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Gatton
Queensland
Gatton.png
A Landsat montage of Gatton township
Gatton is located in Queensland
Gatton
Gatton
Location in Queensland
Population 7,101 (2016 census)
 • Density 165.91/km2 (429.7/sq mi)
Established 1855
Postcode(s) 4343
Elevation 94 m (308 ft)
Area 42.8 km2 (16.5 sq mi)
Time zone AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s) Lockyer Valley Region
County Churchill
Parish Gatton
State electorate(s) Lockyer
Federal Division(s) Wright
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
26.8 °C
80 °F
13.0 °C
55 °F
768.6 mm
30.3 in
Localities around Gatton:
Ringwood Adare Lake Clarendon
Grantham
Placid Hills
Gatton Lawes
Lower Tenthill Woodlands Glen Cairn

Gatton is a rural town and locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Gatton had a population of 7,101 people.

It is the administrative centre of the Lockyer Valley situated in the Lockyer Valley of South East Queensland.

Recently, the rural character of the Gatton area has started to be encroached on by the suburban sprawl of metropolitan Brisbane and Ipswich in the east and Toowoomba in the west. The Warrego Highway, which runs east–west through the Shire, has also experienced increasing strip development, with fuel outlets and commercial properties gradually spreading along the highway.

History

Light Shining Through Clouds
Warrego Highway leading into Gatton

The Gatton area was explored by Major Edmund Lockyer in 1825. A settlement known as Gatton was gazetted in 1855. The post office opened 1 January 1866, with Frederick Lloyd, a dairyman, as the first postmaster. The small village did not experience significant growth until the mid-1870s, after the railway to Grandchester attracted people to the area.

The Queensland Agricultural College opened an agricultural college and experimental farm in 1897 at Gatton.

The Star is a free, local, community newspaper which began publishing in 1956.

Heritage listings

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

Gatton Bus Services

Edna Linning and her husband started up Gatton Bus Services in 1957 when they heard a high school was being built in town. Originally, the business only had one bus travelling to the college and back; as of the mid 1980s, the business had 14 buses, eight of which were used for school children. The buses travelled to Flagstone Creek, Buaraba, Esk, and Forest Hill to get students. The company also organized tours of Gatton for schoolchildren that lived in the city, so they could understand farm life and see how produce is grown and harvested. In its early days it also ran tours to Brisbane.

Memorials

Gatton war memorial
Boer war memorial, Gatton

The town has a number of war memorials:

  • The Boer War Memorial was dedicated on 3 August 1908.
  • The Weeping Mother Memorial is an unusual depiction of the role of women in war. The foundation stone was laid on 22 April 1922 by the Australian Attorney-General, Littleton Groom and was unveiled on 14 November 1922 by Queensland Governor, Matthew Nathan.
  • The Gatton Shire War Memorial Pool was dedicated on 1 December 1959 to commemorate those who served in war.
  • The National Servicemen's Memorial was erected in November 1996 and commemorates those that served during the national service period of 1951 to 1972.
  • The Gatton Agricultural College War Memorial was dedicated on 25 April 1997 to commemorate the staff and students who died in war during the college's first century.
  • The Lone Pine Memorial is a tree planted from seeds whose lineage can be traced back to the Lone Pine at Gallipoli. It was dedicated on 19 May 2005. Another Lone Pine Memorial at Gatton Campus also traces its lineage back to Gallipoli.

The Lights on the Hill Truck and Coach Drivers' Memorial is located at Lake Apex Park on the outskirts of Gatton.

Education

Gatton State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls at 26 William Street (27°33′36″S 152°16′42″E / 27.5601°S 152.2783°E / -27.5601; 152.2783 (Gatton State School)). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 506 students with 44 teachers (40 full-time equivalent) and 34 non-teaching staff (21 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.

Lockyer District State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at 100 William Street (27°34′01″S 152°16′37″E / 27.5669°S 152.2769°E / -27.5669; 152.2769 (Lockyer District State High School)). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 1048 students with 95 teachers (91 full-time equivalent) and 51 non-teaching staff (37 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.

Our Lady of Good Counsel School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 20 Maitland Street (27°33′30″S 152°16′18″E / 27.5582°S 152.2716°E / -27.5582; 152.2716 (Our Lady of Good Counsel School)). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 316 students with 23 teachers (20 full-time equivalent) and 16 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent).

Peace Lutheran Primary School is a private primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 36 East Street (27°33′27″S 152°16′27″E / 27.5575°S 152.2743°E / -27.5575; 152.2743 (Peace Lutheran Primary School)). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 262 students with 22 teachers (20 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent).

The University of Queensland has a campus on the former Queensland Agricultural College site at Lawes, just to the east of the town of Gatton. This Gatton campus is now the base for much of the university's rural-focused research and teaching.

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