Rolleston, Queensland
Category:Use dmy dates from July 2016 Category:Use Australian English from July 2016Category:All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English
Category:Lists of coordinates Category:Geographic coordinate lists Category:Articles with Geo Category:Articles with short descriptionCategory:Short description matches WikidataCategory:Articles with short descriptionCategory:Short description matches WikidataRolleston | |||||||||||||
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The main street of Rolleston | |||||||||||||
![]() Interactive map of Rolleston | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates: 24°27′47″S 148°37′25″E / 24.4630°S 148.6236°ECategory:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlasCategory:Coordinates on Wikidata | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Queensland | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Location |
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| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 140.1 km2 (54.1 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 132 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.942/km2 (2.440/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+10:00 (AEST) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 4702 | ||||||||||||
| Mean max temp | 29.5 °C (85.1 °F) | ||||||||||||
| Mean min temp | 14.1 °C (57.4 °F) | ||||||||||||
| Annual rainfall | 635 mm (25.0 in) | ||||||||||||
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Rolleston is a rural town and locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Rolleston had a population of 132 people.[1]
Geography

Rolleston is located on the Comet River, 335 kilometres (208 mi) west of Gladstone, 263 kilometres (163 mi) north of Roma and 694 kilometres (431 mi) northwest of Brisbane. Springsure, the nearest town, lies 71 kilometres (44 mi) to the north-west. Rolleston is at the junction of the Carnarvon and Dawson highways.[4]
There is a large coal mine 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) to the west called the Rolleston coal mine.[5]
Climate
| Climate data for Rolleston Airport (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 44.5 (112.1) |
43.2 (109.8) |
41.2 (106.2) |
37.0 (98.6) |
34.5 (94.1) |
31.4 (88.5) |
30.8 (87.4) |
35.4 (95.7) |
40.7 (105.3) |
41.6 (106.9) |
43.0 (109.4) |
44.0 (111.2) |
44.5 (112.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 34.8 (94.6) |
33.7 (92.7) |
32.7 (90.9) |
29.8 (85.6) |
26.0 (78.8) |
23.0 (73.4) |
22.9 (73.2) |
25.1 (77.2) |
28.6 (83.5) |
31.3 (88.3) |
33.2 (91.8) |
34.4 (93.9) |
29.6 (85.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 28.0 (82.4) |
27.3 (81.1) |
25.7 (78.3) |
22.2 (72.0) |
18.2 (64.8) |
15.2 (59.4) |
14.4 (57.9) |
16.0 (60.8) |
19.7 (67.5) |
23.0 (73.4) |
25.6 (78.1) |
27.2 (81.0) |
21.9 (71.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.3 (70.3) |
20.9 (69.6) |
18.8 (65.8) |
14.6 (58.3) |
10.4 (50.7) |
7.5 (45.5) |
5.9 (42.6) |
6.9 (44.4) |
10.8 (51.4) |
14.8 (58.6) |
18.0 (64.4) |
20.0 (68.0) |
14.1 (57.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 14.5 (58.1) |
11.9 (53.4) |
9.5 (49.1) |
2.9 (37.2) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
0.5 (32.9) |
4.5 (40.1) |
7.2 (45.0) |
8.9 (48.0) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 89.1 (3.51) |
97.1 (3.82) |
53.9 (2.12) |
34.2 (1.35) |
25.4 (1.00) |
33.6 (1.32) |
15.2 (0.60) |
20.6 (0.81) |
31.2 (1.23) |
47.4 (1.87) |
57.1 (2.25) |
85.3 (3.36) |
590.1 (23.23) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 6.7 | 5.9 | 4.1 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 6.6 | 47.6 |
| Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration[6] | |||||||||||||
History
Rolleston was built on Kanolu land.
Wadja (also known as Wadjigu, Wadia, Wadjainngo, Mandalgu, and Wadjigun) is an Australian Aboriginal language in Central Queensland. The language region includes the local government areas of the Aboriginal Shire of Woorabinda and Central Highlands Region, including the Blackdown Tablelands. the Comet River, and the Expedition Range, and the towns of Woorabinda, Springsure and Rolleston.[7]
The Kanolu language group also encompasses Rolleston.[8]
The town is named after Christopher Rolleston, a pastoralist who was involved in leasing a number of pastoral runs in the area in the 1860s.[2][3]
Rolleston State School opened on 9 October 1871.[9]
Queensland's last legendary cattle thieves and bushrangers, the notorious Patrick and James Kenniff, frequently lived at Lethbridge Pocket, which is now within Carnarvon National Park. It was here on Easter Sunday, 30 March 1902, that they murdered Constable George Doyle and cattle station manager Albert Dahlke.[10]
All Saints Anglican Church was officially opened on Sunday 10 June 1934 by Bishop Fortescue Ash.[11][12]
Mining began at the Rollestone coal mine in October 2005 and is expected to last more than 20 years.[5]
Demographics
In the 2006 census, the locality of Rolleston had a population of 217 people.[13]
In the 2011 census, the locality of Rolleston had a population of 129 people.[14]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Rolleston had a population of 309 people.[15]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Rolleston had a population of 132 people.[1]
Education

Rolleston State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 16 Warrijo Street (24°27′45″S 148°37′26″E / 24.4624°S 148.6240°ECategory:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas).[16][17][18] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 63 students with 6 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 7 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[19]
There are no secondary schools in Rolleston or nearby. The nearest government schools offering secondary education are Springsure State School (to Year 10) in Springsure to the north-west and Emerald State High School (to Year 12) in Emerald to the north. Distance education and boarding schools are options.[20]
Amenities
The Central Highlands Regional Council operates a public library on Planet Street.[21]

There are two churches in Rolleston:
- All Saints' Anglican Church, 2 Warrijo Street (24°27′42″S 148°37′31″E / 24.4617°S 148.6253°ECategory:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas)[22]
- St Theresa's Catholic Church, 28 Orion Street (24°27′58″S 148°37′32″E / 24.4661°S 148.6255°ECategory:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas)[23]
Facilities
Emergency services available in Rolleston include:
- Rolleston Police Station (24°27′47″S 148°37′14″E / 24.4630°S 148.6206°ECategory:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas)[24]
- Rolleston Fire Station (24°27′41″S 148°37′22″E / 24.4614°S 148.6229°ECategory:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas)[24]
- Rolleston SES Facility (24°27′50″S 148°37′36″E / 24.4638°S 148.6267°ECategory:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas)[24]
See also

References
- 1 2 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Rolleston (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023. Category:Australian Statistical Geography Standard 2021 ID same as Wikidata
- 1 2 "Rolleston – town in Central Highlands Region (entry 28948)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- 1 2 "Rolleston – locality in Central Highlands Region (entry 46975)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ↑ "Layers: Locality; Road and rail; Railways; Railway stations". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- 1 2 Department of Infrastructure and Planning. "Rolleston Coal Project". Government of Queensland. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ↑ "Rolleston Airport Climate Normals for 1991-2020" (CSV). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ↑
This Wikipedia article incorporates CC BY 4.0 licensed text from: "Wadja". Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map. State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
Category:Articles incorporating text from the State Library of Queensland - ↑ "Kanolu (QLD)". South Australian Museum. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ↑ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ↑ "George Doyle". Police Memorial. Queensland Police. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ↑ "ALL SAINTS'". Morning Bulletin. No. 21, 183. Queensland, Australia. 15 June 1934. p. 12. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ "NEW ROLLESTON CHURCH". The Central Queensland Herald. Vol. 6, no. 234. Queensland, Australia. 21 June 1934. p. 55. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Rollestone (SSC)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Rolleston (SSC)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 10 March 2017. Category:Australian Statistical Geography Standard 2011 ID same as Wikidata
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Rolleston (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018. Category:Australian Statistical Geography Standard 2016 ID same as Wikidata
- ↑ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ↑ "Rolleston State School". Rolleston State School. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ↑ "Rolleston State School". Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ↑ "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ↑ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ↑ "Rolleston Library". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. 31 March 2017. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ↑ "Anglican Parish of Springsure". anglicanchurchcq.org.au. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ↑ "Springsure". Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- 1 2 3 "Emergency services facilities - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
