Injune is a small town in South West Queensland. It located on the Carnarvon Highway, 92 kilometres (57 mi)north of the regional centre of Roma. A railway connected Injune with Roma from 1920 until 1966.[5]
It was formerly a hub for cattle and dairy industries, but now serves as a staging point for expeditions to the nearby Carnarvon National Park. More recently, natural gas and timber have served as the major primary industries.
History
Injune, perhaps the most plausible, derives name from Ingon, an aboriginal word in reference to a species of flying squirrel or sugar glider common to the area.
The Injune railway line opened on 19 September 1916 from Roma to Orallo. It was extended to Injune, opening on 30 June 1920. The last train left Injune on 31 December 1966 and the line closed from 1 January 1967. Although there was still considerable grain traffic, maintenance costs for its many bridges made the line unviable. The line and facilities were completely dismantled by mid 1968.[citation needed]
In the 2006 census, the town of Injune had a population of 362 people.[8]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Injune had a population of 461 people.[9]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Injune had a population of 429 people.[1]
Education
Injune P-10 State School is a government primary and secondary (Prep-10) school for boys and girls on the corner of Hutton Street and Fourth Avenue (25°50′48″S148°33′54″E / 25.8467°S 148.5651°E / -25.8467; 148.5651 (Injune P-10 State School)).[10][11] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 80 students with 12 teachers and 16 non-teaching staff (7 full-time equivalent).[12] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 80 students with 14 teachers (12 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (8 full-time equivalent).[13]
As Injune State School only provides education to Year 10, for Years 11 and 12 the nearest school is Roma State College in Roma to the south.[14]
Amenities
Injune Library, 2011
Injune has a public library at Hutton Street operated by the Maranoa Regional Council.[15]
Attractions
Residents of Injune district have a lively interest in the arts, strongly supported by the former Bungil Shire Council's Arts & Cultural Policy.[16] Injune's local arts group, the Injune Public Space Art Group (IPSAG), is leading the development of Henricks Park as an art and sculpture park opposite the Injune Information Centre.[17]
Injune has an historical railway and steam train precinct. It features Locomotive No. 824 from the Camp Mountain railway accident. The locomotive was repaired and placed back into service, working around South East Queensland. In 1958 it was transferred to Toowoomba, and withdrawn from service in May 1967, exactly 20 years after the accident.[18] At that point, as a donation to the Bungil Shire Council, it was towed to Injune,[19][20] where it is located behind the town's ambulance station,[21] and is listed in a town map as an "historical steam train".[22]
Climate
Injune has a subtropical climate with warm to hot summers and cool winters with rainfall concentrated in the summer months. A record low temperature of −8.0 °C (17.6 °F) is one of the coldest temperatures recorded in Queensland outside of the Darling Downs and Granite Belt along with the record low in nearby Mitchell.[23]
^Burden, Peter; Bailey, Graham (24 February 2007). "Subsequent History". Camp Mountain Disaster – Labour Day 1947. QRIG.org. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008.
^Condon, Matthew (15 June 2007). "Samford Valley train crash". Qweekend. The Courier-Mail. Archived from the original on 7 November 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
