Dingo, Queensland

Summary

Dingo is a rural town and locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2016 census, the locality of Dingo had a population of 340 people.[1]

Dingo
Queensland
Grain silos at Dingo, 2017
Dingo is located in Queensland
Dingo
Dingo
Coordinates23°38′42″S 149°19′53″E / 23.645°S 149.3313°E / -23.645; 149.3313 (Dingo (town centre))
Population340 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density0.2104/km2 (0.545/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4702
Area1,616.2 km2 (624.0 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Central Highlands Region
State electorate(s)Gregory
Federal division(s)Flynn
Localities around Dingo:
Jellinbah Alsace Mackenzie
Bluff Dingo Goowarra
Stewarton
Blackdown
Wooroona Wallaroo
Coomoo

Geography edit

The town is on the Capricorn Highway, 759 kilometres (472 mi) by road north-west of the state capital Brisbane and 148 kilometres (92 mi) by road west of the regional centre of Rockhampton. The Fitzroy Developmental Road runs north-west from the Capricorn Highway.[4]

The Central Western railway line passes through the locality with two stations (from west to east):

  • Umolo railway station (23°37′36″S 149°16′00″E / 23.6268°S 149.2667°E / -23.6268; 149.2667 (Umolo railway station))[5]
  • Dingo railway station, serving the town (23°38′50″S 149°19′51″E / 23.6472°S 149.3307°E / -23.6472; 149.3307 (Dingo railway station))[6][5]

History edit

 
A bronze sculpture of a dingo located in the township of Dingo, 2017

The town was surveyed in 1889 and took its name from the nearby Dingo Creek.[3] For a time in 1940 the town was known as Remo.[3] Dingo Post Office opened on 1 October 1876.[7]

Dingo Provisional School opened on 29 May 1876. On 22 January 1877 it became Dingo State School.[8][9][10]

In 1973, a population of Bridled nail-tail wallabies (Onychogalea fraenata) was found in the Dingo area by a fencing contractor. Not having been seen since 1937, the species had been considered extinct. The area where the wallabies was rediscovered was protected as Taunton National Park.[11]

On 31 January 1997, Duaringa Shire mayor Tom Hall unveiled a bronze sculpture of a dingo in Normanby Street opposite the library (23°38′50″S 149°19′57″E / 23.6473°S 149.3325°E / -23.6473; 149.3325 (Statue of a dingo)). It was created by Gaye Porter.[12] A plaque attached below the statue explains how pioneer Moses Wafer named the area after hearing dingos howling during the night while camped near the present-day site of the town.[12]

In the 2006 census, Dingo had a population of 263 people.[13]

In the 2011 census, Dingo had a population of 342 people.[14]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Dingo had a population of 340 people.[1]

Education edit

Dingo State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls on the corner of Kennedy and Normanby Streets (23°38′44″S 149°19′49″E / 23.6455°S 149.3302°E / -23.6455; 149.3302 (Dingo State School)).[15][16] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 47 students with 5 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).[17]

Amenities edit

The Central Highlands Regional Council operates a public library at 10 Normanby Street (23°38′50″S 149°19′57″E / 23.6471°S 149.3326°E / -23.6471; 149.3326 (Dingo public library)).[18]

Events edit

In August each year, the Dingo Race Club holds the annual Dingo Race Day and World Dingo Trap Throwing Competition at Bauman Park (23°39′03″S 149°20′45″E / 23.6509°S 149.3458°E / -23.6509; 149.3458 (Bauman Park)).[19] The event was attended by 2000 people in 2019 when it celebrated its 30th anniversary.[20] This figure grew to 4,000 when the event returned in 2021 after being cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[21][22]

Notable residents edit

Australian rugby league player Ben Hunt grew up in Dingo.[23]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Dingo (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.  
  2. ^ "Dingo – town in Central Highlands Region (entry 9993)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Dingo – locality in Central Highlands Region (entry 46946)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  4. ^ Google (13 August 2019). "Dingo, Queensland" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Railway stations and sidings – Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Dingo – railway station in the Central Highlands Region (entry 9995)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  7. ^ Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  9. ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  10. ^ "Our school". Dingo State School. 13 January 2020. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Bridled nailtail wallaby". Department of Environment and Resource Management (Queensland). Archived from the original on 11 May 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  12. ^ a b Dingo: The Animal and Town (commemorative plaque below bronze statue). Dingo, Queensland: Duaringa Shire Council. 1997.
  13. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Dingo". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  14. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Dingo". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 October 2015.  
  15. ^ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  16. ^ "Dingo State School". Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  17. ^ "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Dingo Library". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. 28 November 2016. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  19. ^ Turnbull, Richard (16 August 2019). "Iconic Dingo races on track". Central Queensland News. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Dingo Races draws punters". The Morning Bulletin. 30 August 2019. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  21. ^ Harden, Ben (26 August 2021). "Dingo Race Day attracts bumper crowd but future in doubt". Queensland Country Life. Australian Community Media. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  22. ^ Welburn, Alan (21 April 2020). "The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has impacted on race carnivals". Queensland Country Life. Australian Community Media. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  23. ^ Kidd, Meghan (11 June 2014). "Dingo's Ben Hunt gets the Origin call-up". Central Queensland News. Retrieved 14 June 2021.

External links edit