Nambour is a town situated in south east
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, 101 kilometres north of the state capital,
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
. The town lies in the hinterland of the
Sunshine CoastThe Sunshine Coast is a coastal region located in South East Queensland, north of the Queensland capital of Brisbane...
, where it is the capital, at the foot of the
Blackall RangeThe Blackall Range is a mountain range in South East Queensland. The first European explorer in the area was Ludwig Leichhardt. It was named after Samuel Blackall, the second Governor of Queensland....
. Nambour has a population of 13,800, as measured in the 2006 census. It was the administrative centre and capital of the Maroochy Shire Council and is now the administrative centre of the
Sunshine Coast Regional CouncilSunshine Coast Regional Council is a Local Government Area in Queensland, Australia. The Local Government Area was created on 15 March 2008 as a result of the report of the Queensland Government Local Government Reform Commission released in July 2007...
.
The name is derived from the
AboriginalIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands, and these peoples' descendants. Indigenous Australians are distinguished as either Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders, who currently together make up about 2.6% of Australia's...
word "naamba", referring to the red-flowering
tea treeTea tree or Ti-tree is a popular name that has been applied to a number of different, unrelated plants:*Camellia sinensis , from which black, green, oolong and white tea are all obtained....
Callistemon viminalis.
The area now known as Nambour, was first settled in 1870, by Matthew Carroll.
Nambour is a town situated in south east
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, 101 kilometres north of the state capital,
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
. The town lies in the hinterland of the
Sunshine CoastThe Sunshine Coast is a coastal region located in South East Queensland, north of the Queensland capital of Brisbane...
, where it is the capital, at the foot of the
Blackall RangeThe Blackall Range is a mountain range in South East Queensland. The first European explorer in the area was Ludwig Leichhardt. It was named after Samuel Blackall, the second Governor of Queensland....
. Nambour has a population of 13,800, as measured in the 2006 census. It was the administrative centre and capital of the Maroochy Shire Council and is now the administrative centre of the
Sunshine Coast Regional CouncilSunshine Coast Regional Council is a Local Government Area in Queensland, Australia. The Local Government Area was created on 15 March 2008 as a result of the report of the Queensland Government Local Government Reform Commission released in July 2007...
.
Etymology
The name is derived from the
AboriginalIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands, and these peoples' descendants. Indigenous Australians are distinguished as either Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders, who currently together make up about 2.6% of Australia's...
word "naamba", referring to the red-flowering
tea treeTea tree or Ti-tree is a popular name that has been applied to a number of different, unrelated plants:*Camellia sinensis , from which black, green, oolong and white tea are all obtained....
Callistemon viminalis.
History
The area now known as Nambour, was first settled in 1870, by Matthew Carroll. The town was then called Petrie's Creek. In 1890 the Maroochy Divisional Board was established. In 1891 the
rail link with Brisbane|}|}|}|}|}|}|}|}The North Coast railway line is a narrow gauge railway line in Queensland, Australia. It runs from Brisbane, along the Queensland coast to as far north as Cairns. The line is electrified between Brisbane and Rockhampton...
was completed, and at its opening Petrie's Creek was renamed "Nambour", after the Nambour
cattle stationCattle station is an Australian term for a large farm , whose main activity is the rearing of cattle. In Australia, the owner of a cattle station is called a grazier...
.
Along the middle of the roadway of Mill, Currie and Howard Streets, a piece of Queensland Rail history is still on display - the Nambour to Coolum Tramline. The Tramline was used to transport passengers and sugar cane in the early 1920s. The Tramline forms part of the Moreton Central Sugar Mill Cane Tramway, most of which has now been removed; although the track and signal lighting still remain. The town was bypassed by the Bruce Highway in November 1990.
Industry
Nambour's primary industry has been
sugarSugar is a class of edible crystalline substances, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose. Human taste buds interpret its flavor as sweet. Sugar as a basic food carbohydrate primarily comes from sugar cane and from sugar beet, but also appears in fruit, honey, sorghum, sugar maple , and in many...
, with extensive cane fields surrounding the town, and the Moreton Sugar Mill in the town centre. The mill itself was closed in 2003, and the long term future of the sugar industry in the area is in doubt. Other industries in the area include
tourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other...
, and the growing of tropical fruits.
The Big PineappleThe Big Pineapple is a tourist attraction and working farm situated at Woombye near Nambour, Queensland. There are rides, tours of pineapple plantations and other agricultural products, shops, restaurants and exhibits for visitors to enjoy....
tourist attraction on the southern outskirts of the town reflects both of these pursuits. Other tourist attractions include The Big Macadamia nut.
Famous people associated with Nambour
Nambour is also known as the place where tennis star, Pat Rafter, made his debut. His name has been on the wall of the local tennis club since he won the junior championship as a sixteen year old. Pat went on to win the
U.S. OpenThe US Open, formally the United States Open tennis championships, is a tennis tournament which is the modern incarnation of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, with the U.S. National Championship, which for mens' singles was first contested in 1881...
twice. His large family is still well known and respected in the district.
Famous people born in Nambour include
National Rugby LeagueThe National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL competition is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
player
Billy SlaterBilly Slater is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League . A speedy Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative fullback, he has played his whole NRL career to date at Melbourne, with whom he won the 2007...
, cricketer
Ashley NoffkeAshley Allan Noffke is a professional Australian cricketer who currently plays for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL and in 2009 signed to play for Western Australia in Australian domestic cricket after 11 years with Queensland...
,
Bindi IrwinBindi Sue Irwin is the daughter of Terri Irwin and Steve Irwin. Bindi is a child celebrity, who has tried her hand at acting, singing, dancing, and rapping...
,
Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful political office in Australia...
Kevin RuddKevin Michael Rudd is the 26th and current Prime Minister of Australia and federal leader of the centre-left Australian Labor Party . Under Rudd's leadership, the Labor Party won the 2007 federal election on 24 November against the incumbent centre-right Liberal/National coalition government led...
,
Wayne SwanWayne Maxwell Swan is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1993 to 1996, and again since 1998, representing the Division of Lilley, Queensland...
,
PowderfingerPowderfinger is an Australian rock band. The band formed in Brisbane in 1989, and since 1992 their line-up has consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bassist John Collins, and drummer Jon Coghill....
drummer
Jon CoghillJon Coghill is an Australian drummer best known for his work with Australian rock band, Powderfinger, although he has also toured with Regurgitator. Coghill replaced Powderfinger's original drummer Steven Bishop in 1991 when Bishop wanted to pursue further studies...
and Queensland Bulls Batsman
Lee CarseldineLee Andrew Carseldine is a professional Australian cricketer who currently plays for Queensland and also for the IPL team Rajasthan Royals.-External links:* *Category:Queensland cricketers...
.
Kevin Rudd attended
Nambour State High SchoolNambour State High School is a co-educational, state high school located in Nambour, Queensland, Australia.Established on 2 February 1953, in 2006 the school had enrolment figures of 1,367, including adult students...
as did
TreasurerThe Treasurer of Australia is the minister in the Government of Australia responsible for government expenditure and revenue raising. He is the head of the Department of the Treasury. The Treasurer plays a key role in the economic policy of the government...
Wayne SwanWayne Maxwell Swan is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1993 to 1996, and again since 1998, representing the Division of Lilley, Queensland...
and Queensland Nationals deputy leader
Fiona SimpsonFiona Stuart Simpson is an Australian politician. She is currently a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland and was the Deputy Leader of the Queensland National Party from 2006 to 2008 and Deputy Leader of the Opposition...
.
Schools
Nambour State High SchoolNambour State High School is a co-educational, state high school located in Nambour, Queensland, Australia.Established on 2 February 1953, in 2006 the school had enrolment figures of 1,367, including adult students...
, Nambour Primary School, Burnside State Primary School, Burnside State High School, St John's College, St Joesph's School, Nambour Christian College, Suncoast Christian College, Blackall Range Independent School.