Bilinga, Queensland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bilinga Gold Coast, Queensland
Aerial view of Bilinga beachfront, 2013
Bilinga Location in Queensland
Population	1,804 (2016 census)
• Density	694/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4225
Area	2.6 km2 (1.0 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	2.8 km (2 mi) WNW of Coolangatta 24.6 km (15 mi) SSE of Surfers Paradise 28.1 km (17 mi) SSE of Southport 98.6 km (61 mi) SSE of Brisbane
LGA(s)	City of Gold Coast
State electorate(s)	Currumbin
Federal Division(s)	Moncrieff
Suburbs around Bilinga: Tugun Coral Sea Coral Sea Cobaki Lakes (NSW) Bilinga Coolangatta Tweed Heads West (NSW) Tweed Heads West (NSW) Tweed Heads (NSW)

Bilinga is a southern coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Bilinga had a population of 1,804 people. It is on the border with New South Wales.

History

The word "Bilinga" is derived from the word "Bilinba", meaning bats. The name was adopted in 1918 as a place name for Crown lands north of Coolangatta.

Bilinga was located on the Nerang Tweed Railway line. After the land sales, a rail siding was created in 1919. After 1919, the catalyst for an increase in development was said to be the erection of a general store, owned by businessman Percy Hanzel, near the rail siding. Furthermore, increased development could be attributed to a new coastal road, which improved access to the area for holiday makers and residents.

The drowning of a man on Bilinga Beach in 1937 lead to the establishment of the Bilinga Surf Lifesaving Club in 1938.

Demographics

In the 2011 census, Bilinga recorded a population of 1,662 people, 48.9% female and 51.1% male. The median age of the Bilinga population was 43 years, 6 years above the national median of 37. 71.5% of people living in Bilinga were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were New Zealand 5.6%, England 3.2%, Scotland 0.7%, Germany 0.5%, United States of America 0.5%. 84.5% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 0.7% Japanese, 0.5% German, 0.4% Fijian, 0.2% Finnish, 0.2% Greek.

Education

There are no schools in Bilinga. The nearest primary school is Coolangatta State School in neighbouring Coolangatta to the south-east. The nearest secondary school is Palm Beach Currumbin State High School in Palm Beach to the north-west.

The Gold Coast campus of Southern Cross University offers a range of courses in arts, health, social science, business, education, information technology, law and tourism. The university is a partner with the Gold Coast airport and other tourism-oriented businesses to offer specialised degrees and research in aviation and tourism.

Notable people

Notable people from Bilinga include:

• Gregory Shambrook (born 1953), a rugby union player, represented Australia