Nerang, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Nerang is a suburb on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...

 in 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...

, that lies upon the Nerang River
Nerang River
The Nerang River is a river that begins in the McPherson Range in the Gold Coast hinterland and runs through Gold Coast City in South East Queensland, Australia...

. At the 2006 Census, Nerang had a population of 16,066.

Nerang, like Mudgeeraba
Mudgeeraba, Queensland
Mudgeeraba is a suburb of the Gold Coast. Mudgeeraba is remnant of the type of township that characterises the rural hinterland of the Gold Coast. Subdivision of land was conventional and buildings were traditionally rural or rural commercial. Mudgeeraba, like other areas, was an early centre,...

, is the very remnant of those townships that characterise the rural hinterland of the Gold Coast. Together with Advancetown and Tallebudgera its settlement was brought together with the construction of the Gold Coast railway in the later years of the 19th century. It was not until this century that the coastal lands became dominant. Subdivision was conventional and buildings were traditional rural or rural commercial.

History

Nerang has focused very much on the river crossing and the head of navigation. Land was first sold here in 1871. Daily Cobb & Co coach services from 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...

 began the same year and river transport to the settlement became more regular. With an abundant supply of red cedar
Toona ciliata
Australian Red Cedar , Toona ciliata is a forest tree in the family Meliaceae which grows throughout southern Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia. In Australia its natural habitat is now extensively cleared subtropical rainforests of New South Wales and Queensland...

 amongst other tree species, the first industry to flourish in the area was timber cutting.

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...

 and maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...

 were grown by farmers along the upper reaches of the river. The arrival of the railway in 1887 gave added impetus to the town. Recent years have seen the early Nerang flourish as an administrative centre for the growing Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...

.

Transport

The construction of the 'new' Pacific Highway
Pacific Highway (Australia)
The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...

 on the old railway reserve has helped to focus development in the town in a manner which has extended and indeed largely swamped the early township. Its character is however still dependent upon the river and the early subdivision and commercial centre survives.

Nerang is a regional and transportation hub, containing several shopping centres and Nerang Station
Nerang railway station, Queensland
Nerang is a railway station on the Gold Coast Line of South East Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Queensland Rail City network.-Location:Nerang station is located in eastern section of the suburb of Nerang, south of Brisbane Central by rail...

.

The current Gold Coast railway line is not the original one. The original railway was built in the 19th century, but was torn up in the 1960s due to state politics. It ran roughly where the Pacific Motorway does now and ran all the way to Tweed Heads
Tweed Heads, New South Wales
Tweed Heads is a town located on the Tweed River in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia in Tweed Shire. Tweed Heads is located next to the border with Queensland, adjacent to the "Twin Town" of Coolangatta, a suburb of the Gold Coast...

/Coolangatta
Coolangatta, Queensland
Coolangatta is the southernmost suburb of the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It has a population of 4,869 and is named after the schooner Coolangatta which was wrecked there in 1846....

. It featured a Nerang station roughly where Station Street is now (hence the name). The line was rebuilt in the 1990s, but only as far as Varsity Lakes
Varsity Lakes, Queensland
Varsity Lakes is a suburb of the Gold Coast, Queensland. This suburb was originally known as Stephens, however in 2002 Stephens, Andrews and a section of Robina was amalgamated to form the new suburb of Varsity Lakes. The 2001 Australian Census reported a population of 6,516 for the area.-Origin of...

.

Education

The Nerang State School was Nerang's first school which opened in 1875. Due to increasing growth of the area in the 1980s, Nerang State High School
Nerang State High School
Nerang State High School is a state high school located on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia....

 and William Duncan State School
William Duncan State School
William Duncan State School is a state school located Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The school was opened in 1987 with just 186 students enrolled, which has now grown to approximately 800 in present day.- History :...

 were opened in 1986 and 1987 respectively.

Notable residents

  • Sara Carrigan
    Sara Carrigan
    Sara Carrigan OAM is a professional cyclist from Australia, who commenced her cycling career in 1996 at the age of fifteen and is currently a member of the Belgian Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam....

     - Athens 2004 Olympic
    2004 Summer Olympics
    The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

     gold medalist in road bicycle racing
    Road bicycle racing
    Road bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK