# Eumundi, Queensland

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Eumundi is a rural town and locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. Eumundi is very popular on the coast for its bi-weekly farmers' markets. In the 2021 census, the locality of Eumundi had a population of 2,504 people.

## Geography

Eumundi is 21 kilometres (13 mi) south-west of Noosa Heads and 118 kilometres (73 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane. It is located just off the Bruce Highway. Nearby towns are Yandina and Cooroy. The Eumundi-Noosa Road starts at the Bruce Highway and exits to the east.

## History

Town blocks were surveyed and divided in 1890. The town's name is believed to come from the Kabi name Ngumundi, the name of a local Indigenous clan leader, who was said to have adopted escaped convict Bracefield as his adopted son. Prior to 1890 the town was called Eerwah after Mount Eerwah; this was changed to avoid confusion with the nearby town of Beerwah.
The original Eumundi railway station opened in 1891 on Gympie Road (now Memorial Drive) opposite Gridley Street (26°28′37″S 152°57′10″E﻿ / ﻿26.4770°S 152.9529°E﻿ / -26.4770; 152.9529﻿ (Former Eumundi railway station site)) as part of the opening of the North Coast line; it is now the site of the Eumundi Markets. The current Eumundi railway station (26°28′50″S 152°57′18″E﻿ / ﻿26.4806°S 152.9550°E﻿ / -26.4806; 152.9550﻿ (Eumundi railway station)) opened in 1988 when a 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) deviation was built as part of the electrification of the North Coast line.
St Ita's Catholic Church was originally built circa 1896 on a hilltop on the corner of Gridley Street and Crescent Street overlooking the town. A church bell was installed in 1912. In 1934 it was relocated closer to the town centre at 129 Memorial Drive (26°28′23″S 152°56′51″E﻿ / ﻿26.4730°S 152.9474°E﻿ / -26.4730; 152.9474﻿ (St Ita's Catholic Church (former))). Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd attended this church as a child (he became an Anglican later in life). The church closed circa 1976 and the building sold and is now a private home. The church bell is now in the Eumundi Museum.
On Thursday 14 June 1900, 17 choice farm blocks were advertised for auction by King and King Auctioneers. A map advertising the auction stated that Eumundi Estate was 1/4 mile from Eumundi Station and the Brisbane and Gympie Railway line ran through the property.
In 1906, at the Land Office in Brisbane, the Queensland Government auctioned 13 town lots in Eumundi, each of which was approximately 2 acres (0.81 ha). These were located in two groups, one near Etheridge Street and the other near Arundell Street.
Eumundi Butter Factory was built in 1907, becoming the largest milk collecting building on the Sunshine Coast. The dairy mainly produced butter and cream until it was closed in 1953 when milk was moved to Brisbane for processing. The building was destroyed by fire on 10 July 2005.
A town hall was completed in 1908 after a school of arts committee raised the funds.
On Saturday 2 December 1911, the Eumundi Methodist Church was officially opened by Reverend Henry Youngman, President of the Methodist Church of Australia. The church at 73 Memorial Drive (26°28′38″S 152°57′08″E﻿ / ﻿26.4772°S 152.9521°E﻿ / -26.4772; 152.9521﻿ (Eumundi Museum (former Methodist Church))) was built by Francis Gustavus Hill and was 33 by 25 feet (10.1 by 7.6 m). The external walls were double-dressed crows ash chamferboard, the ceiling was of pine, and the roof was iron. In 1996, the now-closed Methodist Church was re-opened as the Eumundi Historical Museum.
St George's Anglican Church at 15 Cook Street was dedicated on 21 July 1912 by Archbishop St Clair Donaldson. Its closure on 26 June 2005 was approved by Assistant Bishop Appleby. The property was sold and the church is now a private residence.
The Eumundi branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association was established on 9 November 1927. On 26 December 1929 their building was officially opened by Harry Walker, Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Cooroora.
Eumundi General Store was opened to the public in 1928. Later in 1993, a service station was established at the store.
St Andrew's Presbyterian Church at 123 Memorial Drive (26°28′23″S 152°56′51″E﻿ / ﻿26.4731°S 152.9475°E﻿ / -26.4731; 152.9475﻿ (St Andrew's Presbyterian Church (Eumundi Community Church) (former))) opened in 1953.
The Orana Nursery, operated in Eumundi from 1973 to 1991. It became the largest supplier of bougainvilleas in the Sunshine Coast region.
Eumundi was bisected by the Bruce Highway until a 2.4-kilometre (1.5 mi) bypass was completed in August 1976. between Eerwah Vale and Main Creek.
On 24 March 1979, the first Eumundi Market was held at the CWA hall with 3 stalls, 8 visitors and $30 of sales. It grew to over 600 stalls and 1.6 million visitors each year.
The original Eumundi Brewery was opened in the Imperial Hotel in 1988. The brewery was closed in the late 1990s, but was rebuilt on its original site in the Imperial Hotel in 2017.
In September 2019, the Eumundi Community Church (formerly the St Andrew's Presbyterian Church) closed, leaving the town without any active churches. The closure was due to declining attendance which was attributed to decreasing religious beliefs (in the 2016 census 43% of Eumundi residents said they had "no religion") and a preference of those with religious beliefs to attend larger services in other towns, such as the Hillsong Church in Noosa Heads.
In 2020, the town's rugby union club fielded a senior team for the first time in about 100 years.

## Heritage listings

Eumundi has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* Eumundi School of Arts, 63 Memorial Drive (26°28′42″S 152°57′10″E﻿ / ﻿26.4784°S 152.9527°E﻿ / -26.4784; 152.9527﻿ (Eumundi School of Arts))
* Eumundi War Memorial Trees, Memorial Drive (26°28′39″S 152°57′08″E﻿ / ﻿26.4775°S 152.9523°E﻿ / -26.4775; 152.9523﻿ (Eumundi War Memorial Trees))
* St George's Anglican Church, 15 Cook Street (26°28′21″S 152°57′04″E﻿ / ﻿26.4725°S 152.951°E﻿ / -26.4725; 152.951﻿ (St George's Anglican Church))

## Demographics

In the 2011 census, the locality of Eumundi had a population of 1,924 people.
In the 2016 census, the locality of Eumundi had a population of 2,221 people.
In the 2021 census, the locality of Eumundi had a population of 2,504 people with 47.8% males and 52.2% females.

## Education

Eumundi State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 22 Caplick Way (26°28′23″S 152°57′08″E﻿ / ﻿26.4730°S 152.9521°E﻿ / -26.4730; 152.9521﻿ (Eumundi State School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 645 students with 46 teachers (40 full-time equivalent) and 25 non-teaching staff (16 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.
There is no secondary school in Eumundi. The nearest secondary school is Noosa District State High School which operates on two campuses. Its junior campus is in Pomona to the north-west and its senior campus is in neighbouring Cooroy to the immediate north-west.

## Facilities

Eumundi Police Station is at 5 Napier Street (26°28′26″S 152°57′06″E﻿ / ﻿26.4740°S 152.9516°E﻿ / -26.4740; 152.9516﻿ (Eumundi Police Station)).
Eumundi Post Office is at 71 Memorial Drive (26°28′39″S 152°57′09″E﻿ / ﻿26.4774°S 152.9525°E﻿ / -26.4774; 152.9525﻿ (Eumundi Post Office)).
Eumundi Cemetery is at 632 Bunya Road (26°29′29″S 152°56′23″E﻿ / ﻿26.4913°S 152.9397°E﻿ / -26.4913; 152.9397﻿ (Eumundi Cemetery)). It is managed by the Sunshine Coast Regional Council.

## Amenities

The Sunshine Coast Regional Council operates a mobile library service which visits Memorial Drive across from the School of Arts (26°28′41″S 152°57′12″E﻿ / ﻿26.4780°S 152.9533°E﻿ / -26.4780; 152.9533﻿ (Mobile library stop)) on Tuesday afternoons.
The Eumundi branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at QCWA Hall at 78 Memorial Drive (26°28′36″S 152°57′09″E﻿ / ﻿26.4768°S 152.9524°E﻿ / -26.4768; 152.9524﻿ (Eumundi CWA Hall)).
The Eumundi Aquatic Centre is on Memorial Drive (26°28′57″S 152°57′13″E﻿ / ﻿26.4825°S 152.9536°E﻿ / -26.4825; 152.9536﻿ (sports centre)). It has swimming pools and a gym. There are also tennis courts on the site operated by the Eumundi Tennis Club.
Eumundi Showgrounds is at 1 Black Stump Road (26°28′18″S 152°56′32″E﻿ / ﻿26.4718°S 152.9422°E﻿ / -26.4718; 152.9422﻿ (Eumundi Showgrounds)).
There is a child care centre at 4 Napier Street (26°28′29″S 152°57′05″E﻿ / ﻿26.4746°S 152.9514°E﻿ / -26.4746; 152.9514﻿ (day care centre)).

## Events

The Eumundi Markets are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 80 Memorial Drive (26°28′35″S 152°57′08″E﻿ / ﻿26.4765°S 152.9523°E﻿ / -26.4765; 152.9523﻿ (Eumundi Markets)). The markets have a philosophy of "locally made".
The Eumundi Agricultural Show is normally held in September each year, but has not been held during the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Attractions

Eumundi Brewery at the Imperial Hotel at 1 Etheridge Street (26°28′33″S 152°57′03″E﻿ / ﻿26.4759°S 152.9508°E﻿ / -26.4759; 152.9508﻿ (Eumundi Brewery)) offers tours of the brewery. However, during 2020 and 2021, the tours have been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As at February 2021, the Eumundi Museum at 73 Memorial Drive (26°28′38″S 152°57′08″E﻿ / ﻿26.4772°S 152.9522°E﻿ / -26.4772; 152.9522﻿ (Eumundi Museum)) is closed for refurbishment expected to re-open in late 2021.
Ball Lookout at 224 Eumundi Range Road (26°27′17″S 152°57′27″E﻿ / ﻿26.4546°S 152.9575°E﻿ / -26.4546; 152.9575﻿ (Ball Lookout)) has panoramic views to the south-west.
Bi-Centennial Lookout at the end of Panorama Drive (26°27′19″S 152°58′44″E﻿ / ﻿26.4553°S 152.9788°E﻿ / -26.4553; 152.9788﻿ (Bi-Centennial Lookout)) on the boundary with Doonan has 360-degree panoramic views.
Eumundi is proud of its late 19th-century history, with fewer old buildings. The town has a heritage walk that includes guided tours through an original railway station, historic buildings and old timber cottages.

## Transport

Eumundi is located off the exit 224 section of the Bruce Highway in split interchange through the Eumundi-Noosa Road. Eumundi railway station on the Sunshine Coast railway line is served by interurban trains on Platform 1. Eumundi is served by TransLink Route 360 for bus routes connecting Nambour Station and Noosa Junction.

## Notable residents

Notable former residents include:
* Kevin Rudd, the former Prime Minister of Australia and former Foreign minister
* Pat Rafter, tennis champion