Bald Knob is a rural locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] At the 2021 census, Bald Knob had a population of 280 people.[1]

Bald Knob Queensland
Bald Knob
Coordinates	26.7825°S 152.9083°E / -26.7825; 152.9083 (Bald Knob (centre of locality))
Population	280 (2021 census)[1]
• Density	13.93/km2 (36.1/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4552
Area	20.1 km2 (7.8 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	26.2 km (16 mi) W of Caloundra 84.9 km (53 mi) N of Brisbane CBD
LGA(s)	Sunshine Coast Region
State electorate(s)	Glass House
Federal division(s)	Fisher
Suburbs around Bald Knob: Balmoral Ridge Diamond Valley Mooloolah Valley Maleny Crohamhurst Bald Knob Landsborough Crohamhurst Peachester Mount Mellum

Geography

Bald Knob is 78 kilometres (48 mi) north of Brisbane on the Blackall Range in the Sunshine Coast hinterland of South East Queensland.

Bald Knob has the following mountains:

• Bald Knob (26.7900°S 152.9184°E / -26.7900; 152.9184 (Bald Knob)) 462 metres (1,516 ft) above sea level[3][4]
• Wilkes Knob (26.7789°S 152.9154°E / -26.7789; 152.9154 (Wilkes Knob)) 477 metres (1,565 ft) above sea level[3][5]

History

The locality takes its name from the mountain feature Bald Knob, which was named by selector Samuel Burgess circa 1895, because the lightly forested "bald" feature stood out from the surrounding vine forest.[2][6]

Bald Knob Provisional School opened on 20 January 1902. On 1 January 1909 it became Bald Knob State School. It closed in August 1945.[7]

On Saturday 26 July 1924, a stump capping ceremony was held to celebrate the commencement of construction of the Bald Knob public hall.[8] The hall was officially opened on 18 October 1924 by Richard Warren, the Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Murrumba.[9]

In the 2011 census, Bald Knob recorded a population of 254 people,[10] 49.6% female and 50.4% male.[10] The median age of the Bald Knob population was 51 years, 14 years above the national median of 37. 77% of people living in Bald Knob were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were England 6.7%, Portugal 1.6%, El Salvador 1.2%, Germany 1.2%, Canada 1.2%. 95.3% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 1.2% German, 1.2% Italian, 1.2% Spanish.[10]

At the 2016 census, Bald Knob had a population of 253 people.[11]

At the 2021 census, Bald Knob had a population of 280 people.[1]

Amenities

There are a number of parks in the area:

• Bald Knob Lookout (26.7857°S 152.9202°E / -26.7857; 152.9202 (Bald Knob Lookout))[12]
• Landsborough-Maleny Road Park (26.7913°S 152.9229°E / -26.7913; 152.9229 (Landsborough-Maleny Road Park))[12]
• MacDonalds Road Environmental Reserve (26.8049°S 152.9098°E / -26.8049; 152.9098 (MacDonalds Road Environmental Reserve))[12]
• Upper Mooloolah Nature Refuge (26.7660°S 152.8972°E / -26.7660; 152.8972 (Upper Mooloolah Nature Refuge))[12]

Attractions

Skipper Musk Teahouse Lookout is on the Landsborough Maleny Road (26.7855°S 152.9205°E / -26.7855; 152.9205 (Skipper Musk Teahouse Lookout)) about halfway between the mountain peaks of Bald Knob and Wilkes Knob.[13] The name originates from a teahouse operated by Amelia Elizabeth Skipper (née Brown) and Daisy Georgina Musk (née Docwra) during the 1920s.[14][15]

References

Further reading

• Maleny schools' centenary celebration : 100 years of education, 1913-2013, Maleny P&C, 2013 – includes Bald Knob State School