Gununa, sometimes spelt Gunana, is a rural town on Mornington Island within the locality of Wellesley Islands in the Shire of Mornington, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2016 census, Gununa had a population of 1,136 people.[1]
Geography edit
Gununa is located on the southwestern end of Mornington Island, on the Gulf of Carpentaria. The town faces the Appel Channel, (16°40′55″S 139°11′31″E / 16.682°S 139.192°E) on the other side of which is Denham Island (16°42′52″S 139°09′35″E / 16.7144°S 139.1597°E).[3][4][5]
History edit
The town was founded in 1914[6] as Mornington Island Community, and renamed by the Queensland Place Names Board on 16 January 1982.[2] Gunana or Gununa is a Lardil word.[6]
Mornington Island State School opened on 28 January 1975.[7]
Gununa Post Office was open by 1982.[8]
In the 2016 census, Gununa had a population of 1,136 people,[1] which is almost all of the 1,143 people who live within the shire as a whole.[9]
Education edit
Mornington Island State School is a government-run primary and secondary school for boys and girls from early childhood through Year 10. It is located at Lardil Street (16°39′59″S 139°10′57″E / 16.6663°S 139.1825°E).[10][11] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 263 students, with 25 teachers and 14 part-time and full-time non-teaching staff (the equivalently of 11 full-time employees).[12] It includes a special education program.[10]
There are no schools offering education to Year 12 on the island; nor are there any nearby.[13] Distance education or boarding school are the only options for education past Year 10.
Amenities edit
Gununa Post Office is in Mukukiya Street (16°39′49″S 139°10′38″E / 16.6635°S 139.1771°E).[14]
Mornington Island Uniting Church is at 21 Dajibuka Street (16°39′49″S 139°10′36″E / 16.6635°S 139.1766°E).[15] It is part of the Calvary Presbytery of the Uniting Church in Australia.[16]
References edit
- ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Gununa (UCL)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ a b "Gununa – town in Shire of Mornington (entry 15097)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Appel Channel – channel in the Shire of Mornington (entry 680)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ "Denham Island – island in the Shire of Mornington (entry 9734)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Useful Information". Mornington Shire Council. 30 April 2021. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
- ^ Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Mornington (S)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ a b "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Mornington Island State School". Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "Community facilities - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 22 October 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ "Find a Church". Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Queensland congregations and faith communities" (PDF). Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod. March 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
