Cooyar, Queensland

Cooyar is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia.^[2][3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Cooyar had a population of 231 people.^[1]

Cooyar Queensland
Royal Mail Hotel in Cooyar, ca. 1928
Cooyar
Coordinates	26.9816°S 151.835°E / -26.9816; 151.835 (Cooyar (town centre))
Population	231 (2021 census)[1]
• Density	2.442/km2 (6.324/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4402
Area	94.6 km2 (36.5 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	48.3 km (30 mi) SW of Nanango 89.6 km (56 mi) N of Toowoomba CBD 179 km (111 mi) NW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Toowoomba Region
County	Cavendish
Parish	Cooyar
State electorate(s)	Nanango
Federal division(s)	Maranoa
Localities around Cooyar: Pimpimbudgee Neumgna Upper Yarraman Upper Cooyar Creek Cooyar Kooralgin Wutul East Cooyar Mount Binga

Geography

Cooyar is on the Darling Downs and on the New England Highway, 204 kilometres (127 mi) north west of the state capital, Brisbane.

History

Land in Cooyar was open for selection on 17 April 1877; 18,500 acres (7,500 ha) were available.^[4]

Cooyar Post Office opened by March 1907 (a receiving office had been open from 1904).^[5]

St Francis' Anglican Church was dedicated on 12 April 1928. Its closure on 28 March 1999 was approved by Assistant Bishop Ray Smith.^[6]

Demographics

In the 2011 census, the locality of Cooyar and the surrounding area had a population of 281 people.^[7]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Cooyar had a population of 224 people.^[8]

In the 2021 census, the locality of Cooyar had a population of 231 people.^[1]

Heritage listings

Cooyar War Memorial

Cooyar has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Cooyar War Memorial, McDougall Street^[9]

• Muntapa Tunnel, Narko-Nutgrove Road from Highgrove to Nutgrove, south-west of Cooyar^[10]

Education

Cooyar State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Gracey Street (26.9852°S 151.8328°E / -26.9852; 151.8328 (Cooyar State School)).^[11][12] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 39 students with 4 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).^[13]

There are no secondary schools in Cooyar. The nearest government secondary schools are Nanango State High School (to Year 12) in Nanango to the north-east, Yarraman State School (to Year 9) in Yarraman to the north-east, and Quinalow State School (to Year 10) in Quinalow to the south-west.^[14]

Amenities

Library services in Cooyar are provided by the Toowoomba Regional Council's mobile library service. The van visits Cooyar State School and Cooyar Park (McDougal Street) on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month.^[15]

Attractions

Attractions in Cooyar include the Swinging Bridge,^[16] a memorial park with playground,^[17] an ANZAC Memorial,^[18] and the showground which holds events such as endurance riding and the annual show.^[19][20]