Howard, Queensland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Howard Queensland
Post office at Howard
Howard Location in Queensland
Population	1,359 (2016 census)
• Density	29.61/km2 (76.7/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4659
Area	45.9 km2 (17.7 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	37 km (23 mi) W of Hervey Bay 284 km (176 mi) N of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Fraser Coast Region
State electorate(s)	Maryborough
Federal Division(s)	Hinkler
Localities around Howard: Cherwell Pacific Haven Burrum River Cherwell Howard Burrum Town Duckinwilla Duckinwilla Torbanlea

Howard is a rural town and locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Howard had a population of 1,359 people. It is located 284 kilometres (176 mi) north of Brisbane and 37 kilometres (23 mi) west of Hervey Bay.

Geography

The Bruce Highway passes through the locality in an east-west direction skirting the edge of the town. Queensland's main north-south railway line passes in a NW-SE direction through the town centre. The main streets of Howard are Steley and William.

History

The first Burrum Post Office opened on 22 July 1878 and was renamed Howard in 1883.

Burrum Provisional School opened on 18 February 1879. On 3 October 1884, it was renamed Howard State School.

Howard was the seat of the Howard Division (1900-1903) and its successor Shire of Howard (1903-1917).

Howard War Memorial

The Howard War Memorial was unveiled by Colin Rankin on 17 December 1921. Unusually for an Australian war memorial, the statue was made in Italy and depicts a soldier in Italian uniform.

Heritage listings

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

• William Street: Howard War Memorial
• 23 William Street: Brooklyn House

Amenities

Steley Street contains the skatepark, railway station, children's playground, community centre, kindergarten, respite centre, located on the southern end. Over the railway line is the Howard Sawmill, producers of kiln dried Queensland hardwood. The post office, drapery and patchwork store, hairdresser, grocery and hardware store are on the northern end. The C.W.A hall is also located in Steley Street. The historic wooden foot bridge over the railway line in Steley Street near the C.W.A Hall was demolished in 2016 as it became too expensive to maintain. It was a popular spot for photographing trains traveling north or south. William Street consists of a milk bar, butcher, bakery, pharmacy, hotel, bottle shop, newsagency, IGA supermarket, chip shop, doctor and several real estate agents. Howard also has a golf course on the outer part of the main part of town. (The Bowls Club is located at Torbanlea)

Education

Howard State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 108 William Street (25°19′19″S 152°33′28″E / 25.3219°S 152.5578°E / -25.3219; 152.5578 (Howard State School)). In 2012 the school had an enrolment of 177 students with 12 teachers (11.3 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 108 students with 8 teachers (7 full-time equivalent) and 8 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).

There is no secondary school in Howard; the nearest are in Childers to the north-west, Hervey Bay to the east and Maryborough to the south.

Notable residents

• Andrew Fisher, first Federal Member for the electorate of Wide Bay and second Labor Prime Minister of Australia. The house he built and lived in still stands.
• Annabelle Rankin, the first woman from Queensland to sit in the Parliament of Australia, the first woman to have a federal portfolio and the first woman to be appointed head of a foreign mission. She lived in Brooklyn House.
• Colin Rankin, chairman of the Shire of Howard, member for Burrum in the Queensland Legislative Assembly. He lived in Brooklyn House.