|
| One of the many pubs over
the road from the Barcaldine Railway Station
|
Barcaldine
Interesting town famous for its role in the development
of the Australian labour movement.
Located 1080 km north-west Brisbane and 273 m above
sea-level, Barcaldine is a sleepy town of 1700 people with a
lot of pubs and a wealth of interesting and unusual
buildings.
It is hard to imagine that this town was central to one
of the more significant events in the political life of
Australia: the shearers' strike of 1891, which played an
important role in the events which led to the formation of
the Australian Labor Party.
The shearers' strike, together with the maritime strike
of the preceding year, constituted the greatest labour
disturbance to that point in Australian history, affecting
the general community like no other previous strikes. The
reason for this was that the unions, to increase their
effectiveness, had begun to amalgamate and centralise, as
workers began to see their fates as interlinked. Thus, a
strike starting in one industry now began to spread to other
industries, creating something resembling a general strike
and a virtual civil war. However, both the maritime and
shearers' strikes were defeated when the Queensland and NSW
governments sided with business interests, which were
similarly amalgamating their associations to form a united
front to oppose the unions.
The strike was sparked in January 1891 when shearers at
Logan Downs Station, near Clermont, were told they had to
sign the Pastoralists' "contract of free labour" before
commencing work: a move intended to reduce the influence of
the unions in the sheds. A month later the centre of the
strike had shifted to Barcaldine, which was the terminus of
the rail line from Rockhampton and the commercial centre of
the wealthy Mitchell district, where 30 stations were
affected by the strike.
In March the pastoralists began bringing in non-union
strike-breakers, who were protected by the police and
troopers of the colonial governments. Retaliation took the
form of crops and woolsheds being set alight. Strikers
marched in strength at Barcaldine but the colonial secretary
then ordered the arrest of the union leaders. 120 mounted
infantry surrounded the union office at Barcaldine and
arrested the strike committee while infantrymen with fixed
bayonets guarded the police station. In a move intended to
break the back of the strike, the union leaders were charged
with conspiracy and sedition and gaoled for three years
apiece on St Helena Island, with 200-pound, twelve-month
good behaviour bonds upon release.
The arrests and dwindling funds caused the 1891 strike,
like that of 1890, to fold. The failure of militancy to
achieve the desired outcome prompted the labour movement to
turn its attention to the pursuit of political power as a
means of advancing the interests of working people. Labour
Electoral Leagues were formed and one of the strike
committee members, T. J. (Tommy) Ryan, from Barcaldine
Shire, became the first genuine representative of Australian
labouring people when he was elected to the Queensland
parliament in 1892. In fact he was the first labour
representative to be elected to a parliament anywhere in the
world. When a Labour League was formed in NSW, it won 37 of
the 141 seats in the NSW Legislative Assembly. This success
sparked similar 'Leagues' in other states, culminating in
the formation of the Australian Labor Party, which was
Australia's first political party, and one of the first such
parties in the world. Its success led labour's rivals to
unite in a similar way, generating the two-party system as
we know it today.
The symbol of the strike is the 'Tree of Knowledge',
located in Oak Street in front of the railway station.
Striking shearers held their meetings under this
150-year-old ghost gum. It was here that they sang Henry
Lawson's great poem 'Freedom on the Wallaby' with its
stirring final verse:
'We'll make the tyrants feel the sting
Of those that they would throttle;
They needn't say the fault is ours
If blood should stain the wattle.'
Beside the tree is a monument in the shape of a pair of
shears. The stated aim of the monument was to: 'Honour the
men and women of the Labour movement who congregated in this
area and, through their courage, determination and
dedication to the principles, ideals and objectives of the
labour movement, played a leading role in the formation of
the Labor Party and further spearheaded the many reforms
that resulted in the vastly improved way of life for the
Australian people generally.'
|
| The 'Tree of Knowledge'
in Oak Street in front of the railway station. It is
a 150 year old ghost gum. It was here that striking
shearers held their meetings |
The plaque on the front of the monument has the faces and
names of the 13 gaoled strike leaders. It is interesting to
note that a number of these went on to become significant
political figures: William Fothergill returned to become
Chairman of Barcaldine Shire Council; William Hamilton
became President of the Queensland Legislative Council and
George Taylor became the Speaker of the West Australian
Legislative Council.
The first European to pass through the Barcaldine area
was Sir Thomas Mitchell who arrived after good rains and
proceeded to sing the praises of the area, describing it as
'the finest region I have seen in Australia' and waxing
lyrical about 'grass shooting up green from old stalks'. The
locals, who know only too well how dry and harsh the area
around Barcaldine can become, look upon Mitchell's analysis
with bemusement.
However Mitchell's enthusiasm was contagious and in 1863
Donald Cameron overlanded sheep from the New England area
and settled on a 64-km frontage along the Alice River which
he named Barcaldine Station after his family's property in
Scotland.
In spite of this early settlement the town wasn't
gazetted until 1886 when it became the western terminus for
the railway line from Rockhampton.
A detailed history of the town titled Barcaldine
1846-1986 has been written by Isabel Hoch and is available
from the tourist information office or the shire council.
Things to see:
Australian Workers' Heritage Museum
Designed to complement the Longreach Stockman's Hall of Fame
(thus making this part of Queensland a very desirable option
for tourists) this interesting and award-winning museum in
Ash Street proffers itself as a tribute to all of the
nation's working people, their history, heritage and
traditions.
The award-winning museum is located in the former grounds
of the old Barcaldine State School, with old school
structures renovated and incorporated into the exhibition
space. Other historic workplaces, such as a one-teacher
school, a railway station and a police watch-house, have
been relocated from around Queensland. Atifacts, artworks
and multimedia presentations help to tell the story with
displays including features on the shearers' strike (see
town hiistory above), the role of women in outback life and
the importance of Aboriginal stockmen.
The Heritage Centre features landscaped gardens and shady
trees around a billabong, with picnic shelters, barbecue
facilities and a modern children's playground. It is located
in Ash St and is open every day but Christmas Day from 9.00
a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and from 10.00 a.m. to
5.00 p.m. on Sunday, tel: (07) 4651 2422; fax: (07) 4651
1570; and email: awhc@tpg.com.au
The Wanpa-rda Matilda Outback Education Centre
This education centre is located on the same grounds as the
Heritage Centre. It offers day trips around the area with a
local tour operator, air-conditioned dormitories, a
fully-equipped kitchen, outdoor barbecues and a recreation
area. The education officer can be contacted on (07) 4651
2430.
The Shearers' Strike Camp
A short distance out of town is the site of the Shearers'
Strike Camp where literally hundreds of shearers camped
during the troubles. It is protected by the National Trust
but, at the moment, is not open to the public. Enquire at
the tourist information office near the Tree of Knowledge if
you have special reason to visit it. The tourist information
office also has a leaflet which has an excellent analysis of
the causes of the strike by a local station owner.
The Barcaldine and District Folk Museum
The town's folk museum is open on a daily basis. Like many
of the museums in western Queensland it is full of
memorabilia collected from locals, including a rare Edison
gramophone dating from 1900, some barbed wire from the 1870s
and a 1923 ticket issued by Qantas. While it has the chaotic
appearance of a junk shop it is a fascinating collection of
everything from old pots and pans to antiquated newspaper
articles. The grounds outside the museum even include the
town's first motorised fire engine and a Southern Cross
windmill.
Buildings
Perhaps the most remarkable of all Barcaldine's buildings is
the Masonic Lodge on Beech Street (note that all the streets
in the town are named after types of trees). Built in 1908
as a bank it stands out from everything around it. This is
because the facade "a hugely elaborate combination of
friezes and arches" is actually painted on. The effect is at
once pretentious and eccentric.
Around the corner is St Peter's Church, a superb example
of the use of timber in outback Queensland. The church was
built in 1899 and its elaborate tongue-and-groove boards and
its craftsmanship make it a worthy example of Queensland's
distinctive architecture. It was built for the modest sum of
£520.
On the outskirts of town (at the end of Pine Street) is
the Beta Farm Slab Hut, a reconstruction of an 1880s
structure which betrays some superb craftsmanship. The
owners have furnished it with unusual objects from the
period including a kitchen cupboard made out of piano cases
and an extensive display of dolls.
Australian Businesses for sale
Caravan Parks for sale
Motels for sale
Hotels for sale
Broadwalk Business Brokers
Businesses for Sale in Barcaldine: Buy or Sell Hotels, Motels, Caravan Parks, Bed & Breakfast,
Pubs, Wine Bars, Restaurants, Cafe, English Tea Rooms, Coffee Shops,
Deli, Catering Business, Pubs, Bars, Sandwich Bars, Pizza Delivery,
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Wrecking Yard for sale in Barcaldine.
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