Koumala

History

British colonisation at Koumala began in the early 1860s when Mark Millet Christian established the Kelvin Grove pastoral farming station. In 1867, after some Aboriginal people had speared cattle at this pastoral lease, the Native Police troopers chased members of the clan to some islands offshore and when they tried to return to the mainland "such a lesson was administered" to keep them from "committing outrages in that locality". Koumala Post Office opened on 28 February 1884. The town was part of the former Shire of Sarina. Koumala State School opened in August 1922. The railway goods shed and associated huts doubled for school purposes from 1922 to 1923 when a proper school house was built, as well as for social functions until a hall was built. Yukan State School opened in 1929 and closed circa 1942. On Sunday 30 May 1954, the Catholic Church of the Holy Family was officially opened by Bishop Andrew Gerard Tynan. It has now closed. It was at 18–20 Graham Street (). The church building is still extant.

Geography

In the east, Cape Palmerston National Park protects the landscape surrounding Mount Funnel and Cape Palmerston. To the west is the Hatfield Range known locally are the Koumala Range. A gravel road over this range provides alternate access to the Sarina hinterland and was the only route available for several years after the paved route over the Sarina range was destroyed by landslides that occurred during Cyclone Debbie. The main rail line between the Bowen Basin coal mines and the port of Hay Point also passes over this range with speed restricted to on the downhill section of line, because of several derailments which have occurred in this section of track. There are a number of neighbourhoods within the locality, including: * Inneston () * Karremal () * Kelvin () * Koumala South () * Loloma () Yukan railway station is located at .

Most-observed species

• Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo

  Calyptorhynchus banksii (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  59
• Torresian Crow

  Corvus orru Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  59
• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  54
• Whistling Kite

  Haliastur sphenurus (Vieillot, 1818) · Aves
  52
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  46
• Masked Lapwing

  Vanellus miles (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  44
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  43
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  42