Cambooya, Queensland

Cambooya is a town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] At the 2016 Australian census the town recorded a population of 1,584.[1]

Cambooya Queensland
Eton Street, 2014
Cambooya
Coordinates	27.7077°S 151.8633°E / -27.7077; 151.8633
Population	1,584 (2016 census)[1]
• Density	11.777/km^2 (30.502/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4358
Elevation	465 m (1,526 ft)
Area	134.5 km^2 (51.9 sq mi)
Location	148 km (92 mi) west of Brisbane 23 km (14 mi) south of Toowoomba 71 km (44 mi) north of Warwick
LGA(s)	Toowoomba Region
State electorate(s)	Condamine
Federal Division(s)	Groom
Localities around Cambooya: Umbiram Wyreema Vale View Hodgson Vale Southbrook Cambooya Ramsay Felton Greenmount East Greenmount

Geography

Cambooya is in the Darling Downs region, 148 kilometres (92 mi) west of the state capital, Brisbane.

History

Harrow homestead

Land sale around Cambooya, circa 1910

European settlement of the area dates from 1840, when Arthur Hodgson chose 65,000 acres (26,305 ha) of prime land, which he named Eton Vale. In 1843 the New South Wales Commissioner of Crown Lands, Christopher Rolleston, carried out a survey and reserved a site on Eton Vale for a township. He named it Cambooya, a rendering of the Aboriginal word 'yambuya', thought to refer to tubers growing in a water hole. Cambooya was, in its early years, the railway, postal, and general centre of two properties named after two public schools of England, Eton and Harrow. Hodgson had attended Eton, and Ramsay had attended Harrow.[4] Hodgson resisted the formation of a township, and no development occurred until 1868, when a railway station was built at Cambooya as the railway line was extended from Toowoomba to Warwick.[5]

Cambooya Post Office opened on 12 March 1869.[6] It was co-located with the railway station.

In 1877, 6,500 acres (2,600 ha) of land was resumed from the Eton Vale pastoral run to establish smaller farms. The land was offered for selection on 17 April 1877.[7]

The post office, railway station building and goods shed were destroyed in a fire in the early hours of the morning on 7 July 1908.[8] A new post office was built in 1909 at an estimated cost of £1050.[9] The current post office is located at 53 Eton Street, Cambooya.[10]

The first public school in Cambooya opened in 1882, with 12 students from four local families. Due to growing attendance and an increased population caused by the railway, the school was moved and a building was erected in 1899 at the current school site; this building became a school residence in 1910 when a new state school was built. The nearby Nunkulla School was closed on 6 December 1959 and the building was transported to Cambooya to become an additional classroom. It was officially opened in December 1960.[11] A new building was constructed in 1985 and officially opened on 3 August 1985 by Tony Elliott, Member for Cunningham. In 1985 the school was officially given six allotments of land, now called Johnson Oval. This oval is used today for cricket, soccer, and athletics.[11] By 1990 there were 104 students and 25 pre-school students enrolled, plus a teaching staff of six teachers and three teacher-aides.[12] Early in 2005 there was an officially opened covered area. Stuart Copeland, Member of Parliament (MP) congratulated the school community for constructing a useful covered area for eating lunches and undercover activities. The school celebrated its centenary in 1982[13] and 125 years of education at Cambooya State School in 2007.[14]

Eton Vale school was originally a private school on Eton Vale Station, three and a half miles from the Cambooya railway station. Most children who attended the school in 1890 were girls and infants, as they could not travel to Cambooya School with any regularity and the black soil was impassable in wet weather. Eton Vale became a half-time school with Preston in 1925; Preston School closed shortly after and Eton Vale school closed in 1929.[15]

In February 1923 a branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association was formed in Cambooya. More than 50 women attended the meeting.[16] Ruth Fairfax (Queensland president and founder) referred to the "good work than the association could accomplish among country women, emphasis being laid "on what could be done in Cambooya and district. The newly formed branch agreed to devote its energies to assisting the Bush Nursing Association. Ruth Fairfax was elected president, and Miss Middleton secretary and treasurer."[16] There is no longer a branch in Cambooya, although there are a number of branches in the surrounding area, including Toowoomba and Middle Ridge.[17]

The Cambooya Catholic Church was officially opened on 9 November. 1914 by Archbishop James Duhig, before a crowd of about 600.[18] At the centenary celebrations in 2014, descendants of the men who helped build the church were among the crowd for the celebration.[19]

In April 1914, the Anglican Church at Cambooya was destroyed by cyclonic winds. As reported in the Darling Downs Gazette, "the church was built by the residents some years ago, and was one of the centres of religious life in that small community. A stained glass window in the church was the gift of Sir Arthur Hodgson in memory of the Hodgson family who did much for the Downs and for Queensland; the walls of the little church were beautifully decorated. The seats were tastefully decorated, and the organ, recently paid for, was a very fine instrument. All have been destroyed."[20] The church was rebuilt with funds raised by the community. The foundation stone of the new building was laid a week before the opening of the new Catholic church.[21]

The Darling Downs, including Cambooya, was well known for the production of cheese and other dairy products in the first half of the 20th century. For example, the Ramsay Cheese Factory, during the fourteen months prior to the end of 1906, made 248,686 lb or 111 tons of cheese from 273,003 gallons of milk.[22] By 1912 there were butter an/or cheese factories at Allora, Cambooya, Clifton, Crows Nest, Dalby, Goombungee, Greenmount, Inglewood, Jandowae, Leyburn, Oakey, Pittsworth, Tannymorel, Toowoomba and Warwick. In the late 1930s the Downs' dairy industry peaked at 6500 farms and over 200,000 milking cows.[23]

Australian author Arthur Hoey Davis, who wrote under the pen name 'Steele Rudd', spent much of his childhood on his family's small block at Emu Creek near East Greenmount in the Cambooya district. He is best known for creating the Australian characters Dad 'n' Dave.[24]

Farmers arriving with milk at the Cambooya Cheese Factory, ca. 1913

A suburban rail motor service from Toowoomba along the Southern railway line commenced in May 1917, running to Wyreema, 10 miles away. It was extended to Cambooya and to Willowburn in 1918. They ceased around 1923.[25]

Heritage listings

Eton Vale Homestead Ruins, 2014

Cambooya has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• New England Highway: Eton Vale Homestead Ruins[26]

Climate

Climate data for Cambooya
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	41.0 (105.8)	39.7 (103.5)	35.6 (96.1)	34.5 (94.1)	29.4 (84.9)	26.0 (78.8)	26.5 (79.7)	31.1 (88.0)	33.5 (92.3)	38.3 (100.9)	39.4 (102.9)	40.5 (104.9)	41.0 (105.8)
Average high °C (°F)	30.1 (86.2)	29.3 (84.7)	27.9 (82.2)	25.1 (77.2)	21.4 (70.5)	18.3 (64.9)	17.7 (63.9)	19.3 (66.7)	22.6 (72.7)	25.8 (78.4)	28.5 (83.3)	30.0 (86.0)	24.7 (76.5)
Average low °C (°F)	16.3 (61.3)	16.1 (61.0)	14.3 (57.7)	9.6 (49.3)	5.7 (42.3)	3.0 (37.4)	2.0 (35.6)	2.7 (36.9)	5.9 (42.6)	10.0 (50.0)	13.0 (55.4)	15.2 (59.4)	9.5 (49.1)
Record low °C (°F)	7.8 (46.0)	4.4 (39.9)	3.5 (38.3)	−1.0 (30.2)	−5.6 (21.9)	−7.5 (18.5)	−8.3 (17.1)	−7.8 (18.0)	−4.4 (24.1)	−4.5 (23.9)	1.9 (35.4)	5.0 (41.0)	−8.3 (17.1)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	97.3 (3.83)	80.5 (3.17)	68.1 (2.68)	42.2 (1.66)	40.6 (1.60)	40.9 (1.61)	38.4 (1.51)	31.2 (1.23)	36.5 (1.44)	64.3 (2.53)	76.5 (3.01)	100.6 (3.96)	717.1 (28.23)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2mm)	8.5	7.9	7.6	5.4	5.6	5.9	5.7	5.1	5.2	7.1	7.9	8.7	80.6
Source: Bureau of Meteorology[27]

Education

Cambooya has only one school, Cambooya State School. In 2016 the school had over 100 students enrolled, from prep to grade 6.[11]

Facilities

Library services in Cambooya are provided by the Toowoomba Regional Council's mobile library service. The van visits Cambooya State School every Friday.[28]

Landmarks

Cambooya has an historic pub called the Bull and Barley.[29] It has been featured on the television show Getaway. Originally opened in 1902 as the Cambooya Railway Hotel, it was one of three pubs in the town, but now it is the only hotel in Cambooya.[30] The name was changed to the Bull and Barley Inn in 1978.

Notable people

• Arthur Hoey Davis, famous poet and writer known as Steele Rudd; lived in the district[29]
• Ruth Fairfax, founder of the Queensland Country Women's Association; lived in Cambooya from her marriage until 1931
• Sir Arthur Hodgson KCMG, pioneer settler and prominent politician

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Cambooya (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
2. "Cambooya - town (entry 5811)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
3. "Cambooya - locality (entry 47904)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
4. "ON THE DOWNS,-III". The Queenslander. Queensland, Australia. 21 December 1907. p. 40. Retrieved 31 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "Cambooya". queenslandplaces.com.au. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
6. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
7. "Proclamations under the New Land Acts". The Brisbane Courier. Queensland, Australia. 2 March 1877. p. 3. Retrieved 19 February 2020 – via Trove.
8. "FIRE AT CAMBOOYA". The Brisbane Courier (15, 752). Queensland, Australia. 7 July 1908. p. 5. Retrieved 31 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
9. "THE ESTIMATES". The Brisbane Courier. Queensland, Australia. 13 August 1909. p. 5. Retrieved 31 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
10. "Post offices in Cambooya Queensland | Australia Post". 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
11. "Our school". Cambooya State School. 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
12. Pennycuick, Rae (1991). The Cambooya Story: 1840-1990. Cambooya Shire Council. pp. 157–158. ISBN 0646063448.
13. Hannaford, Ethne; Cambooya State School (1982), Cambooya State School centenary, 1882-1982, Cambooya State School], ISBN 978-0-9593035-0-6
14. Cambooya State School (2007), Cambooya State School : 125th jubilee 1882-2007; Celebrated on 26th and 27th October 2007, Toowoomba Education Centre, retrieved 31 January 2017
15. Pennycuick, Rae (1991). The Cambooya Story: 1840-1990. Cambooya Shire Council. p. 159. ISBN 0646063448.
16. "COUNTRY WOMEN". The Telegraph. Queensland, Australia. 26 February 1923. p. 5 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved 31 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
17. "Queensland Country Women's Association". QCWA. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
18. "R.C. CHURCH". Darling Downs Gazette. Queensland, Australia. 9 November 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 31 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
19. "Cambooya church marks 100 years | Chronicle". 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
20. "A CALL FOR HELP". Darling Downs Gazette. Queensland, Australia. 8 April 1914. p. 5. Retrieved 31 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
21. "NEW CHURCHES IN CAMBOOYA". Daily Standard. Queensland, Australia. 6 November 1914. p. 8 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved 31 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
22. "CAMBOOYA". The Brisbane Courier. Queensland, Australia. 2 February 1906. p. 11 (Supplement To The Brisbane Courier). Retrieved 31 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
23. "Darling Downs | Queensland Places". queenslandplaces.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
24. "Cambooya". 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
25. The Toowoomba Suburban Rail Motor Service Knowles, J.W. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, July, 1992 pp170-171
26. "Eton Vale Homestead Ruins (entry 600391)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
27. "CAMBOOYA POST OFFICE". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. March 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
28. "Mobile library". Toowoomba Regional Council. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
29. "Bull and Barley Inn | Cambooya | Darling Downs". Bull and Barley Inn, Cambooya. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
30. "History on tap at Bull and Barley | Chronicle". 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)

External links

• "Cambooya". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.
• Town map of Cambooya, 1976