Lochington, Queensland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lochington Queensland
Lochington Location in Queensland
Population	128 (2021 census)
• Density	0.02873/km2 (0.0744/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4722
Area	4,455.5 km2 (1,720.3 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
LGA(s)	Central Highlands Region
State electorate(s)	Gregory
Federal Division(s)	Flynn
Suburbs around Lochington: Alpha Willows Anakie Siding Gindie Alpha Lochington Minerva Mantuan Downs Nandowrie Cona Creek

Lochington is a rural locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Lochington had a population of 128 people.

Geography

Lochington is bounded to the east and south-east by the Nogoa River. The locality is within the Fitzroy River drainage basin.

The Capricorn Highway passes through the northernmost part of the locality from Anakie Siding to Willows.

The Snake Range National Park (24°03′17″S 147°35′41″E / 24.0547°S 147.5947°E / -24.0547; 147.5947 (Snake Range National Park)) lies within the locality to the east. It is 2,687.7 square kilometres (1,037.7 sq mi).

The predominant land use is grazing on native vegetation.

History

Lochington pastoral station obtained a mail service on 1 January 1937.

Lockington Provisional School opened 23 January 1961 on land that was once part of Lockington pastoral station, and became Lockington State School at a new site in January 1965. The school closed 14 December 1979 due to low student numbers, but reopened in January 1991, as Lochington State School (a new spelling of the name).

On 17 April 2020, the Queensland Government re-drew the boundaries of localities within the Central Highlands Region by replacing the locality of The Gemfields with three new localities of Rubyvale, Sapphire Central and Anakie Siding (around the towns of Rubyvale, Sapphire, and Anakie respectively). This included adjusting the boundaries of other existing localities in the Region to accommodate these changes; Lochington lost a small portion of land to the north to the new Anakie Siding, lost a strip of land from its north-eastern edge mostly to Gindie but gained a small piece of land from Minerva, with the overall effect of reducing the area of the locality from 4,533.6 to 4,455.5 square kilometres (1,750.4 to 1,720.3 sq mi). As a consequence of these changes, the boundary between Lochington and Minerva/Gindie more closely follows the course of the Nogoa River.

Demographics

In the 2011 census, Lochington's population was deemed to be too low to be reported separately and was combined with neighbouring Willows which had a reported population of 308 people.

At the 2016 census, Lochington had a population of 57 people.

In the 2021 census, Lochington had a population of 128 people.

Education

Lochington State School is a government co-educational primary (P-7) school at the Lochington pastoral homestead off the Glenlee Road (23°56′37″S 147°31′31″E / 23.943506°S 147.525284°E / -23.943506; 147.525284 (Lochington State School)). In 2013, the school had 3 students (from the same family) and 1 teacher. In 2016, enrolment was 10, in 2017, eight, and in 2018, seven. In 2021, enrolment was six, including three students in their Prep year.