Chinchilla

Chinchilla is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia.

Chinchilla is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census the locality of Chinchilla had a population of 6,612 people.Chinchilla is known as the 'Melon Capital of Australia', and plays host to a Melon Festival every second year in February – the next is to be held in 2023.

Baranggum (also known as Barrunggam, Barunggam Parrungoom, Murrumgama) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Baranggum people. The Baranggum language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Western Downs Regional Council, particularly Dalby, Tara, Jandowae and west towards Chinchilla.Mandandanji (also known as Mandandanyi, Mandandanjdji, Kogai) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Mandandanji people. The Mandandanji language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Maranoa Regional Council, particularly Roma, Yuleba and Surat, then east towards Chinchilla and south-west towards Mitchell and St George.The town name is a corruption of the Aboriginal word "tintinchilla" or "jinchilla" indicating cypress pine, possibly recorded by explorer and naturalist Ludwig Leichhardt.The town was established in 1877. As the railway pushed west across the Darling Downs from Toowoomba and Dalby, a temporary construction camp was established on the banks of Charley's Creek which developed into a town.Chinchilla Post Office opened on 3 January 1878.

Chinchilla State School opened on 22 January 1883. A secondary department was opened in 1954, closing in 1963 when Chinchilla State High School opened. The school celebrated its centenary in 1983.Mulga Provisional School opened circa 1896. On 1 January 1909 it became Mulga State School. Between 1914 and 1915 the school operated as a half-time school, sharing a single teacher with Hill Top Provisional School (later Boonarga State School). It closed in 1915 but reopened as the full-time Mulga State School in 1917. Itclosed circa 1943.Riversdale Provisional School opened in 1902 and closed on 1915. On 1 January 1909 it became Riversdale State School. It closed in 1915.Monmouth Provisional School opened on 16 August 1904. On 1 January 1909 it became Monmouth State School.It closed in April 1921, reopening as Monmouth Provisional School in 1930. It closed circa 1946.In 1911 the Queensland Railway Department built at tramway to Wongongera (now Barakula) to transport railway sleepers made from logs taken from the state forest at Barakula and milled at the Barakula sawmill. The route of the Barakula tramway was based on an earlier plan to construct a railway line from Chinchilla to Taroom that was subsequently abandonded in favour of a railway line from Miles to Taroom. The tramway operated until 1970.Speculation Provisional School opened in 1908 and closed circa 1915.Park View Provisional School opened circa 1910 and closed circa 1916.The town was part of the Shire of Chinchilla local government entity from 1912, formed after splitting from the Shire of Wambo, until 2008 when it amalgamated with the Town of Dalby and the Shires of Murilla, Tara and Wambo and the southern part of Taroom to form the Western Downs Region.

Fairy Meadow Road State School opened on 5 November 1915 and closed in 1919.Wilga Park Provisional School and Wombo Creek Provisional Schoolboth opened on 1916 as half-time schools (meaning they shared a single teacher). Wilga Park Provisional School closed in late 1917 or early 1918. It is not known if Wombo Creek Provisional School then also closed or operated on a full-time basis. From 9 July 1919 Wombo Creek Provisional School was operating on a half-time basis with the newly opened Gunbar Provisional School. Wombo Creek and Gunbar schools both closed circa 1925/6.Logyard Provisional School opened in 1918, closing circa 1919. Logyard State School opened circa 1941 and closed in 1959.

Sixteen Mile Creek Provisional School opened on 5 February 1918 asa half-time provisional school (possibly in conjunction with Wombo Creek Provisional School). It closed on 1936.

The Chinchilla War Memorial was originally located near the railway overpass and was unveiled on 30 January 1919 by the Queensland Governor, Hamilton Goold-Adams. In 1977 it was substantially refurbished and relocated to the Returned and Services League of Australia club and was unveiled on 17 March 1979.Gunbar Provisional School opened on 9 July 1919 as a half-time school in conjunction with Wombo Creek Provisional School. It closed circa 1925–1926.Colamba Provisional School opened on 14 October 1919. It closed in 1939.Cambey Provisional School opened in 1922. It closed circa 1935.Unity Provisional School opened on 16 November 1922. It closed in 1931.

St Joseph's Catholic School was officially opened by Archbishop James Duhig on 27 January 1923, with the school commencing operation on 29 January 1923. It was established by three Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart with an initial enrolment of 63 students. Since 1992 the school has operated under lay leadership.Oak Park State School opened on 13 February 1946. It closed in 1962.Wambo Creek State School opened on 2 April 1946. It closed in 1961.Chinchilla State High Schoolopened on29 January 1963, replacing the secondary department at Chinchilla State School.Chinchilla Christian School opened 1 January 1983.It was established by a group of local Christian parents. In 2014 it was renamed Chinchilla Christian College and in 2015 it joined the Christian Community Ministries network.The Warwick Public Library opened in 1999 with a major refurbishment in 2012 and a minor refurbishment in 2016.In the 2016 census the locality of Chinchilla had a population of 6,612 people:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5.8% of the population.

80.2% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was New Zealand at 1.6%.

84.5% of people spoke only English at home.

The most common responses for religion were Catholic 20.1%, Anglican 20.1% and No Religion 18.7%.In 2018, Chinchilla won a national competition run by Wotif to create the Next Big Thing as a new tourist attraction. The 8-metre (26 ft) long Big Melon was installed next to the town's information centre in November 2018.

Chinchilla is one of the towns located on the Warrego Highway, which is a main highway leading out west to Charleville, and a popular tourist route. The mainstays of Chinchilla's tourism industry are the Historical Museum, fishing and fossicking for petrified wood. 'Chinchilla Red' petrified wood is unique to the area, and known for its colour and quality. The Chinchilla White Gum (Eucalyptus argophloia) is also unique to the area, and can be seen on some of the tourist drives which are marked around the region.An accredited Visitor Information Center is located on the Highway.