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Gracemere, Queensland
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Gracemere is a town located on the Capricorn Highway in Central Queensland, Australia, approximately 9 kilometres west of the city of Rockhampton. The town has a population of 10,170 (ABS 2003 estimate).Because of the proximity of the town to Rockhampton, Gracemere has become a dormitory town, with many residents commuting the short distance to work in the city.
area was first explored by Europeans in 1853, when the Archer Brothers arrived looking for pastures for their sheep.
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Encyclopedia
Gracemere is a town located on the Capricorn Highway in Central Queensland, Australia, approximately 9 kilometres west of the city of Rockhampton. The town has a population of 10,170 (ABS 2003 estimate).Because of the proximity of the town to Rockhampton, Gracemere has become a dormitory town, with many residents commuting the short distance to work in the city.
History
The area was first explored by Europeans in 1853, when the Archer Brothers arrived looking for pastures for their sheep. They settled by a small lake, which was named Gracemere in 1855. The name Gracemere comes from "Grace", the name of one of the Archer brothers wife and "mere" which is a Scottish term for lake. They also located a suitable landing point for supplies on the nearby Fitzroy River, which later became Rockhampton.
Construction and Industry
Gracemere, as a commuter town, has a relativley low level of industry than compared to Rockhampton.
Grazing, particularly of beef cattle, has long been the significant industry of the area. The Gracemere Saleyards, located on the western side of the town, is the largest cattle sales facility in the Southern Hemisphere, and has recently undergone a multi-million dollar upgrade. A new shopping centre is currently under construction near the centre of town. Two anchor stores Woolworths Supermarket and a Big W discount department store will be included in the development, alongside 30 specialty stores. A new roundabout is also being constructed in the centre of the town, to cope with the influx of vehicles, as Gracemere is rapidly expanding with around 10 new housing estates under construction.
Education
There are three schools servicing Gracemere. They are all primary, one catholic and two public.
(St. Pauls Gracemere, Gracemere State School and Waraburra State School)
there have been rumours for some time as to when a high school will be built, due to the new amounts of students. Currently, all high school students travel by a free bus service into Rockhampton to continue their senior education
Transport
As a dormitory town, most Gracemerians either that a private vehicle or catch a bus to the city. The bus service, Youngs Bus, operates hourly to and fro the town centre and South Gracmere. Traffic can peak at around 8:00 in the morning, with traffic being banked up for around 1-1.5 kilometers on weekdays. Infrastructure problems are now becoming a reality for the small town and surrounding Capricorn Highway towns, this has resulted in constant roadworks and upgrades of the highway road quality. This mass influx of vehicles has resulted in a proposal for a new western bypass for Rockhampton, to send vehicles right to the northern suburbs, avoiding inner city congestion and delay, as this is where many Gracemerians work.
Famous Residents
•Anna Mears - OAM and twice gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games. She lived in Gracemer to be closer to continue her cycling as a teenager.
•Kerrie Meares - Twice gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games for cycling. She is the older sister of Anna Mears
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