Wonga Beach, Queensland

Wonga Beach is a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia.[2] The town of Wonga is within the locality.[3] In the 2016 census, Wonga Beach had a population of 975 people.[1]

Wonga Beach
Queensland
Wonga Beach
Coordinates16.3338°S 145.4161°E / -16.3338; 145.4161
Population975 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density45.56/km2 (118.0/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4873
Area21.4 km2 (8.3 sq mi)
LGA(s)Shire of Douglas
State electorate(s)Cook
Federal Division(s)Leichhardt
Localities around Wonga Beach:
Whyanbeel Lower Daintree Lower Daintree
Bamboo Wonga Beach Coral Sea
Bamboo Rocky Point Coral Sea

Geography

Wonga Beach is a beachside locality situated between the small residential towns of Rocky Point (sometimes referred to as Dayman Point) and the Daintree township. It is approximately 17 kilometres (11 mi) north of the town of Mossman. In 1985 a large volcanic eruption beneath the Coral Sea released thousands of Pumice stones to the ocean surface which were then blown along north Queensland's shore by the trade winds.[4]

History

Rocky Point State School opened on 23 February 1939,[5] about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south of the current school at Rocky Point. In 1999, the school was relocated to Wonga Beach and renamed Wonga Beach State School.[6][7] Most of the Rocky Point school buildings were sold for housing, but one was relocated to Wonga Beach.

Wonga Beach had a population of 746 in the 2011 census.[8]

Fauna

Birdwatchers visit Wonga Beach to see three uncommon bird species: Gould's bronze cuckoo, double-eyed fig-parrot and the beach stone-curlew. The last species is easily confused with the ubiquitous bush stone-curlew noted for its wailing calls at night.[9]

Services

In addition to automotive fuels, the Caltex service station incorporates a small convenience store with an ATM. The site was previously run as a British Petroleum and before that Mobil but changed to Caltex in 2007. Nearby there are picnic tables, a post box, telephone booth and a display of model cassowaries. In 2011 three shops were added to the complex. A pharmacy opened, and the other shops are available to rent. The Caltex service station is the only fuel outlet in the Daintree Valley and opens early (5:30am) and closes at 8:30pm.

Education

Wonga Beach State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 48-74 Snapper Island Drive (16.3419°S 145.4129°E / -16.3419; 145.4129 (Wonga Beach State School)).[10][11] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 90 students with 10 teachers (6 full-time equivalent) and 7 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).[12]

The school is known as a SunSmart school (an initiative of The Cancer Council Australia), enforcing strict rules on UV-protection. The school has a large area of swampland, the maintenance of which has been made a school project, with an 'eco-maze' currently being developed in the site.

School buses run twice daily from New Wonga to Old Wonga, then on to Mossman. These buses are not available to the public.

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Wonga Beach (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  2. "Wonga Beach – locality in Shire of Douglas (entry 49615)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  3. "Wonga – population centre in Douglas Shire (entry 37911)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  4. 101 things to do in daintree, http://daintree.info/101thingstodoindaintree.htm
  5. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  6. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  7. "History". Wonga Beach State School. Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  8. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Wonga Beach (Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  9. 100 things to do in Daintree
  10. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  11. "Wonga Beach State School". Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  12. "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
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