Tannum Sands is a coastal 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

Gladstone Region Gladstone Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Queensland, Australia. The council covers an area of , and has an estimated operating budget of Australian dollar, A$84 million. In the , the Gladstone Region had 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 Tannum Sands had a population of 5,227 people.

Geography

The locality is bounded to north-east by the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down t ...

, to the north-west and west by the Boyne River, and to the south-west by Station Creek. The town of Tannum Sands is located in the northern part of the locality. Canoe Point is at the northern tip of the locality (). The locality includes Wild Cattle Island () which is separated from the mainland east coast by a narrow channel known as Wild Cattle Creek. The island's east coast facing the

is a long sandy strip called Wild Cattle Beach (). Most of the island is within the Wild Cattle Island National Park with the small town of Bangalee at its southern tip (). Tannum Sands has a neighbouring

twin town A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

called Boyne Island. The two localities are separated only by the Boyne River and joined by a bridge. Tannum Sands is primarily a tourist and residential town. It is a major residential area for the nearby

Boyne Island Aluminium Smelter Boyne Smelters is located on Boyne Island, Queensland, Australia, approximately 12 km south of the port of Gladstone, Queensland, Gladstone. The smelter has a production capacity of 545,000 tonnes of aluminium per year. The operating comp ...

and

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

-based industries.

History

The area south of the Boyne River was originally known as Redcliff (being the colour of the stoney cliffs) and then renamed Wild Cattle Creek (being the name of the creek that flows through the area) and had been a popular fishing and picnic location for the people of Boyne Island, but remained unsettled due to its inaccessibility. Closer settlement began in the late 1930s when 12 beach front lots were auctioned. The town received its original name ''Tannum'' when a group of children returned from a

Sunday School ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

picnic to the beach quite sunburnt. The comment was made "we can really tan 'um over there." One of the people present worked for the Queensland Land Department thought it would be a good name for the area and registered the name. The Tannum Progress Association held sports days. Over 1000 people attended on New Year's Day in 1949. On 12 April 1951, the town was renamed ''Tannum Sands''. A bridge connecting Tannum Sands to Boyne Island was constructed as a result of the construction of the Boyne island aluminium smelter, Boyne Island Aluminium Smelter. It was opened on 11 October 1980 by E.A.D. Cameron, Chairman of the Calliope Shire Council. Tannum Sands Uniting Church was built in 1980. Tannum Sands State School was opened on 24 January 1983. The Boyne Tannum Hookup fishing competition began on 7 June 1996 and has run annually ever since.

Tannum Sands State High School Tannum Sands State High School (TSSHS or often Tannum High) is a public high school located in Tannum Sands, Gladstone Region, Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in nor ...

was opened on 22 January 1998 with 287 students in Years 7 and 8. St Peter Chanel Catholic Church was built in 2006. St Francis Catholic Primary School was opened in January 2005. Clearview Christian College opened in 2023, offering Years 7 and 8 initially.

Demographics

Population of Tannum Sands according to census data.

Education

Tannum Sands State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 22 Waratah Crescent (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 736 students with 49 teachers (45 full-time equivalent) and 27 non-teaching staff (18 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 693 students with 52 teachers (46 full-time equivalent) and 35 non-teaching staff (23 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 Francis Catholic Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 1 Francis Way (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 231 students with 21 teachers (17 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (8 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 205 students with 21 teachers (16 full-time equivalent) and 14 non-teaching staff (6 full-time equivalent). Tannum Sands State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 65 Coronation Drive (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 1,066 students with 86 teachers (82 full-time equivalent) and 44 non-teaching staff (31 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 986 students with 87 teachers (81 full-time equivalent) and 44 non-teaching staff (31 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program. Clearview Christian College is a private secondary school (Years 7–12) for boys and girls at 1 Canoe Point Road (). As at 2025, it offers Years 7 to 10, but, by 2027, will offer Years 7 to 12. In its first year of operation (2023), the school had an enrolment of 33 students in Years 7 and 8.

Amenities

The Tannum Sands 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 1 Steele Street. Tannum Sands Uniting Church is at 12 Silverton Drive (). It is within the Presbytery of Central Queensland and the Synod of Queensland. St Peter Chanel Catholic Church is in Francis Way (). It is within the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton The Diocese of Rockhampton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Australia. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Brisbane. Erected in 1882, it covers Cent ...

. Tannum Sands has a beach patrolled by surf lifesavers. There are two boat ramps in the locality, both managed by the

Gladstone Regional Council Gladstone Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Queensland, Australia. The council covers an area of , and has an estimated operating budget of Australian dollar, A$84 million. In the , the Gladstone Region had a ...

: * Wild Cattle Creek Road boat ramp on the southern bank of Wild Cattle Creek () * Tiller Street boat ramp at Ibis Park on the western bank of the Boyne River ()

Sport

Boyne-Tannum has teams competing in

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 ...

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 ...

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

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 ...

, touch football,

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

surf lifesaving Surf lifesaving is a multifaceted social movement that comprises key aspects of voluntary lifeguard services and competitive surf sport. Originating in early 20th century Australia, the movement has expanded globally to other countries, in ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

, and

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

. The area has two sporting grounds: BITS (Boyne Island Tannum Sands) club for cricket, football,

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

, soccer, and

lawn bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...

, and Dennis Park for touch football, netball, and rugby league. Within Tannum Sands itself is the Tannum Sands Tennis Association and the Tannum Sands Squash Centre. The latter also provides rock climbing and a gymnasium. The local

team are the Tannum Sands Seagulls, who compete in the Gladstone District Rugby League competition.

Kiteboarding Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, snow, sand, or other surface. It combines the aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snow ...

is a rapidly growing sport in the region, with Tannum Sands becoming a nationally renowned location. Tannum Sands also has a growing number of horse riders racing along the beach.

Events

Boyne Island and Tannum Sands are also home to the Boyne Tannum Hookup, Australia's largest family fishing event held on the

King's Birthday The King's Official Birthday or Queen's Official Birthday is the selected day in most Commonwealth realms on which the birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people a ...

long weekend. The event is held at Bray Park. This event is very popular with more than 3,000 entrants. The Coconet Classic is an annual kiteboaring event. It was formerly the National Kiteboarding Titles, but became an open event held during the Easter long weekend. Tannum Sands is well known as a fishing venue with access to the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

, the Boyne River and

Lake Awoonga Lake Awoonga was formed on the Boyne River by the dam located from Gladstone, in Central Queensland, Australia. It is approximately 30 minutes drive from Gladstone, via Benaraby. Lake Awoonga is the main water supply for the Gladstone region. ...

Hazards

Saltwater crocodiles The saltwater crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'') is a crocodilian native to saltwater habitats, brackish wetlands and freshwater rivers from India's east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaland to northern Australia and Micronesia. It h ...

have been sighted on Wild Cattle Island and in Wild Cattle Creek.

References

External links

Community website

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Tannum Sands
* {{authority control Towns in Queensland Coastal towns in Queensland Gladstone Region Localities in Queensland