Rollingstone is a semi-rural/residential area approximately north of Townsville, Queensland, Australia, and south of Ingham, Queensland. The locality is roughly shaped like an hourglass with the town at the narrow centre area. Rollingston Creek flows to the south and east of the town and into the Coral Sea and forms, in part, the boundary between Rollingstone and neighbouring Balgal Beach. The Bruce Highway traverses Rollingstone from the south-east to the north, but deviates slightly to the south of the town. The North Coast railway line runs roughly parallel to the highway but to the north and passes through the town, which was served by the Rollingstone railway station.
History
Settled in 1883 by John Lambert, the district was originally a pastoral lease known as Armidale, extending from Bluewater Creek in the south to Clerk Creek in the north. In 1906, the Armidale Hotel opened along the stagecoach route between Townsville and Ingham. When the North Coast railway opened through Rollingstone in 1915, the railway station was to serve as a post office. However concern over possible confusion with Armidale in New South Wales resulted in the town and railway station being renamed Rollingstone after the creek, which is believed to be named for the round shape of the rocks found in the creek bed. The hotel was renamed the Rollingstone Hotel. Rollingstone State School opened on 4 September 1916 with 28 students on land donated by the hotel owners, John and Isabella Fitzpatrick. The opening of the railway opened up the beaches north of Townsville for recreational use. The beach near Rollingstone just south of the mouth of Rollingstone Creek was surveyed for a town in 1947 and named Balgal with town land allotments being sold in 1948 onwards.
Amenities
Located alongside the Bruce Highway, facilities in Rollingstone include a state primary school, a service station, general store, hotel and caravan park. Rollingstone is a popular location for recreational activities such as camping, picnicking and swimming at Bushy Park along Rollingstone Creek and it is in close proximity to Balgal Beach, popular for its fishing and patrolled beachside swimming area. Rollingstone State School is a primary school for boys and girls operated by the Queensland Government on Fred Williams Drive. In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 89 students with 6 teachers and 5 non-teaching staff. The Townsville City Council operate a mobile library service which visits the Community Centre at Rollingstone every second Wednesday morning.
