Tara, Queensland
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Tara is a rural town and locality in the
Western Downs Region Western Downs Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Queensland, Australia. The Western Downs Regional Council manages an area of , which is slightly smaller than Switzerland, although with a population of 34,467 ...
,
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 Tara had a population of 1,980 people.


Geography

Tara is on the
Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generally ...
. The town is at the centre of the locality. Immediately surrounding the urban area of Tara, there are a number of rural subdivisions of 'lifestyle blocks'. The blocks are usually between 13 and 40 ha in area. The population of the 2000 Rural Subdivision blocks exceeds that of the town itself. The Glenmorgan railway line traverses the locality from east ( Goranba) to west ( The Gums). There are two railway stations within the locality: * Tara railway station, serving the town () * Tullagrie railway station, to the south-west of the town but now abandoned ()


History

Baranggum people were and are the aboriginal people settled in the area of the town of Tara. The town was surveyed in May 1910 by Leonard Shield, and named Tara after the local pastoral run of the same name gazetted on 25 March 1852. It is assumed that this is a reference to the
Hill of Tara The Hill of Tara ( or ) is a hill and ancient ceremonial and burial site near Skryne in County Meath, Ireland. Tradition identifies the hill as the inauguration place and seat of the High Kings of Ireland; it also appears in Irish mythology. ...
in
County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...
, Ireland. Tara Provisional School opened on 23 January 1911 but was renamed the Laurndel Provisional School in 1912. It was subsequently renamed the Burrowes Provisional School in 1915, renamed the Burrowes State School in 1923, and closed in 1946. The school was located south-west of Tara just north of the Glenmorgan railway line at . Tara State School opened on 21 August 1912. On 28 November 2004, it was renamed the Tara Shire State College, and celebrated its centenary in 2012. In March 1943, the community requested that the school building, from the closed Goranba State School, be relocated to the Warra-Kogan Road near the Myra Meadows property, a site donated by Andrew Watt Adams. This request was approved in October 1943, and the subsequently relocated school building was opened as Myra State School in 1944 but closed on 2 February 1945. Its location was a site on the eastern side of the Tara Kogan Road (). In 1914, a Methodist Church was built in Tara. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School was established in 1965 by the
Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the Josephites or Brown Joeys, are a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Mary MacKillop (1842–1909). Members of the congregation use the postnominal initials RSJ (Religious Sis ...
. From 1978, the school has had a lay principal. Tara Library opened in 1987 and had a major refurbishment in 2009. On 14 March 2011 a blockade against
coal seam gas ''Coalbed methane'' (CBM or coal-bed methane), coalbed gas, or coal seam gas (CSG) is a form of natural gas extracted from coal beds. In recent decades it has become an important source of energy in United States, Canada, Australia, and other co ...
development began at a property called "Kenya" near Tara. The following day, a woman was arrested after she stopped the movement of a bulldozer working for the Queensland Gas Company. The next month
Bob Irwin Robert Eric Irwin (born 8 June 1939) is an Australian natural history, naturalist, animal conservation movement, conservationist, former zookeeper, and a herpetologist known for his conservation and husbandry work with apex predators and reptil ...
was arrested and fined for participating in a rally at the same location. He was protesting against plans to build a coal seam gas pipeline. Local landowner
Dayne Pratzky Dayne Pratzky is an Australian Anti-fracking movement, anti-fracking activist known colloquially as the ''Frackman''. He is also the subject of a 2015 feature-length documentary film of the same name produced by Smith&Nasht, Smith & Nasht. A form ...
, now an anti-coal seam gas activist, features in the 2015 movie-length documentary ''
Frackman ''Frackman'' is a 2015 Australian documentary film about the former construction worker turned anti-fracking movement, anti-fracking activist Dayne Pratzky as he responds to the expansion of the coal seam gas industry near Tara, Queensland. The ...
''. On 12 December 2022, Constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow were murdered at the nearby locality of Wieambilla. The two constables were based at Tara Police Station () at the time of the incident. In October 2023, more than 53 homes in the Tara region were destroyed by bushfires.


Demographics

In the , the locality of Tara had a population of 2,297 people. In the , the locality of Tara had a population of 1,980 people.


Economy

Important industries in the area around Tara include wheat, beef, wool and gas.


Education

St Joseph's School is a Catholic primary (Preparatory to Year 6) school for boys and girls at 3 Fry Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 26 students with 5 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 23 students with 5 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent). Tara Shire State College is a government primary and secondary (Early Childhood to Year 12) school for boys and girls at 22 Binnie Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 359 students with 37 teachers (36 full-time equivalent) and 30 non-teaching staff (23 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 354 students with 39 teachers (38 full-time equivalent) and 28 non-teaching staff (22 full-time equivalent). The school 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.


Amenities

Tara has a library at 31 Day Street operated by the
Western Downs Regional Council Western Downs Region is a local government area in Queensland, Australia. The Western Downs Regional Council manages an area of , which is slightly smaller than Switzerland, although with a population of 34,467 in June 2018, it is over 228 ti ...
.


Attractions

Attractions near Tara include Southwood National Park, a remnant area of the southern brigalow belt. The Commercial Hotel has two murals painted by artist Hugh Sawrey, from nearby
Kogan Kogan () is a Russian spelling variant of the Jewish surname Cohen. * Aleksandr Kogan, several people * Artur Kogan (born 1974), Israeli chess master * Belle Kogan (1902–2000), American industrial designer * Boris Kogan (1940–1993), Russi ...
. Painted in 1960, they are '' You’ll come a waltzing Matilda with me'' and '' Clancy’s gone to Queensland droving.''


Coal seam gas controversy

Following health complaints reported by local people, in 2013, the
Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...
conducted an inquiry into Coal Seam Gas in the Tara Region and a risk assessment on the health and environmental impacts, concluding that "a clear link can not be drawn between the health complaints by some residents in the Tara region and impacts of the local CSG industry on air, water or soil within the community." In 2016, the
Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...
conducted a senate inquiry into unconventional mining. The interim report published in May 2016 raised concerns about: * the lack of rights of landholders to prevent their land being used for CSG extraction, despite it reducing the value of their land or making it impossible to sell at all * healthcare concerns of residents continuing to be unaddressed at both state and local levels * the consumption of water by CSG extraction reducing water available for agricultural use and the need for water for CSG extraction to be properly treated before it can be recycled and the lack of remedy for farmers if the water is not properly treated or the contamination of their agricultural products makes them unable to be sold (or a source of legal action against the farmer for subsequent ill-effects further along the supply chain) In June 2024, the government's response to the interim report was that "given the passage of time since this report was tabled, a substantive Government response to these recommendations is no longer appropriate". As at 2022, the Lock the Gate Alliance continue to lobby against coal seam gas in the area, and have produced a set of first-hand accounts in short film format called ''Voices from the Gaslands'' to highlight the ongoing struggles for the community.


See also

*
Energy in Queensland Queensland's energy policy is based on the year 2000 document called the ''Queensland Energy Policy: A Cleaner Energy Strategy''. The Queensland Government assists energy development through the Department of Energy and Water Supply (Queensla ...


References


Further reading

* ''A History of Tara and District with Addenda 1840-1960'' by Hector M Ferguson. * ''Tara Shire History 1840-1988'' by Tara & Districts Historical Society.


External links

*
Town map of Tara, 1986TravelMate article
{{authority control Towns in Queensland Towns in the Darling Downs Western Downs Region Localities in Queensland