Grantham, Queensland

Grantham is a rural town and locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] The town is located 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2016 census, Grantham and the surrounding area had a population of 634.[1]

Grantham Queensland
Grantham Hotel, located in Anzac Ave
Grantham
Coordinates	27.5769°S 152.2022°E / -27.5769; 152.2022
Population	634 (2016 census)[1]
• Density	12.860/km^2 (33.31/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4347
Elevation	109 m (358 ft)
Area	49.3 km^2 (19.0 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	100 km (62 mi) W of Brisbane 31 km (19 mi) E of Toowoomba 11 km (7 mi) W of Gatton
LGA(s)	Lockyer Valley Region
County	Cavendish
Parish	Lockyer
State electorate(s)	Lockyer
Federal Division(s)	Wright
Localities around Grantham: Helidon Seventeen Mile Ringwood Helidon Grantham Gatton Placid Hills Carpendale Veradilla Winwill Lower Tenthill

Geography

The Warrego Highway passes through from east to west. The north-west corner is occupied by part of the Lockyer State Forest.

History

The area was first settled in 1841, by George Mocatta.[4] He named his pastoral run Grantham, which became the name of the town.[2]

In 1866 a railway siding from the main Toowoomba line was opened which assisted in the development of a small settlement. It wasn't until the mid-1879s that the Grantham railway station was built.[4]

In August 1895 tenders were called for the erection of a provisional school at Grantham Scrub.[5] In January 1896 teacher Catherine M. Ludeman was appointed to the Grantham Scrub Provisional School, suggesting it opened around that time.[6][7] On 1 January 1909 it became Grantham Scrub State School. It closed circa 1950.[8]

Grantham Provisional School opened on 23 January 1905. On 1 January 1909 it became Grantham State School.[8]

A butter factory was established in 1907. The building was replaced in 1926 by a brick building which operated until 1971.[4]

Grantham Post Office opened on 1 January 1890 (a receiving office had been open from 1876).[9]

2011 flash floods

On 10 January 2011, Grantham was severely damaged in a huge flash flood. 12 people lost their lives and a large number of houses and other buildings were destroyed.[10]

Following the floods, Grantham received visits by politicians including Queensland Premier Anna Bligh on numerous occasions. Australia's Governor-General Quentin Bryce also visited the town.[11]

In May 2011, it was announced that the town would be moved to higher ground to prevent future damaging floods.[12] A 935-acre site was purchased so that landholders could be provided a voluntary swap of equivalent-sized blocks. The new site is situated on a hill overlooking Grantham and has permission from the state government to bypass the normal development approval process.[13] Resident of nearby Murphys Creek, Postmans Ridge, Withcott and Helidon have been included in the fast-tracked plan.

Education

Grantham State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 15 Victor Street (27.5740°S 152.2020°E / -27.5740; 152.2020 (Grantham State School)).[14][15] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 95 students with 6 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).[16]

Population

In the 2016 Census, there were 634 people in Grantham. 81.1% of people were born in Australia and 90.9% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 24.3%, Catholic 17.8% and Anglican 15.5%.[1]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "2016 Community Profiles: Grantham (SSC) (State Suburb)". 2016 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 9 February 2019. Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
2. "Grantham - town in Lockyer Valley Region (entry 14609)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
3. "Grantham - locality in Lockyer Valley Region (entry 44957)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
4. Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) (2000). Heritage Trails of the Great South East. State of Queensland. p. 61. ISBN 0-7345-1008-X.
5. "TENDERS INVITED". Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald And General Advertiser. XXXVI (5322). Queensland, Australia. 17 August 1895. p. 5. Retrieved 17 November 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "The Education Department". Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald And General Advertiser. XXXVI (5390). Queensland, Australia. 25 January 1896. p. 5. Retrieved 17 November 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "The Department of Public Instruction". Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald And General Advertiser. XXXVI (5454). Queensland, Australia. 23 June 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 17 November 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
8. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
9. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
10. Walter Sofronoff (October 2015). "Grantham Floods Commission of Inquiry" (PDF).
11. Tom Threadingham (24 May 2011). "Power and passion". Gatton, Lockyer and Brisbane Valley Star. APN News & Media Ltd. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
12. Georgia Waters (5 May 2011). "Flooded Queensland town to be relocated". Brisbane Times. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
13. Matt Wordsworth (8 June 2011). "Flood-ravaged Grantham moves to higher ground". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
14. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
15. "Grantham State School". Retrieved 21 November 2018.
16. "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.

External links

• Grantham is a town left in tatters (Video of flood damage)