 Arthur Street * Roma Government Complex (former Roma State School), 42 Bungil Street * Hibernian Hall, 38–44 Hawthorne Street * Roma Court House and Police Buildings, McDowall Street * Hunter's Emporium, 86 McDowell Street * Romavilla Winery, 77 Northern Road * Mount Abundance Homestead, Warrego Highway, Bungeworgorai * War Memorial and Heroes Avenue, Wyndham Street


Climate

Roma experiences a semi-arid influenced
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
( Köppen: ''Cfa''), with very hot, somewhat humid summers and mild, dry winters with regular frosts. Average maxima range from to in July; modified by its position on the far south of the Carnarvon Range above sea level. Rainfall is moderate to low, averaging , and peaks in summer due to severe thunderstorms. Although the town is too far inland to be affected by
tropical cyclones A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
and monsoonal rain depressions, on 2 March 2010, of rain fell, causing significant flooding in the town. Extremes have ranged from on 3 January 2014 to on 10 August 1995. Snow in Roma is extremely rare, with the last known snowfall being at around 5pm on the 13th of July 1960.


Flooding

The town is situated on Bungil Creek, a tributary of the
Condamine River The Condamine River, part of the Balonne catchment that is part of the Murray-Darling Basin, drains the northern portion of the Darling Downs, an area of sub-coastal southern Queensland, Australia. The river is approximately 500 kilometres (3 ...
. In March 2010, Roma experienced its worst floods in over 100 years. Flooding also occurred in April 2011, a year of record rainfall in Roma. In early February 2012, Roma was devastated by its worst floods in history, eclipsing the level reached in 2010; 444 homes were inundated, twice as many that were flooded in the two previous years. Having experienced three successive years of flooding, in May 2012, one insurer,
Suncorp Suncorp Group Limited, known simply as Suncorp, is an Australian finance, insurance and banking corporation based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was formed on 1 December 1996 by the merger of Suncorp, Metway Bank and the Queensland Ind ...
, announced it would not issue new policies to Roma residents, unless action was taken to mitigate the flood risk in Roma.


Industry and economy

Roma is the major provisional centre for the Maranoa District, South West Queensland for government and industry business. It is on the western fringe of the Surat Basin energy / resources boom.


Agriculture

The Maranoa's agriculture industry is worth approximately $620 million annually, 64.3% being generated from crops. 58.7% of businesses in the Maranoa are in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector, which employs 32.7% of the region's workforce. 2005 was a record year for Roma saleyards processing 390,000 head of cattle. Roma is home to the largest store cattle saleyards in the Southern Hemisphere. Saledays are Tuesday (for the big sales) and Thursday (for the fat cattle) Forestry plantations include
Hardwood Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...
and Cypress Pines. Roma and the Maranoa region is home to Australia's most active native Cypress Pine sawmilling.


Oil and Gas

In 1906 natural gas was used for lighting in Roma. The industry has expanded as more reserves were discovered.
Origin Energy Origin Energy Ltd is an ASX listed public company with headquarters in Sydney. It is a major integrated electricity generator, and electricity and natural gas retailer. It operates Eraring Power Station, Australia's largest coal-fired power ...
's Spring Gully Coal Seam Gas Development is about north of Roma and its projects include an gas pipeline to Roma's neighbour town of Wallumbilla to connect with the Roma to Brisbane Pipeline hub there. Santos GLNG is developing CSG fields in the district and is undertaking the project on behalf of a joint venture arrangement with
Santos Limited Santos Ltd. (South Australia and Northern Territory Oil Search) is an Australian oil and gas exploration and production company, with its headquarters in Adelaide, South Australia. It owns liquefied natural gas (LNG), pipeline gas, and oil asse ...
, Petroliam Nasional Berhad,
TotalEnergies TotalEnergies SE is a French multinational integrated energy and petroleum company founded in 1924 and is one of the seven supermajor oil companies. Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas explorati ...
and
Korea Gas Corporation The Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) is a South Korean public natural gas company that was established by the Korean government in 1983. KOGAS has grown into the largest LNG-importing company in the world and operates four LNG regasification t ...
. The projects are spatially intensive and include production and monitoring wells, underground gas storage, injection wells, fixed above-ground gas field facilities, water management infrastructure, and above and below-ground gas and water pipelines.


Water

Bore water for the town is obtained from the Artesian Basin.


Media

Various LPON Narrowcast Services are also available on 87.6 FM (United Christian Broadcasters) 88.0 FM (R FM) 87.8 FM (Switch Gold) with 95.9 FM (Switch FM) also available on higher power around the town's CBD.
ABC Local Radio ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites. Its programm ...
station that broadcast to the town is ABC Southern Queensland on 105.7 FM. 4ZR is Roma's local radio station, broadcasting on 1476 AM. It is operated by Resonate Broadcasting who also operates 4VL in Charleville and 4LG in Longreach. Hit 95.1 Maranoa (part of the
Southern Cross Austereo Southern Cross Media Group Limited, Trade name, doing business as Southern Cross Austereo, is an Australian media company which operates broadcast radio and Terrestrial television, television stations. It is the largest radio broadcaster in Au ...
– operated Hit Radio Network) is Roma's main FM Radio Station, broadcasting on 95.1 FM. '' The Western Star'' is Roma's local newspaper. Roma is served by local free-to-air TV transmissions from ABC, SBS,
Southern Cross Austereo Southern Cross Media Group Limited, Trade name, doing business as Southern Cross Austereo, is an Australian media company which operates broadcast radio and Terrestrial television, television stations. It is the largest radio broadcaster in Au ...
,
Imparja Imparja Television (IMP) is an independent Australian television station servicing over , across six states and territories of Australia, states and territories: Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Aust ...
and
Central Digital Television CDT is an Australian digital television station broadcasting in remote central and eastern Australia. It is jointly owned by Southern Cross Austereo (owner of Southern Cross Central) and Imparja Television Pty Ltd (owner of Imparja Television) ...
.


Education

Roma State College is a government primary and secondary (Early Childhood to Year 12) school for boys and girls (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 871 students (including students from Wallumbilla, Yuleba, Muckadilla, Amby and Surat) with 86 teachers (76 full-time equivalent) and 59 non-teaching staff (45 full-time equivalent). The college operates from three separate campuses: * Junior Campus (Early Childhood to Year 2) at 28 Bowen Street () * Middle Campus (Years 3-6) on Cottell Street () * Senior Campus (Years 7-12) on Timbury Street () 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 (certified through the
National Disability Insurance Scheme The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a scheme of the Australian Government that funds reasonable and necessary supports associated with significant and permanent disability for people under 65 years old. The scheme was first int ...
) embracing the full range of disabilities is available at all three campuses. St John's School is a Roman Catholic primary and secondary (Preparatory to Year 12) school for boys and girls at Bowen Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 697 students with 61 teachers (55 full-time equivalent) and 27 non-teaching staff (19 full-time equivalent).


Sport

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 ...
,
Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
,
Cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
and
Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
are all popular team sports in Roma. The Roma District Rugby League founded in 1914 operates in the region, the Roma Cities Gladiators, Arthur Beetson's former team is the local senior club which has dominated the competition since the 1980s. There are also local junior clubs for boys and girls. The Roma & District Soccer Association has mainly junior teams. The Roma and District Cricket Association operates both senior and junior teams. The Maranoa Basketball Association is home to the Maranoa Heat based in Roma. Roma is home to a
parkrun Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of 5K run, events for runners, walkers and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across five continents. Parkrun was founded by Paul Sinto ...
which has run every Saturday since 2014.


Amenities

Hotels, pubs, and churches feature prominently near the centre of town. The ten hotels are within easy walking distance with most adjacent to another hotel. St Paul's Anglican Church which is part of the
Anglican Diocese of Brisbane The Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, also known as Anglican Church Southern Queensland, is based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The diocesan bishop's seat is at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane. The diocese stretches from the south-eastern coastl ...
, is a copy of a 13th Century English Church in the shape of crucifix. Roma Uniting Church is at 48–50 Bungil Road (). The Roma Lutheran congregation holds their services at the Uniting Church. The Roma Public Library is situated with the Roma Community Arts Centre located at 38-44 Hawthorne Street and is part of the Maranoa Regional Council Library Service. The Maranoa Regional Council Library Service is part of the Rural Libraries Queensland service with online resources and library collections found at the Rural Libraries Queensland website. Public WiFi is provided via a ISDN High Speed Internet Connection to Brisbane (powered through the
National Broadband Network The National Broadband Network (NBN) is Australia’s national wholesale open-access data network. It includes wired and radio communication components rolled out and operated by NBN Co, a government-owned corporation. Internet service provid ...
). The Roma branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms at 57 Arthur Street. The town is well serviced by four Caravan Parks, the Villa Holiday Park, the Big Rig Tourist Park, the Roma Clay Target Club Caravan Park, and the Ups N Downs Caravan Park.


Attractions

Local tourist attractions include the Big Rig and Oil and Gas Museum, Romavilla Winery and Roma Saleyards. The winery is the oldest in Queensland. Roma is also known for its bottle trees. With a girth of 9.51 metres, one specific bottle in Edwardes Street is promoted as one of Roma's tourist attractions.


Events

Since 1977, Roma has hosted an annual 'Easter in the Country' event. The annual Roma Show is held in May.Hancock, Molly (14 May 2018
Celebrating 132 great years of Roma Show
, '' The Western Star''. Retrieved 16 December 2019.


Notable people

* Samuel Symons Bassett — established the Romavilla Winery *
Arthur Beetson Arthur Henry "Artie" Beetson Medal of the Order of Australia, OAM (21 January 1945 – 1 December 2011
— Australian rugby league captain and an "Immortal" * Willie Carne — Australian rugby league international * Albert Fuller Ellis — phosphate prospector * Malcolm Farr — political journalist and commentator * Wally Fullerton-Smith — Australian rugby league international
Arthur 'Nat' Gould
military aviator * A. M. Hertzberg — businessman and mayor * Ray Higgs — Australian rugby league international * Patrick Holland — novelist * Dexter Kruger
supercentenarian A supercentenarian, sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian, is a person who is 110 or older. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of significant age-related diseases until short ...
, lived his life in regional Queensland as a grazier and veterinary surgeon *
Darren Lockyer Darren James Lockyer (born 24 March 1977) is an Australian television commentator and former professional rugby league footballer. Lockyer was an Australian international and Queensland State representative captain, who played his entire profe ...
— Australian rugby league player, captain of the
Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...
* Fabian "Fabe" McCarthy — Australian rugby union international *
Ray Meagher Raymond Francis Meagher (born 4 July 1944) is an Australian actor, who has appeared in Australian film and television since the mid-1970s. He is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, portraying Alf Ste ...
— actor, amateur rugby player * Bruce Scott — politician * Brent Tate — Australian rugby league international * Robin Thorne — Australian rugby league player


See also

* Roma Airport * Roma Power Station * Hospital Hill fire


References


External links

* * Town maps
east
an
west

Queensland Natural Gas Transmission Pipelines
(map)
Queensland Gas Transmission and Distribution
(government department of energy) *
Queensland Small Towns Documentary Project 2018: Roma
State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...
{{authority control Maranoa Region Populated places established in 1867 1867 establishments in Australia Localities in Queensland