Ayr, Queensland


Ayr is a town and locality in the Shire of Burdekin, Queensland, Australia. It is the centre of a sugarcane-growing region. In the, Ayr had a population of 8,738 people.

Geography

Ayr is located south of Townsville on the Bruce Highway and away from the town of Home Hill. It is north of Bowen and north of Mackay. Ayr is located near the delta of the Burdekin River. It is within the Burdekin Shire, which produces the most sugar cane per square kilometre in Australia, accessing underground water supplies and water from the Burdekin Dam to irrigate crops when rains fail.
Alva beach, also known as Lynch's Beach, is a popular area for fishing and swimming located east of Ayr.

History

Biri is a language of Central and North Queensland. Biri refers to a language chain extending from Central Queensland towards Townsville and is often used as a universal name for other languages and/or dialects across the region. The language area includes the towns of Bowen, Ayr, Collinsville and Nebo.
Ayr is believed to be named after the Scottish town of Ayr, the birthplace of nineteenth-century Queensland Premier, Sir Thomas McIlwraith.
Ayr Post Office opened on 25 August 1883.
Ayr State School opened on 15 November 1886. In 1928 it was expanded to include a secondary school. In 1937, the secondary school became a separate entity, Ayr State High School.
St Francis Primary School opened in 1912 operated by three Sisters of the Good Samaritan.
The Ayr War Memorial Arch is the entrance to the Memorial Park and commemorates those who served in World War I. It was dedicated in November 1925 by the shire chairman, Councillor Barsby.
In 1926 Annie Dennis founded the Burdekin Community Church as a Pentecostal mission for South Sea Islanders.
East Ayr State School opened on 8 August 1952.
Ayr Opportunity School opened for children with disabilities in 1972. It was renamed Burdekin Special School in about 1985. In 2001 the name was changed to Burdekin School.
Burdekin Catholic High School opened on 1 April 1974 in the Marist tradition.
Burdekin Christian College was opened on 5 February 1982 by the Burdekin Community Church.
In June 2018, the town become the centre of controversy when a racist poster was displayed in a shop window, asserting that foreigners and backpackers were not welcome. Within hours, Burdekin Shire Council Mayor Lyn McLaughlin condemned the people responsible for the poster.

Heritage listings

Ayr has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 8,281 people in the Ayr urban centre.
Ayr State School is a government primary school for boys and girls at 141 Graham Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 119 students with 14 teachers and 17 non-teaching staff.
East Ayr State School is a government primary school for boys and girls at 43-73 Ross Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 557 students with 47 teachers and 22 non-teaching staff. It includes a special education program.
St Francis' School is a Catholic primary school for boys and girls at 99 Edward Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 304 students with 20 teachers and 17 non-teaching staff.
Burdekin Christian College is a private primary and secondary school for boys and girls at 2-Dec Melbourne Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 133 students with 13 teachers and 10 non-teaching staff.
Burdekin School is a special primary and secondary school for boys and girls at 159 Young Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 17 students with 5 teachers and 11 non-teaching staff.
Ayr State High School is a government secondary school for boys and girls at Cnr Edwards & Wickham Streets. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 480 students with 46 teachers and 30 non-teaching staff. It has a special education program.
Burdekin Catholic High School is a Catholic secondary school for boys and girls at 45 Gibson Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 436 students with 40 teachers and 23 non-teaching staff.

Health

Ayr is home to a small, state owned hospital. The one-storey building offers basic emergency care and has a helipad for more-serious emergencies.

Transport

Ayr's main street, Queen Street, is a wide two-laned street. The A1 passes through the town. A mostly two-laned highway, it is the major road of the Burdekin, linking Ayr with nearby Brandon and Home Hill.
Ayr Railway Station is the town's rail-transit stop with regular services from Brisbane to Cairns. While the town has no public transport, several bus routes pick up school children across the region.

Sport

A wide variety of sports are played in Ayr, including Touch football, Rugby league, Rugby Union, Soccer, tennis and golf. Netball and Table Tennis are also popular. The Ayr Surf Life Saving club is small and well-established.

Media

Ayr is home to one newspaper. The Ayr Advocate has a Burdekin-wide circulation of just under 4000 people. The paper is published by Sydney-based News Corporation, and has three full-time journalists.
The town is home to the centre-right satirical publication The Burdekin Herald which was launched in 2013. In January 2014 the Burdekin Herald published an article claiming that the conservative Queensland government was going to introduce 22 000 poisonous snakes into homes to rid the state of cane toads.

Amenities

Ayr has the usual chain stores, including Domino's Pizza, ten pin bowling, a toyshop, cinema, six pubs, and a range of sports, electrical and fashion stores. Ayr has several banks including the Commonwealth, ANZ, Suncorp, National and Bendigo Bank.
The Burdekin Shire Council operates a public library in Ayr at 108 Graham Street. Burdekin Library opened in 1984.
The Ayr branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at 20 Chippendale Street.

Notable people from Ayr