Collinsville is a rural town and locality in the Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia. In the, Collinsville had a population of 1,248 people.
Geography
Collinsville is in the coal-rich Bowen Basin region of Central Queensland, north of Brisbane and south-west of the coastal town of Bowen. The Bowen Developmental Road passes through the town connecting with Bowen to the north-east and the Gregory Highway at Belyando Crossing to the south-west. The Newlands railway system passes through Collinsville serving local mines. The line passes through the town itself but the Collinsville railway station is only a siding near the junction of Station Street and Railway Road.
History
is an Aboriginal language of Central Queensland 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. European settlement of the region began in 1861 with the opening of the lands to pastoralists, with some cattle stations still in operation. Coal was discovered in 1866 but it was not until 1912 that large-scale mining operations commenced. The town was originally known as Moongunya, an aboriginal word that roughly translates to place of coal. On 20 September 1921 it was officially renamed Collinsville after Charles Collins who was the Labor Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Bowen from 1915 to 1936. Collinsville State School opened on 27 June 1921. Collinsville Post Office opened on 21 May 1923. The St John BoscoCatholic School was established in 1936 under the Sisters of Mercy. The school is named after Saint John Bosco, a Roman Catholic priest who devoted himself to the betterment of children through love and education. On 13 October 1954, seven men were killed in the deepest part of the Collinsville State Coal Mine about 1.5 kilometres from the entrance of the No. 1 tunnel, when an outburst dislodged 900 tonnes of earth. The Collinsville mine disaster was the largest loss of life in a Queensland mine since the Mount Mulligan mine disaster in 1921. Collinsville State High School opened on 28 January 1986. In the 2011 census, Collinsville had a population of 1,501 people. In the, Collinsville had a population of 1,248 people.
Heritage listings
Collinsville has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
The town is home to a number of coal mines. This includes the Collinsville coal mine and the Sonoma Mine. These provide significant employment to the town and surrounding areas. The town is expected to grow further with the development of more mining related projects, and green energy such as solar power are shaping up to be an important job creating industry for Collinsville. It is also hoped a new road to Proserpine will be built. This will enable faster travel between the town and the coastal plain, and will also open up new opportunities for land development and export.
Facilities
Facilities in four churches, a pharmacy, a district hospital, some shops and sporting facilities. Sporting facilities include a golf course, rugby league grounds, tennis courts, a public swimming pool, squash courts, and lawn bowls. The town has one newsagent, a bakery, two fuel stations, two medium size grocery stores, two places to buy clothing and a hardware shop. The Whitsunday Regional Council operates the Collinsville Library, located on 37 Conway Street, Collinsville. The Collinsville Library was opened in 1982. The Collinsville branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at 33 Conway Street.
Education
Collinsville has two primary schools, Collinsville State School and St John Bosco's Catholic Primary School and the Collinsville State High School. In 2014, the Collinsville State School had an enrolment of 42 students with 4 teachers. In 2014, the Collinsville State High School had an enrolment of 77 students with 12 teachers. In 2016, St John Bosco's Catholic Primary School had an enrolment of 50 students.
Attractions
A recreational vehicle park has been built offering 72-hour free stays for recreational vehicles and campervans.
