Duaringa is a rural town in the Central Highlands Region and a locality split between the Central Highlands Region and the Aboriginal Shire of Woorabinda in Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Duaringa had a population of 262 people.
Geography Duaringa is on the Capricorn Highway, west of Rockhampton. The Dawson River forms the eastern boundary of the locality, while the Mackenzie River forms the northern boundary.
The Mackenzie River crossing on Apis Creek Road is approximately 20 kilometres north of the Duaringa township. Motorists are able to use the gravel road to travel through to Marlborough, Queensland but the low level crossing at the Mackenzie River can quickly succumb to river rises during wet weather and heavy rain upstream, closing the road.Road Closed: Apis Creek Road, Duaringa , Early Warning Network, 3 February 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
The Dawson River, which supplies Duaringa's town water supply,Duaringa under water restriction, The Morning Bulletin, 30 December 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2016. flows to the east of the township. The Capricorn Highway crosses the Dawson River and its anabranch approximately 12 kilometres east of Duaringa. Due to the height of the bridges, only major flooding of the Dawson River closes the highway. Aroona Road, an unsealed road which runs parallel next to the railway line, also provides rural residents with an alternative crossing at a newly built low-level bridge which crosses the Dawson River, 12 kilometres east of Duaringa and seven kilometres downstream from the Capricorn Highway crossing.
The Dawson River and the Mackenzie River both join up north-east of Duaringa to form the Fitzroy River which eventually flows through the city of Rockhampton. A mural depicting the three rivers is painted on the back of the Duaringa Historical & Tourism Information Centre, facing the Capricorn Highway.Photo: Duaringa mural , ABC Capricornia Facebook page, 21 September 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
Etymology There are a number of stories relating the origin of the name "Duaringa".
The Queensland Government proclaimed the town reserve on 30 October 1878, an area of which was resumed from the Nundubbermere pastoral run. It believed the name derives from an early pastoral run, believed to be an Aboriginal word, meaning she oak tree. The Queensland Railways Department claimed that the origin of the name for the Duaringa railway station meant oak.
A book that was published by Duaringa Shire Council in 1981 to mark 100 years of local government explored three versions but concluded that no version could be verified with 100% certainty.
The first version published in the book explores the possibility that the word Duaringa originated from the word "djuaringe" possibly used by Aborigines in the traditional Wakawaka or Barunggam languages in southern parts of Queensland. The word "djuaringe" is believed to mean "to turn oneself around" or "to turn into something".
The second and most popular theory is that the town's name is derived from the aboriginal words 'D'warra D'nanjie', meaning a meeting place on the swamp oaks. This is the officially recognised origin of the name Duaringa.Queensland place names search: Duaringa , Department of Natural Resources & Mines, Queensland Government website. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
A third version and arguably the most outlandish theory, explored the likelihood of whether the name is linked to a local pioneering family. The book explains that a local well-liked woman named Inga Anderson lived and worked in the Boolburra area. It has been said that the area where she lived was known as "Inga's Place" or "Dear Inga's". It's claimed that her descendants believe that the Railways Department invited Inga to see her name "Dear Inga" painted on the Duaringa Railway Station when it opened in 1876 and somehow was corrupted into the name Duaringa. Anderson went on to marry Moses Wafer of the pioneering Wafer family that settled in the Dingo area.
As Duaringa was being established as a railway town in the 1870s, the settlement was known as either "The Dawson Seven Mile" or "Colo".
In an article in the 27 November 1875 edition of The Capricornian, it was stated that the newspaper understood that the Postmaster-General deemed it undesirable to adopt the name of Colo, as there was already a Colo in New South Wales. The brief article also mentioned that the native name of the area was said to be "Duarininga" but it was considered too lengthy.Local & General News , The Capricornian, 27 November 1875. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
On 4 December 1875, The Capricornian reported that "a suitable designation had been found for Colo, alias Seven-mile." The article reported that the native name of Duarininga had been discarded as it was thought to have been too difficult to pronounce, and a "euphonious and expressive" name of Thorn Town had been selected to honour the Postmaster General, George Thorn, who became the 6th Premier of Queensland the following year.Local & General News , The Capricornian, 4 December 1875. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
However, in the following week's edition of The Capricornian, the newspaper retracted their previous report which stated the Dawson Seven-mile township would be called Thorntown, instead of Colo. The newspaper explained their announcement was found to have been premature as those who decide such matters had gone on to reverse their original decision and finally decided to officially call the town by its native name, although "slightly contracted" from Duarininga to Duaringa.Local & General News , The Capricornian, 18 December 1875. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
Although Colo Post Office opened on 10 November 1875, it was renamed the following month to the town's new name of Duaringa. The Postmaster General's Office placed a newspaper advertisement in several editions of The Rockhampton Bulletin, dated 30 December 1875, advising that the post office would be known as the Duaringa Post Office.Advertising: Notice from Postmaster General's Office , The Rockhampton Bulletin, 12 January 1876. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
History Duaringa was close to the northwestern boundaries of the Kangulu, and the eastern frontier of the Kanolu peoples.Norman Tindale, Aboriginal Tribes of Australia, Australian National University 1974 p. 174.
1800s Like many towns in the Central Queensland area, Duaringa was first established as a settlement for railway workers during the construction of the Central Western railway line during the 1870s. However, the decision to create a settlement where Duaringa exists today was only determined after a devastating flood in 1875.The flood at the Dawson , Rockhampton Bulletin, 1 March 1875. Retrieved 9 December 2016. Prior to the flood, the government had surveyed land where the railway crosses the Dawson River for a major service centre for the railway to be established there. As such, the township of Boolburra was established with many families settling on either side of the river.Bird, J T S (John T S), The early history of Rockhampton, published 1 January 1904 by The Morning Bulletin
The bridge across the Dawson River was almost finished in February 1875 when torrential rain began to fall which continued over several days. The relentless rainfall caused the river to rise rapidly catching many people in Boolburra unaware. In late February, 1875, a series of urgent telegramsTelegraphic dispatches: Rocky Creek , The Morning Bulletin, 1 March 1875. Retrieved 9 December 2016.The flood: official telegram from Rocky Creek , Rockhampton Bulletin, 2 March 1875. Retrieved 9 December 2016 began being received in Rockhampton reporting that the whole area was underwater and that many people in Boolburra were stranded on rooftops, in trees and on any high ground they could find.
Upon receiving the news, the superintendent of the railways Robert Ballard set men to work to build punts to rescue people.
When the rescuers arrived, they found thirty residents on the roof of Sheehy's Hotel, while others were stranded on the top of Beattie's Hotel or their own rooftops. Many were suffering from insect bites and severe sunburn. Almost 300 people were rescued from the floodwaters, including four Chinese men who had been without food for five days.
While the loss of life was expected to be substantial, the death toll was much less than first anticipated. Several people did lose their lives, including a German man and his three children, though his wife and their baby were found alive on top of a pile of railway sleepers. The people of Rockhampton began donating items to the Boolburra flood victims including blankets, clothing, loaves of bread, meat and rations.
After the flood, the government decided to abandon their plan to use Boolburra as the major railway centre it was proposed to be, and instead create a separate settlement seven miles further west along the railway line for that purpose. Boolburra then became an ordinary wayside station instead of its original purpose.
The railway line from Boolburra to Duaringa opened on 28 March 1876. A free excursion for people to travel by train from Rockhampton to Duaringa was organised to mark the occasion.Queensland Northern Railway: Opening to Duaringa (advertisement) , The Rockhampton Bulletin, 24 March 1876. Retrieved 9 December 2016. Secretary for Public Works, Henry Edward King was among those that made the trip.Duaringa Railway Excursion , The Rockhampton Bulletin, 30 March 1876. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
Duaringa Provisional School opened on 3 June 1879. It became Duaringa State School on 23 November 1899. In September 1880, it was decided that the portion of the Banana Division west of the Dawson River should be excised to form a new local government division due to communication difficulties within the Banana Division. As a result, the Duaringa Divisional Board was formed to administer the excised area.Turner, Denise, Duaringa Shire: 100 years of local government (1881-1981), published in 1981 by Duaringa Shire Council,
The first meeting of the Duaringa Divisional Board took place on 10 August 1881. Another two meetings took place in 1881 where road repairs, a request to the government for accounting books, a set of by-laws and permission to use the Duaringa Railway Station as a meeting place were among the issues discussed. A rate of sixpence in the pound was levied and sent to all ratepayers in the newly formed division.
Tryphinia Provisional School opened circa 1898 and closed in 1905.
1900s
The Duaringa Divisional Board held its last meeting on 11 June 1903 just prior to the name change to Duaringa Shire Council. A council office and residence was built in 1919.
The existing council chambers on the corner of William and Elizabeth Street was officially opened by Minister for Local Government Wallace Rae on 28 November 1970. The construction of a new council library in Elizabeth Street followed, which was opened in October 1977.
Laurinel State School opened on 23 January 1984 and closed on 11 December 1987.
2000s The town served as the administrative centre of the Duaringa Shire Council up until 2008 when the council area was amalgamated into the newly formed Emerald-based Central Highlands Regional Council.Our Council , Central Highlands Regional Council website. Retrieved 9 December 2016. The council chambers are still used for administration purposes, and the council remains a major employer for people who live and work in the town.Contact Council , Central Highlands Regional Council website. Retrieved 9 December 2016.