Coominya, Queensland


Coominya is a town and locality in the Somerset Region in South East Queensland, Australia. The town is located west of the state capital, Brisbane and approximately from Wivenhoe Dam. In the, Coominya had a population of 1,200 people.

Geography

Coominya is bounded by Logan Creek to the north and Buaraba Creek to the south. Although located closely between Atkinson Dam to the south-west and Lake Wivenhoe to the north-east, it does not bound either of these two reservoirs.
The Brisbane Valley Highway approximately follows its north-east border. The Brisbane Valley railway line passes through Coominya from the north-west to the south-east with the Coominya railway station serving the town. However, the railway line was closed in 1993.

History

From 1886 to 1906, the area was known as Bellevue. The name Coominya is believed to be derived from the Yuggera language where kung means water and nya means to see referring to its lagoons.
Coominya Post Office opened by December 1907.
Comminya State School opened on 17 September 1912.
In 1920 the Coominya soldier settlement was established to provide opportunities for soldiers returning from World War I to establish themselves as farmers. There were 100 farms each of intended for growing grapes and fruit. Like many soldier settlements in Australia, the scheme failed to the poor quality of the land and lack of support for inexperienced farmers. The settlement closed in 1929 with only 2 farms were still operating.
St. Martin's Anglican Church was dedicated on 24 June 1922 by Coadjutor Bishop Henry Le Fanu. It closed circa 2005.
The Coominya War Memorial is located on Railway Street and was dedicated on 25 April 1997.
At the 2006 census, Coominya had a population of 467.
In the 2011 census, Coominya had a population of 1,174 people.

Heritage listings

Coominya has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Bellevue Homestead

Economy

Coominya is known for its fresh produce.
The major employer is an abattoir. There is a steady increase in olive growing and Comvita have set up an olive leaf extract plant in the town.

Amenities

Facilities in Coominya include a post office, a general store, a cafe and a pub.

Education

Coominya State School is a government primary school for boys and girls at 7 Cornhill Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 118 students with 7 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff.
There is no secondary school in Coominya; the nearest secondary schools are in Lowood and Toogoolawah.

Attractions

Attractions in the Coominya area include the historic Bellevue Homestead, moved from Wivenhoe Dam to Coominya. Coominya is known for its scenery and wildlife including lorikeet parrots, koalas, kangaroos.
As part of Q150 the local heritage society commissioned a series of murals depicting early life at the town.