Booral is a coastal locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2016 census Booral had a population of 1,540 people.[1]

Booral Hervey Bay, Queensland
Booral horse station, circa 1898
Booral
Coordinates	25.3538°S 152.89°E / -25.3538; 152.89 (Booral (centre of locality))
Population	1,540 (2016 census)[1]
• Density	56.41/km2 (146.1/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4655
Area	27.3 km2 (10.5 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
LGA(s)	Fraser Coast Region
State electorate(s)	Hervey Bay
Federal division(s)	Hinkler
Suburbs around Booral: Wondunna Urangan Great Sandy Strait Nikenbah Booral Great Sandy Strait Bunya Creek River Heads Great Sandy Strait

History

The name Booral is a Kabi language word meaning either tall (relating to the sky god Beiral) or burrall meaning place of shell mounds.[2] Many shell mounds have been found along the coastline, arising from Aboriginal people feasting on shellfish. Aboriginal people travelled from the Bunya Mountains to trade bunya nuts for shellfish. It is believed Aboriginal people inhabited the area for over 6,000 years.[3]

Edgar Thomas Aldridge established the Booral Homestead in the 1850s.[4]

In the 2011 census, Booral had a population of 1,449 people.[5]

In the 2016 census Booral had a population of 1,540 people.[1]

Geography

The waters of Hervey Bay form the eastern boundary.[6]

Economy

The proximity to the Great Sandy Strait enables salt water aquaculture, including the farming of fish, sea cucumbers and soft shell crabs.[7]

Community associations

The Booral Community Association Inc is a group of volunteers who seek to promote the interests of the community at all levels of government. A major issue for the group has been the restriction of foreshore access to only certain property holders rather than to the general public.[8]

References

External links

• "Booral". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.