Gindie

Gindie is a rural locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia.^[2] In the 2021 census, Gindie had a population of 232 people.^[1]

Gindie Queensland
Sudan grass in stook, State Farm, Gindie, circa 1933
Gindie
Coordinates	23.7691°S 148.1313°E / -23.7691; 148.1313 (Gindie (centre of locality))
Population	232 (2021 census)[1]
• Density	0.1737/km2 (0.4500/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4702
Area	1,335.3 km2 (515.6 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
LGA(s)	Central Highlands Region
State electorate(s)	Gregory
Federal division(s)	Flynn
Suburbs around Gindie: Anakie Siding Emerald Comet Lochington Gindie Comet Lochington Minerva Arcturus

Geography

The settlement of Fernlees is located in southern Gindie (23.8567°S 148.1250°E / -23.8567; 148.1250 (Fernlees)).^[3][4]

The Gregory Highway passes through the locality from north (Emerald) to south (Minerva) passing through the town of Fernlees. The Blackwater railway line passes through the locality parallel and immediately east of the highway with a railway siding at Fernlees (23.8556°S 148.1242°E / -23.8556; 148.1242 (Fernless railway siding)).^[5]

History

Daniels children going to school on horseback, 1900-1910

The name Gindie means "much brigalow".^[6]

Gindie Provisional School (also known as Gindie Siding Provisional School) opened 12 November 1897, becoming Gindie State School on 1 January 1909. The school closed in 1949 but later reopened.^[7][8]

The Gindie State Farm was established In 1898 to experiment with growing new kinds of crops in the district such as sorghum, maize and pumpkins. The farm closed in 1932.^[9]

Fernlees State School opened on 20 September 1951 and closed in 1953.^[10] It was on a 2-acre (0.81 ha) site off to the west the Gregory Highway north of the town (approx 23.8479°S 148.1214°E / -23.8479; 148.1214 (Fernlees State School (former))).^[11][12]

Fernlees Methodist Church was established in 1959 at 2780 Gregory Highway (23.8564°S 148.1252°E / -23.8564; 148.1252 (Fernless Methodist/Uniting Church (former))). Following the amalgamation of the Methodist Church into the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977, it became the Fernlees Uniting Church. It closed in 2007. It is now a private residence.^[13][14][15]

On 17 April 2020, the Queensland Government re-drew the boundaries of localities within the Central Highlands Region by replacing the locality of The Gemfields with three new localities of Rubyvale, Sapphire Central and Anakie Siding (around the towns of Rubyvale, Sapphire, and Anakie respectively). This included adjusting the boundaries of other existing localities in the Region to accommodate these changes; Gindie gaining the south-eastern corner of The Gemfields and gaining the eastern edge of Lochington, but losing a small area of its northern part and a small area from its north-east part to Anakie Siding, increasing the area of the locality from 1,293.4 to 1,335.3 square kilometres (499.4 to 515.6 sq mi).^{[16][17][18][4]} As a consequence of these changes, Lake Maraboon is now entirely within the north-west of Gindie and the boundary between Lochington and Minerva/Gindie more closely follows the course of the Nogoa River.^[4]

Demographics

At the 2011 census, Gindie had a population of 382 people.^[19]

At the 2016 census, Gindie had a population of 209 people.^[20]

In the 2021 census, Gindie had a population of 232 people.^[1]

Education

Gindie State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at the corner of Old Cullen-la-ringo Road and the Gregory Highway (23.7242°S 148.1408°E / -23.7242; 148.1408 (Gindie State School)).^[21][22] In 2013, the school had an enrolment of 40 students in two classes, P-2 and 3-7, with 3 teachers (2 full-time equivalent).^[23] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 35 students with 4 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 8 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).^[24]

Camp Fairbairn Outdoor Education Centre is an Outdoor and Environmental Education Centre at Fairbairn Dam (23.6645°S 148.0920°E / -23.6645; 148.0920 (Camp Fairbairn Outdoor Education Centre)).^[21] It has a principal, 3 teachers and 3 non-teaching staff.^[25] It offers basic residential accommodation and outdoor programs for students from Prep to Year 12.^[26]

There is no secondary school in Gindie. The nearest secondary school is Emerald State High School in neighbouring Emerald to the north.^[4]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Gindie (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
2. "Gindie – locality in Central Highlands Region (entry 46952)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
3. "Fernlees – town in Central Highlands Region (entry 12307)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
4. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
5. "Fernlees – railway station in the Central Highlands Region (entry 12309)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
6. "SKETCHER". The Queenslander. 4 April 1914. p. 8. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
8. "Agency ID 5237, Gindie State School". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
9. "Emerald Shire". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
10. 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. "Town of Fernlees" (Map). Queensland Government. 1972. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
12. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
13. Blake, Thom. "Fernlees Methodist Church". Queensland religious places database. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
14. "Gift of a Church – a mix of mission and service | Emerald Uniting Church". Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
15. "Emerald Uniting Church". Churches Australia. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
16. "Recent place name decisions: Job number 18-115: The Gemfields". Queensland Government. 17 April 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
17. "Proposed Locality Boundaries and Names: Anakie Siding, Argyll, Emerald, Gindie, Lochington, Minerva, Rubyvale and Sapphire Central" (PDF). Queensland Government. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
18. "Locality Boundaries and Names: Anakie Siding, Argyll, Emerald, Gindie, Lochington, Minerva, Rubyvale and Sapphire Central" (PDF). Queensland Government. 17 April 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
19. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Gindie (SSC)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
20. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Gindie (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
21. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
22. "Gindie State School". Archived from the original on 15 March 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
23. "2013 School Annual Report" (PDF). Gindie State School. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
24. "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
25. "Camp Fairbairn Outdoor Education Centre". Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
26. "About us". Camp Fairbairn Outdoor Education Centre. 20 May 2019. Archived from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2020.

Further reading

• Gindie State School (Qld.). Centenary of Education Committee (1997), Our school on the black soil plain : an account of 100 years of education at Gindie State School, Central Queensland, The School, ISBN 978-0-7242-7817-6
• Daniels Family Reunion & 100 years of Settlement at Gindie Committee. History Sub-committee (1996), Gindie, a place to call home : the Daniels family history including their emigration from London, their lives on the Darling Downs and 100 years of mixed farming on the Central Highlands, The Daniels Family Reunion & 100 Years of Settlement at Gindie Committee, ISBN 978-0-646-26622-0{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

External links

• "Town map of Fernlees". Queensland Government. 1972. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020.