Dingo is a rural town and locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2016 census, the locality of Dingo had a population of 340 people.[1]
| Dingo Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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 Grain silos at Dingo, 2017 | |||||||||||||||
  Dingo | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 23°38′42″S 149°19′53″E / 23.645°S 149.3313°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 340 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.2104/km2 (0.545/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4702 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 1,616.2 km2 (624.0 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Central Highlands Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Gregory | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Flynn | ||||||||||||||
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Geography
The town is on the Capricorn Highway, 759 kilometres (472 mi) by road north-west of the state capital Brisbane and 148 kilometres (92 mi) by road west of the regional centre of Rockhampton. The Fitzroy Developmental Road runs north-west from the Capricorn Highway.[4]
The Central Western railway line passes through the locality with two stations (from west to east):
- Umolo railway station (23°37′36″S 149°16′00″E / 23.6268°S 149.2667°E)[5]
- Dingo railway station, serving the town (23°38′50″S 149°19′51″E / 23.6472°S 149.3307°E)[6][5]
History
The town was surveyed in 1889 and took its name from the nearby Dingo Creek.[3] For a time in 1940 the town was known as Remo.[3] Dingo Post Office opened on 1 October 1876.[7]
Dingo Provisional School opened on 29 May 1876. On 22 January 1877 it became Dingo State School.[8][9][10]
In 1973, a population of Bridled nail-tail wallabies (Onychogalea fraenata) was found in the Dingo area by a fencing contractor. Not having been seen since 1937, the species had been considered extinct. The area where the wallabies was rediscovered was protected as Taunton National Park.[11]
On 31 January 1997, Duaringa Shire mayor Tom Hall unveiled a bronze sculpture of a dingo in Normanby Street opposite the library (23°38′50″S 149°19′57″E / 23.6473°S 149.3325°E). It was created by Gaye Porter.[12] A plaque attached below the statue explains how pioneer Moses Wafer named the area after hearing dingos howling during the night while camped near the present-day site of the town.[12]
In the 2006 census, Dingo had a population of 263 people.[13]
In the 2011 census, Dingo had a population of 342 people.[14]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Dingo had a population of 340 people.[1]
Education
Dingo State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls on the corner of Kennedy and Normanby Streets (23°38′44″S 149°19′49″E / 23.6455°S 149.3302°E).[15][16] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 47 students with 5 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).[17]
Amenities
The Central Highlands Regional Council operates a public library at 10 Normanby Street (23°38′50″S 149°19′57″E / 23.6471°S 149.3326°E).[18]
Events
In August each year, the Dingo Race Club holds the annual Dingo Race Day and World Dingo Trap Throwing Competition at Bauman Park (23°39′03″S 149°20′45″E / 23.6509°S 149.3458°E).[19] The event was attended by 2000 people in 2019 when it celebrated its 30th anniversary.[20] This figure grew to 4,000 when the event returned in 2021 after being cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[21][22]
Notable residents
Australian rugby league player Ben Hunt grew up in Dingo.[23]
