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Rainbow Beach is a coastal rural town and
locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...
in the
Gympie Region The Gympie Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is between the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast and ...
,
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia. In the , the locality of Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,220 people. It is a popular tourist destination, both in its own right and as a gateway to
K'gari K'gari ( , ), also known by its former name Fraser Island, is a World Heritage List, World Heritage-listed sand island along the south-eastern coast in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The island lies approximately nort ...
(Fraser Island), with a vehicle ferry frequently running to the southern point of K'gari.


Geography

Rainbow Beach is bounded to the east by Wide Bay in the
Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down t ...
. The name of the town derives from the rainbow-coloured sand dunes fronting the beach. According to the legends of the
indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...
Kabi Kabi The Kabi Kabi people, also spelt Gubbi Gubbi, Gabi Gabi, and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people native to South Eastern Queensland. During the Australian frontier wars of the 19th century, there were several mass killings of ...
people, the dunes were coloured when Yiningie, a spirit represented by a rainbow, plunged into the cliffs after doing battle with an evil tribesman. The sand colours derive from the rich mineral content, including
rutile Rutile is an oxide mineral composed of titanium dioxide (TiO2), the most common natural form of TiO2. Rarer polymorphs of TiO2 are known, including anatase, akaogiite, and brookite. Rutile has one of the highest refractive indices at vis ...
,
ilmenite Ilmenite is a titanium-iron oxide mineral with the idealized formula . It is a weakly magnetic black or steel-gray solid. Ilmenite is the most important ore of titanium and the main source of titanium dioxide, which is used in paints, printi ...
,
zircon Zircon () is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates and is a source of the metal zirconium. Its chemical name is zirconium(IV) silicate, and its corresponding chemical formula is Zr SiO4. An empirical formula showing some of th ...
, and
monazite Monazite is a primarily reddish-brown phosphate mineral that contains rare-earth elements. Due to variability in composition, monazite is considered a group of minerals. The most common species of the group is monazite-(Ce), that is, the cerium ...
. A black dune of
ilmenite Ilmenite is a titanium-iron oxide mineral with the idealized formula . It is a weakly magnetic black or steel-gray solid. Ilmenite is the most important ore of titanium and the main source of titanium dioxide, which is used in paints, printi ...
sands, overgrown by dune vegetation, can be found north-west of the main town. It is currently being mined for sale to
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, with complete removal expected to take two years. The Cooloola Section of the Great Sandy National Park borders the town to the south. A number of walking tracks through the national park depart from the southern outskirts of Rainbow Beach. That includes the northern end-point of the Cooloola Great Walk. By road, Rainbow Beach is from the
Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Natio ...
town of
Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. Located in the Greater Sunshine Coast, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River ( ...
, and from the Queensland state capital,
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
.


History

The town's war memorial, commemorating those who died in the
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and subsequent conflicts, was refurbished in 1993 and is also located in Laurie Hanson Park. Rainbow Beach State School opened on 28 January 1986. The Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd opened on 15 September 1993. The church and hall were relocated from Yeronga in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
and re-erected in Rainbow Beach after a 15-hour journey. The church had operated in Yeronga under the same name from 1958 to 1992. Rainbow Beach Library was opened in 2012.


Demographics

In the , the locality of Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,103 people. In the , the locality of Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,249 people. In the , the locality of Rainbow Beach had a population of 1,220 people.


Economy

The town's economy is now dominated by tourism, featuring quiet and idyllic holidays, fishing and retirement getaway. The town caters to beach-orientated holiday-makers with hotels, motels, and caravan parks. The town promotes itself as the "Gateway to Fraser Island" as vehicular ferries for K'gari (Fraser Island) depart from
Inskip Point Inskip Point is a peninsula in the north of the Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality of Inskip, Queensland, Inskip to the north of the town of Rainbow Beach, Queensland, Rainbow Beach in south-east Queensland, Australia. It is the vehic ...
, north of town.
Double Island Point Double Island Point is a coastal headland in Queensland, Australia. It is the next headland north of Noosa, Queensland, Noosa and is within the Cooloola, Queensland, Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park, at the southern end of W ...
, a popular destination amongst 4WD enthusiasts, is located east of town. It is also promoted as an eco-tourism destination. Although it has a permanent population of about 1,000, about 70,000 visitors go to the town each year. Created as a means of driving tourism off-season, Rainbow Beach Family Fishing Classic & Expo has been a popular event for nearly 40 years.


Community Facilities

Gympie Regional Council operates Rainbow Beach Library at Rainbow Beach Community Hall, 32 Rainbow Beach Road (). The Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd is at 17-19 Carlo Street (). St Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church is at the south-east end of Manooka Drive ().


Education

Rainbow Beach State School is a government coeducational primary (Prep–6) school at Warooga Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 93 students with eight teachers (six full-time equivalent) and five non-teaching staff (four full-time equivalent).


References


External links

*
Town map of Rainbow Beach, 1983
{{authority control Towns in Queensland Coastal towns in Queensland Beaches of Queensland Gympie Region 1969 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1969 Localities in Queensland