Advancetown, Queensland

Advancetown is a rural outer locality in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2021 census, Advancetown had a population of 528 people.[1]

Advancetown
City of Gold CoastQueensland
Hinze Dam after the 3rd Stage completion
Advancetown is located in Queensland
Advancetown
Advancetown
Map
Coordinates28°04′19″S 153°16′45″E / 28.0719°S 153.2791°E / -28.0719; 153.2791 (Advancetown (centre of locality))
Population528 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density8.302/km2 (21.50/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4211
Area63.6 km2 (24.6 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)City of Gold Coast
State electorate(s)Mudgeeraba
Federal division(s)
Suburbs around Advancetown:
Clagiraba Mount Nathan
Nerang
Gilston
Lower Beechmont Advancetown Tallai
Mudgeeraba
Beechmont Numinbah Valley Neranwood

Geography

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Advancetown is situated in the Gold Coast hinterland. Its mountainous terrain facilated the construction of the Hinze Dam (28°03′00″S 153°16′50″E / 28.0501°S 153.2806°E / -28.0501; 153.2806 (Hinze Dam)) which impounds the Nerang River (28°06′23″S 153°14′51″E / 28.1063°S 153.2476°E / -28.1063; 153.2476 (Nerang River (upstream of the dam))) and Little Nerang Creek (28°07′12″S 153°18′09″E / 28.1201°S 153.3024°E / -28.1201; 153.3024 (Little Nerang Creek (upstream of the dam))) to create Advancetown Lake (28°03′29″S 153°17′04″E / 28.0580°S 153.2844°E / -28.0580; 153.2844 (Advancetown Lake)).[3] The lake is the dominant feature in the south of the locality; it supplies water for most of the Gold Coast.[4][5][6]

Two named peaks within the locality are:

The northern part of the locality, downstream from the dam, is lower and flatter and has mixed use with rural residential areas and rural areas (mostly grazing on native vegetation).[4] One landmark in this area is Latimers Crossing, a crossing point of the Nerang River between Advancetown and Gilston (28°01′34″S 153°17′52″E / 28.0260°S 153.2978°E / -28.0260; 153.2978 (Latimers Crossing)).[4][9]

Nerang–Murwillumbah Road (State Route 97) runs through from north to south.[10]

History

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The mountain Mudgeeraba takes its name from the Bundjalung language words mudherri meaning sticky and ba meaning place, that is, a muddy place.[11]

The mountain Pages Pinnacle is named after local land owner Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page.[12]

The area first attracted timber-cutters in the 1870s because of the abundant supply of good quality timber. In 1881 David Yuan established at saw mill and European settlement began. A small settlement sprang up as a rest point for the bullock teams hauling timber to the railway at Nerang. As late as the 1930s, there were still up to 24 bullock teams operating in the area.[5][13]

In 1884, the first hotel was built by W. H. Turner called the Beechmont Hotel. In 1905, Ernest Belliss opened a hotel on the corner of Numinbah Road and a bullock road from Beechmont known as the Black Shoot; he called it the Advancetown Hotel. Belliss also donated land for the Advancetown school, which made the name endure.[5][13] Belliss sold the hotel in March 1924 and the timber building burned down in July 1933.[14][15] A new Advancetown Hotel was built and opened in February 1934.[16]

Advancetown State School opened in 1909,[17] but then closed in 1913. It reopened in 1918 but had temporary closures in 1921 and 1952. It closed permanently in 1960.[18][19]

Hinze Dam was first completed in 1976 (Stage 1), providing a storage of 42,400 million litres of water to surrounding residents. The dam named after local pioneers Carl and Johanna Hinze (grandparents of Queensland politician Russ Hinze) who lived in the valley that was flooded by the dam.[20][21] The settlement of Advancetown including the school (which was closed by then) was lost under the dam's waters.[5] As the settlement of Advancetown was gone, on 31 March 1979 the name Advancetown was dropped in favour of Latimer, after nearby Latimer Creek, but the name Advancetown was restored on 11 May 1985.[22]

In 1989, Stage 2 of the dam was completed, increasing the storage to 161,070 million litres of water.[23]

Advancetown was part of the Shire of Albert until it was amalgamated into the City of Gold Coast in 1995.

In 2011, Stage 3 of the dam was completed, increasing the storage to 310,730 million litres of water. It reportedly cost $395 million dollars.[23]

Demographics

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In the 2011 census, Advancetown had a population of 352 people.[24]

In the 2016 census, Advancetown had a population of 482 people.[25]

In the 2021 census, Advancetown had a population of 528 people.[1]

Heritage listings

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Avenue of Commemorative Trees is listed on the Gold Coast Local Heritage Register

There are a number of heritage sites in Advancetown, including:

  • 163-179 Latimers Crossing Road: Avenue of Commemorative Trees [26]

Education

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There are no schools in Advancetown. Given that the populated areas of the locality are in the north, the nearest primary schools are Nerang State School in neighbouring Nerang to the north-east and Gilston State School in neighbouring Gilston to the east. The nearest secondary school is Nerang State High School in Nerang.[4]

Sports

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Although The Grand Golf Club has its entrance at 364 Gilston Road in neighbouring Gilston, most of the course is in Advancetown, accessed by a bridge over the Nerang River (28°00′58″S 153°18′23″E / 28.0160°S 153.3065°E / -28.0160; 153.3065 (Grand Golf Club)). This private club has a 19-hole golf course designed by Greg Norman.[27]

Attractions

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Nerang River below the Hinze Dam, 2017

The Hinze Dam offers a number of visitor attractions. Accessed from Advancetown Road at the top of dam wall (28°03′02″S 153°16′46″E / 28.0505°S 153.2794°E / -28.0505; 153.2794 (Hinze Dam visitor centre)) is a visitor centre with education displays, a cafe and parkland with picnic facilities. Below the spillway are picnic areas with barbeques (28°02′45″S 153°16′58″E / 28.0457°S 153.2829°E / -28.0457; 153.2829 (Picnic Parkland)). Across the spillway is a network of purpose-built mountain bike trails. In the two arms of the lake there are the eastern and western boat ramps for non-motorised boating and fishing (catch-and-release only due to mercury levels). The eastern boat ramp (28°05′06″S 153°18′39″E / 28.0849°S 153.3107°E / -28.0849; 153.3107 (Eastern boat ramp)) is accessed from Range Road, while the western boat ramp (28°04′15″S 153°15′28″E / 28.0707°S 153.2578°E / -28.0707; 153.2578 (Western boat ramp)) is accessed via Nerang Murwillumbah Road. There are also a number of walking trails.[4][28]

Climate

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Advancetown has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). There is a weather station located within Advancetown, at Hinze Dam. Record keeping commenced in 1974.[29]

Climate data for Hinze Dam
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 40.9
(105.6)
40.6
(105.1)
36.5
(97.7)
34.5
(94.1)
32.2
(90.0)
27.0
(80.6)
27.3
(81.1)
34.5
(94.1)
35.6
(96.1)
38.3
(100.9)
39.9
(103.8)
39.7
(103.5)
40.9
(105.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 29.1
(84.4)
28.8
(83.8)
27.7
(81.9)
25.7
(78.3)
23.2
(73.8)
21.0
(69.8)
20.8
(69.4)
22.2
(72.0)
25.0
(77.0)
26.4
(79.5)
27.3
(81.1)
28.8
(83.8)
29.1
(84.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 20.2
(68.4)
20.5
(68.9)
19.2
(66.6)
16.8
(62.2)
13.8
(56.8)
11.6
(52.9)
10.2
(50.4)
10.6
(51.1)
13.3
(55.9)
15.5
(59.9)
17.4
(63.3)
19.2
(66.6)
10.2
(50.4)
Record low °C (°F) 11.8
(53.2)
15.5
(59.9)
13.8
(56.8)
9.5
(49.1)
5.9
(42.6)
5.1
(41.2)
2.8
(37.0)
4.7
(40.5)
7.0
(44.6)
8.1
(46.6)
9.9
(49.8)
12.3
(54.1)
2.8
(37.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 182.7
(7.19)
193.6
(7.62)
164.2
(6.46)
117.8
(4.64)
125.3
(4.93)
83.1
(3.27)
51.2
(2.02)
45.1
(1.78)
42.1
(1.66)
84.4
(3.32)
117.7
(4.63)
157.7
(6.21)
1,369.9
(53.93)
Average precipitation days 12.9 13.3 13.6 10.0 9.8 6.9 6.4 5.5 6.2 9.1 10.8 12.2 116.7
Source: Bureau of Meteorology[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Advancetown (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.  
  2. ^ "Advancetown – locality in City of Gold Coast (entry 48132)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Advancetown Lake – reservoir in City of Gold Coast (entry 139)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d "Advancetown History". City of Gold Coast Council. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  6. ^ Hinze Dam / Advancetown Lake Archived 2012-01-07 at the Wayback Machine. Seqwater. Retrieved on 3 April 2012.
  7. ^ "Mudgeeraba – mountain in City of Gold Coast (entry 23289)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Pages Pinnacle – mountain in City of Gold Coast (entry 25811)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Latimers Crossing – locality unbounded in City of Gold Coast (entry 19036)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Advancetown" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  11. ^ "Mudgeeraba – mountain in City of Gold Coast (entry 23289)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Pages Pinnacle – mountain in City of Gold Coast (entry 25811)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Advancetown Hotel History". Advancetown Hotel. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  14. ^ "BEECHMONT". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 13 March 1924. p. 9. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  15. ^ "ADVANCETOWN HOTEL FIRE". The South Coast Bulletin. Southport, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 14 July 1933. p. 2. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  16. ^ "ADVANCETOWN HOTEL". The South Coast Bulletin. Southport, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 23 February 1934. p. 7. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  17. ^ "PUBLIC WORKS". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 12 June 1909. p. 10. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  18. ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  19. ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  20. ^ What's in a Name: Hinze Dam. Brisbane, Queensland: ABC Radio. 5 June 2012. Archived from the original (streaming audio) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  21. ^ Thomson, Alister (25 July 2016). "Hinze dam at Advancetown reaches middle age". Gold Coast Bulletin. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  22. ^ "Latimer (entry 19035)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  23. ^ a b "Fact Sheet Hinze Dam" (PDF). seqwater. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  24. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Advancetown (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 January 2013.  
  25. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Advancetown (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.  
  26. ^ Gold Coast Local Heritage Register - A to M, pp. 3-4
  27. ^ "The Grand Golf Club". The Grand Golf Club. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  28. ^ "Hinze Dam recreation guide" (PDF). Seqwater. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 March 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  29. ^ a b "Climate statistics for Australian Locations". Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.

Sources

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