Helidon, Queensland

Helidon is a rural town and locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia.^[2][3] In the 2016 census, the locality of Helidon had a population of 1,059 people.^[1]

Helidon Queensland
Helidon, Queensland
Helidon
Coordinates	27°33′01″S 152°07′34″E / 27.5503°S 152.1260°E / -27.5503; 152.1260 (Helidon (town centre))
Population	1,059 (2016 census)^[1]
• Density	21.70/km^2 (56.20/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4344
Area	48.8 km^2 (18.8 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	18.1 km (11 mi) W of Gatton 21.3 km (13 mi) E of Toowoomba 70.4 km (44 mi) W of Ipswich 108 km (67 mi) W of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Lockyer Valley Region
County	Cavendish
Parish	Helidon
State electorate(s)	Lockyer
Federal division(s)	Division of Wright
Localities around Helidon: Upper Lockyer White Mountain Seventeen Mile Seventeen Mile Lockyer Helidon Spa Helidon Grantham Iredale Iredale Carpendale Carpendale

Helidon is known in Queensland for its high quality sandstone (also called freestone), used extensively in private and public buildings in the state and elsewhere, including Brisbane City Hall, Brisbane Treasury Building, University of Queensland, and sought after internationally for its quality, especially in China.^[4]

Helidon is also the location of a natural mineral spring^[5] whose products were sold by the Helidon Spa Water Company, now known as Kirks.

Geography

Helidon is located on the Warrego Highway, 106 kilometres (66 mi) west of the state capital, Brisbane, and 21 kilometres (13 mi) east of Toowoomba.

Parts of the hilly, undeveloped north of Helidon have been protected within Lockyer National Park.

History

The Helidon district is called by Aboriginal inhabitants "Yabarba", the name of the Curriejung, and the nearby spring is known as "Woonar-rajimmi", the place "where the clouds fell down!"

The name Helidon derives from a pastoral run name established in 1841 by Richard Jones (1786-1852), a merchant and pastoralist.^[2]

William Turner paid 60 pounds rent for the Hellidon Run of 25,600 acres, in 1853.^[6] He was later (1861), appointed magistrate for the district.^[7]

Richard Kettle (born in Whissendine, England in 1838), together with his family, were amongst the principle farming families to establish Helidon.^[8] Following a failed attempt to lease land in Tent Hill in 1871,^[9] Richard Kettle was granted 150 Lockyer acres, in 1873,^[10] improved to a Homestead in 1878,^[11] and a further 80 acres in 1882.^[12]

Helidon Post Office opened on 1 August 1866.^[13]

In 1874 settlers in the Helidon District wrote to the Board of General Education, which from 1860 was authorised to establish and administer primary schools,^[14] requesting that a school be established in Helidon. The Helidon State School opened on 11 May 1874 with 8 pupils.^[15][16] In 1882, the school had 24 students.^[17] Helidon State School was only the second school in the Lockyer Valley district and was the 52nd primary school opened in Queensland.^[15] The school's original building was on the east bank of Lockyer Creek at the intersection of Railway street and the Warrego highway; it was damaged in a cyclone and a new school erected at its current location in School Street in 1919.^[15]

In 1877, 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) were resumed from the Helidon pastoral run and offered for selection on 24 April 1877.^[18]

St John the Baptist Anglican Church was dedicated on 9 September 1923 by Archbishop Gerald Sharp, 40 years after it was first proposed to establish a church. It was constructed with volunteer labour.^[19] It closed circa 1989.^[20]

 

Helidon CWA Hall

In December 1924, a branch of the Country Women's Association was formed in nearby Gatton,^[21] and had a membership of 28 by 1925.^[22] The Helidon Branch was formed in 1933.^[23] The branch was active but in more recent times struggled with diminishing membership and in 2013 was under threat of closure.^[24] The branch closed and the closest branch to Helidon is now the Upper Lockyer/Withcott branch which meets in Withcott.^[25]

 

Two women and a man taking the waters at Helidon Spa, ca. 1918

 

Women taking baskets of food to the troop train passing through Helidon, World War I

The Sisters of St Joseph came to Helidon in 1874 and opened St Joseph' School. A convent was built in 1884.^[26] The school closed in 1963.^[27]

In April 1914, a cyclonic storm swept through Helidon destroying the Catholic Church and severely damaging the convent, as well as many of the other buildings in the town – the Methodist Church, the school, post office and many businesses.^[28] St Joseph's Catholic Church was rebuilt and was opened on Sunday 27 September 1914 by Archbishop James Duhig.^{[29][30][31][32]}

The quality of the water at Helidon had long been known to the local indigenous population prior to colonisation, who believed the water had great healing and strength giving properties.^[33] They knew the spring water as "kowoor".^[34] These properties were thought to be the result of high lithium content, leading it to be sold and marketed as a powerful tonic for cleansing the bladder, kidneys and digestive system.^[35] In the 1820s, botanist and explorer Alan Cunningham became the first European to be introduced to Helidon's mineral waters. In 1879, chemist Reginald Larard was selling water from the spring as "Oogar Dang Water."^[36] The soda water was considered by a government analyst to be "a valuable discovery" and of a quality to "satisfy anyone of its immense superiority over all common soda water".^[37] By 1881 he had entered a partnership with Scottish sportsman and entrepreneur Gilbert E. Primrose, who had purchased the agricultural land around the springs, establishing the Helidon Spa Water Company. With the popularity of Helidon's spa water, the first 'spa park' was opened in 1926.^[38] To combat competition from imported soft drink products, the company would later merge with Owen Gardner & Sons in 1959 to become Kirks, now owned by Coca-Cola Amatil. During the 1960s, a large caravan park and pool were constructed, briefly earning the area the name 'Toowoomba's Gold Coast'. The area remained popular until the 1980s amid water safety concerns; however a few spa hotels still remain today.

On 10 January 2011 as part of the 2010–2011 Queensland floods, Helidon was hit by a wall of flood water caused by an extreme rain event in the Upper Lockyer Creeks and along the escarpment of the Toowoomba Range.^[39] Few houses were affected directly; those that were inundated sat directly on the creek bank, lower than the rest of the town. The main creek bank did not break, and the town was used as an evacuation centre for nearby Grantham.^[40]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Helidon had a population of 1,059 people.^[1] 84.3% of people were born in Australia and 89.9% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 23.2%, No Religion 22.0% and Anglican 15.2%.^[1]

Heritage listings

Helidon has a number of heritage-listed sites, which are included in the Helidon Heritage Walk. The walk encompasses:

• 7 Railway Street: Bank of New South Wales Building^[41]
• Turner Street: named after Mr. William Turner, the first manager of 'Hellidon Run'.
• Phone exchange
• Helidon State School, established 1874
• McGovern Park
• Criterion Hotel, 1913.
• Tyson Park
• Pictorial Museum
• St. Joseph's Catholic Church
• War Memorial, erected 1978.
• Railway Station & Refreshment Rooms, 1867.
• Progress Park tennis club
• Helidon sewerage scheme
• Cunningham's Camp
• Post Office
• Police station
• Helidon Cemetery, first gazetted by the Land Administration Commission in the early 1890s, though the site had been being used before that date.

The Heritage Walk was supported by the Helidon & District Progress Association inc., Helidon State School, and Lockyer Valley Regional Council

Education

Helidon State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 16 School Street (27°33′18″S 152°07′33″E / 27.5550°S 152.1257°E / -27.5550; 152.1257 (Helidon State School)).^[42][43] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 128 students with 10 teachers (8 full-time equivalent) and 10 non-teaching staff (6 full-time equivalent).^[44]

There are no secondary schools in Helidon. The nearest government secondary schools are Lockyer District State High School in Gatton to the east and Centenary Heights State High School in Centenary Heights, Toowoomba, to the west.^[45]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Helidon (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.    Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
2. "Helidon – town in Lockyer Valley Region (entry 15668)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
3. "Helidon – locality in Lockyer Valley Region (entry 44959)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
4. Morley, Peter (12 May 2008). "Helidon sandstone helps build China by the block". Courier-Mail. from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
5. "Places to Visit:Helidon" 7 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. queenslandholidays.com.au, Retrieved 12 January 2011
6. "LEASES OF CROWN LANDS BROUGHT WITHIN THE SETTLED DISTRICTS". The Moreton Bay Courier. Vol. VIII, no. 386. Queensland, Australia. 5 November 1853. p. 4. from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "The Moreton Bay Courier (Brisbane, Qld.) Thu 14 Feb 1861 Page 2 COMMISSION OF THE PEACE". from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
8. "Complimentary Dinner at Helidon". Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald And General Advertiser. Vol. XLIV, no. 6638. Queensland, Australia. 18 August 1903. p. 7. from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
9. "IPSWICH". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XXV, no. 4, 186. Queensland, Australia. 4 March 1871. p. 5. from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
10. "LAND SELECTIONS IN WEST MORETON". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XXVII, no. 4, 794. Queensland, Australia. 10 February 1873. p. 3. from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
11. "HELIDON". The Queenslander. Vol. XIII, no. 132. Queensland, Australia. 23 February 1878. p. 21. from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
12. "HELIDON". The Queenslander. Vol. XXI, no. 343. Queensland, Australia. 22 April 1882. p. 505. from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
13. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
14. . education.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 8 October 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
15. "History". Helidon State School. from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
16. . 1 February 2017. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
17. "EDUCATION REPORT". Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald And General Advertiser. Vol. XXII, no. 3124. Queensland, Australia. 1 August 1882. p. 3. from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
18. "Proclamations under the New Land Acts". The Brisbane Courier. Queensland, Australia. 2 March 1877. p. 3. from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020 – via Trove.
19. "The Week at a Glance". The Queenslander. No. 5876. Queensland, Australia. 15 September 1923. p. 30. from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
20. Anglican Church of Southern Queensland. . Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
21. "THE LOCKYER". Daily Mail. No. 7105. Brisbane. 4 December 1924. p. 14. from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
22. "THE LOCKYER". Daily Mail. Brisbane. 14 March 1925. p. 9. from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
23. "HELIDON". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 4 September 1933. p. 8. from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
24. . Chronicle. 1 February 2017. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
25. "QCWA". QCWA. from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
26. "Australian Christian Church Histories :: Helidon QLD – St Joseph's Catholic". www.churchhistories.net.au. from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
27. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
28. "Cyclone at Helidon". Queensland Times (Daily ed.). 4 April 1914. p. 13. from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
29. Wright, Carmel (2014), St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Helidon, Queensland : celebrating a century 1914 - 2014, St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Helidon, Qld.), ISBN 978-0-646-92767-1
30. "HELIDON R.C. CHURCH". Darling Downs Gazette. Queensland. 19 September 1914. p. 4. from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
31. "NEW HELIDON CHURCH". Darling Downs Gazette. Vol. LVII, no. 848. Queensland, Australia. 28 September 1914. p. 4. from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
32. "New Catholic Church at Helidon". Queensland Times. Vol. LVI, no. 9116. Queensland, Australia. 29 September 1914. p. 2 (Daily). from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
33. . 14 March 2012. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
34. Meston, Archibald (1891). Queensland railway & tourists' guide : compiled under instructions from the Queensland Railway Commissioners, with concise history of the colony, and complete description of all country traversed by the railway lines, with interesting extra information. Brisbane: Gordon and Gotch. p. 29.
35. "Bottles and cans: an adventure in suburban archaeology | There once was a creek . . ". www.oncewasacreek.org. from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
36. "Helidon | Queensland Places". queenslandplaces.com.au. from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
37. "Discovery of a Spring of Mineral Water at Helidon". Warwick Examiner and Times. Queensland. 31 December 1880. p. 2. from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
38. "Bottles and cans: an adventure in suburban archaeology | There once was a creek . . ". www.oncewasacreek.org. from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
39. Kerin, Lindy "Wall of water hits Helidon" 12 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine. ABC Radio, AM. 11 January 2011, Retrieved 12 January 2011
40. Amber Jamieson (11 January 2011), 'Situation continues to deteriorate': QLD floods, from the original on 18 October 2012, retrieved 31 March 2013
41. "Bank of New South Wales premises and attached residence (former) (entry 600512)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
42. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
43. "Helidon State School". Helidon State School. 3 February 2020. from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
44. "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
45. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 13 August 2022.

Further reading

• Hogan, Suzanne (1991). The history of Helidon 1841-1991 : 150th anniversary booklet (First ed.). Suzanne Hogan.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Helidon, Queensland.

• "Helidon". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.