Kureelpa, Queensland


Kureelpa is a locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the, Kureelpa had a population of 907 people.

Geography

is an earth-fill embankment dam with a toe drain with an un-gated spillway across a tributary of the South Maroochy River. The main purpose of the dam is for storage of potable water for the Sunshine Coast region.

History

The name Kureelpa is reportedly derived from an Aboriginal name, Kuril-ba, meaning a place of rats and mice.
Kureelpa Provisional School opened on 24 February 1914, becoming Kureelpa State School on 1 June 1916. The school closed on 1 December 1967.
Poona State School opened on 9 November 1915 and closed on 30 June 1933. Despite the name, this school was not located in Poona in the Fraser Coast Region, but "via Nambour", possibly in the vicinity of the Poona Dam in Kureelpa The first teacher was Ethel Edwards. It closed due to low student numbers in June 1933. The school buildings were sold in 1937.
The Poona Dam was bult in 1959. The height of the dam wall was increased in 1969 with upgrades to the spllway in 1998.
Blackall Range Independent School opened on 2 February 1975.  It initially occupied the Kureelpa Hall and then moved to the building of the former Kureelpa State School.

Education

Blackall Range Independent School is a private primary and secondary school for boys and girls at 551 Mapleton Road. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 54 students with 8 teachers and 11 non-teaching staff.