Biloela is a rural town in Central Queensland

Central Queensland

Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast and the area extends west to the Central Highlands at Emerald, north to the Mackay Regional...

, 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...

. It is situated 120 kilometres (74.6 mi) inland from the port city of Gladstone

Gladstone, Queensland

- Education :Gladstone has several primary schools, three high schools, and one university campus, Central Queensland University. It is also home to CQIT Gladstone Campus.- Recreation :...

 at the junction of the Burnett

Burnett Highway

The Burnett Highway is an inland rural highway located in Queensland, Australia. The highway runs generally north - south, from its junction with the Bruce Highway, just south of Rockhampton, to Nanango. Length is approximately 550 kilometres...

 and Dawson

Dawson Highway

The Dawson Highway is a state highway in Queensland, Australia. It runs for approximately 400 km between Gladstone and Springsure where it terminates...

 highways. 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,...

, Biloela had a population of 5,371.

Biloela is the administrative centre for the Banana Shire, which has an area of 15729 square kilometres (6,073 sq mi).

History

Banana Shire was named after a bullock utilised to round up cattle - named 'Banana'. In 1880, Council first met in the area where Banana's body was buried, (known as 'Banana's Gully), and the Shire was named after the locality.

Etymology

Biloela is generally believed to be Aboriginal for 'black or white cockatoo' (the Government dockyards were known as Biloela during 1870-1913 in an endeavour to remove the perceived stigma of the prior Cockatoo Island convict establishment).

Industry

Biloela and the Banana Shire, dubbed by the council as 'The Shire of Opportunity', has a diverse range of industries. Extensive grazing and cropping concerns are found in the area. Cotton

Cotton

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

, sorghum

Sorghum

Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...

 and wheat

Wheat

Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...

 are grown in the area. The Callide Power Stations lie just north of the town. Coal

Coal

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

 was discovered on Callide Creek in 1891 and is now mined at the nearby Callide and Boundary Hill mines which supply the power station. A large abattoir is also situated in the town.

Callide Dam

The closest fresh water depository is the Callide Dam

Callide Dam

The Callide Dam was constructed in 1965 to supply water for a nearby power station in Biloela, Australia, state of Queensland. The Callide Dam holds at an average depth of and a surface area of at full capacity....

, however it is often well below capacity due to low rainfall in the area. Despite this, the dam acts as a popular site for water skiing, camping, swimming and fishing. The Callide Dam also plays host to the annual Callide Dam Fishing Competition in which a number of introduced stock are caught each year. In particular, the dam is a haven for Eel-Tailed Catfish

Eel-tailed Catfish

The eel-tailed catfish, Tandanus tandanus, is a species of catfish of the family Plotosidae. This fish is also known as dewfish, freshwater catfish, jewfish, and tandan.-Distribution:...

, Yellowbelly

Golden perch

The golden perch, Macquaria ambigua, is an Australian native freshwater fish, primarily of the Murray-Darling river system. It is not a true perch of the genus Perca....

, Saratoga

Saratoga (fish)

The saratoga, Scleropages leichardti, also known as the spotted bonytongue, spotted saratoga, or southern saratoga, is a freshwater bony fish native to Australia. It belongs to the subfamily Osteoglossinae, or arowanas, a primitive group of teleosts. Like all arowanas, it is a carnivorous...

 and Barramundi

Barramundi

The Barramundi , also known as Asian Seabass, is a species of catadromous fish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. The native species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region from the Persian Gulf, through Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia. Known in Thai...

. The largest ever Barramundi recorded was at the 2008 Callide Dam fishing competition, measuring 138 centimetres (54.3 in).

Schools

Biloela has 3 primary schools; Redeemer Lutheran Primary, St Joseph's Catholic Primary,and Biloela State Primary. It has only one high school (Biloela State High School).

Tourism

The town has various sites for tourist accommodation (400 beds), many dining options, two main shopping streets, including a modern air conditioned shopping centre with many specialty stores.

Sports

Various sporting organisations are active within the community, such as Panthers Rugby League Club, Biloela Rugby Union Club, Biloela Touch Football Association, Callide Valley Tennis Association, Biloela Golf Club, Biloela Cricket Association, Biloela Valley's Football Association (soccer), Biloela Swimming Club and the Biloela Police Citizens Youth Club.

Radio

Zinc927 (previously known as 4CC) owned by Prime Radio, is an AM commercial station servicing Biloela on the local 666 AM frequency, although its local breakfast show is presented from the Zinc studio in Gladstone. Zinc has a classic rock format and also relies heavily on networked programming from their Sunshine Coast studios.

Rebel FM 88.9 (MHz) was Banana Shires first commercial FM radio station. Rebel FM has a new rock & classic rock music format. The Breeze broadcasts on 89.7 FM (MHz) with an easy adult contemporary & classics hits format. Both stations are part of the Rebel Media group.

External links

• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Biloela