The Main Line railway enters the locality from the east (Thagoona) and exits to the west (Lanefield). The locality had a number of railway stations (from west to east):
The origin of the suburb name is believed to be derived from the Rosewood (Acacia fasciculifera) or the Dysoxylum (a Mahogany species, referred to locally as a rosewood despite bearing little relation) tree or shrub, both commonly found in the south-east Queensland region at the time of Rosewood's settlement.
The site of the town was first owned by two men, William Mathews and Foote Moore.
The railway passed through Rosewood in 1865.
Rosewood Provisional School opened on 17 October 1870. In 1875, it became Rosewood State School. In 1962, a secondary department was added to the school, until a separate state high school was established in 1980.
Rosewood was proclaimed a shire in 1905.
The first coal mine in the Lanefield district, west of Rosewood, commenced production in 1918. As part of these workings, two railway branches from the Brisbane to Toowoomba main line were constructed to the mines at Lanefield Colliery (1934 to 1965) and Westvale Colliery (1929 to 1960).
St. Brigid’s Church was opened on 13 February 1910 by Bishop Duhig, replacing an earlier timber building. St Brigid's Catholic Primary School was established on 30 January 1922 by the Sisters of Mercy under the leadership of Sister Mary Stephen. It had an enrolment of 125 students in its first year of opening. The Sisters of Mercy left the school in 2011, but the school continues to operate according to the values of the Sisters of Mercy.
In the late 1930s, a motor racing circuit was built in Rosewood which became the first purpose-built road racing circuit in Queensland and possibly in Australia. Due to World War II, the circuit was not open for long. The circuit was primarily used for motorcycle racing, the last of which was held in 1949. The track was dirt-surface and no trace remains. Car racing was also held briefly but did not return after the war.
Rosewood State High School opened on 29 January 1980. Secondary school had been available through Rosewood State School from 1962, an arrangement which ceased with the opening of the state high school.
The New Oakleigh Mine is located to the town's north and was one of the last remaining coal mines in the area at the time of its closure in 2013.
Although St Brigid's Catholic Church had been slowly leaning for many years, by 2020 it was deemed unsafe and the church was forced to close. Repairs costing $3 million were needed to make it level again. As at February 2022, the repair work had not commenced.
Demographics
In the 1986 census, Rosewood recorded a population of 1,698 people.
In the 2016 census, the locality Rosewood recorded a population of 2,834 people, 53.3% female and 46.7% male. The median age of the Rosewood population was 39 years, 1 year above the national median of 38. 83.6% of people living in Rosewood were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were England 3.1%, New Zealand 2.2%, South Africa 0.5%, Scotland 0.5% and Germany 0.4%. 91.4% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 0.3% Dinka, 0.1% Dutch, 0.1% Italian, 0.1% Auslan and 0.1% German.
In the 2021 census, the locality of Rosewood had a population of 3,263 people, 53.4% female and 46.6% male. The median age of the Rosewood population was 39 years, 1 year above the national median of 38. 83.5% of people living in Rosewood were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were England 2.8%, New Zealand 2.1%, Scotland 0.6%, South Africa 0.4%, and Germany 0.3%. 87.8% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 0.5% Dinka, 0.2% Afrikaans, 0.2% Greek, 0.2% Tongan, and 0.2% Bengali.
Translink also provides bus route 539, which terminates in Rosewood. The route services key Lockyer Valley centres, such as Laidley, Gatton, Grantham and Helidon, to the west of Rosewood.
^ Boon, Robert (1991). The Concise Encyclopedia of Australia and New Zealand. Vol. 2 (10th ed.). Sydney: Horwitz Grahame Pty Limited. p. 712. ISBN0 7255 2236 4.
^"Rosewood Railway Museum". Australian Railway Historical Society - Queensland Division. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
^"Religious education program"(PDF). St Brigids Catholic Primary School. 2016. Archived(PDF) from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^"Rosewood". Queensland Times. Vol. LXIV, no. 11, 318. Queensland, Australia. 31 January 1923. p. 10 (DAILY.). Retrieved 25 February 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^Roads, TransLink Division, Department of Transport and Main. "Route 539 | TransLink". TransLink Division, Department of Transport and Main Roads. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)