Gracemere is approximately west of the city of Rockhampton. Because of the proximity of the town to Rockhampton, Gracemere has become a dormitory town, with many residents commuting the short distance to work in the city.
History
Gangalu is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Gangula country. The Gangula language region includes the towns of Clermont and Springsure extending south towards the Dawson River. The area was first explored by Europeans in 1853, when the Archer brothers arrived looking for pastures for their sheep. They settled by a small lake, originally called "Farris" or Padgole lagoon which was named Gracemere in 1855. The name Gracemere comes from "Grace", the name of Thomas Archer's wife and "mere" which is a Scottish term for lake. They also located a suitable landing point for supplies on the nearby Fitzroy River, which later became Rockhampton. In July 1855, Charles and Thomas Archer with around 30 other people including four Native Police troopers, four Aboriginal men from the Burnett River and their wives, left the Archer's Eidsvold pastoral station in order to construct the Gracemere run. The Commissioner for Crown Lands in the Leichhardt region, William Wiseman, joined them to help locate the most appropriate area, and in August 1855 they determined the area next to the current Gracemere lagoon was best. The local Aboriginals led by "King Harold" wished to obtain peaceful conditions with the Archer brothers and in return for allowing the indigenous people to live in the area, the Archer brothers utilised Harold's people to aid in forcibly "restraining the outside blacks" who were resisting British occupation. Gracemere State School opened on 20 February 1871. As Gracemere developed as a dormitory town, further schools were needed with Waraburra State School opening on 27 January 1987 and St Paul's Catholic Primary School opening on 27 January 1988. At the 2011 census, Gracemere had a population of 8,401.
Gracemere, as a commuter town, has a relatively low level of industry compared to Rockhampton. Grazing, particularly of beef cattle, has long been the significant industry of the area. The Central Queensland Livestock Exchange, located on the western side of the town, is the largest cattle sales facility in the Southern Hemisphere and commenced a multimillion-dollar upgrade in 2010. A new shopping centre, Gracemere Shoppingworld, located just off the Capricorn Highway opened in December 2014 with Woolworths and Best & Less operating as the anchor stores along with up to 20 speciality stores. Gracemere is rapidly expanding with around 10 new housing estates under construction.
Education
There are three schools servicing Gracemere. They are all primary, one Catholic and two public. Gracemere State School is a government primary school for boys and girls at O'Shanesy Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 302 students with 23 teachers and 16 non-teaching staff. It includes a special education program. Waraburra State School is a government primary school for boys and girls at 55 Johnson Road. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 492 students with 34 teachers and 24 non-teaching staff. It includes a special education program. St Paul's Catholic Primary School is a Catholic primary school for boys and girls at Breakspear Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 310 students with 19 teachers and 13 non-teaching staff. There are no secondary schools in Gracemere, the nearest is Rockhampton State High School in Wandal, Rockhampton. Currently, all high school students travel by a free bus service into Rockhampton to continue their senior education.
Amenities
The Rockhampton Regional Council operate a public library in Gracemere at 1 Ranger Street. This library opened in August 2017. It was welcomed by local residents as Gracemere was formerly in the Shire of Fitzroy which had no public libraries. The Gracemere branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the Guide Hut in James Street.
Transport
As a dormitory town, most Gracemerians either drive a private vehicle or catch a bus to the city. The bus service, Young's Bus Service, operates hourly between the town centre and South Gracemere. Traffic can peak at around 8:00 in the morning, with traffic being banked up for around 1-1.5 kilometers on weekdays. Infrastructure problems are now becoming a reality for the small town and surrounding Capricorn Highway towns. This has resulted in constant roadworks and upgrades of the highway road quality. This mass influx of vehicles has resulted in a proposal for a new western bypass for Rockhampton, to send vehicles right to the northern suburbs, avoiding inner city congestion and delay, as this is where many Gracemerians work.
