Meringandan West, Queensland

Meringandan West is a rural locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia.^[2] In the 2016 census, Meringandan West had a population of 2211 people.^[1]

Meringandan West Queensland
Clifford Street, 2014
Meringandan West
Coordinates	27°25′00″S 151°53′32″E / 27.4166°S 151.8922°E / -27.4166; 151.8922
Population	2,211 (2016 census)^[1]
• Density	133.2/km^2 (345.0/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4352
Area	16.6 km^2 (6.4 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
LGA(s)	Toowoomba Region
State electorate(s)	Condamine
Federal division(s)	Groom
Suburbs around Meringandan West: Muniganeen Muniganeen Meringandan Yalangur Gowrie Little Plain Meringandan West Meringandan Lilyvale Glencoe Cawdor Woolmer

Geography

Meringandan West is on Darling Downs in southern Queensland.^{[citation needed]}

The majority of the eastern boundary is aligned with Meringandan Creek^{[citation needed]}

Mount Muniganeen is in the north of Meringandan West and rises to heights greater than 600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level.^{[citation needed]}

Central parts of the area have been developed into a residential estate. Meringandan West was part of a local planning scheme developed and adopted by the Toowoomba Region Council in August 2013.^[3]

Meringandan cemetery is located in Peters Road.^{[citation needed]}

History

The name Meringandan is taken from the former railway station, which in turn is a Gooneburra word meaning red soil or broken clay.^[2]

Meringandan State School opened on 24 January 1876.^[4] It was built during 1875 by Jack Maag. Isaac John Thomas was appointed the first head teacher of the school,. The enrolment for that year was 80 pupils.^{[citation needed]} It is now within the suburb boundaries of Meringandan West.^[5]

Meringandan West was separated from Meringandan by Meringandan Creek (which also formed the boundary between the Shire of Crows Nest and the Shire of Rosalie) with Meringandan West falling under the jurisdiction of the Shire of Rosalie. in 2008, both Meringandan and Meringandan West both came under the jurisdiction of the newly created Toowoomba Region.

Facilities

There are several scattered parks. The most notable park is Lilyvale Oval, which has an unlit sporting field (cricket pitch), which is used for a radio-controlled model aircraft flying field on occasion by the local inhabitants and visitors also, probably, operates as a flood basic, a playground, a picnic table, and a community shed, as well as a BBQ and toilet block for public use.^{[citation needed]}

Next to this park, is a shed, from which operates the local rural fire brigade.^{[citation needed]}

Lilyvale Oval, was once used for an annual rodeo hosted by the P&C of Meringandan State School. The P&C also used to run Christmas Carols in the park, but they were also cancelled for lack of funding. Small church groups still used the park for annual carols nights.^[6]

In the east of Meringandan West, there is a small cemetery.^{[citation needed]}

Education

Meringandan State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 10 School Road (27°25′49″S 151°54′18″E / 27.4303°S 151.9050°E / -27.4303; 151.9050 (Meringandan State School)).^[7][8] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 240 students with 20 teachers (15 full-time equivalent) and 14 non-teaching staff (8 full-time equivalent).^[9]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Meringandan West (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.  
2. "Meringandan West – locality in Toowoomba Region (entry 49183)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
3. . Local plans. Toowoomba Regional Council. 22 August 2013. Archived from the original on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
4. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
5. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
6. A Meringandan Resident
7. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
8. "Meringandan State School". from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
9. "ACARA School Profile 2017". from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.