Tiaro, Queensland

Tiaro is a rural town and locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the, the locality of Tiaro had a population of 778 people.

Geography
The town is on the Mary River. It is situated on the Bruce Highway 27 km south of Maryborough and 227 km north of the state capital, Brisbane.

The North Coast railway line enters the locality from the south-west (Netherby), passes through the town which is served by the Tiaro railway station (-25.7226°N, 152.5819°W), and exits to the north (Owanyilla).

Timber and farming are the predominant industries in the Tiaro area, although the town's position on Queensland's main coastal highway also brings economic benefits.

There are two neighbourhoods within the locality:


 * Blackmount in the north of the locality (-25.7°N, 152.5833°W)
 * Kooringa in the south-west of the locality (-25.7333°N, 152.5666°W).

History


The town takes its name from the pastoral run name in the 1840s. It is believed to be a corruption of the Kabi word (Dauwabra dialect) meaning dead trees.

Tiaro Provisional School opened on 4 October 1870. On 21 January 1878, it became Tiaro State School.

Tiaro had one of the first butter factories in Queensland. Baron Jones built the factory near the railway station in the early 1880s and used horses to churn butter. Cheese factories were built at Tiaro in 1890 and 1894. The Tiaro Butter Factory was closed temporarily on 1 July 1897 due to a short supply of milk. The Maryborough Chronicle reported “On the whole the season has been fairly good, but the supply very short for a district like Tiaro. This, however, was principally owing to the winter last year being so severe, also the year before, when great numbers of milking cows died, and last spring being so dry”. Although the factory opened again, it struggled to make a profit. The factory was later relocated to Murgon in 1913 as most of the cream suppliers came from that district.

Brown Ridge Provisional School opened on 1908. On 1 January 1909, it became Brown Ridge State School. It closed in 1922, but reopened in 1924. It closed permanently in 1925. It was on the western side of Nugent Road (-25.7464°N, 152.5375°W). The Tiaro War Memorial commemorates those who served in World War I. It was unveiled on 25 April 1921 (ANZAC Day) by Sir Thomas William Glasgow.

The Tiaro library opened in 2006.

Demographics
In the, Tiaro had a population of 433.

In the, the locality of Tiaro had a population of 758 people.

In the, the locality of Tiaro had a population of 778 people.

Education
Tiaro State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 1 Forgan Terrace (-25.7281°N, 152.5811°W). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 31 students with 4 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent). In 2022, the school had an enrolment of 43 students.

There are no secondary schools in Tiaro. The nearest government secondary schools are Maryborough State High School and Aldridge State High School, both in Maryborough to the north-east.

Amenities
The Fraser Coast Regional Council operates a public library at Forgan Terrace. Public accessible wifi is provided. Current Library services and collections are provided on the Fraser Coast Regional Libraries website.

The Tiaro branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at its rooms at 35 Mayne Street.

Notable residents

 * Thomas William Glasgow was born in Tiaro