Pilton is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] It is south of the city of Toowoomba. In the 2021 census, the locality of Pilton had a population of 71 people.[1]

Pilton
Queensland
Looking north-east from Pilton State School across farmland, Pilton, 2015.jpg
Pilton is located in Queensland
Pilton
Pilton
Coordinates27°52′06″S 152°02′51″E / 27.8683°S 152.0475°E / -27.8683; 152.0475 (Pilton (town centre))
Population71 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density1.695/km2 (4.39/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4361
Area41.9 km2 (16.2 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Toowoomba Region
State electorate(s)Condamine
Federal division(s)Maranoa
Localities around Pilton:
Ascot Hirstglen Hirstglen
Manapouri Pilton Upper Pilton
Headington Hill Upper Pilton Upper Pilton

Geography

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The terrain in the north and south of the locality is more mountainous and is predominantly used for grazing on native vegetation. The terrain from the south-east to the north-west is within a valley through which Kings Creek flows from Upper Pilton through to Manapouri/Ascot and is ultimately a tributary of the Condamine River, part of the Murray-Darling basin. The valley is used for cropping.[4]

The Gatton–Clifton Road (State Route 80) also passes through the locality from the south-west (Headington Hill) to the north-west (Hirstglen).[4]

History

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Pilton is named after a pastoral run which was excised from Clifton pastoral station in the 1840s. The run was leased by Philip Pinnock, John Gammie, Joseph King and Joshua J. Whitting [from 1851-9]. It might have been named after Pilton, Somerset, England, an Old English name with Pil meaning creek and ton meaning an enclosed homestead.[2]

Pilton Post Office opened on 27 March 1878 (though a receiving office for some years) and closed in 1977.[5]

Pilton Provisional School opened in February 1884.[6] It closed in 1908.[7]

Pilton State School opened on 3 November 1913.[8][7]

Demographics

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In the 2006 census, the locality of Pilton had a population of 209 people, living in 74 inhabited dwellings. The median age of the population was 41 years, and the median weekly household income was $866.[9]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Pilton had a population of 88 people.[10]

In the 2021 census, the locality of Pilton had a population of 71 people.[1]

Education

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Pilton State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 24 Pilton Valley Road (27°52′04″S 152°02′59″E / 27.8679°S 152.0497°E / -27.8679; 152.0497 (Pilton State School)).[11][12] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 29 students with 3 teachers (2 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[13] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 18 students with 2 teachers and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).[14]

There is no secondary school in Pilton; the nearest government secondary school is Clifton State High School in Clifton to the south-west.[4]

Attractions

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The Darling Downs Zoo is in the south-west corner of the locality.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Pilton (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.  
  2. ^ a b "Pilton – town in Toowoomba Region (entry 26746)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  3. ^ "Pilton – locality in Toowoomba Region (entry 48038)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  5. ^ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  6. ^ "GREENMOUNT". Darling Downs Gazette. Vol. XXIII, no. 5, 603. Queensland, Australia. 4 February 1884. p. 3. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  9. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Pilton (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  10. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Pilton (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.  
  11. ^ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  12. ^ "Pilton State School". Pilton State School. 29 November 2020. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  13. ^ "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  14. ^ "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  15. ^ "Home - Darling Downs Zoo". Darling Downs Zoo. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.

Further reading

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