Mount Lawless, Queensland
Mount Lawless is a rural locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the, Mount Lawless had a population of 9 people.
Geography
The Burnett River forms most of the eastern boundary. It drains a basin covering which is 1.9% of the total area of Queensland.Despite its name, the mountain Mount Lawless is in the far south-east of the neighbouring locality of Yenda to the north.
The nearest large town is Gayndah which is distant in a direct line or by road.
The land use is predominantly grazing on native vegetation with some crop growing near the river.
History
The area had started growing small crops, citrus orchards, grain and dairy cattle by 1905. The Gayndah area is still known for these primary industries, with irrigation, today.At the time the Burnett River Bridge was being built, the site selected was "said to possess considerable scenic beauty. The exact spot is on a basalt crossing, on either side of which are large lagoons, in which fish and fowl abound."
An area of was reserved for township purposes at Mount Lawless, near Gayndah in 1909.
The final stage of the Mungar Junction to Monto railway line opened from Wetherton to Gayndah via Mount Lawless on 16 December 1907 without any ceremony. It was officially opened in April 1908 by the Queensland Minister for Railways George Kerr. The locality was served by two railway stations, both now abandoned:
- Mount Lawless railway station
- Dappil railway station
Floods
The Burnett River Bridge is also known as the Mt. Lawless railway bridge and is not to be confused with the Burnett Railway Bridge in Bundaberg.This low-level railway bridge was built over the rapids in the Burnett River at Mount Lawless during 1906/1907. The bridge engineer said at the time that it was "the longest bridge of its kind in Queensland... and he felt sure that it would resist every pressure likely to be met with." The bridge was flooded in 1911, 1918, 1921, 1928, 1929, 1934, 1949, 1950, 1954 and 1956. It suffered major damage in the 1947 floods when nine spans of the length of the bridge were washed away. The damage occurred from 11 February 1947 and the bridge was repaired and restricted services resumed six weeks later.
The Queensland Government Irrigation and Water Supply Commission monitored a gauging station at the Mount Lawless railway bridge, one of several along the Burnett River and its tributaries.
The construction of the Jones Weir at Mundubbera, upstream from Mount Lawless, commenced in April 1947. It was officially opened on Saturday 23 June 1951. The weir is one of the oldest concrete weirs commissioned in Queensland. Construction slowed between December 1948 and March 1949 due to flooding. Other upstream weirs followed.
The 2013 floods again removed the centre spans of the bridge, despite earlier flood protection measures.
Demographics
In the, Mount Lawless had a population of 12 people.In the, Mount Lawless had a population of 9 people.