Biggenden, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Biggenden is a town situated on the Isis Highway
in southern Queensland
, Australia
, 339 km north-west of the state capital Brisbane
, and 84 km west of Maryborough
. At the 2006 census
, Biggenden had a population of 644.
Primary production is the most significant industry in the Shire with beef
and dairy
cattle
being predominant. Other agricultural pursuits include grain crops, pig
geries, peanut
s, citrus
and timber
. The area is also rich in minerals. Biggenden Mine is located eight kilometres out of town off Ban Ban Springs Road. Gold
, bismuth
and more recently magnetite
have been extracted from the mine. The township is also close to Coalstoun Lakes National Park
and Mount Walsh National Park
.
Biggenden was founded in 1889 as a service centre to the short-lived goldrush towns of Paradise
and Shamrock; and for coach passengers travelling west from Maryborough. The township, including the intriguingly named Live And Let Live Inn, moved to a new location alongside the railway station when the rail line arrived in 1891.
. The 300,000ML dam, which submerges the former gold mining
town of the same name, is touted as securing the future of the nearby Bundaberg
and Childers
region, although no water will be available for residents of the Biggenden area. However, more than 400 jobs were created during its construction and the dam site is proving to be one of the shire's largest tourist attraction. Artefacts and buildings removed from Paradise before the dam wall was built are now on display by the Biggenden Historical Society.
Paradise Dam will be used by the government as the model for the highly controversial Traveston Crossing Dam
on the Mary River
, about two hours south. A 2005 report commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund found Paradise to be one of the six worst-planned dams since the World Commission on Dams in 2000.
Isis Highway
The Isis Highway is a state highway in southern Queensland, Australia. The highway is relatively short, and runs for 142 kilometres in a north-east direction from its junction with the Burnett Highway at Ban Ban Springs to Bundaberg...
in southern Queensland
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
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 339 km north-west of the state capital Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, and 84 km west of Maryborough
Maryborough, Queensland
Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Biggenden had a population of 644.
Primary production is the most significant industry in the Shire with beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
and dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
being predominant. Other agricultural pursuits include grain crops, pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
geries, peanut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s, citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
and timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
. The area is also rich in minerals. Biggenden Mine is located eight kilometres out of town off Ban Ban Springs Road. Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, bismuth
Bismuth
Bismuth is a chemical element with symbol Bi and atomic number 83. Bismuth, a trivalent poor metal, chemically resembles arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth may occur naturally uncombined, although its sulfide and oxide form important commercial ores. The free element is 86% as dense as lead...
and more recently magnetite
Magnetite
Magnetite is a ferrimagnetic mineral with chemical formula Fe3O4, one of several iron oxides and a member of the spinel group. The chemical IUPAC name is iron oxide and the common chemical name is ferrous-ferric oxide. The formula for magnetite may also be written as FeO·Fe2O3, which is one part...
have been extracted from the mine. The township is also close to Coalstoun Lakes National Park
Coalstoun Lakes National Park
Coalstoun Lakes is a national park in Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane. It features a volcano, Mount Le Brun, which has two craters that contain intermittent crater lakes. Coalstoun Lakes is Queensland's smallest national park.-References:...
and Mount Walsh National Park
Mount Walsh National Park
Mount Walsh is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 230 km northwest of Brisbane.A prominent landmark in the Biggenden region is the granite bluff area of Mount Walsh which rises to 703 m above sea leven in the northern part of park. The summit has three peaks...
.
Biggenden was founded in 1889 as a service centre to the short-lived goldrush towns of Paradise
Paradise, Queensland
Paradise was a ghost town on the Burnett River, in Queensland, Australia. The town was established as a gold mining centre and was abandoned once the gold ran out. The main reef on the goldfield extended for two miles along Finneys Creek...
and Shamrock; and for coach passengers travelling west from Maryborough. The township, including the intriguingly named Live And Let Live Inn, moved to a new location alongside the railway station when the rail line arrived in 1891.
Paradise Dam
In November 2005, the Queensland Government opened the Paradise Dam, about 30 minutes north-west of Biggenden, on the Burnett RiverBurnett River
The Burnett River is a river in central Queensland, Australia that empties into the Pacific Ocean near the city of Bundaberg. The Burnett River region is largely given over to growing sugar cane....
. The 300,000ML dam, which submerges the former gold mining
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
town of the same name, is touted as securing the future of the nearby Bundaberg
Bundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg is a city in Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Local Government Area of the Bundaberg Region and is a major centre within Queensland's broader Wide Bay-Burnett geographical region...
and Childers
Childers, Queensland
Childers is a town in southern Queensland, Australia, situated at the junction of the Bruce and Isis Highways. The township lies north of the state capital Brisbane and south-west of Bundaberg. Childers is located within Bundaberg Region Local Government Area. At the 2006 census, Childers had a...
region, although no water will be available for residents of the Biggenden area. However, more than 400 jobs were created during its construction and the dam site is proving to be one of the shire's largest tourist attraction. Artefacts and buildings removed from Paradise before the dam wall was built are now on display by the Biggenden Historical Society.
Paradise Dam will be used by the government as the model for the highly controversial Traveston Crossing Dam
Traveston Crossing Dam
Traveston Crossing Dam was a proposed water project that was initiated by the government of Queensland, Australia, in 2006 as a result of a prolonged drought situation which saw South-East Queensland's dam catchment area receive record-low rain...
on the Mary River
Mary River (Queensland)
The Mary River is a river system in South East Queensland, Australia. The river rises at Booroobin in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, west of Landsborough...
, about two hours south. A 2005 report commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund found Paradise to be one of the six worst-planned dams since the World Commission on Dams in 2000.