Ogmore, Queensland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ogmore Queensland
Queensland Rail locomotive on the North Coast line crossing the Styx River from Ogmore to St Lawrence, circa 1991
Population	105 (2016 census locality)
• Density	0.0737/km2 (0.191/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4706
Area	1,424.0 km2 (549.8 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
LGA(s)	Shire of Livingstone
State electorate(s)	Mirani
Federal Division(s)	Capricornia
Localities around Ogmore: St Lawrence Coral Sea Stanage Clarke Creek Ogmore Marlborough Mount Gardiner Marlborough Marlborough

Ogmore is a rural town and coastal locality in the Livingstone Shire, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census the locality of Ogmore had a population of 105 people.

The town of Tooloombah is also within the locality (22.7056°S 149.5677°E / -22.7056; 149.5677 (Tooloombah)).

Geography

The north-eastern boundary of the locality is Broad Sound with the Styx River (also known as Tooloombah Creek) flowing through Ogmore into the sound.

The Bruce Highway passes from south to north through the locality, but passes to the west of the town. The North Coast railway line also passes from south to north through the locality to the east of the highway and passes through the town which is served by the Ogmore railway station.

History

Styx No. 3 Mine at Ogmore, 1949

Ogmore was originally known as Harley, taking its name from its railway station. However, to avoid confusion with Hartley in New South Wales, on 20 January 1933 it was renamed Ogmore after the coal-mining town and river in Glamorganshire, Wales.

Styx No 3 coal mine opened near Ogmore in 1924.

Styx Coal Mine Provisional School opened on 3 May 1921. It operated as a part-time school in conjunction with the Styx River Provisional School (meaning they shared a single teacher) until it closed on 11 November 1921. On 22 May 1922 it reopened at a new location but still called Styx Coal Mine Provisional School. On 8 May 1923 it reopened as Bowman State School. It closed in 1926.

Styx River Provisional School opened on 7 October 1919 and closed on 12 Nov 1920. It reopned on 4 July 1921 and operated as a half-time school with Styx Coal Mine Provisional School until 11 November 1921. On 8 May 1923 it became Styx River State School. It closed in 1942.

Hartley Provisional School opened on 26 May 1924 and became Hartley State School in 1929. It was renamed Ogmore State School in March 1933. It closed in 1999.

The Ogmore Emergency Hospital was opened on Sunday 15 May 1949 by the Minister for Lands, Tom Foley. The wooden building cost £4235 and could accommodate 4 patients in normal circumstances and 10 in an emergency. Its role was to provide out-patient services while in-patient services would generally be limited to patients waiting to be transferred to a more major hospital or after discharge from a more major hospital. It could also be used as a clinic by visiting dentists.

In April 1954, a goods train derailed near Ogmore. A bulldozer travelling on a flat bed carriage was believed to have shifted on the carriage, overturning the carriage.

The Styx mines closed in the 1960s. Queensland Rail disbanded its railway gang based in Ogmore in the 1990s. This caused the town's population to decline from the thousands to a tiny community of 30 people.

In the 2016 census the locality of Ogmore had a population of 105 people.

Proposed mining project

As at December 2016, a new coal mine is being proposed for the Styx River basin 4 km south of the town. The proposal involves two open-cut pits to be mined by the truck-and-shovel methodology and will require a loading facility onto the North Coast railway line. The project is currently undergoing environmental impact assessment. The workforce of 200-250 people is expected to be recruited from the local area, including Ogmore and its neighbouring towns of Marlborough and St Lawrence.