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 small rural area in the Central Highlands Region of Queensland, Australia. It is a quiet place where people live and work.

In the 2021 census, Lochington had a population of 128 people. This means it's a very small community.

Where is Lochington?

Lochington is located in a part of Queensland that is mostly countryside. The Nogoa River forms its eastern and south-eastern borders. This river is part of the larger Fitzroy River drainage basin, which is like a giant funnel that collects water from a wide area.

The Capricorn Highway runs through the very northern part of Lochington. This highway connects different towns, including Anakie Siding and Willows.

Nature and Land Use

A large protected area called Snake Range National Park is found within Lochington, towards the east. This park covers a huge area of about 2,687 square kilometers. National parks help protect important plants and animals.

Most of the land in Lochington is used for grazing. This means farmers raise animals like cattle or sheep on the natural plants that grow there. It's a common way to use land in rural Australia.

A Look at History

Lochington has a simple but interesting history. A "pastoral station" is a very large farm where animals are raised.

The Lochington pastoral station started getting mail delivered on 1 January 1937. This was an important step for connecting the remote area to the rest of the country.

The Story of Lochington School

A school called Lockington Provisional School first opened on 23 January 1961. It was built on land that used to be part of the pastoral station. In January 1965, it moved to a new spot and became Lockington State School.

The school closed down on 14 December 1979 because there weren't enough students. But it reopened in January 1991 with a slightly different spelling, becoming Lochington State School.

Changing Borders

On 17 April 2020, the Queensland Government made some changes to the boundaries of different areas in the Central Highlands Region. This included Lochington.

Some new areas were created, like Rubyvale, Sapphire Central, and Anakie Siding. Because of these changes, Lochington lost a small piece of land to the north and a strip of land to the north-east. However, it also gained a small piece of land from Minerva.

Overall, the size of Lochington became a bit smaller, going from about 4,533 square kilometers to 4,455 square kilometers. These changes also made the border between Lochington and Minerva/Gindie follow the Nogoa River more closely.

People of Lochington

The number of people living in Lochington has changed over the years.

In the 2011 census, there were so few people in Lochington that their numbers were counted together with the nearby area of Willows. Together, these two areas had 308 people.

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

In the most recent 2021 census, the population grew to 128 people.

Education in Lochington

Lochington State School is a government primary school for students from Prep to Year 7. It is located at the Lochington pastoral homestead, off Glenlee Road.

In 2013, the school had only 3 students, all from the same family, and 1 teacher. The number of students has varied:

• 2016: 10 students
• 2017: 8 students
• 2018: 7 students
• 2021: 6 students, including three in their Prep year.

Even with small numbers, the school provides education to the children living in this rural area.