Fordsdale, Queensland
| Fordsdale Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 School of Arts hall, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
  Fordsdale | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 27°43′41″S 152°05′34″E / 27.7280°S 152.0927°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 52 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.804/km2 (2.082/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4343 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 64.7 km2 (25.0 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Lockyer Valley Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Lockyer | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Wright | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Fordsdale is a rural locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2016 census, Fordsdale had a population of 52 people.[1]
Geography[edit]
The terrain in the area is rugged. Lower areas along the creeks have been farmed while the steep and elevated parts remain vegetated. Silky Oak Creek joins Ma Ma Creek, a tributary of Lockyer Creek at Fordsdale. Dwyers Scrub Regional Park has been established in the west.
The Gatton–Clifton Road runs through from north-east to south. [3]
History[edit]
The locality is said to be named after William Thomas Ford, a farmer of Mount Whitestone, who carried the mail from Grantham to Mount Whitestone run from 1896.[2][4]
Ma Ma Creek Upper Provisional School opened on 8 July 1895 with Mr H. C. Tronc as headmaster. In 1906, it was renamed Fordsdale Provisional School. On 1 January 1909, it became Fordsdale State School. In April 1929, it was closed but reopened in 1931.[5] It was at 1902 Gatton Clifton Road (27°42′29″S 152°07′43″E / 27.7081°S 152.1285°E).[6][7]
Fordsdale School of Arts was officially opened on 27 May 1932 by Councillor Byrne, chairman of the Tarampa Shire Council.[8][9]
In 1933, the school closed again. It reopened in 1937 with Miss E. G. M. Allen as head teacher with classes being held in the School of Arts as it was thought to be a more central location. As attendance at the new location was successfully maintained, it was decided to build a new school building on a site near the hall donated by Mr W. Bynon.[10] The new school was officially opened on Saturday 3 June 1939 by the Leader of the Opposition, Ted Maher.[11][12] The school closed in 1967.[5] It was at approx 2085 Gatton Clifton Road (27°43′12″S 152°07′16″E / 27.7199°S 152.1211°E).[13][7]
At the 2011 census, Fordsdale and surrounds recorded a population 211.[14]
In the 2016 census, Fordsdale had a population of 52 people.[1]
Education[edit]
There are no schools in Fordsdale. The nearest primary school is Mount Whitestone State School in neighbouring Mount Whitestone to the north-east. The nearest secondary schools are Lockyer District State High School in Gatton to the north-east and Centenary Heights State High School in Centenary Heights in Toowoomba to the north-west.[7]
Amenities[edit]
Fordsdale School of Arts Hall is at 2085 Gatton Clifton Road (27°43′11″S 152°07′09″E / 27.7196°S 152.1193°E).[15]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Fordsdale (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ a b "Fordsdale – locality in Lockyer Valley Region (entry 49516)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ Fordsdale, Queensland (Map). OpenStreetMap. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ "Country Correspondence". Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald And General Advertiser. Vol. XXXVII, no. 5530. Queensland, Australia. 17 December 1896. p. 6. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
- ^ "Helidon" (Map). Queensland Government. 1936. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ a b c "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ "MA MA CREEK". The Brisbane Courier. No. 23, 197. Queensland, Australia. 4 June 1932. p. 16. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "FORDSDALE". Queensland Times. Vol. LXXII, no. 14, 423. Queensland, Australia. 8 June 1932. p. 12 (DAILY). Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "FORDSDALE". Queensland Times. Vol. LXXIX, no. 16, 350. Queensland, Australia. 19 April 1939. p. 5 (DAILY.). Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "NEW SCHOOL". Queensland Times. Vol. LXXIX, no. 16, 391. Queensland, Australia. 6 June 1939. p. 6 (DAILY.). Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "NEW SCHOOL AT FORDSDALE". The Courier-mail. No. 1797. Queensland, Australia. 6 June 1939. p. 4. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Queensland Two Mile series sheet 2m43" (Map). Queensland Government. 1953. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Fordsdale (Gazetted Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ Fordsdale School of Arts (2007), Reflections of Fordsdale : Fordsdale School of Arts 1932-2007, Community Books Australia, ISBN 978-1-921151-79-8
Further reading[edit]
- Fordsdale School of Arts (2007), Reflections of Fordsdale : Fordsdale School of Arts 1932-2007, Community Books Australia, ISBN 978-1-921151-79-8
- 70 year jubilee, 8th July, 1895- 17th July, 1965, Fordsdale State School, 1965
- Mt. Whitestone jubilee : 1886-1976, including memoirs of the Fordsdale School, Gatton, Queensland: Mt. Whitestone State School, 1976
External links[edit]
Media related to Fordsdale, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons