Gununa, Queensland
# Gununa, Queensland

Gununa, sometimes spelt Gunana, is a rural town on Mornington Island within the locality of Wellesley Islands in the Shire of Mornington, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Gununa had a population of 1,136 people.

## Geography

Gununa is located on the southwestern end of Mornington Island, on the Gulf of Carpentaria. The town faces the Appel Channel, (16°40′55″S 139°11′31″E﻿ / ﻿16.682°S 139.192°E﻿ / -16.682; 139.192﻿ (Appel Channel)) on the other side of which is Denham Island (16°42′52″S 139°09′35″E﻿ / ﻿16.7144°S 139.1597°E﻿ / -16.7144; 139.1597﻿ (Denham Island)).

## History

The town was founded in 1914 as Mornington Island Community, and renamed by the Queensland Place Names Board on 16 January 1982. Gunana or Gununa is a Lardil word.

Mornington Island State School opened on 28 January 1975.

Gununa Post Office was open by 1982.

In the 2016 census, Gununa had a population of 1,136 people, which is almost all of the 1,143 people who live within the shire as a whole.

## Education

Mornington Island State School is a government-run primary and secondary school for boys and girls from early childhood through Year 10. It is located at Lardil Street (16°39′59″S 139°10′57″E﻿ / ﻿16.6663°S 139.1825°E﻿ / -16.6663; 139.1825﻿ (Mornington Island State School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 263 students, with 25 teachers and 14 part-time and full-time non-teaching staff (the equivalently of 11 full-time employees). It includes a special education program.

There are no schools offering education to Year 12 on the island; nor are there any nearby. Distance education or boarding school are the only options for education past Year 10.

## Amenities

Gununa Post Office is in Mukukiya Street (16°39′49″S 139°10′38″E﻿ / ﻿16.6635°S 139.1771°E﻿ / -16.6635; 139.1771﻿ (Gununa Post Office)).

Mornington Island Uniting Church is at 21 Dajibuka Street (16°39′49″S 139°10′36″E﻿ / ﻿16.6635°S 139.1766°E﻿ / -16.6635; 139.1766﻿ (Mornington Island Uniting Church)). It is part of the Calvary Presbytery of the Uniting Church in Australia.

