Barcaldine Timeline - 1845-2015

Iningai Aborigines

In 1846 Sir Thomas Mitchell recorded that his party reached the southern part of what became the Shire of Barcaldine, named the Alice River, and came upon a group of huts belonging to the Iningai tribe of Aborigines – he estimated their population at about 700

Other explorers travelled nearby but no evidence that any ‘discovered’ Barcaldine district

Land scramble followed explorers’ expeditions

White settlement decimated the Iningai people and their ownership of their tribal lands between Longreach, Muttaburra, Jericho and Barcaldine.

White Settlement

1846 - 1898

1846	Sir Thomas Mitchell and his party explored the Barcaldine district
1863	Donald Charles Cameron and James Crombie took up land along the Alice River and named it ‘Barcaldine Downs’
1865	Settlers moved into the area around what is now the town of Barcaldine
1883	Central railway line pushed across the Drummond Range
1885	First sale of Barcaldine town lots
1886	Town of Barcaldine (previously referred to as Lagoon Creek) gazetted
	Discovery of Artesian Water.
	Railway line opened to Barcaldine – the Terminus
1887	Central Queensland Carriers’ Union, shearers’ unions and United Graziers’ Association launched First Post Office arrived from Jericho Barcaldine State School opened in July First Court House built The Western Champion newspaper moved its office to Barcaldine from Blackall
1888	Victoria Hospital opened
1889	Central Queensland Labourers’ Union launched
	Shearers’ Union directed action against coloured labour
1891	Shearers’ Strike caused wide-spread civil unrest and brought the district to the brink of anarchy
1892	Barcaldine Divisional Board established
	Barcaldine Brewery turned out its first beer
	Barcaldine Meat Processing Company opened
1893	Inaugural meeting of the Barcaldine Divisional Board held
	School of Arts opened
1894	Shearers’ strike flared again
1895	Barcaldine Meat Processing Plant destroyed by fire
1896	Victoria Hospital destroyed by fire
	Large section of Oak Street destroyed by fire
1897	Aboriginal and Sale of Opium Act 1897 attempted to stop sale of opium to Barcaldine Aborigines

1898-1925

1899-1902	Drought brought death and desolation to Barcaldine
1902	Drought broke – country transformed
1903	Barcaldine Divisional Board became Barcaldine Shire Council
1906	Queensland National Bank opened
1907	Barcaldine Public Swimming Pool opened
1908	Court House built
	Delivery of mail to residences within 1 mile of the post office began
1909	Barcaldine became first western town to have a high school (private)
	18 Oak Street premises destroyed by fire
1910	First cars appeared in the district
	BarcaldineFire Station and Brigade opened
1912	New Barcaldine Shire Hall completed
1913	Tramway from Barcaldine to Aramac opened
	Barcaldine’s first motor garage opened
	New Post Office opened
	Glideograph picture theatre opened – one of first Barcaldine buildings to have electric lights
1914	45,000 gallon tank on a 100 ft tower erected to aid in fighting fires
1915	Barcaldine Grammar School opened
	Lyric Theatre opened in Oak Street
	Electric street lights turned on for the first time in Barcaldine
1918	Barcaldine Power Station opened
1919	Pneumonic influenza epidemic reached Barcaldine (Spanish Flu)
	Barcaldine branch of the Returned Soldiers and Sailors Imperial League of Australia formed
	Kenilworth Nursing Home opened
	First Rugby League games played
1920	King and Bailey awarded gold medals by Barcaldine Shire Council for being first aviators to land at Barcaldine
	Glencoe Private Hospital opened
	Second West End Hotel destroyed by fire
	Fire Station moved to new position near Court House
1921	Several fires broke out within days of each other and destroyed premises – thought that incidents were not accidental. Separate fire destroyed Commercial Hotel and six other premises in Oak Street
	T J Ryan, former Premier of Queensland, died at Glencoe Hospital from pneumonia
1922	St Peter’s School opened
	Electric fire siren installed at Fire Station
1924	Sculptured monument of granite and marble unveiled in Barcaldine to honour those who had served in WWI – War Memorial Clock
	First maternity ward in a western hospital was opened in Barcaldine
	Second Shakespeare Hotel destroyed by fire
	Branch of the Queensland Country Women’s Association formed in Barcaldine – 47 members
	First wireless reception heard in the town

1925	Shakespeare Hotel was rebuilt and opened on December 5
	Airmail service began via Longreach
1925	Drought

1926-1945

1926	Large part of Oak Street destroyed by fire – between Devery’s Hotel and Federal Hotel
	Forester’s Hall opened in Beech Street
	Golf Club formed
	Radio Theatre opened
	Barcaldine’s first petrol bowsers installed at Smart’s Garage, north side
	Telephone Exchange opened, two telephone boxes installed outside Post Office
1927	New 2-storey fire station opened, Morris truck converted into fire engine
	R Park Newsagency opened on corner of Oak and Beech streets
	Exchange and Railway hotels destroyed by fire
	Barcaldine Golf Club officially opened
1928	Victoria Hospital lost its autonomy and became Barcaldine District Hospital under Government control
	Barcaldine Land Court ballot conducted – 12 blocks at Saltern Creek
1929	Exchange and Railway hotels almost rebuilt when both are once again destroyed by fire along with other premises in Oak Street
	Barcaldine Land Court ballot conducted for blocks at Coreena
1931	Shearers’ strike over ordered reduction in shearing rates – 2 months of unrest
	‘Talkies’ introduced into Radio Theatre
1932	St Peter’s School closed
	Leo Madison broke the piano playing record of 113 hours in Foresters’ Hall
1933	Barcaldine Railway Station destroyed by fire
1934	Date palm plantation established on site of old Alice River Cooperative Settlement
1935	First bitumen laid on town street
	Council took over Showgrounds
1936	Worst flood on record
1937	Barcaldine’s newspaper, The Western Champion, ceased publication
	Barcaldine became the headquarters of the Central Queensland Racing Association
1938	Barcaldine Gentleman’s Club destroyed by fire
	New golf course opened
	10 acre citrus orchard established
1939	Barcaldine Club (Gentleman’s Club) rebuilt and opened
1940s	Wool prices rose
1939-1945	Barcaldine joined in the war effort, accommodating American soldiers, and collecting materials to be used for the war
1941	Women’s War Fund formed to raise funds during WWII
1942	School girls from St Faith’s Yeppoon and The Range Convent Rockhampton evacuated to Barcaldine – accommodated in St Peter’s School Health concerns with the population growth during the war
1945	9,000 troops diverted through Barcaldine Railway Station
	As news of peace reached Barcaldine, residents gathered for a short service followed by a procession of celebration – effigies of Mussolini and Hitler burned
	Lawn bowls club formed, construction began on greens

1946-1965

1946	Remodelled Barcaldine Convent opened
	Sisters of Mercy celebrated Golden Jubilee
1947	Population 2,147
1948	DC3 Douglas landed at Barcaldine on first commercial flight between Longreach and Rockhampton
	Barcaldine Ambulance Service established
1949	Bowling Green Clubhouse opened
1950	Inaugural meeting of the Central Western Primary School Sports Association
	New power house constructed on site of McLaughlin’s woolscour
	First Rugby League Moscrip Trophy won by Barcaldine (vs Longreach)
	Queensland Symphony Orchestra played in Barcaldine
1951	Soap Works destroyed by fire
	Rural Fire Fighting Board formed
1952	Alice River Weir construction started
	New town tennis courts opened in Fir Street
	Construction began on new aerodrome
	State Opera Company entertained with ‘Madam Butterfly’
1953	Third Barcaldine public Hospital opened
	Restoration of the Shire Hall commenced
	Alice River Weir completed
	Hostel for waiting mothers opened by QCWA
	All public buildings wired with AC electrical current
1954	Air conditioned Midlander train made its first journey through Barcaldine
	Church of Sacred Heart opened
	Jaycees Junior Chamber of Commerce formed
	Work on town sewerage system commenced
1955	Third Power House engine installed
	Shire Hall renovations – ornamental deck removed
1956	RSL Hall opened
	United Graziers Association ordered a 10% reduction in shearing rate leading to another shearers’ strike, and decline in population
	New artesian bore put in at power house
	Several businesses destroyed by fire – Paris Café, Symonds’ Drapery, Whyte’s Shoe Store
	State Secondary School department to Year 9 opened
1957	Temporary Commonwealth Bank built on site of old Foresters’ Hall
	Westbourne Woolscour closed
	Queensland Airways ran three Fokker air services per week to Barcaldine
	Town sewered
1958	Back to Barcaldine celebrations, Miss Golden Fleece crowned, procession led by Aborigines from Woorabinda, plaque attached to Tree of Knowledge
1959	Barcaldine’s night soil removal service ceased with the completion of the sewage system
	WWII Memorial Gates of the restored Shire Hall unveiled by Sir Henry Abel Smith
	Central West Regional Library Service opened, Barcaldine public library opened
	Celebrations committee staged a weekend of functions to commemorate the proclamation of the state of Queensland in 1859
1960	New Police Station opened
	Golf Clubhouse begun with volunteer labour
1961	Inaugural meeting of the Barcaldine Rotary Club
	Temporary Commonwealth Bank building moved to State School grounds
	New Uniting Church built
	Inaugural meeting of Rotary club in Barcaldine
	Students’ Hostel opened in Yew Street
1962	New St Joseph’s Convent School opened
	New Commonwealth Bank opened
	Federal Hotel destroyed by fire
1963	New Fire Station opened
1964	First school bus ran from Lochnagar to Barcaldine

1965-1985

1965-1971	Wool industry in crisis – drought and falling wool prices – drop in town population
1965	Brick Works established, production of cement bricks began
	New Main Roads administration building opened in Ash Street
	Town fenced
	Air strip equipped with lights
	Judging of ‘Girl in a Million’ quest
1966	Barcaldine Kindergarten opened (Rotary project)
	New Bank of New South Wales opened corner Ash & Beech streets
	Inaugural meeting of the Central West Regional Electricity Board (CWREB) – Barcaldine became headquarters
1967	Brick works closed down
	Barcaldine-Longreach road sealed with bitumen
1968	Showgrounds Sheep Pavilion constructed
1970	First road coach service from the south through Barcaldine (Ansett Pioneer)
	Red Cross Blood Bank started at hospital
1972	Reserve Price Wool Support Scheme introduced – resulted in best trading since 1951-52
	Barcaldine Cultural Association formed
1973	Maternal and Child Welfare Clinic constructed
	National Bank closed
	Cultural Association moved into unused Presbyterian Church
1974	ABC television became available to Barcaldine
	Barcaldine Historical Museum opened in vacated National Bank building
1975	Aramac Tramway service closed
1976	CWREB abolished – taken over by Capricornia Regional Electricity Board (CREB)
	Barcaldine won Tidy Town competition (Category C)
	Barcaldine Museum building moved to corner Beech & Gidyea streets
	First Artesian Festival
	Aramac road sealed with bitumen
	Old race course north-west of town closed
1977	Town swimming baths closed
	New race course opened at Showgrounds sporting complex
1978	Second Artesian Festival
	New Manual Arts and Home Science building opened at State School
1979	Barcaldine won Tidy Town competition (Category C)
	Squash courts built
	Greyhound started coach service Rockhampton to Longreach
1980	New Olympic size public swimming pool under construction at Showgrounds sporting complex
1981	Local Tourist Association formed
	Swimming pool officially opened
	North side aged persons’ units constructed
	Motocross carnival
1982	Tree surgeon treats Tree of Knowledge
	Re-enactment of 1891 Shearers’ Strike
1983	Automatic telephones introduced 1983 shearers’ strike
	Meals on Wheels service moves to Hospital
1984	Central West Regional Library Service ceased operation
	Over 60 clubs and organisations listed in Barcaldine
	Storey’s Foodland Supermarket opened
	Road over Drummond Range completed and opened by Premier Sir Joh
1985	Senior Citizen’s Club formed
	‘Rotabar’ monthly magazine in circulation

1986-2015

1986	Barcaldine Centenary Celebrations
	Beta Farm Slab Hut opened
	Central West Country Music Club and Youth Activity Group formed
1987	Barcaldine State School Centenary celebrations
	Tree of Knowledge monument opened
	Plaque unveiled to mark Centenary of first town with Artesian bore water
	Indoor cricket in Radio Theatre
1988	Information Centre opened
	Victoria Hospital Centenary
	Home & Community Care move into vacated pre-school building
	Barcaldine Principal Racing Club opened corner Ash & Beech streets
1989	New State School P-12 officially opened in Gidyea Street
	Old State School becomes Australian Workers’ Heritage Centre
1990	Flooding cut all roads
	Westech Field Days held
	Barcaldine Bush Tours started
1991	Australian Workers’ Heritage Centre opened by Prime Minister Bob Hawke
	Labour Day March
	Shearers’ Strike Re-enactment held at night
1992	Art Exhibition held at Australian Workers’ Heritage Centre
1993	‘Spirit of the Outback’ train service commenced
	Central West Aboriginal Corporation (CWAC) held opening ceremony at the Weir
	Careforce office opened
	Trade Fair held at the Annual Show
1994	New Council administration and Chambers, new library opened in Shire Hall grounds
	Miniature Steam Trains commenced at Museum
	Ash Street artesian bore reopened for Australian Workers’ Heritage Centre
1995	Gas fired power station opened (first in Queensland)
	Solar power street lighting opened at Australian Workers’ Heritage Centre (first in Queensland)
	Radio Theatre reopened as a functioning picture theatre
1996	St Joseph’s School Centenary
	‘Ash Place” shopping complex opened
	New artesian bore drilled in Acacia Street
	Bryan Park opened
1997	Meacham & Leyland’s hardware shop sold
	Artesian Bougainvillea Festival held
	Wanpa-rda Matilda Centre opened at Australian Workers’ Heritage Centre
	Inaugural Amateur Photo Competition held at Barcaldine Club
1998	Internet available at the Library
	Aerodrome runway upgraded
	W D Colman butcher shop closed
1999	St Joseph’s Preschool established
	Centenary of Anglican Church
	Outback Zoo opened
	Hospital redevelopment completed
	Commonwealth Bank closed
	Swimming Club reunion
	W D Colman sell butcher shop
	Railway goods shed moved to Showgrounds
	Extensive alterations to Hospital
2000	Westpac in store replaced Bank
	Pioneer Permanent Building Society opened
	New Information Centre built, old train carriage moved to Museum
	Mobile phones introduced
	CWA Hostel sold
	New Council CEO residence built on site of old ‘Craignish’
2001	Queensland Premier Peter Beattie visited
2002	Barcaldine Convent of Mercy closed, demolished
2003	Barcaldine Bakery moved from Ash Place to shop in Oak Street west
2004	Cordial factory closed
	Daffy’s Dine-In opened in old Blue Danube Cafe
	Symonds’ shop sold
	Council’s Heritage Trail project wins outback Tourism Award
2005	Base Camp Café sold
	Lance Norman’s garage sold
2006	Tree of Knowledge poisoned and declared dead
	Capricorn Plumbing shop opened in Beech Street
2008	Colman’s butcher shop demolished
	Lee Garden Motel renamed Barcaldine Motor Inn
	Local government amalgamations change Barcaldine Shire Council (BSC) to Barcaldine Regional Council (BRC)
	‘Barcy Bugle’ went out of publication
2009	Tree of Knowledge Memorial opened
2011	Globe Hotel sold
	A & T Casuals clothing shop closed
	TAB closed
2015	Smith Bros Hardware sold to Capricorn Plumbing Supplies
	Capricorn Plumbing moved to old Meacham & Leyland store
	Old Globe Hotel site redeveloped and opened as BRC site (BOQ, VIC, Art Gallery)
	BOQ moved to old Globe Hotel new BRC site
	Visitor Information Centre moved to old Globe Hotel new BRC site
	Leading Appliances moved next door to old Cap Plumbing store Willow Street