The terrain in the north and south of the locality is more mountainous and is predominantly used for grazing on native vegetation. The terrain from the south-east to the north-west is within a valley through which Kings Creek flows from Upper Pilton through to Manapouri/Ascot and is ultimately a tributary of the Condamine River, part of the Murray-Darling basin. The valley is used for cropping.[5]
Pilton is named after a pastoral run which was excised from Clifton pastoral station in the 1840s. The run was leased by Philip Pinnock, John Gammie, Joseph King and Joshua J. Whitting [from 1851-9]. It might have been named after Pilton, Somerset, England, an Old English name with Pil meaning creek and ton meaning an enclosed homestead.[2]
Pilton Post Office opened on 27 March 1878 (though a receiving office for some years) and closed in 1977.[6]
Pilton Provisional School opened in February 1884.[7] It closed in 1908.[8]
Pilton State School opened on 3 November 1913.[9][8]
In the 2006 census, the locality recorded a population of 209, living in 74 inhabited dwellings.[10] The median age of the population was 41 years, and the median weekly household income was $866.[10]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Pilton had a population of 88 people.[11]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Pilton had a population of 71 people.[4]
Education
Pilton State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 24 Pilton Valley Road (27°52′04″S152°02′59″E / 27.8679°S 152.0497°E / -27.8679; 152.0497 (Pilton State School)).[12][13] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 29 students with 3 teachers (2 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[14] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 18 students with 2 teachers and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).[15]
There is no secondary school in Pilton; the nearest government secondary school is Clifton State High School in Clifton to the south-west.[5]
^Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
^"GREENMOUNT". Darling Downs Gazette. Vol. XXIII, no. 5, 603. Queensland, Australia. 4 February 1884. p. 3. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
