Aramac

Aramac
Queensland
Aramac
Coordinates 22°58′S 145°15′E / 22.967°S 145.250°ECoordinates: 22°58′S 145°15′E / 22.967°S 145.250°E
Population 341 (2006 census)[1]
Established 1869
Postcode(s) 4726
Location
  • 1,140 km (708 mi) NW of Brisbane
  • 646 km (401 mi) W of Rockhampton
  • 126 km (78 mi) NE of Longreach
  • 67 km (42 mi) N of Barcaldine
LGA(s) Barcaldine Region
State electorate(s) Gregory
Federal Division(s) Flynn

Aramac /ˈærəmæk/ is a small town in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] It is located 68 kilometres (42 mi) north of Barcaldine, and 1,280 kilometres (800 mi) by road from the state capital, Brisbane. It is situated on Aramac Creek, which flows into the Thomson River 60 kilometres (37 mi) west of town. At the 2006 census, Aramac had a population of 341.[1]

The predominant industry is grazing. The town water for Aramac is supplied from two bores connecting into the Great Artesian Basin.

History

William Landsborough explored the area in 1859. In the 1850s, pastoralist and future Premier of Queensland Robert Ramsey Mackenzie travelled through the area. He blazed a tree with the inscription 'R R Mac', which was later corrupted into the name of the town.[3]

The town was originally called Marathon. The name was changed to that of a surrounding station when a survey was conducted in 1875.[4]

There was a massacre of 25 local Aborigines at the nearby Mailman's Gorge.[5]

The town was initially a major outback town. However, the railway line ran through Barcaldine to the south, taking away the trade. The local council built a spur line (tramway) from Barcaldine, which opened on the 2 July 1913. The tramway operated until the 31 December 1975. A tramway museum that opened in 1994, occupies the old goods sheds.[4]

White Bull

The white bull (pictured) was stolen by Henry 'Harry' Redford, otherwise known as Captain Starlight who duffed cattle from a property called Bowen Downs. The herd of cattle was driven overland to South Australia where some of the thieves were caught and tried.

In 1867 an employee of Aramac Station, John William Kingston, opened a bark-hut store at an outlying point on the Aramac Creek. Enlarged two years later to include a hotel (Kingston's Bazaar), Kingston's settlement was declared a town site in 1869 and surveyed as a town in 1875. The town settlement by John William Kingston was the region's first town, and the centre of the first local-government division (see Aramac Shire). Aramac Post Office opened on 1 March 1874,[6] a school in 1878 and a hospital in 1879.

Facilities

Aramac has public library, visitor information centre, swimming pool, town hall, memorial park, showground and a pub. [7]

Heritage listings

Aramac has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Aramac (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
  2. ↑ "Aramac (entry 723)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  3. ↑ Aramac, Queensland
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) (2002). Heritage Trails of the Queensland Outback. State of Queensland. p. 150. ISBN 0-7345-1040-3.
  5. ↑ Walkabout - Aramac
  6. ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "Barcaldine Regional Council". Barcaldine Regional Council. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "Aramac Tramway Museum (entry 15937)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
  9. ↑ "Aramac War Memorial (entry 14783)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 2013-07-06.

External links