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Gracemere, Queensland

Coordinates: 23°26′21″S 150°27′21″E / 23.4391°S 150.4558°E / -23.4391; 150.4558 (Gracemere (town centre))
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Gracemere
Queensland
Big G, Gracemere's big thing, 2015
Gracemere is located in Queensland
Gracemere
Gracemere
Coordinates23°26′21″S 150°27′21″E / 23.4391°S 150.4558°E / -23.4391; 150.4558 (Gracemere (town centre))
Population12,023 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density171.51/km2 (444.2/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4702
Area70.1 km2 (27.1 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
LGA(s)Rockhampton Region
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)Capricornia
Localities around Gracemere:
Nine Mile Fairy Bower Fairy Bower
Kabra Gracemere Port Curtis
Kabra Bouldercombe Bouldercombe

Gracemere is a rural town and locality in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Gracemere had a population of 12,023 people.[1]

Geography

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Gracemere is approximately 9 kilometres (6 mi) west of the city of Rockhampton. Because of the proximity of the town to Rockhampton, Gracemere has become a dormitory town, with many residents commuting the short distance to work in the city.

Gracemere Lagoon is to the north of the town (23°25′54″S 150°26′04″E / 23.4316°S 150.4344°E / -23.4316; 150.4344 (Gracemere Lagoon)).[4]

The Capricorn Highway enters the locality from the north (Fairy Bower) and exits to the west (Kabra).[5]

The Central Western railway line enters the locality from the north-east (Port Curtis) where it splits from the North Coast railway line. It travels mostly immediately parallel to the highway through the locality exiting to the west (Kabra).[5] There are three railway stops within the locality (from west to east):

History

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Gangalu (Gangulu, Kangulu, Kanolu, Kaangooloo, Khangulu) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Gangula country. The Gangula language region includes the towns of Clermont and Springsure extending south towards the Dawson River.[7]

The area was first explored by Europeans in 1853, when the Archer brothers arrived looking for pastures for their sheep. They settled by a small lake, originally called "Farris" or Padgole lagoon which was named Gracemere in 1855. The name Gracemere comes from "Grace", the name of Thomas Archer's wife and "mere" which is a Scottish term for lake.[2][3] They also located a suitable landing point for supplies on the nearby Fitzroy River, which later became Rockhampton.

In July 1855, Charles and Thomas Archer with around 30 other people including four Native Police troopers, four Aboriginal men from the Burnett River and their wives, left the Archer's Eidsvold pastoral station in order to construct the Gracemere run. The Commissioner for Crown Lands in the Leichhardt region, William Wiseman, joined them to help locate the most appropriate area, and in August 1855 they determined the area next to the current Gracemere lagoon was best. The local Aboriginals led by "King Harold" wished to obtain peaceful conditions with the Archer brothers and in return for allowing the indigenous people to live in the area, the Archer brothers utilised Harold's people to aid in forcibly "restraining the outside blacks" who were resisting British occupation.[8]

Gracemere State School opened on 20 February 1871.[9]

As Gracemere developed as a dormitory town, further schools were needed with Waraburra State School opening on 27 January 1987 and St Paul's Catholic Primary School opening on 27 January 1988.[9]

The Big G was unveiled at the entrance to the Gracemere Industrial Park on 18 August 2015.[10]

Gracemere public library opened in August 2017. It was welcomed by local residents as Gracemere was formerly in the Shire of Fitzroy which had no public libraries.[11][12]

Gracemere Shoppingworld opened in December 2014 with Woolworths and Best & Less operating as the anchor stores along with up to 20 speciality stores.[13]

Demographics

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At the 2011 census, the town of Gracemere had a population of 8,401 people.[14]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Gracemere had a population of 11,315 people.[15]

In the 2021 census, the locality of Gracemere had a population of 12,023 people.[1]

Heritage listings

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Sketch of Gracemere Homestead and the Gracemere Lagoon, circ 1869

Gracemere has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Economy

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Gracemere, as a commuter town, has a relatively low level of industry compared to Rockhampton.

Grazing, particularly of beef cattle, has long been the significant industry of the area. The Central Queensland Livestock Exchange (formerly the Gracemere Saleyards) is on the western side of the town. It is the largest cattle sales facility in the Southern Hemisphere and commenced a multimillion-dollar upgrade in 2019.[17][18] It is at 16 Saleyards Road (23°26′34″S 150°26′17″E / 23.4427°S 150.4381°E / -23.4427; 150.4381 (Central Queensland Livestock Exchange)) on a 12.16-hectare (30.0-acre) site.[19][5]

Gracemere is rapidly expanding with around 10 new housing estates under construction.[20]

Education

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There are three schools servicing Gracemere. They are all primary, one Catholic and two public.

Gracemere State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at O'Shanesy Street (23°26′06″S 150°27′14″E / 23.4351°S 150.4539°E / -23.4351; 150.4539 (Gracemere State School)).[21][22] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 302 students with 23 teachers (18 full-time equivalent) and 16 non-teaching staff (11 full-time equivalent).[23] It includes a special education program.[21]

Waraburra State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 55 Johnson Road (23°26′53″S 150°27′09″E / 23.4481°S 150.4526°E / -23.4481; 150.4526 (Waraburra State School)).[21][24] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 492 students with 34 teachers (33 full-time equivalent) and 24 non-teaching staff (16 full-time equivalent).[23] It includes a special education program.[21]

St Paul's Catholic Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Breakspear Street (23°26′59″S 150°27′53″E / 23.4496°S 150.4647°E / -23.4496; 150.4647 (St Paul's Catholic Primary School)).[21][25] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 310 students with 19 teachers (18 full-time equivalent) and 13 non-teaching staff (8 full-time equivalent).[23]

There are no secondary schools in Gracemere. The nearest government secondary schoolis Rockhampton State High School in Wandal, Rockhampton.[5] Currently, all high school students travel by a free bus service into Rockhampton to continue their senior education.

Amenities

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Gracemere Shoppingworld is bounded by O'Shanesy Street, McLaughlin Street and the Capricorn Highway (23°26′01″S 150°27′12″E / 23.4337°S 150.4533°E / -23.4337; 150.4533 (Gracemere Shoppingworld)).[26]

The Rockhampton Regional Council operate a public library in Gracemere at 1 Ranger Street (23°26′24″S 150°27′27″E / 23.4399°S 150.4575°E / -23.4399; 150.4575 (Gracemere public library)).[27]

The Gracemere branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the Guide Hut in James Street.[28]

Attractions

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The entrance to the Gracemere Industrial Park has the Big G, one of Australia's big things. It is in the shape of a capital letter G and is 5 by 6.6 metres (16 by 22 ft) in size and is made from 5 tonnes (5.5 tons) of mild steel. It is on the southern corner of Somerset Road and Enterprise Drive (23°27′19″S 150°25′15″E / 23.4553°S 150.4209°E / -23.4553; 150.4209 (The Big G)).[29][10]

Transport

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Youngs bus

As a dormitory town, most Gracemerians either drive a private vehicle or catch a bus to the city. The bus service, Young's Bus Service, operates hourly between the town centre and South Gracemere. Traffic can peak at around 8:00 in the morning, with traffic being banked up for around 1-1.5 kilometres on weekdays. Infrastructure problems are now becoming a reality for the small town and surrounding Capricorn Highway towns. This has resulted in constant roadworks and upgrades of the highway road quality. This mass influx of vehicles has resulted in a proposal for a new western bypass for Rockhampton, to send vehicles right to the northern suburbs, avoiding inner city congestion and delay, as this is where many Gracemerians work.

Notable residents

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Gracemere (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ a b "Gracemere – town in Rockhampton Region (entry 14505)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Gracemere – locality in Rockhampton Region (entry 48661)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Gracemere Lagoon – lake in Rockhampton Regional (entry 14509)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "Railway stations and sidings - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  7. ^ This Wikipedia article incorporates CC BY 4.0 licensed text from: "Gangalu". Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map. State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  8. ^ "ROCKHAMPTON". The Capricornian. Vol. 8, no. 52. Queensland, Australia. 30 December 1882. p. 5 (The Capricornian ILLUSTRATED CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT 1882.). Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ a b Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  10. ^ a b "G marks the Industry Park spot along the Capricorn Highway". Rockhampton Morning Bulletin. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  11. ^ "Story time joy as new Gracemere library opens". The Morning Bulletin. 27 August 2017. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  12. ^ "New chapter for Gracemere as library opens". The Morning Bulletin. 27 August 2017. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  13. ^ McBryde, Emma (8 November 2011). "A whole new world for shoppers". The Morning Bulletin. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  14. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Gracemere (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 March 2014. Edit this at Wikidata
  15. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Gracemere (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018. Edit this at Wikidata
  16. ^ "Gracemere Homestead (entry 600508)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  17. ^ "CQLX Redevelopment]". Regional Livestock Exchanges. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  18. ^ "Redevelopment work continues at CQLX". Queensland Country Life. 15 November 2016. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  19. ^ "CQLX Central Queensland Livestock Exchange". Regional Livestock Exchanges. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  20. ^ McBryde, Emma (15 December 2011). "New Gracemere complex a hit". The Morning Bulletin. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  21. ^ a b c d e "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  22. ^ "Gracemere State School". Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  23. ^ a b c "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  24. ^ "Waraburra State School". Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  25. ^ "St Paul's Catholic Primary School". Archived from the original on 11 March 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  26. ^ "Location maps". Gracemere Shoppingworld. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  27. ^ "Rockhampton Regional Library, Public Libraries Connect". Public Libraries Connect. 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  28. ^ "Branch Locations". Queensland Country Women's Association. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  29. ^ Franklin, Luke. "The Big G In Gracemere | Big Things Of Australia". Big Things of Australia. Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gracemere, Queensland.


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