Widgee is a rural

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

Gympie Region The Gympie Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is between the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast and ...

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 , Widgee had a population of 862 people.

History

The name is believed to have originated from the Aboriginal words ''Witchee Witchee'' meaning ''listen'' or ''hark''. In 1887, of land were resumed from the Widgee Widgee pastoral run. The land was offered for selection for the establishment of small farms on 17 April 1887. Widgee Provisional School opened on 11 July 1892, presumably in temporary premises, as tenders to erect a building were not called until April 1893. It became Widgee State School on 1 January 1909. A new school building was built in 1913. It was closed in 1921. It was near Station Creek (approx ). On 10 August 1912 at the Lands Office at Gympie, 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, ...

offered for selection 48 agricultural lots in the Widgee Repurchased Estate. The lots ranged in size from , in total . 17 blocks were situated around Waroonga Creek to the north-west of Widgee Mountain () while 31 blocks were situated to south around Widgee Creek and Little Widgee Creek. The blocks were described as suitable for dairying and general farming with an average annual rainfall of . The Widgee Soldiers' Memorial Hall was officially opened in the presence of 300 people on Saturday 31 March 1923 by Harry Clayton, the Member for the local

electoral district of Wide Bay Wide Bay was a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of 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 ...

in the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

. The opening of the hall enabled the school to re-open using the hall until 1938 when a new school was built beside the hall. On Sunday 27 March 1938, a

stump-capping ceremony Queenslander architecture is a modern term for a type of residential housing, widespread in Queensland, Australia. It is also found in the northern parts of the adjacent state of New South Wales, and shares many traits with architecture in oth ...

was performed for a Catholic church on land donated by Mrs W. Power of Widgee. The church was officially opened and dedicated to

St Vincent de Paul Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was an Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor. In 1622, Vincent was appointed as chaplain to the galleys. A ...

on Sunday 25 September 1938 by

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

James Duhig Sir James Duhig KCMG (2 September 187110 April 1965) was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest- ...

in the presence of 500 residents. The timber church was and could seat 100 people; it cost £674.

Demographics

In the , Widgee had a population of 788 people. In the , Widgee had a population of 794 people. In the , Widgee had a population of 862 people.

Heritage listings

Widgee 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: * Wodonga House, Woolooga Road, Upper Widgee ()

Education

Widgee State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 2156 Gympie-Woolooga Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 52 students with 4 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent). There are no secondary schools in Widgee; the nearest one is

James Nash State High School James Nash State High School is a coeducational public secondary school in Gympie, Queensland, established in 1977 and named after gold discoverer James Nash. The school serves over 1,200 students and maintains a focus on academic and extracurri ...

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. Located in the Greater Sunshine Coast, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River ( ...

Notable People

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui Tino Fa'asuamaleaui () (born 16 February 2000) is a professional rugby league footballer who captains the Gold Coast Titans playing as a Lock (rugby league), lock and Prop (rugby league), prop forward in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has ...

- Queensland and Australia Rugby League Player.

Amenities

St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church is on the south-west corner of Gympie Woolooga Road and Little Widgee Road (). The Soldiers' Memorial Hall is at 2148 Gympie Woolooga Road (). Inside the hall, an honour board commemorates those who served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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 ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. Outside the hall, a war memorial also commemorates those who served in the conflicts. Widgee Showgrounds are at 22 Upper Widgee Road (). The Widgee & District Pony Club is located there.

References

External links

Community website
{{Gympie Region Gympie Region Localities in Queensland