Douglas, Queensland (Toowoomba Region)

Douglas
Queensland
Douglas; Queensland
	Monument on the site of the Douglas Lutheran Church, 2006
	Douglas
Coordinates	27.3316°S 151.9175°E
Population	112 (2016 census)[1]
• Density	2.276/km2 (5.90/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4354
Area	49.2 km2 (19.0 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	7.1 km (4 mi) E of Goombungee ; 19.3 km (12 mi) SW of Crows Nest ; 23.1 km (14 mi) N of Highfields ; 37.3 km (23 mi) N of Toowoomba ; 161 km (100 mi) WNW of Brisbane ;
LGA(s)	Toowoomba Region
State electorate(s)	Condamine
Federal division(s)	Groom; Maranoa;
	Suburbs around Douglas:

Douglas is a rural locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2016 census, Douglas had a population of 112 people.[1]

Geography

The Pechey-Maclagan Road runs through the locality from east to west.[3]

The predominant land use is grazing on native vegetation and crop growing.[4]

History

Plaque marking the original site of Douglas Lutheran Church, 2006

German settlers arrived in the district in 1875. A Lutheran congregation formed and worshipped in private homes, until the Jesus Lutheran Church was opened on 24 July 1882 on the Douglas Plainby Road (27.3084°S 151.9190°E / -27.3084; 151.9190 (Jesus Lutheran Church)). The church was enlarged in 1938.[5]

On 21 December 1886, the Queensland Government reserved a 10-acre (4.0 ha) site for a cemetery. A section for Lutheran burials was created in the north-west of the site and a section for Catholic burials in the south.[6]

Gomoron Provisional School opened on 28 February 1887.[7] It was most likely named after Gomaren Creek which flows through the area.[8] It became Goromon State School in 1890. In 1911, its name was changed to Douglas State School,[7] to avoid post office confusion as there was another place called Gomaren.[2] The school closed in 1959.[7] It was at Douglas Plainby Road (corner Guy Road, 27.3212°S 151.9106°E / -27.3212; 151.9106 (Douglas State School (former))).[9][4]

Pastor Wilhelm Poland (centre rear) with his family at Crows Nest, circa 1933

Pastor Wilhelm Georg Friedrich Poland was the Lutheran minister in Douglas from 1910 until his retirement in 1933.[5] During World War I, he was interned at Trial Bay Gaol as an enemy alien.[10]

In 1992, the Jesus Lutheran church building was relocated to be the chapel at the Ballon Outdoor Education Centre in the Barakula State Forest in Durah (Western Downs Region), operated by Concordia Lutheran College in Toowoomba.[11] In 2019, it was relocated to the Googa Outdoor Education Centre, operated by a number of Lutheran organisations, in the Googa State Forest on Nukku Road at Googa Creek (Townsville Region).[12][13] The site of the church in Douglas is marked with a small monument.[14]

In the 2016 census, Douglas had a population of 112 people.[1]

Economy

There are a number of homesteads in the locality, including:[15]

Greyhurst (27.2921°S 151.8962°E / -27.2921; 151.8962 (Greyhurst (homestead)))
Hillview (27.3404°S 151.9078°E / -27.3404; 151.9078 (Hillview (homestead)))
Ky-Lew (27.3313°S 151.9018°E / -27.3313; 151.9018 (Ky-Lew (homestead)))
Nargoor (27.2850°S 151.8949°E / -27.2850; 151.8949 (Nargoor (homestead)))
Yavrabee (27.3404°S 151.8955°E / -27.3404; 151.8955 (Yavrabee (homestead)))

Education

There are no schools in Douglas. The nearest government primary school is Goombungee State School in neighbouring Goombungee to the west and Haden State School in Haden to the north-west.[4] The nearest government secondary schools are Crows Nest State School (to Year 10) in Crows Nest to the north-east and Highfields State Secondary College (to Year 12) in Highfields to the south-east.[4]

Facilities

Douglas Cemetery is on Douglas Plainby Road (27.3182°S 151.9121°E / -27.3182; 151.9121 (Douglas Cemetery)).[16] It is operated by the Toowoomba Regional Council.[6]

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Douglas (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
"Douglas – locality in Toowoomba Region (entry 49256)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
Douglas, Queensland (Map). OpenStreetMap. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
"Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
Weiss, Johann Peter (1999), Short, general and statistical history of the Australian Lutheran Church : places, parishes, pastors, J.P. Weiss, p. 54, ISBN 978-0-9586400-0-8
"Cemetery location, open hours and interment options: Douglas". Toowoomba Regional Council. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
"Gomaren Creek – watercourse in the Toowoomba Region (entry 14182)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
"Parish of Goombungee" (Map). Queensland Government. 1947. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
"Pastor Wilhelm Poland with his family at Crows Nest". State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
"Ballon Outdoor Education Centre - Information Booklet 2014". yumpu.com. Concordia Lutheran College. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
"The Expansion of Googa Outdoor Education Centre Needs Your Help". Qld District. Lutheran Church of Australia. 19 August 2019. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
Blake, Thom. "Jesus Lutheran Church". Queensland religious places database. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
"Jesus Lutheran Church - Douglas". Churches Australia. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
"Homesteads - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
"Cemetery Areas - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.