- Source: Ellesmere, Queensland
Ellesmere is a rural locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Ellesmere had a population of 334 people.
Geography
The western boundary of the locality loosely follow the Stuart Range. Halys Round Mountain is in the south-west corner of the locality (26.7748°S 151.6918°E / -26.7748; 151.6918 (Halys Round Mountain)) rising to 655 metres (2,149 ft) above sea level.
Kumbia Road enters the locality from the east (Brooklands) and exits to the west (Alice Creek / Haly Creek).
The land use is predominantly grazing on native vegetation, but there is also some crop growing and an area of rural residential housing in the north-east of the locality.
History
The Stuart Range was named by surveyor James Charles Burnett after the explorer Henry Stuart Russell, who explored the area in 1842.
In August 1913, local residents desired to establish a school. In March 1915, the Queensland Government reserved 5 acres (2.0 ha) of land for a school. In November 1915, tenders were called to erect a school building. Ellesmere State School opened in May 1916. In April 1922, the school was burned down and forced to close as the government would not agree to the temporary use of a farmer's barn as a school room; there were 46 children enrolled at this time. In December 1922, the government allocated £613 to build a new school building. It reopened on 16 July 1923. In 1961, it closed permanently. It was at 938 Kumbia Road (north-east corner of Ellesmere Road, 26.74038°S 151.72160°E / -26.74038; 151.72160 (Ellesmere State School (former))). As at November 2020, the school building was still extant on the site.
In September 1922, 1 acre (0.40 ha) of land was reserved for a School of Arts.
Demographics
In the 2016 census, Ellesmere had a population of 343 people.
In the 2021 census, Ellesmere had a population of 334 people.
Education
There are no schools in Ellesmere. The nearest government primary school is Kumbia State School in Kumbia to the north-east. The nearest government secondary schools are Kingaroy State High School in Kingaroy to the north and Nanango State High School in Nanango to the north-east.