Gracemere is approximately 9 kilometres (6 mi) west of the city of Rockhampton. Because of the proximity of the town to Rockhampton, Gracemere has become a dormitory town, with many residents commuting the short distance to work in the city.
The Central Western railway line enters the locality from the north-east (Port Curtis) where it splits from the North Coast railway line. It travels mostly immediately parallel to the highway through the locality exiting to the west (Kabra).[5] There are three railway stops within the locality (from west to east):
The area was first explored by Europeans in 1853, when the Archer brothers arrived looking for pastures for their sheep. They settled by a small lake, originally called "Farris" or Padgole lagoon which was named Gracemere in 1855. The name Gracemere comes from "Grace", the name of Thomas Archer's wife and "mere" which is a Scottish term for lake.[2][3] They also located a suitable landing point for supplies on the nearby Fitzroy River, which later became Rockhampton.
In July 1855, Charles and Thomas Archer with around 30 other people including four Native Police troopers, four Aboriginal men from the Burnett River and their wives, left the Archer's Eidsvold pastoral station in order to construct the Gracemere run. The Commissioner for Crown Lands in the Leichhardt region, William Wiseman, joined them to help locate the most appropriate area, and in August 1855 they determined the area next to the current Gracemere lagoon was best. The local Aboriginals led by "King Harold" wished to obtain peaceful conditions with the Archer brothers and in return for allowing the indigenous people to live in the area, the Archer brothers utilised Harold's people to aid in forcibly "restraining the outside blacks" who were resisting British occupation.[8]
Gracemere State School opened on 20 February 1871.[9]
As Gracemere developed as a dormitory town, further schools were needed with Waraburra State School opening on 27 January 1987 and St Paul's Catholic Primary School opening on 27 January 1988.[9]
At the 2011 census, the town of Gracemere had a population of 8,401.[10]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Gracemere had a population of 11,315 people.[1]
The Big G was unveiled at the entrance to the Gracemere Industrial Park on 18 August 2015.[11]
Gracemere public library opened in August 2017. It was welcomed by local residents as Gracemere was formerly in the Shire of Fitzroy which had no public libraries.[12][13]
Gracemere Shoppingworld opened in December 2014 with Woolworths and Best & Less operating as the anchor stores along with up to 20 speciality stores.[14]
Heritage listings
Sketch of Gracemere Homestead and the Gracemere Lagoon, circ 1869
There are no secondary schools in Gracemere. The nearest government secondary schoolis Rockhampton State High School in Wandal, Rockhampton.[5] Currently, all high school students travel by a free bus service into Rockhampton to continue their senior education.
As a dormitory town, most Gracemerians either drive a private vehicle or catch a bus to the city. The bus service, Young's Bus Service, operates hourly between the town centre and South Gracemere. Traffic can peak at around 8:00 in the morning, with traffic being banked up for around 1-1.5 kilometres on weekdays. Infrastructure problems are now becoming a reality for the small town and surrounding Capricorn Highway towns. This has resulted in constant roadworks and upgrades of the highway road quality. This mass influx of vehicles has resulted in a proposal for a new western bypass for Rockhampton, to send vehicles right to the northern suburbs, avoiding inner city congestion and delay, as this is where many Gracemerians work.
^"ROCKHAMPTON". The Capricornian. Vol. 8, no. 52. Queensland, Australia. 30 December 1882. p. 5 (The Capricornian ILLUSTRATED CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT 1882.). Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^McBryde, Emma (15 December 2011). "New Gracemere complex a hit". The Morning Bulletin. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
