Kaimkillenbun is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Kaimkillenbun had a population of 248 people.[1]

Kaimkillenbun
Queensland
The "Bun Pub", 2017
Kaimkillenbun is located in Queensland
Kaimkillenbun
Kaimkillenbun
Coordinates27°03′39″S 151°26′05″E / 27.0608°S 151.4347°E / -27.0608; 151.4347 (Kaimkillenbun (town centre))
Population248 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density1.1917/km2 (3.087/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4406
Area208.1 km2 (80.3 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Western Downs Region
State electorate(s)Warrego
Federal division(s)Maranoa
Localities around Kaimkillenbun:
Jimbour East Bell Moola
Pirrinuan Kaimkillenbun Moola
Dalby Irvingdale Irvingdale

It is recognised as the Queensland town with the longest single-word name,[4] but is affectionately known by locals as "The Bun".[5]

Geography

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Kaimkillenbun is 24 kilometres (15 mi) from Dalby, on the way to the Bunya Mountains and is part of the Darling Downs.[6]

The south-eastern half of the locality is predominantly flat farming land centred on the town. The northern part of the locality has hills including:[6]

Minerals including opals can be found at Squaretop.[citation needed]

Road infrastructure

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The Dalby–Cooyar Road runs through from south to east. The Bell-Kaimkillenbun Road runs to the north, and the Bunya Mountains Road runs to the north-east from the eastern boundary..[9] The Bunya Highway passes through the north-west of the locality.[6]

History

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1920
2017
The war memorial at Kaimkillenbun

The name Kaimkillenbun is believed to derive from an Aboriginal word meaning open mouth, possibly associated with a male initiation ceremony.[2]

Black Gully Provisional School opened circa 1891 but was quickly renamed Yamsion Provisional School. On 1 January 1909 it became Yamsion State School. Between 1911 and 1916 it operated as a part-time school in conjunction with the King's Tent Provisional School (meaning the two schools shared a single teacher). In 1917 Yamsion State School returned to being a full-time school. It finally closed circa 1967.[10]

The Bell Branch railway line from Dalby to Bell operated between 1906 and 1984 with the locality being served by the following now-abandoned railway stations:

An attempt was made to establish a hotel in 1908 but the local temperance lobby managed to prevent it. However, in October 1911 local farmer Edwin Higgs successfully obtained a licence and built the Kenilworth Hotel. Soldiers leaving for World War I signed on the wall of the pub. Today it is known as The Bun Pub.[12][13][14]

Kaimkillenbun Post Office opened by June 1909 (a receiving office had been open from 1908).[15]

Kaimkillenbun State School opened on 1 November 1909.[16][17]

St Mary's Anglican Church was dedicated on 6 September 1914 by Venerable Henry Le Fanu, Archdeacon of Toowoomba. It closed circa 1997.[18]

Squaretop State School opened on 24 September 1919. It closed on 1959.[10] It was on Squaretop Road just west of the Bell Kaimkillenbun Road (27°00′55″S 151°26′45″E / 27.0152°S 151.44586°E / -27.0152; 151.44586 (Squaretop State School (former))).[19][20][6]

The Kaimkillenbun war memorial was unveiled on 13 November 1920 by William Vowles, the member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Dalby and Leader of the Opposition. The "digger" statue was made by R C Ziegler, a Toowoomba stonemason.[21] Originally placed near the Kaimkillenbun railway station, the memorial was damaged in a traffic accident. A replacement from the original plans was commissioned from the Zieglers and was placed in a park behind the hotel (corner of Isabelle and Delacey Streets).[22][23]

Lillingstone State School opened on 27 January 1925 and closed on 31 March 1934.[10]

In 1983, Kaimkillenbun was the location for filming of the movie Chase Through the Night starring Nicole Kidman. Local residents appear as extras in the film.[4][24]

Demographics

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In the 2011 census, the locality of Kaimkillenbun and the surrounding area had a population of 566 people.[25]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Kaimkillenbun had a population of 293 people.[26]

In the 2021 census, the locality of Kaimkillenbun had a population of 248 people.[1]

Economy

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Opal from Squaretop

There are a number of homesteads in the locality:[27]

Education

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Kaimkillenbun State School, 2023

Kaimkillenbun State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 2-14 Messenger Street (27°03′30″S 151°25′55″E / 27.0582°S 151.4320°E / -27.0582; 151.4320 (Kaimkillenbun State School)).[28][29][6] In 2015, it had an enrolment of 33 students with 4 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[30] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 17 students with 4 teachers (2 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).[31]

There are no secondary schools in Kaimkillenbun. The nearest secondary schools are Bell State School (to Year 10) in neighbouring Bell to the north, Quinalow State School (to Year 10) in Quinalow to the south-east and Dalby State High School (to Year 12) in neighbouring Dalby to the south-west.[6]

Amenities

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Amenities in the town include the historic Bun Pub and a number of sporting clubs and organisations.

Kaimkillenbun Rural Fire Brigade is at 8 Moffat Street (27°03′38″S 151°26′03″E / 27.0606°S 151.4343°E / -27.0606; 151.4343 (Kaimkillenbun Rural Fire Brigade)).[32][33]

Notable residents

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  • John Dorge, Olympic basketballer, born in Kaimkillenbun

References

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  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Kaimkillenbun (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.  
  2. ^ a b "Kaimkillenbun – town in Western Downs Region (entry 17547)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Kaimkillenbun – locality in Western Downs Region (entry 49275)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Signpost – Kaimkillenbun State School". Queensland Government. April 2010. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  5. ^ "Kaimkillenbun". AustralianExplorer.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Mountain peaks and capes - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Squaretop – mountain in Western Downs Region (entry 42747)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  9. ^ Kaimkillenbun, Queensland (Map). OpenStreetMap. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "Dalby and district". Western Downs Regional Council. p. 5. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  13. ^ "LISMORE DISTRICT". The Brisbane Courier. 11 October 1911. p. 7. Archived from the original on 21 February 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ "NEW LICENSING ACT". The Brisbane Courier. 16 April 1913. p. 10. Archived from the original on 21 February 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  16. ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  17. ^ "Agency ID 11095, Kaimkillenbun State School". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  18. ^ Anglican Church of Southern Queensland. "Closed Churches". Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  19. ^ "Dalby" (Map). Queensland Government. 1950. Archived from the original on 25 April 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Queensland Two Mile series sheet 2m78" (Map). Queensland Government. 1954. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  21. ^ "Dalby's Soldier Memorials". The Brisbane Courier. 20 November 1920. p. 4. Archived from the original on 21 February 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. ^ "Kaimkillenbun War Memorial". Monument Australia. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  23. ^ "Kaimkillenbun War Memorial (Digger)". Queensland War Memorials. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  24. ^ "Chase Through The Night (1983)". Nicole Kidman (fans) United. Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  25. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Kaimkillenbun (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 1 July 2013.  
  26. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Kaimkillenbun (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.  
  27. ^ "Homesteads - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  28. ^ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  29. ^ "Kaimkillenbun State School". Kaimkillenbun State School. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  30. ^ "2015 School Annual Report" (PDF). Kaimkillenbun State School. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  31. ^ "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  32. ^ "Emergency services facilities - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  33. ^ "Building points - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 17 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
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