Karara, Queensland


Karara is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the, the locality of Karara had a population of 128 people.

Geography

The town is on the Darling Downs on the Cunningham Highway, south west of the state capital, Brisbane. The highway passes through the locality from the east to the south-west. The Toowoomba–Karara Road connects the highway through to the north of the locality to Leyburn and ultimately through to Toowoomba. The South Western railway line passes through the locality roughly parallel and to the north of the highway with the locality served by two railway stations:
Both the line and Karara railway station are no longer in active use.
The Durakai State Forest occupies the southern and eastern areas within the locality; otherwise it is freehold land predominantly used for farming apart from a small urban centre. There are a number of creeks running south to north through the locality which is in the drainage basin of the Condamine River.

History

The name Karara is believed to be an Aboriginal name for Canal Creek.
The South Western railway line from Warwick to Karara was opened in 1904.
Karara State School opened on 20 July 1908.
Karara Post Office opened on 1 July 1927 and closed in 1990.

Demographics

In the, the locality of Karara and the surrounding area had a population of 140 people.
In the, the locality of Karara had a population of 278 people.
In the, the locality of Karara had a population of 123 people.
In the, the locality of Karara had a population of 128 people.

Amenities

The Southern Downs Regional Council operates a mobile library service which visits the Recreation Reserve.
The Karara branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the Karara Public Hall at 33 School Street.

Education

Karara State School is a government primary school for boys and girls at Karara School Road. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 5 students with 3 teachers and 5 non-teaching staff. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 8 students with 2 teachers and 5 non-teaching staff.
There are no secondary schools in Karara. The nearest government secondary schools are Warwick State High School in Warwick to the east, Inglewood State School in Inglewood to the south-west, Millmerran State School in Millmerran to the north-west, Clifton State High School in Clifton to the north-east, and Allora State School in Allora to the north-east.