Barcaldine, Queensland
| Barcaldine Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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 Barcaldine, 1962 | |||||||||||||||
  Barcaldine | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 23°34′0″S 145°17′0″E / 23.56667°S 145.28333°ECoordinates: 23°34′0″S 145°17′0″E / 23.56667°S 145.28333°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population |
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| Postcode(s) | 4725 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 266.9 m (876 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Barcaldine Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Gregory | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Maranoa | ||||||||||||||
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Barcaldine (/bɑːrˈkɔːldᵻn/, locally [baːˈkoːldən])[3] is a small town and locality in the Barcaldine Region in Central West Queensland, Australia.[4][5] Barcaldine played a major role in the Australian labour movement. In the 2011 census, the town of Barcaldine had a population of 1,316 people,[1] while the locality had a population of 1,655 people.[2]
Geography
Barcaldine is approximately 520 kilometres (320 mi) by road west of the city of Rockhampton. The town is situated on Lagoon Creek, which flows into the Alice River approximately five kilometres south of the Barcaldine. This is the administrative centre of the Barcaldine Region. Major industries are sheep and beef cattle rearing.
The streets in Barcaldine are named after different types of trees.[6]
History
The town takes its name from a sheep station called Barcaldine Downs, which was established in 1863 by Donald Cameron, whose family property in Ayrshire, Scotland, which was named for Barcaldine, Argyll and Bute, Scotland.[5][7]
Barcaldine Post Office opened on 13 November 1886.[8]
Barcaldine State School opened on 4 July 1887.[9]
Labour movement
Barcaldine played a significant role in the Australian labour movement and the birth of the Australian Labor Party. In 1891, it was one of the focal points of the 1891 Australian shearers' strike, with the Eureka Flag flying over the strike camp. The landmark Tree of Knowledge, under which the strikers met, stood outside the railway station. In 2006, persons unknown poisoned the tree with the herbicide Roundup, which led to its demise.
One of the first May day marches in the world took place during the strike on 1 May 1891 in Barcaldine. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that of the 1,340 men that took part, 618 were mounted on horses. Banners carried included those of the Australian Labor Federation, the Shearers' and Carriers' Unions, and one inscribed 'Young Australia'. The leaders wore blue sashes and the Eureka Flag was carried. The Labor Bulletin reported that cheers were given for "the Union", "the Eight-hour day", "the Strike Committee" and "the boys in gaol". It reported the march:
In the procession every civilised country was represented doing duty for the Russian, Swede, French, Dane etc., who are germane to him in other climes, showing that Labor's cause is one the world over, foreshadowing the time when the swords shall be turned into ploughshares and Liberty, Peace and Friendship will knit together the nations of the earth.
Local government
In 1892, the local government area of Barcaldine Division was established, by separating it from the Kargoolnah Division which had its headquarters in Blackall. Since then, Barcaldine has been the headquarters of local government in the area, commencing with the Barcaldine Divisional Board, which became the Barcaldine Shire Council in 1903, and then the Barcaldine Regional Council in 2008. The initial local government meetings were held in a building in Oak Street, which burned down in 1896. A shire hall was then constructed in 1898 on the south-east corner of Ash and Beech Streets, which eventually became too small. In February 1912 a new larger shire hall was opened and that building (somewhat modified and extended) is still in use today and is heritage-listed.[10]
Hydrotherapy
The artesian water at Barcaldine is full of minerals. A bore had been constructed in 1887, but was unsuitable for the water needs of the steam locomotives and so the water was let run to waste. By 1891, a local doctor observed that water contained soda and potash which he believed would have health benefits. In 1907, a swimming pool using the artesian water was built by the Barcaldine Shire Council, along with baths and showers for therapeutic use.[11] Although Barcaldine was being promoted as a spa town into the mid 1930s, interest in "taking the waters" declined after that period as medical opinion became increasingly doubtful of the benefits of mineral waters, favouring drugs and physiotherapy as better treatments.[12]
War memorial
The Barcaldine War Memorial was unveiled by Queensland Governor, Matthew Nathan, on 21 May 1924.[13]
Population
At the 2006 census, Barcaldine had a population of 1,337.[14]
Climate in Barcaldine
| Climate data for Barcaldine | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 35.6 (96.1) |
34.5 (94.1) |
33.2 (91.8) |
30.0 (86) |
26.0 (78.8) |
22.8 (73) |
22.6 (72.7) |
24.9 (76.8) |
28.7 (83.7) |
32.2 (90) |
34.5 (94.1) |
35.7 (96.3) |
30.1 (86.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 23.1 (73.6) |
22.6 (72.7) |
20.8 (69.4) |
16.7 (62.1) |
12.3 (54.1) |
9.0 (48.2) |
7.9 (46.2) |
9.4 (48.9) |
13.3 (55.9) |
17.4 (63.3) |
20.3 (68.5) |
22.2 (72) |
16.3 (61.3) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 86.5 (3.406) |
78.0 (3.071) |
60.0 (2.362) |
36.3 (1.429) |
30.6 (1.205) |
24.3 (0.957) |
22.8 (0.898) |
15.8 (0.622) |
16.0 (0.63) |
28.9 (1.138) |
40.1 (1.579) |
64.1 (2.524) |
503.4 (19.821) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1mm) | 6.0 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 5.3 | 40.4 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology[15] | |||||||||||||
Facilities
Barcaldine has abowls, tennis clubs, a combined racecourse and showground near the golf course, a historical and folk museum, swimming pool and visitor information centre.[16]
Barcaldine Regional Council operates a library at 71 Ash Street.[17]
Heritage listings
Barcaldine has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Ash Street: Barcaldine Shire Hall[10]
- Ash Street: Barcaldine War Memorial Clock[18]
- Bank of Lagoon Creek: Shearers' Strike Camp Site[19]
- Oak Street: Tree of Knowledge[20]
- 39 Beech Street: Barcaldine Masonic Temple[21]
- 85 Elm Street: St Peter's Anglican Church and Hall[22]
See also
References
- 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Barcaldine". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Barcaldine". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ↑ Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. ISBN 1-876429-14-3
- ↑ "Barcaldine - town (entry 1587)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
- 1 2 "Barcaldine - locality (entry 47073)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
- ↑ "Barcaldine - Queensland - Australia - Travel - smh.com.au". www.smh.com.au. Retrieved 2015-09-25.
- ↑ "Barcaldine and Barcaldine Shire". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
- ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ↑ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
- 1 2 "Barcaldine Shire Hall & Offices (entry 601274)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
- ↑ Griggs, Peter (2013), 'Taking the waters': mineral springs, artesian bores and health tourism in Queensland, 1870-1950, Cambridge University Press, p. 164, retrieved 16 January 2017
- ↑ Griggs, Peter (2013), 'Taking the waters': mineral springs, artesian bores and health tourism in Queensland, 1870-1950, Cambridge University Press, pp. 168–169, retrieved 16 January 2017
- ↑ "Barcaldine War Memorial". Monuments Australia.
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Barcaldine (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
- ↑ "BARCALDINE POST OFFICE". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ↑ "Barcaldine". Centre for the Government of Queensland. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
- ↑ "Libraries". Barcaldine Regional Council. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
- ↑ "Barcaldine War Memorial Clock (entry 600018)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
- ↑ "Shearers' Strike Camp Site, Barcaldine (entry 600019)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
- ↑ "Tree of Knowledge (entry 600021)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
- ↑ "Barcaldine Masonic Temple (entry 600020)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
- ↑ "St Peter's Anglican Church and Hall (entry 600022)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Barcaldine, Queensland. |
- University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Barcaldine and Barcaldine Shire
- "Barcaldine Tree of Knowledge poisoned". Australian national news. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 May 2006. Retrieved 23 May 2006.
- "Efforts to save 'Tree of Knowledge' fail". Australian national news. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 28 June 2006. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2006.
- Manifesto of the Queensland Labour Party - digitised and held by John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Australia.
- Community History Barcaldine Community History