Canungra, Queensland

Located in South East Queensland, Canungra is situated in the Gold Coast hinterland, 32 kilometres (20 mi) west of the Gold Coast and 75 kilometres (47 mi) south of Brisbane.

Nicknamed the "Valley of the Owls", one of the origins of the town's name comes from the Aboriginal word for small owls, "Caningera".[5] The most notable owl found in the area is the Australian boobook owl, which appears in various logos and symbols associated with Canungra. However the word Cunungra comes from the Yugambeh word gungunga meaning "a long flat or clearing".[6]

Residents and businesses in Canungra get their water supply from the Canungra Creek, a tributary of the Albert River. The slopes around Canungra are steep and forested, with some cleared farmlands and rural homes in the flatter valley areas.

Canungra Post Office was opened by May 1907 (a receiving office had been open from 1888 under the ownership of Mrs. John Duncan, known at first as Canningera Creek).[7]

Canungra owes its existence to the timber industry and once boasted one of the largest stands of timber in the colony. David Lahey, the father of Romeo Lahey, owned one of Queensland's largest sawmills at Canungra (Lahey's Canungra Sawmill).[8]

From 2 July 1915 until 1 July 1955 the Canungra railway line ran from the Beaudesert line at Logan Village to Canungra railway station (28.0179°S 153.1625°E / -28.0179; 153.1625 (Canungra railway station (former))).[9]

On 1 May 1916 at the Canungra School of Arts auctioneers Isles, Love & Co offered for sale 107 town lots (30 of them with a cottage) in the Cunungra Township Estate in Pine Street, Duncan Street, Appel Street, Kidston Street, Franklin Street, Tamborine Street, Strachan Street and King Street (approx 28.0197°S 153.166161°E / -28.0197; 153.166161 (Canungra township estate)) to the immediate south-east of the Canungra railway station.[10][11][12] On the following day 2 May 1916, 30 farm lots were offered. Some of these lots were located to the west of Canungra Creek from the immediate south-west of the town through to the north almost to Benobble railway station. The bulk of the farm lots were to the west of Canungra Creek extending south of the town but bounded to the east by Coomera River.[10][11][12] Many of the blocks were sold.[13]

Honour Board at the School of Arts, Anzac Day 1937

The Honour Board at the School of Arts Hall was unveiled by the Queensland Governor, Sir Matthew Nathan, on 17 June 1922.[14] The School of Arts burned down on 3 March 1946.[15]

Canungra War Memorial, 2008

On 25 April 1938, the Canungra War Memorial was unveiled by Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Fassifern, Adolph Gustav Muller.[16]

By the 1940s most of the timber had been cut and sawmills were closing.[17] The historic Laheys Tramway Tunnel is the only remnant of the past sawmilling activities in the area.[18] Following this logging era came beef cattle and dairying.

In 2005, the local Post Office released a special limited-release frank featuring Canungra and the boobook owl.

At the 2016 census, Canungra had a population of 1,229.[1]

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

• 13-15 Appel Street: Former Canungra Ambulance Station[19]
• 31 Appel Street: Uniting Church[19]
• 1-3 Christie Street: Canungra War Memorial[19]
• Darlington Range Road: Lahey's Canungra Tramway Tunnel[20]
• 10–26 Finch Road: Lahey's Canungra Sawmill[21]
• 15-21 Kidston Street: St Luke's Anglican Church[19]
• 33-41 Kidston Street: Canungra Police Station Reserve[19]
• 51-57 Kidston Street: St Margaret Mary's Catholic Church[19]
• Showground Road: Canungra Sports and Recreation Ground (entry gates)[19]

The nearby locality of Witheren is the location of a large military establishment called the Kokoda Barracks within the Canungra Military Area, which includes the Land Warfare Centre. It was established during World War II and revived in 1954 to train personnel for the South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) commitment in Malaya and on through to the end of the Vietnam War.[17] The base provides a substantial permanent resident population as well as an ever-changing transient population due to the extensive ongoing training courses on offer at the base.

In Redgum's No. 1 single "I Was Only Nineteen", Canungra is referred to as one of the bases used for training during the Vietnam War. The single was taken from Redgum's 1983 album Caught in the Act.

The Scenic Rim Regional Council Library Service operates a branch library at 12 Kidston Street Canungra and provides access to public wifi.[22] Current opening hours and services can be found at the Scenic Rim Regional Council website.[23] Available collections and online resources can be accessed from the online library catalogue.[24]

The town is home to a small but growing wine industry.[25]

Canungra has a population of 1229 at the 2016 census. The locality contains 455 households, in which 50.2% of the population are males and 49.8% of the population are females with a median age of 39, 1 year above the national average. The average weekly household income is $1,458, $20 above the national average.

3.3% of Canungra's population is either of Aborigional or Torres Strait Islander descent. 65.0% of the population aged 15 or over is either registered or de facto married, while 35.0% of the population is not married. 30.3% of the population is currently attending some form of a compulsory education. The most common nominated ancestries were Australian (32.5%), English (23.3%) and German (20.2%), while the most common country of birth was Australia (87.9%), and the most commonly spoken language at home was English (88.3%). The most common nominated religions were No religion (33.1%), Catholic (20.2%) and Anglican (17.9%). The most common occupation was a technician/trades worker (18.8%) and the majority/plurality of residents worked 40 or more hours per week (41.3%).[1]

• Des Bartlett, wildlife film maker, born in Canungra[26]
• May Darlington Lahey (1889 - 1984), lawyer and judge, born in Canungra[27]
• Robert Raymond, born in Canungra[28]

• List of tramways in Queensland

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Canungra, Queensland.

• Canungra: Queensland Places
• Canungra cemetery
• The Canungra Times