Gin Gin, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Gin Gin is a small rural
town located on the Bruce Highway
in central Queensland
, Australia
, approximately 51 km west of Bundaberg
and 370 km north-west of Brisbane
, the state capital. The town owes its existence to its strategic location about halfway between Brisbane and Rockhampton
. It is often used as a stop-over point for drivers travelling between these two centres. At the 2006 census
, Gin Gin had a population of 892.
The Gin Gin district was originally settled in 1847 when Gregory Blaxland
and William Forster moved into the area with sheep and cattle
. The site where the town now stands was once part of the sprawling Gin Gin Station owned by Sir Thomas McIlwraith
, who was Premier of Queensland three times between 1879 and 1893.
Gin Gin, like Bundaberg, is heavily dependent on the sugar
industry, with sugarcane
plantations dotted throughout the area. The Gin Gin Sugar Mill is situated at the nearby locality of Wallaville. An extensive system of sugar cane tramways service the area. Cattle production also features prominently. In recent years small cropping has taken off across farms in the district, with varied success.
The Gin Gin district is nicknamed Wild Scotsman Country due to the capture of one of Queensland's few bushrangers, James Alpin McPherson
, in the area on 30 March 1866. McPherson, who went by the same nickname, was captured at Monduran Station, 13 km north of town. The Wild Scotsman Festival is held in Gin Gin on the third week of March each year to commemorate this event.
The name Gin Gin was derived from the original station name, which used a local Aboriginal
word indicating "red soil thick scrub".
Gin Gin is the eighteenth town mentioned in the original (Australia
n) version of the song "I've Been Everywhere
".
Gin Gin State School opened in 1882 with only one teacher in one building. It now caters for 338 students between the ages of 5 and 12.
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
town located on the Bruce Highway
Bruce Highway
The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is a part of the Australian National Highway and also part of Highway 1...
in central Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, approximately 51 km west of Bundaberg
Bundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg is a city in Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Local Government Area of the Bundaberg Region and is a major centre within Queensland's broader Wide Bay-Burnett geographical region...
and 370 km north-west of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, the state capital. The town owes its existence to its strategic location about halfway between Brisbane and Rockhampton
Rockhampton, Queensland
Rockhampton is a city and local government area in Queensland, Australia. The city lies on the Fitzroy River, approximately from the river mouth, and some north of the state capital, Brisbane....
. It is often used as a stop-over point for drivers travelling between these two centres. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Gin Gin had a population of 892.
The Gin Gin district was originally settled in 1847 when Gregory Blaxland
Gregory Blaxland
Gregory Blaxland was a pioneer farmer and explorer in Australia.- Early life :Gregory Blaxland was born 17 June 1778 at Fordwich, Kent, England, the fourth son of John Blaxland, mayor from 1767 to 1774, whose family had owned estates nearby for generations, and Mary, daughter of Captain Parker,...
and William Forster moved into the area with sheep and cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
. The site where the town now stands was once part of the sprawling Gin Gin Station owned by Sir Thomas McIlwraith
Thomas McIlwraith
Sir Thomas McIlwraith KCMG was for many years the dominant figure of colonial politics in Queensland. He was Premier of Queensland from 1877 to 1883, again in 1888, and for a third time in 1893...
, who was Premier of Queensland three times between 1879 and 1893.
Gin Gin, like Bundaberg, is heavily dependent on the sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
industry, with sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
plantations dotted throughout the area. The Gin Gin Sugar Mill is situated at the nearby locality of Wallaville. An extensive system of sugar cane tramways service the area. Cattle production also features prominently. In recent years small cropping has taken off across farms in the district, with varied success.
The Gin Gin district is nicknamed Wild Scotsman Country due to the capture of one of Queensland's few bushrangers, James Alpin McPherson
James Alpin McPherson
James Alpin McPherson otherwise known as The Wild Scotchman, was an Australian bushranger active in the area around Gin Gin, Queensland in the 19th century....
, in the area on 30 March 1866. McPherson, who went by the same nickname, was captured at Monduran Station, 13 km north of town. The Wild Scotsman Festival is held in Gin Gin on the third week of March each year to commemorate this event.
The name Gin Gin was derived from the original station name, which used a local Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
word indicating "red soil thick scrub".
Gin Gin is the eighteenth town mentioned in the original (Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n) version of the song "I've Been Everywhere
I've Been Everywhere
The song "I've Been Everywhere" was written by Geoff Mack in 1959 and made popular by the singer Lucky Starr in 1962.The song listed Australian towns...
".
Schools
Gin Gin State High School, built in 1974, caters for around 450 students, mainly of rural background. As well as the students from Gin Gin itself, many students travel, mainly by bus, from surrounding properties and townships like Wallaville, Bullyard, Tirroan, McIlwraith, Maroondan and Mount Perry.Gin Gin State School opened in 1882 with only one teacher in one building. It now caters for 338 students between the ages of 5 and 12.