The town is located on the
Bunya Highway. It is the main street for the town, but is known with the town as Bell Street.[4]
History
The name Kumbia is from the
Waka language but its meaning is uncertain, possibly referring to
white ant nests or a small scrub vine.[2]
On 30 July 1912, the
Queensland Government aucitoned 44 land parcels in the new town of Kumbia, each about 1 rood (11,000 sq ft; 1,000 m2).[5]
A postal
receiving office opened in 1913, being replaced by Kumbia Post Office on 19 July 1915.[6]
The Kumbia State School opened on 2 February 1914 and celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2014.[7][8]
Kumbia Uniting Church, formerly Methodist, 2023
Kumbia Methodist Church opened in 1914. It was built from timber at a cost of £165 and could seat 150 people. As part of the amalgamation that created the
Uniting Church in Australia, in 1977 it became Kumbia Uniting Church.[9]
Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, 2023
On Sunday 18 May 1919, the Roman Catholic Church in Kumbia was officially opened and consecrated as The Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church by
ArchbishopJames Duhig. It was built from timber.[10][11] Later it becomes known as Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church.[12]
As a memorial for those from the Kumbia district who had died in
World War I, a school of arts hall was opened in Kumbia on Saturday 2 September 1922 with a sports day followed by a concert and dance in the evening. The building cost £1,250. More than 1,000 people attended the sports day with an estimated 570 people attending the evening entertainment.[13][14] The day had been declared as a local public holiday.[15]
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church was built in 1914.[16] It was replaced by a new church building in 1959. It was later renamed Peace Lutheran Church.[17]
In May 1918, St Paul's Anglican Church was officially opened and dedicated by Archdeacon Rivers.[18][19] A new St Paul's Church of England was dedicated on 28 November 1970 by the Right Reverend
Wilfrid John Hudson. Its closure circa 2015 was approved by Bishop
Cameron Venables.[20]
Demographics
In the
2011 census, the locality of Kumbia had a population of 352 people.[21]
In the
2016 census, the locality of Kumbia had a population of 294 people.[22]
In the
2021 census, the locality of Kumbia had a population of 301 people.[1]
There is no secondary school in Kumbia. The nearest secondary school is Kingaroy State High School in
Kingaroy to the north-east.[4]
Amenities
Peace Lutheran Church, 2023
Kumbia has many small street-front shops including a Fuel Station with post office, store and caravan park, a mechanic, a general store, a butcher's shop and a pub.[citation needed]
^"KUMBIA SPORTS". Toowoomba Chronicle. Vol. LXI, no. 213. Queensland, Australia. 8 September 1922. p. 3. Retrieved 8 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^"NEWS FROM THE COUNTRY". Daily Mail. No. 6331. Queensland, Australia. 1 August 1922. p. 11. Retrieved 8 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.