Monto, Queensland

Geography

Monto is located on the Burnett Highway 500 km north-west of Brisbane and 235 km south of Rockhampton. The Gladstone–Monto Road intersects with the Burnett Highway in the town.

The main street in the town is Newton Street.

Ancient past

In the Mississippian era (358-323 mya) also known as the Early Carboniferous period, the area was part of a shallow sea where coral formed a coral reef that became carbonate rock (limestone) underlying the area. Cannindah Reef was the largest-known reef from this period.

History

Gureng Gureng (also known as Gooreng Gooreng, Goreng Goreng, Goeng, Gurang, Goorang Goorang, Korenggoreng) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Gureng Gureng people. The Gooreng Gooreng language region includes the towns of Bundaberg, Gin Gin and Miriam Vale extending south towards Childers, inland to Monto and Mt Perry.

The town takes its name from its railway station, which in turn is an Aboriginal word meaning ridgy plain.

Europeans settled in the area in the late 1840s, maintaining large pastoral holdings at the northern end of the Burnett Valley. Gold unearthed along Three Moon Creek — a tributary of the Burnett River — in the 1870s attracted further settlers. The original site of the diggings, 30 km north of present-day Monto, has since been flooded by construction of Cania Dam.

Norton Diggings Provisional School opened circa 1881 and is believed to have been repositioned circa 1892 and renamed Norton Goldfield Provisional School. It closed circa 1903 but reopened in 1904 as Norton Provisional School, but then closed in 1907.

The township of Monto was not formally established until 1924 in which year the post office opened.

Lobbying for a school commenced in 1924. Monto State School opened on 25 January 1926.

On Wednesday 17 April 1929, Archbishop James Duhig dedicated the Catholic Church of the Little Flower in Monto. Unusually the church had been built on leasehold land as freehold was unavailable. It was at 29 Rutherford Street (). It now serves as the church hall for St Theresa's Catholic Church (built circa 1990).

Monto Baptist Church opened on 23 April 1930. It was at 24 Kelvin Street (). It closed in 1997 and passed into private ownership.

St Therese's Catholic Primary School was opened on 5 February 1940 by the Presentation Sisters.

With dwindling gold reserves, Monto turned its economy towards farming and logging, two of the region's major industries today. Deposits of thermal coal and limestone have been discovered in the shire.

Monto State High School opened on 28 January 1964.

The town was the administrative centre of Monto Shire until its amalgamation in 2008 into the new North Burnett Region local government area.

Selene Public Hall was on Selene Hall Road in Selene. Having been unused for about ten years, it was relocated in February 2017 to the Monto Historical Centre at 20 Flinders Street, Monto (), for use as an archive for the photographs of the Monto Historical Society.

Demographics

In the , the town of Monto had a population of 1,159 people.

In the , the locality of Monto had a population of 1,189 people.

In the , the locality of Monto had a population of 1,156 people.

Amenities

Monto has a cultural and historical complex with a museum reserve, sporting facilities, swimming pool and golf club.

Monto Hospital is a 14-bed hospital operated by Queensland Health at 35 Flinders Street (). It has a 24-hour emergency service.

The North Burnett Regional Council operates a public library in Monto at 50 Newton Street.

The Monto-Bancroft branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at 9 Rutherford Street.

St Theresa's Catholic Church is on the north-west corner of Rutherford Street and Maxwell Street ().

Education

Monto State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 3 Leichhardt Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 110 students with 9 teachers (7 full-time equivalent) and 11 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).

St Therese's Catholic Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 2-10 Rayleigh Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 88 students with 9 teachers (8 full-time equivalent) and 3 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).

Monto State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at Mouatt Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 159 students with 23 teachers (20 full-time equivalent) and 19 non-teaching staff (11 full-time equivalent).

Monto Cluster Special Education Program is a primary and secondary (Prep–12) special education program at Monto State High School.

Heritage listings

Monto has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Monto Cemetery No 1 and No 2, Gladstone-Monto Road
• Monto Watertower and Rotary Park, corner of Huxley, Bell & Edison Streets
• Monto Town Design (also known as Monto Government Administration Precinct), Lister, Kelvin, Lyell & Faraday Streets
• Hotel Albert, Newton Street
• Monto Shire Hall, Newton Street
• former Monto Court House, 53 Newton Street
• former Monto Council Office and Chambers (also known as Sunshine House), Rutherford Street
• Monto Post Office, corner Rutherford and Newton Streets
• Ventnor State School, Yarrol Road, Ventnor

Tourism

Tourism is also a major industry in the region. Besides being a major highway town, the chief local attractions are Cania Gorge National Park and Cania Dam, 20 km north of town.

Monto has also added to its attractions as being () the most northerly silo art installation in Australia. Its "Three Moons" silos depict several stories of the past, including the era of gold mining, cattle mustering and The Dreaming. It also has a mural on an old water tower.

Dairy farming

Monto was once the centre of a thriving dairy industry, with more than 400 dairy farms in the area, but deregulation in the 1990s changed that. The number of dairy farms dropped to three.

Mining

In 2006, Monto Minerals floated on the Alternative Investment Market in London, raising approximately A$41 million before expenses. In 2007 it announced plans to begin commercial production of feldspar, ilmenite, apatite and titanomagnetite from its site at the Goondicum crater, just outside the eastern border of Monto Shire. It was reported in September 2008 that Monto Minerals had placed itself in voluntary administration. The mine was then operated by Belridge Enterprises from September 2012 to June 2013, and Melior Resources from April to July 2015 when production was halted due to low market prices. After resuming operations the mine was again closed when Melior Resources appointed a voluntary administrator in September 2019.

Coal mining company Macarthur Coal also owns large amounts of land in the Mulgildie area.

Facilities

Despite the name, Monto Aerodrome is at 375 Airport Road in neighbouring Three Moon to the south (). It has a 1311 m bitumen-sealed runway. It is operated by the North Burnett Regional Council.

Climate

| Jan record high C = 41.3 | Feb record high C = 43.2 | Mar record high C = 40.1 | Apr record high C = 36.4 | May record high C = 32.8 | Jun record high C = 30.6 | Jul record high C = 30.0 | Aug record high C = 35.6 | Sep record high C = 38.0 | Oct record high C = 39.0 | Nov record high C = 41.7 | Dec record high C = 41.1 | year record high C = 43.2 | Jan record low C = 12.5 | Feb record low C = 12.8 | Mar record low C = 8.2 | Apr record low C = 2.7 | May record low C = -1.8 | Jun record low C = -3.9 | Jul record low C = -4.5 | Aug record low C = -2.8 | Sep record low C = 0.3 | Oct record low C = 2.1 | Nov record low C = 4.9 | Dec record low C = 7.2 | year record low C = -4.5 |access-date = 14 July 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140714123951/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_039104_All.shtml |archive-date = 14 July 2014 |url-status = live

Notable people from Monto

• Jock R. Anderson
• Gordon Bennett (artist)
• Michael Caton
• Prof. Megan Davis was born here in 1975.
• Gil Jamieson
• Mal Meninga
• Owen Pattie
• Jeff Seeney
• Mark Steketee
• Daphne Seeney

References

References

1. ''[[Macquarie Dictionary. Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition]]'' (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. {{ISBN. 1-876429-14-3
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3. {{cite QPN. 45391. Monto. locality in North Burnett Region
4. {{Queensland Globe
5. [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-27/ancient-coral-reef-could-hold-climate-change-lessons/103059762 Ancient Cannindah Reef in central Queensland could offer lessons to fight climate change] {{Webarchive. link. (3 January 2024 , Grace Whiteside, [[ABC News Online]], 2023-12-27)
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44. Monto Minerals Announcement 22 August 2006, Countdown to Production... Monto Minerals Commences Industrial Minerals Project Construction. Available [http://www.montominerals.com/ann06/22August2006.pdf online] {{webarchive. link. (27 September 2007)
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46. (2015-08-03). "Thirty workers sacked in Queensland ilmenite mine closure".
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52. Kieza, Grantlee. (29 June 2012). "A love of footy became the making of Mal Meninga". [[Herald Sun]].