Wonga Beach, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Wonga Beach is a small rural residential area, north of Cairns in Queensland
Australia, named after the Torres Strait Wonga Pigeon
.
. In 1985 a large volcanic eruption beneath the Coral Sea released thousands of Pumice
stones to the ocean surface which were then blown along north Queensland's shore by the trade winds.
, the Double-eyed Fig-Parrot and the Beach Stone-curlew
, this last species notable for its wailing bird call.
with an ATM
. The site was previously run as a British Petroleum site but was appropriated by Caltex
in 2007. Nearby there are picnic tables, a post box, telephone booth and a display of model cassowaries
.
school (an initiative of The Cancer Council Australia), enforcing strict rules on UV
-protection. The school has a large area of swampland, the maintenance of which has been made a school project, with an 'eco-maze' currently being developed in the site.
. These buses are not available to the public.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
Australia, named after the Torres Strait Wonga Pigeon
Wonga Pigeon
The Wonga Pigeon Leucosarcia melanoleuca is a pigeon that inhabits areas in eastern Australia with its range being from Central Queensland to Gippsland, eastern Victoria, Australia....
.
Geography
Wonga Beach is situated between the small residential towns of Rocky Point (sometimes referred to as Dayman Point) and the Daintree township. It is approximately 17 km north of the town of MossmanMossman, Queensland
For the collection of Horsedrawn Carriages see Mossman CollectionMossman is a town in Far North Queensland, Australia, on the Mossman River...
. In 1985 a large volcanic eruption beneath the Coral Sea released thousands of Pumice
Pumice
Pumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock that is a solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano. It can be formed when lava and water are mixed. This unusual formation is due to the simultaneous actions of rapid...
stones to the ocean surface which were then blown along north Queensland's shore by the trade winds.
Fauna
There are three main bird species that exist around Wonga Beach: Gould's Bronze-CuckooGould's Bronze-Cuckoo
The Gould's Bronze Cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines....
, the Double-eyed Fig-Parrot and the Beach Stone-curlew
Beach Stone-curlew
The Beach Stone-curlew, Esacus giganteus also known as Beach Thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird that occurs in Australasia, the islands of South-east Asia...
, this last species notable for its wailing bird call.
Population
Wonga Beach has 748 as of the 2006 census, 42.2% of which are aged between 25–54 years.Caltex service station
In addition to automotive fuels, the service station incorporates a small convenience storeConvenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
with an ATM
Automated teller machine
An automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...
. The site was previously run as a British Petroleum site but was appropriated by Caltex
Caltex
Caltex is a petroleum brand name of Chevron Corporation used in more than 60 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and southern Africa.-History:...
in 2007. Nearby there are picnic tables, a post box, telephone booth and a display of model cassowaries
Cassowary
The cassowaries are ratites, very large flightless birds in the genus Casuarius native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands and northeastern Australia. There are three extant species recognized today...
.
Wonga Beach State School and Preschool
The Wonga Beach state school is one of the few primary schools in the Mossman area with an enrolment of approximately 115 students (now part of the Cairns Region), and has been operating since 1999. The previous school was based at Rocky Point, about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south, and the old school buildings have been sold as housing, one of which has been relocated to Wonga Beach. The school is known as a SunSmartSunSmart
SunSmart is a not-for-profit, health promotion program in Australia that aims to minimise the human cost of skin cancer and takes a leadership role in promoting a balance between the benefits and harms of ultraviolet radiation exposure and the benefits of vitamin D.Cancer Council Victoria and the...
school (an initiative of The Cancer Council Australia), enforcing strict rules on UV
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
-protection. The school has a large area of swampland, the maintenance of which has been made a school project, with an 'eco-maze' currently being developed in the site.
School buses
School buses run twice daily from New Wonga to Old Wonga, then on to MossmanMossman, Queensland
For the collection of Horsedrawn Carriages see Mossman CollectionMossman is a town in Far North Queensland, Australia, on the Mossman River...
. These buses are not available to the public.