Eidsvold

History

Wakka Wakka (Waka Waka, Wocca Wocca, Wakawaka) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken in the Burnett River catchment. The Wakka Wakka language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the North and South Burnett Regional Council, particularly the towns of Eidsvold, Cherbourg, Murgon, Kingaroy, Gayndah and Mundubbera. The town is named for Eidsvold Station, a nearby property, that is named for Eidsvoll, Norway (using the pre-1918 spelling) where the Norwegian Constitution was signed in 1814. Miners quickly moved into the area. Eidsvold Goldfield was officially proclaimed on 17 November 1887. The Town Reserve, east of the station homestead, was surveyed by Mark Shields in 1887. The town reserve was proclaimed on 19 March 1890. The post office opened 19 September 1887. Eidsvold Provisional School opened on 1 April 1889 in a building with galvanised iron roof under teacher Arthur McKenzie. As miners and their families moved to Eidsvold, the number of students rose quickly and, in 1892, a new building was constructed as Eidsvold State School. In 1965, the school expanded to offer secondary schooling to Year 10. IN 1986, the school expanded to offer Years 11 and 12. However, in August 1889, it was relocated to Eidsvold. The Church of the Nazarene established a congregation in Eidsvold in 1950 and built a timber church at 12 Moreton Street in 1953. However, the congregation declined and the church closed. The building was purchased by the local Uniting Church in Australia congregation, who had previously been meeting in the CWA rooms, and opened it as the Eidsvold Uniting Church on 23 February 1980.

Geography

Eidsvold is situated on the Burnett Highway approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The highway passes through the locality from the south-east to the north-east, passing through the town's main street (Moreton Street). The Mungar Junction to Monto branch railway passes from south-east to north-east through the locality, roughly parallel to the highway; the Eidsvold railway station serves the town. The Eidsvold–Theodore Road (State Route 73) runs south and then west from the town.

Most-observed species

• Torresian Crow

  Corvus orru Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  39
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  34
• Pied Butcherbird

  Cracticus nigrogularis (Gould, 1837) · Aves
  27
• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  26
• Rainbow Lorikeet

  Trichoglossus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1771) · Aves
  24
• Apostlebird

  Struthidea cinerea Gould, 1837 · Aves
  23
• Laughing Kookaburra

  Dacelo novaeguineae (Hermann, 1783) · Aves
  22
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  22

Most recent

• M 4.9 — 2015-02-15
  42 km N of Mundubbera, Australia
• M 4.4 — 2004-01-16
  27 km SE of Monto, Australia