Rainbow Beach
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| Rainbow Beach Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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 Rainbow Beach, Queensland, 2013 | |||||||||||||||
  Rainbow Beach | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 25°54′27″S 153°05′20″E / 25.9075°S 153.0888°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 1,220 (2021 census) | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 85.3/km (221.0/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1969 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4581 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 14 m (46 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 14.3 km (5.5 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Gympie Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Gympie | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Wide Bay | ||||||||||||||
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Rainbow Beach is a coastal rural town and locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,220 people.
It is a popular tourist destination, both in its own right and as a gateway to Fraser Island, with a vehicle ferry frequently running to the Southern point of Fraser Island.
Geography
Rainbow Beach is bounded to the east by Wide Bay in the Coral Sea.
The town's name derives from the rainbow-coloured sand dunes surrounding the settlement. According to the legends of the Kabi people, the dunes were coloured when Yiningie, a spirit represented by a rainbow, plunged into the cliffs after doing battle with an evil tribesman. Much of the sand colours stem from the rich content of minerals in the sand, such as rutile, ilmenite, zircon, and monazite. A black dune of ilmenite sands, overgrown by dune vegetation, can be found north west of the main town. This is currently being removed for sale in China with complete removal expected to take two years.
The Cooloola Section of the Great Sandy National Park borders the town to the south. A number of walking tracks through the national park depart from the southern outskirts of Rainbow Beach. This includes the northern end point of the Cooloola Great Walk.
By road, Rainbow Beach is located 75 kilometres (47 mi) from the Bruce Highway town of Gympie, and 239 kilometres (149 mi) from the Queensland state capital, Brisbane.
History
The town's war memorial commemorating those who died in the World War I and subsequent conflicts was refurbished in 1993 and is also located in Laurie Hanson Park.
Rainbow Beach State School opened on 28 January 1986.
The Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd opened on 15 September 1993. The church and hall were relocated from Yeronga in Brisbane in a 15-hour journey and re-erected in Rainbow Beach. The church had operated in Yeronga under the same name from 1958 to 1992.
Rainbow Beach Library was opened in 2012.
Demographics
In the 2011 census, the locality of Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,103 people.
In the 2016 census, the locality of Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,249 people.
In the 2021 census, the locality of Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,220 people.
Economy
The town's economy is now dominated by tourism, featuring quiet and idyllic holidays, fishing and retirement getaway. The town caters to beach-orientated holiday-makers with hotels, motels, and caravan parks. The town promotes itself as the "Gateway to Fraser Island" as vehicular ferries for Fraser Island depart from Inskip Point, north of town. Double Island Point, a popular destination amongst 4WD enthusiasts, is located east of town. It is also promoted as an eco-tourism destination.
Although it has a permanent population of about 1,000, about 70,000 visitors come to the town each year.
Created as a means of driving tourism off-season, Rainbow Beach Family Fishing Classic & Expo has been a popular event for nearly 40 years.
Community Facilities
Gympie Regional Council operates Rainbow Beach Library at Rainbow Beach Community Hall, 32 Rainbow Beach Road (25°54′16″S 153°05′25″E / 25.9045°S 153.0902°E).
The Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd is at 17-19 Carlo Street (25°54′27″S 153°05′13″E / 25.9075°S 153.0870°E).
St Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church is at the south-east end of Manooka Drive (25°54′38″S 153°05′19″E / 25.9105°S 153.0887°E).
Education
Rainbow Beach State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at Warooga Road (25°54′26″S 153°04′43″E / 25.9073°S 153.0787°E). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 93 students with 8 teachers (6 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Rainbow Beach (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Rainbow Beach – town in Gympie Region (entry 27922)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ "Rainbow Beach – locality in Gympie Region (entry 47617)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
- ^ Hues of a rainbow Archived 15 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 August 2006.
- ^ Travel: Rainbow Beach Archived 15 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 August 2006.
- ^ Jo Skinner (29 March 2010). "$1.3m Cooloola Great Walk opens". ABC News. Archived from the original on 17 November 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ^ "Rainbow Beach War Memorial". Queensland War Memorial Register. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
- ^ "Closed Churches". Anglican Church of Southern Queensland. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Church of the Good Shepherd Celebrates". Rainbow Beach Cooloola Coast Community News. October 2013. p. 18. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ "Celebrating 25 years". Rainbow Beach Community News. 22 October 2018. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ "Public Libraries Statistical Bulletin 2016-17" (PDF). Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. November 2017. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Rainbow Beach (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Rainbow Beach (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "Rainbow Beach Foreshore: Park Development Plan" (PDF). Gympie Regional Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ^ "Rainbow Beach Library". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ "Anglican Church Gympie & Region - Places". Anglican Parish of Gympie. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ "St Peter the Fisherman Church, Rainbow Beach". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Rainbow Beach State School". Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rainbow Beach, Queensland.
- "Rainbow Beach". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.
- Town map of Rainbow Beach, 1983
