Bloomfield, Queensland

Bloomfield
Bloomfield; Queensland
	Ayton general store, 2009
	Bloomfield
Coordinates	15.9333°S 145.3416°E
Population	204 (2016 census)[1]
• Density	0.2452/km2 (0.6350/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4895
Area	832.1 km2 (321.3 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
LGA(s)	Shire of Cook; Shire of Douglas;
State electorate(s)	Cook
Federal Division(s)	Leichhardt
	Suburbs around Bloomfield:

Bloomfield is a town in the Shire of Cook and a coastal locality which is split between the Shire of Cook and the Shire of Douglas in Queensland, Australia.[2][3][4] The neighbourhood of Ayton is within the locality (15°55′17″S 145°21′11″E).[5] In the 2016 census, Bloomfield had a population of 204 people.[1]

The neighbourhood of China Camp is an abandoned tin mining area within the locality (16.045°S 145.300°E / -16.045; 145.300 (China Camp)).[6]

Geography

The locality of Bloomfield is geographically divided into a northern section in the Shire of Cook and a southern section in the Shire of Douglas. The narrow boundary between the two sections is about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) in width and follows Granite Creek, a tributary of the Bloomfield River which passes through the locality to its mouth at the Coral Sea.[7][8]

Much of the northern section of Bloomfield is within the Ngalba Bulal National Park. Much of the southern section of Bloomfield is within the Ngalba Bulal National Park and the Daintree National Park.[8]

Although Bloomfield (15°56′00″S 145°20′30″E) is officially the population centre, in practice, there is little there apart from the school. Most of the development is in Ayton, on the northern bank of the Bloomfield River near its mouth.[8]

History

Yalanji (also known as Kuku Yalanji, Kuku Yalaja, Kuku Yelandji, and Gugu Yalanji) is an Australian Aboriginal language of Far North Queensland. The traditional language region is Mossman River in the south to the Annan River in the north, bordered by the Pacific Ocean in the east and extending inland to west of Mount Mulgrave. This includes the local government boundaries of the Shire of Douglas, the Shire of Cook and the Aboriginal Shire of Wujal Wujal and the towns and localities of Cooktown, Mossman, Daintree, Cape Tribulation and Wujal Wujal. It includes the head of the Palmer River, the Bloomfield River, China Camp, Maytown, and Palmerville.[9]

The town and locality are named after the Bloomfield River.[2]

Bloomfield River Sugar Company Mill, circa 1887

The Bloomfield River Sugar Company was established in 1882 by Frederick Bauer and his two sons. They established a sugarcane plantation that they called Vilele. The sugar mill they constructed did its first full-scale crush in 1885. In 1886 they built a saw mill and had 10 miles (16 km) of tramway built from portable track. The sugar mill closed in 1890 as it proved to be not economic.[10]

Ayton Provisional School opened on the road from Cape Tribulation to Cooktown circa 1897. On 1 January 1909 it became Ayton State School. It 1924 it was closed due to low student numbers.[11]

Bloomfield River State School opened on 16 July 1952.[11]

In the 2011 census, Bloomfield had a population of 403 people.[12]

Prior to the deamalgamation of Shire of Douglas on 1 January 2014, Bloomfield was split between Shire of Cook and Cairns Region.

In the 2016 census, Bloomfield had a population of 204 people.[1]

Facilities

Cook Shire Council operates a public library in Ayton.[13]

Education

Bloomfield River State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 3202 Rossville-Bloomfield Road (15.9352°S 145.3413°E / -15.9352; 145.3413 (Bloomfield River State School)).[14][15] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 41 students with 6 teachers and 9 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).[16]

The nearest secondary school is in Cooktown (approximately 1 hour away).[8]

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Bloomfield (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
"Bloomfield – town in Shire of Cook (entry 43963)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
"Bloomfield – locality in Cook Shire (entry 46122)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
"Bloomfield – locality in Douglas Shire (entry 48532)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
"Ayton – unbounded locality in the Shire of Cook (entry 1074)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
"China Camp – unbounded locality in the Shire of Douglas (entry 43473)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
"Granite Creek – watercourse in Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire (entry 14579)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
"Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
This Wikipedia article incorporates CC-BY-4.0 licensed text from: "Yalanji". Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map. State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
"Brief History Of Bloomfield/Wujal Wujal, Far North Queensland". Douglas Shire Historical Society. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Bloomfield (SSC)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
"Bloomfield Library". Public Libraries Connect. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
"State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
"Bloomfield River State School". Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
"ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.