our town
Canungra
Canungra is located in the Gold Coast Hinterland approximately 90 kms south of Brisbane, 35 kms west of Surfers Paradise and 27 kms from Nerang by road.
There is plenty happening in Canungra anytime of the year, highlights are the Canungra Rodeo in July and the Canungra Country Show in August.
Canungra is also the gateway to the Lamington National Park and it's beautiful rainforest and it's only a short drive up to Mount Tamborine.
Canungra is also well known as the location of the Land Warfare Centre - Kododa Barracks established in 1942.
History of Canungra
The pioneers of the district were farmers, the original settlers came here with Robert Christie in 1873. In 1884 David Lahey initiated operations to establish "Lahey's Canungra Sawmill". This gave birth to Canungra's timer industry which operated until ca 1935.
The township of Canungra was originally surveyed in 1915. The word Canungra is derived not just from a single Aboriginal meaning, but from a number of different words expressing the many attributes of the district:
Coonoongra - meaning "the small grey owl that has it's home along the creek"
Gunungai - "a flat on a plain"
Visitors can see part of the local heritage at the Lahey's Historic Tramway Tunnel. Take a short 90 m walk through the Sandstone Tunnel, which was carved by hand and took three years to build. It enabled timber from the mountain to be delivered to the Lahey's Sawmill.