Chelona, Queensland Explained

Chelona is a rural locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia.^[1] In the, Chelona had a population of 120 people.

Geography

The locality is bounded to the south by Sandy Creek.

The Bruce Highway enters the locality from the south (Balberra) and exits to the north (Rosella). The North Coast railway line also enters the locality from the south and exits to the north, further west than the highway. There is also a network of cane tramways that transports harvested sugarcane to the sugar mills.

The predominant land use is sugarcane farming. Most of the residential development is along the Bruce Highway.

History

The now-abandoned Chelona railway station on the North Coast railway line was named on 30 October 1913 after Mount Chelona, which was named by surveyor William Charles Borlase Wilson.^{[2] [3]} The locality takes its name from the railway station.

Chelona State School opened on 23 January 1893.^[4]

A postal receiving office opened at Chelona in August 1902. It became a post office on 1 July 1927 and closed on 2 March 1964.^[5]

Demographics

In the, Chelona had a population of 100 people.

In the, Chelona had a population of 120 people.

Education

Chelona State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 13 Chelona School Access Road (-21.2603°N 149.1451°W).^{[6] [7]} In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 107 students with 8 teachers (6 full-time equivalent) and 7 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).^[8]

There is no secondary school in Chelona. The nearest government secondary school is Mackay State High School in Mackay to the north.

Amenities

The Mackay Regional Council operates a mobile library service on a fortnightly schedule at Dunrock Road near the school.^{[9] [10]}

Notes and References

1. 18 September 2020.
2. 22 October 2020.
3. News: 9 December 1922 . District Place Names . 56 . 8 . . 562 . Queensland, Australia . 7 September 2023 . National Library of Australia.
4. 18 April 2019.
5. Web site: Chelona . Phoenix Auctions . Post Office Reference . 20 March 2021.
6. Web site: 9 July 2018. State and non-state school details. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20181121065959/https://data.qld.gov.au/dataset/state-and-non-state-school-details/resource/5b39065c-df32-415c-994c-5ff12f8de997. 21 November 2018. 21 November 2018. Queensland Government.
7. Web site: Chelona State School. 20 March 2021.
8. Web site: ACARA School Profile 2018. 28 January 2020. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.
9. Web site: Libraries: Contact/Opening Hours. Mackay Regional Council. 28 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20160301063545/http://www.mackay.qld.gov.au/libraries/official_stuff/contact_us. 1 March 2016. dead.
10. Web site: Mobile Library Timetable 2017. Mackay Regional Council. https://web.archive.org/web/20170301173944/http://www.mackay.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/194576/ML_Timetable_2017_Final.pdf. 1 March 2017. dead. 8 May 2017.