Gheerulla

Gheerulla is a rural locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia.^[2] In the 2021 census, Gheerulla had a population of 291 people.^[1]

Gheerulla Queensland
Gheerulla Falls, 2020
Gheerulla
Coordinates	26.5763°S 152.8147°E / -26.5763; 152.8147 (Gheerulla (centre of locality))
Population	291 (2021 census)[1]
• Density	3.237/km2 (8.384/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4574
Area	89.9 km2 (34.7 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	24.0 km (15 mi) SW of Eumundi 42.8 km (27 mi) NW of Nambour 69.0 km (43 mi) NW of Caloundra 150 km (93 mi) N of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Sunshine Coast Region
State electorate(s)	Nicklin
Federal division(s)	Fairfax
Suburbs around Gheerulla: Moy Pocket Belli Park Cooloolabin Kenilworth Gheerulla Kiamba Coolabine Obi Obi Mapleton Kureelpa

Geography

Much of the locality is within the Mapleton National Park, which extends into neighbouring Belli Park, Cooloolabin, and beyond.^[3] The Blackall Range (26.6070°S 152.8728°E / -26.6070; 152.8728 (Blackall Range)) runs through the east and north-east of the locality within the national park.^[3]

Gheerulla has the following mountains and cliffs:

• Mount Thilba Thalba (26.5793°S 152.7860°E / -26.5793; 152.7860 (Mount Thilba Thalba)) 464 metres (1,522 ft)^[4][5]

• Gheerulla Bluff (26.5769°S 152.7847°E / -26.5769; 152.7847 (Gheerulla Bluff))^[6]

• Rocky Bluff (26.5508°S 152.8072°E / -26.5508; 152.8072 (Rocky Bluff))^[7]

Apart from the national park, the land use in the locality is predominantly grazing on native vegetation and some rural residential housing.^[8]

History

Gheerulla is an Aboriginal word meaning empty creek.^[9]

The Blackall Range was named in 1868 by Edward Parker Bedwell, a hydrographic surveyor in the Royal Navy, after the Governor of Queensland Samuel Wensley Blackall.^[10]

St Matthew's Anglican Church was dedicated on 28 June 1926 by Archbishop Gerald Sharp. 200 people attended the opening.^[11] Its closure was approved by Bishop Jonathan Holland with a final service on Sunday 17 May 2015.^[12][13] The church was at 2210 Eumundi Kenilworth Road (26.5563°S 152.7729°E / -26.5563; 152.7729 (St Matthew's Anglican Church (former))) on a 0.4-hectare (0.99-acre) site. It was sold on 14 March 2016 for $210,000.^[14]

Demographics

In the 2016 census, Gheerulla had a population of 214 people.^[15]

In the 2021 census, Gheerulla had a population of 291 people.^[1]

Education

There are no schools in Gheerulla. The nearest government primary schools are Kenilworth State College in neighbouring Kenilworth to the west and Mapleton State School in neighbouring Mapelton to the south. The nearest government secondary schools are Mary Valley State College (to Year 10) in Imbil to the north-west and Noosa District State High School (to Year 120 which has its junior campus in Pomona to the north and its senior campus in Cooroy to the north-east.^[16]

Attractions

There are a number of lookouts in Gheerulla:

• Gheerulla Valley Viewpoint (26.5958°S 152.8127°E / -26.5958; 152.8127 (Gheerulla Valley Viewpoint))^[9]
• Oaky Creek Lookout (26.5555°S 152.8002°E / -26.5555; 152.8002 (Oaky Creek Lookout)), its name is presumed to refer to nearby Oaky Creek^[17]
• Thilba Thalba Viewpoint (26.5794°S 152.7891°E / -26.5794; 152.7891 (Thilba Thalba Viewpoint)), its was suggested by the Sunshine Coast Environment Council as part of the Great Walk Project believed to have been found on an old map and probably of Aboriginal origin^[18]
• Ubajee Viewpoint (26.6063°S 152.8319°E / -26.6063; 152.8319 (Ubajee Viewpoint)), its name (pronounced yu'ba'djee) is an Aboriginal word in the Gubbi Gubbi and Butchulla languages meaning home^[19]

Although in Gheerula, Gheerulla Falls are accessed from Delicia Road in Mapleton via a walking track (26.60806°S 152.82944°E / -26.60806; 152.82944 (Gheerulla Falls)).^[20][21]

The rugged Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk takes at least four days to complete. It leaves from Baroon Pocket Dam and traverses 58.8 kilometres (36.5 mi) through the Blackall Range. Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the Great Walk pass through this area.^[22]

See also

• List of long-distance hiking tracks in Australia

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Gheerulla (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
2. "Gheerulla – locality in Sunshine Coast Region (entry 48647)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
3. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
4. "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.
5. "Mount Thilba Thalba – mountain in Sunshine Coast Region (entry 39759)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
6. "Gheerulla Bluff – cliff in Sunshine Coast Regional (entry 49654)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
7. "Rocky Bluff – cliff in Sunshine Coast Regional (entry 49049)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
8. "Layers: Locality; Protected areas and forests; Land use; Land parcel". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
9. "Gheerulla Valley Viewpoint – lookout in Sunshine Coast Regional (entry 49655)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
10. "Blackall Range – range in Sunshine Coast Regional (entry 2971)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
11. "CHURCH DEDICATED". Daily Mail. No. 7591. Queensland, Australia. 29 June 1926. p. 8. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
12. "Closed Churches". Anglican Church Southern Queensland. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
13. "2210 Eumundi Kenilworth Road, Gheerulla". Boxsells Real Estate. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
14. "2210 Eumundi Kenilworth Road, Gheerulla, Qld 4574". Realestate.com.au. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
15. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Gheerulla (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
16. "Layers: Locality; Schools and school catchments". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
17. "Oaky Creek Lookout – lookout in Sunshine Coast Regional (entry 49657)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
18. "Thilba Thalba Viewpoint – lookout in Sunshine Coast Regional (entry 49659)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
19. "Ubajee Viewpoint – lookout in Sunshine Coast Regional (entry 49661)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
20. "Gheerulla Falls". Sunshine Coast Walks. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
21. "Gheerulla Falls – waterfall in the Sunshine Coast Region (entry 13639)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
22. Department of Environment and Science (15 January 2010). "Walking | Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk". Parks and forests | Department of Environment and Science, Queensland. Queensland Government. Retrieved 3 October 2022.