Wyreema is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2016 census, the locality of Wyreema had a population of 1,834 people.[1]

Wyreema
Queensland
Wyreema is located in Queensland
Wyreema
Wyreema
Coordinates27°39′30″S 151°51′38″E / 27.6583°S 151.8605°E / -27.6583; 151.8605 (Wyreema (town centre))
Population1,834 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density45.28/km2 (117.28/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4352
Area40.5 km2 (15.6 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Toowoomba Region
State electorate(s)Groom
Localities around Wyreema:
Athol Westbrook Finnie
Umbiram Wyreema Vale View
Cambooya Cambooya Cambooya

Geography edit

Toowoomba–Karara Road passes through the locality and town from north to south, and Umbiram Road / Newman Road (which links Southbrook on the Gore Highway to the New England Highway) runs from west to east.[4]

The Southern railway line enters the locality from the north-east (Finnie) and exits to the west (Umbiram).[5]

History edit

The town takes its name from the Wyreema railway station on the Southern railway line; the origins of that name are unclear but it's not an Aboriginal name.[2]

The Southern railway line opened from Gowrie Junction to Hendon on 11 March 1869.[6] Although it passed through present day Wyreema, there was no railway station in the area. On 19 September 1887, the Beauaraba branch railway line branched from the new Beauaraba Junction railway station (27°39′11″S 151°51′24″E / 27.6531°S 151.8567°E / -27.6531; 151.8567 (Wyreema railway station (formerly Beuaraba Junction))) on the Southern line to Pittsworth (later extending to Millmerran).[6][7] In October 1893, Beauaraba Junction railway station was renamed Wyreema railway station.[8][7]

Wyreema Provisional School opened on 21 February 1895. In 1904, it became Wyreema State School.[9][10][11]

In 1915, the opening of the Drayton Deviation from Toowoomba via Drayton to Wyreema reduced the distance from Toowoomba to Wyreema and beyond by 15 kilometres (9.3 mi).[12]

A suburban rail motor service from Toowoomba commenced in May 1917. It was extended south to Cambooya and north (from Toowoomba) to Willowburn (a railway station on the Western line at the Harlaxton, Cranley, Rockville tripoint) in 1918. These services ceased around 1923.[13]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Wyreema had a population of 1,834 people.[1]

Education edit

Wyreema State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 12 High Street (27°39′31″S 151°51′18″E / 27.6586°S 151.8550°E / -27.6586; 151.8550 (Wyreema State School)).[14][15] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 160 students with 14 teachers (10 full-time equivalent) and 9 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).[16]

There are no secondary schools in Wyreema. The nearest government secondary school is Harristown State High School in Harristown in Toowoomba to the north-east.[5]

Amenities edit

Library services in Wyreema are provided by the Toowoomba Regional Council's mobile library service. The van visits Wyreema State School every Friday.[17]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Wyreema (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.  
  2. ^ a b "Wyreema – town in Toowoomba Region (entry 38315)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Wyreema – locality in Toowoomba Region (entry 48101)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  4. ^ Google (20 July 2019). "Wyreema, Queensland" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  6. ^ a b Kerr, John (1990). Triumph of narrow gauge : a history of Queensland Railways. Boolarong Publications. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-86439-102-5.
  7. ^ a b "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.
  8. ^ "Wyreema – railway station in the Toowoomba Region (entry 38316)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government.
  9. ^ 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. ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  11. ^ "Our school". Wyreema State School. 5 February 2020. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  12. ^ Kerr (1990), page 42
  13. ^ The Toowoomba Suburban Rail Motor Service Knowles, J.W. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, July, 1992 pp170-171
  14. ^ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  15. ^ "Wyreema State School". Wyreema State School. 5 February 2020. Archived from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  16. ^ "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Mobile library". Toowoomba Regional Council. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.

External links edit