Pialba


Pialba is a coastal town and central business suburb of Hervey Bay in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the, Pialba had a population of 3,678 people.

Geography

Pialba is a located north of Brisbane on the southern shore of Hervey Bay. It is the central business district of the town of Hervey Bay. It is the location of one of the transmitters for ABC Wide Bay.

History

The area was originally known as Point Vernon, until a town was surveyed and named Polson. On 19 March 1931 the town name was changed to Pialba, reflecting the long existing use of that name.
The Hervey Bay railway line from Maryborough to Pialba opened on 18 December 1896. It was used to transport harvested sugarcane to the Maryborough Sugar Mill in addition to daily passenger trains. An extension to Urangan and the Urangan Pier opened in 19 December 1913. As the Pialba railway station was built so close to the beach, it was not possible to extend the line directly from the Pialba station. A junction was added before the Pialba station and the trains had to reverse out of the station in order to take the junction to Urangan. From 10 June 1929 a railmotor was used to operate the passenger services.
Pialba State School opened on 30 July 1884.
Urangan Road State School opened in 1915. In 1956 it was renamed Bingham Road State School. It closed in 1960.
Hervey Bay State High School opened on 28 January 1964.
The Hervey Bay Library opened in 1997 and had a major refurbishment in 2014.
In the, Pialba had a population of 3,678 people.

Heritage listings

Pialba has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Pialba State School is a government primary school for boys and girls at Alice Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 456 students with 42 teachers and 37 non-teaching staff. It includes a special education and the Hervey Bay Positive Learning Centre.
Hervey Bay State High School is a government secondary school for boys and girls at Beach Road. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 1019 students with 88 teachers and 43 non-teaching staff. It includes a special education program.

Amenities

The Fraser Coast Regional Council operate the Hervey Bay library at 161 Old Maryborough Road, Pialba.
The Point Vernon/Pialba branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the QCWA Rooms at 7 Torquay Road, Pialba.