Elliott Heads, Queensland

This article is about the coastal town in the Bundaberg Region. For the rural town in the Fraser Coast Region, see Eliott, Queensland. For the rural locality in the Bundaberg Region, see Elliott, Queensland.

Elliott Heads is a coastal town and locality in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia.^[2][3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Elliott Heads had a population of 1,160 people.^[1]

Elliott Heads Queensland
The Northern side of where the old river mouth was
Elliott Heads
Coordinates	24.9119°S 152.4902°E / -24.9119; 152.4902 (Elliott Heads (town centre))
Population	1,160 (2021 census)[1]
• Density	92.8/km2 (240.4/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4670
Area	12.5 km2 (4.8 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	14.6 km (9 mi) SE of Kepnock 18.0 km (11 mi) SE of Bundaberg CBD 364 km (226 mi) N of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Bundaberg Region
State electorate(s)	Burnett
Federal division(s)	Hinkler
Localities around Elliott Heads: Woongarra Innes Park Coral Cove Calavos Elliott Heads Coral Sea Calavos Coonarr Coral Sea

Geography

The town is located at the mouth of the Elliott River, 359 kilometres (223 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane.^[4]

Elliott Heads is surrounded by small crop and sugarcane farms.

History

Airy Park State School, 1917

Aerial view of Elliott Heads State School, 1973

The district was officially known as Springfield until it was renamed Elliott Heads on 1 November 1967 by the Queensland Place Names Board.^[2] The name refers to the area being at the mouth of the Elliott River where it flows into the Coral Sea. The river in turn takes its name from Gilbert Eliott (1796-1871) (note spelling) public servant, pastoralist and politician, Speaker of Queensland Legislative Assembly 1860–70, Member for Wide Bay 1860–70.

Elliott Heads Post Office opened by January 1952 and closed in 1986.^[5]

Airy Park State School (sometimes spelled Airey Park) opened on 16 January 1913.^[6] The land for the school was donated by Mr Breusch who had named his first property Airy Park after Peter Airey, a Labor politician. In 1966, the school was enlarged by the relocation of the former Electra State School building. The name of the school was changed to Elliott Heads State School on 23 March 1967.^{[7][8][9][10][11][12]}

Demographics

In the 2016 census, the locality of Elliott Heads had a population of 1,040 people.^[13]

In the 2021 census, the locality of Elliott Heads had a population of 1,160 people.^[1]

Education

Aerial view of Elliott Heads State School, 2022

B Block, Elliott Heads State School, 1994

Elliott Heads State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 143 Breusch Road (24.9072°S 152.4756°E / -24.9072; 152.4756 (Elliott Heads State School)).^[14][15] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 103 students with 8 teachers (7 full-time equivalent) and 10 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).^[16] In 2022, the school had an enrolment of 122 students with 8 teachers (7 full-time equivalent) and 10 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).^[17]

There are no secondary schools in Elliott Heads; the nearest is in Kepnock (16.3 kilometres (10.1 mi) away) and there are other options in Bundaberg.

Amenities

Elliott Heads is a popular recreation area, offering both surf and still water areas for swimming, fishing, sailboarding, jet skiing, stand-up paddleboarding and other water activities. There is a popular caravan park next to the surf beach with amenities.^[18] The local Surf Life Saving Club is located near the surf beach.