The former Isisford Hospital is located in an elevated central position at the corner of St Agnes and St Helena Streets in the small town of Isisford, western central Queensland. It comprises a spacious complex of lowset, single storey, timber-framed and clad buildings sheltered under corrugated iron roofs and interconnected by verandahs and covered ways. The buildings include: the 1892 building; 1909 pavilion female ward; 1924 maternity ward; 1950s operating theatre, 1950s morgue and 1961 kitchen wing. Mature plantings in the vicinity of the hospital include a Kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus), Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus Macrophylla) and a Eucalyptus sp.
The 1892 building is positioned laterally under a gabled roof between the 1909 pavilion ward to the west and the 1950s operating theatre to the southeast. Its timber frame, clad internally with chamferboards, is exposed to the southern enclosed verandah with the remainder of the building clad in weatherboards or flat sheeting. Its western end has been extended under the adjacent 1909 ward verandah and rooms reconfigured to accommodate an outpatients clinic. The eastern end is covered by the interior walls and ceilings are lined with flat sheeting, floors with vinyl and joinery has been replaced. The southern verandah, providing access between the buildings, is enclosed with lattice and the northern verandah has been enclosed to form a waiting room and pharmacy. Access to the building is from the north via a concrete ramp.
The 1909 pavilion female ward is a long rectangular building under a hipped roof, encircled by wide verandahs generally enclosed with lattice. It is of exposed frame construction, clad internally with wide, v-jointed tongue-and-groove-boards with a coved pressed metal ceiling and polished timber floor. One room wide, it retains its early joinery: a pair of French doors with fanlight at each end and four along each side. A centrally located nurses' station, separating the two ward rooms projects onto the western verandah opposite the entrance to the building. This space is lined with flat sheeting, has doors and viewing windows into the wards and a pair of doors providing access to the eastern verandah. A secondary set of stairs is located on the southern verandah adjacent to the bathroom. These facilities in the southwest corner have a 1950s fitout including laminate panelling and terrazzo floors. A similarly finished 1950s kitchen addition and two staff rooms are located on the northern verandah.
The 1924 maternity ward, a standard five-bed design, without a septic ward, has a hipped, corrugated iron roof with vented gablets and is attached to the north end of the 1909 female ward by a short covered way. The main entrance is located on the eastern verandah with secondary stairs on the western verandah. V-jointed tongue-and-groove boards line external walls, sheltered by verandahs, and internal walls and ceilings. Joinery generally remains intact except for the replacement of casement window sashes with sliding aluminium windows. Floors are lined with vinyl. Alterations are minor and include: the fitout of the former duty room with kitchen cabinets; openings formed in the north and south walls of the former sterilising room; removal of the partition wall between the single bed wards; sheeting over wall vents between the single and two-bed ward rooms; enclosure of the northwest verandah; and lattice screens and vertical louvres to verandahs.
Later buildings on the site date from the 1950s and have low pitched corrugated iron roofs and wide eaves. The operating theatre attached to the southern end of the 1909 pavilion ward is clad in weatherboards and comprises an entrance hall, operating theatre and ancillary space with flat sheet linings and terrazzo floors. Parallel and to the east of the theatre wing is the 1960s kitchen, attached to the southeastern end of the 1892 building's verandah. Clad in weatherboards, this building houses a kitchen, dining room and living quarters accessed from an open verandah to the east and a lattice enclosed verandah to the west. The roof of this wing extends to the north beyond the 1892 wing and over the former emergency room of the outpatients clinic, forming a verandah along its north and eastern sides. The 1950s morgue is a small detached building clad in weatherboards on a concrete slab to the west of the 1909 ward.
The hospital sits within expansive grounds and large established trees surround the hospital complex. These including a Kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus) tree to the north of the 1892 building and a Moreton Bay Fig tree (Ficus macrophylla) and a Eucalyptus sp. to the west of the 1909 ward.
","history":"Isisford District Hospital (former) is a timber-framed and -clad complex with corrugated iron roofing, located in western central Queensland. Established in 1892, with additions between 1902 and 1961, it functioned as a hospital to 1970 and as a clinic until 2011. It is a fine example of a district hospital and demonstrates the evolution of Queensland district hospitals from the 1890s in accordance with changes to community needs, health practices and hospital legislation.
\nExplored during the 1840s and 1850s, the Isisford district, centred on the Barcoo River, was settled by pastoralists from the mid-1860s. In 1874 William and James Whitman established themselves at the site of Isisford and called the place ‘Whittown'. Pastoral development south along the Barcoo River brought workers, drovers and teamsters, boosting Whittown as a service centre. In 1878 the town was surveyed and renamed ‘Isis Ford'. During the 1880s further development in the region occurred. Wool production increased, bringing more shearers into the district. Construction of the Central Western railway line from Rockhampton brought transportation closer with each stage completed - reaching Jericho in 1885, and Barcaldine in November 1886.[1]
\nThe requirement for a hospital and a doctor, to serve the medical needs of the town and district, was recognised by 1887. In 1891 a provisional hospital committee was formed. It quickly raised £400 with another £800 promised. A public meeting in October 1891 appointed a permanent hospital committee,[2] which by April 1892 had complied with the regulations of the Hospitals' Act 1862 and was eligible for a government subsidy. An application for a site on which to erect the hospital buildings was made to the Department of Public Lands and a hospital reserve was subsequently created. In September 1892 the committee had £1000 in funds available and the hospital was under construction.[3] At the end of October 1892, the committee was advertising for a matron and a wardsman, and by February the following year the hospital was treating patients.[4]
\nIsisford District Hospital's plan, location and siting on a large reserve occupying a rise to the south of the town centre, followed the accepted principles for late nineteenth century hospitals.[5] As a series of interconnected buildings, it conformed to the popular pavilion plan for hospitals, comprising a series of detached pavilions, designed to provide light and fresh air. Like other small Queensland hospitals, the wards and rooms of the Isisford District Hospital were enclosed by wide verandahs, while kitchen, bathroom and toilet facilities were contained in semi-detached blocks.[6] The design of hospital buildings, and their location and siting, was influenced by the widely accepted miasmatic theory of disease, which postulated that disease was transmitted by breathing air that was contaminated. Therefore, good ventilation and sanitation would reduce the spread of disease. An essential element of a good hospital site was an elevated position on a generous area of land, preferably on the outskirts of a town. The elevated site was advantageous in catching breezes and enhancing the flow of fresh air through the wards. A large hospital reserve, well removed from the urban centre, was believed to minimise the effect of noxious and foul vapours. Hospital reserves at this time were almost invariably on the outskirts of a town and comprised an extensive area of land, well in excess of what was required, with the main block and out-buildings occupying less than a tenth of the total reserve.[7]
\nManaged by its committee, with the support of the wider community, the Isisford District Hospital provided valuable medical service for the next 52 years. Funds were raised through subscriptions from members of the community, shearers' contributions, donations of goods and money, and fund-raising events, such as concerts.[8]
\nIsisford and its surrounding district grew over the three decades following the hospital's establishment. In 1901 Isisford's population was 270, rising to 356 in 1907 and peaking at 388 residents in 1921.[9] Growth in selector numbers in the Isisford district between 1902 and 1926, stimulated by the western progress of the Central Western railway line, combined with a run of good seasons, provided two decades of sustained prosperity.
\nThis growth was reflected by several additions to the hospital. A morgue building was added by September 1903.[10] In 1908 tenders were called for addition of a female ward.[11] In May 1913 an additional building was being erected. The purpose of this building is not mentioned in any reports, but matron and nurses' quarters were being furnished in October 1913 and a 1927 newspaper article notes the earlier addition of nurses' quarters to the original hospital.[12]
\nWide-ranging, long-term changes to hospital management in Queensland resulted from the Australian Labor Party (ALP) coming to power in Queensland in 1915 and governing almost without interruption until 1957.[13] In April 1916 several Queensland newspapers carried the story that the Queensland Government intended to take over the management of the Isisford District Hospital.[14] A new committee had been appointed which included two government representatives. However, this made little difference to the management of the hospital - the committee still funded the hospital through fund-raising and donations, supplemented by government subsidies for buildings and maintenance.[15]
\nDuring World War I the Isisford District Hospital Committee struggled to retain a doctor. Believing it would be easier to keep a doctor in Isisford if accommodation could be provided, the committee in 1918 set about funding a doctor's residence, subsidised by the Queensland Government. It was erected by the beginning of 1921.[16]
\nNot long afterwards the attributes of the hospital were listed by the Western Champion newspaper:
\nIf there is one institution in Isisford of which the town and district people may feel proud it is the hospital. The fine block of buildings is erected on an elevated central position, and a beautiful breeze appears to always prevail around the spacious verandahs. It is over 30 years since the Isisford Hospital was founded - certainly in a small way at first, but the buildings have been gradually added to and improved until now the hospital is worthy of a place in much larger towns... The hospital in Isisford appears altogether too large and well-appointed for the size of the town, but still in years to come it may be too inadequate. There are male and female wards, in addition to private wards... operating theatre... dispensary.... The nurses and matron's private rooms are very snug. The northern verandah is well-curtained, and here the nurses have a very comfortable open-air sleeping apartment.... Separating the staff's apartments from the wards is a wide lounge, running the whole length of the building.... The kitchen is commodious and well equipped, and all the doors and windows are gauzed. There is ample verandah space - a most commendable provision on the part of the designers of the building. There is also a lock ward - a separate building, not long erected at a cost of £400 ... and arrangements are well forward for the erection of a maternity ward and also an infectious diseases ward. The hospital water supply is well provided for ... by means of several large tanks, while a ‘hospital' cow supplies all the milk that is necessary. The building is lighted throughout with acetylene gas.... A very fine new residence (which adjoins the hospital) has just been erected and furnished at a cost of about £1700 for the doctor.[17]
\nThe next major development of the Isisford District Hospital followed the passing of Queensland's Maternity Act 1922, the state's response to the Australia-wide and international movement to reduce infant mortality and improve maternal health.[18] The Act established a network of free maternity hospitals throughout Queensland, managed under the Motherhood, Child Welfare and Hospital Fund, financed through the profits of the state-run lottery, the Golden Casket, established in 1920. The Act sought to decrease the death rate for mothers and babies; to increase the birth-rate; to expand outback settlement, and to train mothers how to care for children, thereby developing a healthy population.[19] Over a 15 year period an extensive network of maternity wards and hospitals throughout the state changed maternity services in Queensland from privately run nursing homes or home births to public hospitals. ‘By 1940 almost all women in Queensland had access to a government-built maternity facility. No other state government developed such a comprehensive network of maternity facilities'.[20]
\nPriority in the provision of maternity wards was given to the more remote and isolated communities. Isisford was in the first group of towns to receive a maternity ward.[21] Isisford District Hospital, received a standard plan five bed maternity ward (without a septic ward annex) designed by the Department of Public Works, erected in 1923-24 and opened in January 1925.[22] The maternity ward ‘comprised a labour ward, sterilising room, duty room and two two-bed wards which opened onto a verandah. The building was connected to the main block by a covered walkway'.[23] It cost, with furniture, approximately £1600. The cost of its maintenance was to be met by the Isisford District Hospital Committee.[24]
\nIn 1927 the growth of the Isisford District Hospital was described by the Longreach Leader:
\nThe original hospital building is now used for two female wards and a kitchen. Additions since opening have been nurses' quarters, two female wards, operating theatre, isolation ward, maternity ward and doctor's residence. The institution is equipped with electric lighting and Xray plant. Staff comprise a medical officer, matron, two nurses and the domestic staff namely yardsman, cook, housemaid and laundress. There are four general wards - public and private ward for males and two similar wards for females.[25]
\nFurther health legislation, which altered hospital and medical services in the state, was enacted during the 1920s and 1930s by the Queensland Government. The Hospitals Act 1923 established the model for future management of hospitals through district boards.[26]
\nHowever, in the 1930s the Isisford District Hospital was still supported by the fund-raising efforts of its committee, showing the importance of the institution to the district.[27] Throughout the 1930s the Isisford Hospital Committee undertook alterations and additions to improve the hospital including alterations to the maternity ward in 1933 increase ventilation in the building the addition in 1935, of reticulated water, after the council's weir was completed in October 1934.[28] [29] [30]
\nPost-World War II was a period of great change to hospital funding and operations in Australia. Queensland's Health Act Amendment Act 1944 ended any voluntary hospitals still operating and gave the Queensland Government complete control of the hospital system. Local authorities were relieved of any financial responsibility towards the maintenance of hospitals, and their representation on boards was reduced to one member with the remainder appointed by the government.[31] Isisford Hospital came under the control of the Blackall Hospitals Board.[32]
\nStaffing became an issue again post-World War II, which prompted the community to fund-raise to resolve this problem. There was no doctor at Isisford Hospital between December 1945 and May 1946[33] and when the remaining medical staff resigned because of over-work, the hospital temporarily closed.[34] This prompted the committee to send a letter of complaint to EM Hanlon, Chief Secretary (Premier) in May 1946 about the lack of staff at Isisford Hospital due to bureaucratic inefficiency.[35] At the same time a series of public meetings were held and Isisford established the Isisford Hospital Benefit Fund from June 1946 - a voluntary subscription list for the purpose of endowing the nursing staffs' wages at £5 per person per calendar month, as compensation for the extra cost of living in the isolated district.[36] As a result of the wage bonus, the Matron returned and two double-certificated nurses and an assistant nurse were obtained. Thereafter, the extra £5 per month made it possible to retain a full nursing staff.[37] However, it still remained difficult to get doctors appointed through the centralised system and to retain them.[38]
\nPost-World War II, Isisford's population rose and its facilities developed due to good seasons and a boom in wool prices. However, the 1956 shearers' strike led to the loss of shearers from the town thereafter.[39]
\nStarting in 1948 and continuing into the 1950s, extensions were made to Isisford Hospital including: a kitchen, operating theatre and an extension to one of the 1892 buildings.[40] Blackall Hospitals Board was advised by the Department of Health and Home Affairs that its plan for remodelling the Isisford Hospital had been approved; there was also approval for installation of an X-ray plant at Isisford.[41]
\nIn early 1956 the Isisford morgue was damaged by a windstorm and the Blackall Hospital Board recommended that a new morgue building should be erected. In the same year the 1892 ward building, was removed.[42] By 1958, a new operating theatre with terrazzo floor, designed by Brisbane architects Fulton & Collin was completed.[43] Remodelling and additions, including kitchen and laundry, occurred at Isisford Hospital in the 1950s and 1960s.[44]
\nFor Isisford, the 1960s and 1970s were a period of decline. The last full-time resident doctor left in 1959.[45] By 1961 the population had fallen to 293, and continued to fall, especially with the 1965 drought, reaching 169 in 1971.[46] This resulted in a loss of services; for example, in 1979 the Isisford Post Office was downgraded to an unofficial post office.[47]
\nOn 14 September 1970, the Queensland Cabinet decided that Isisford Hospital in future would operate as an Outpatients' Centre with a number of holding beds and a dental clinic.[48] The facilities on the hospital site at this time were: a general section with a private ward (one bed), male public ward (four beds), female public ward (4 beds); a maternity section with a public ward (two beds), two private rooms and a labour ward; outpatient department; operating theatre block; Xray department; dental clinic; kitchen and dining room block; laundry block; boiler house; morgue; storerooms; nursing staff quarters in the quarters provided for the medical superintendent; and male staff quarters in the kitchen/dining room block. The public ward and nursery in the maternity ward was used by the Matron as a bedroom and sitting room, and the private rooms had been converted to a Dental Clinic because maternity cases were transferred to the Blackall Hospital. Later, the medical superintendent's residence was removed.
\nIn 1996, a survey of the heritage buildings under the administration of the Queensland Department of Health identified the Isisford Hospital Maternity Ward as of state heritage significance. It concluded that the building was substantially intact. The 1909 pavilion ward was also identified as a significant twentieth century pavilion ward.[50]
\nIn the twenty-first century, a further reduction of services to the region occurred with the closure of the Jericho-Yaraka railway line and its replacement with 280 km of sealed road from Blackall to Windorah. Queensland Rail ceased operations on the Yaraka line in November of the same year.[51] In 2006 Isisford's population was 262[52] - its level in the 1960s and 1970s.
\nThe Isisford Clinic in the former Isisford District Hospital closed in 2011, when it was replaced by a new Isisford Primary Health Clinic located nearby on the corner of St Agnes and St Helena Streets, still within the former hospital reserve. In 2014, its future use has yet to be determined.
\nIn 2014, the former Isisford District Hospital retains fabric from its earliest phase through its development over the ensuring 70 years. Part of the original hospital is at the core of its pavilion plan. The 1909 pavilion ward is intact and now uncommon. Of the 78 twentieth century pavilion hospitals and wards identified in the1996 Queensland Health Heritage Survey, this ward is one of fewer than 21 extant. The 1924 maternity ward is one of no more than 13 former standard plan maternity wards remaining from the 71 that were built according to the standard 5/9 bed plan between 1923 and 1936. Of the existing standard plan maternity wards, most have been substantially modified and no longer demonstrate the principal characteristics of the standard plan, whereas the Isisford Maternity Ward remains one of the most intact standard maternity wards.[53]
","criteria":"The former Isisford District Hospital (1892-1970) is important in demonstrating the evolution of the provision of hospital and medical services to rural communities in Queensland during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The original 1892 building, 1909 female ward, 1924 maternity ward, 1950s morgue, operating theatre and 1961 kitchen extension resulted from the increasing needs of the developing community, changing health practices and evolving government policies regulating hospital services.
The former maternity ward (1924) is important in demonstrating the development of maternity services in Queensland as a result of the Maternity Act 1922. This building, located in an isolated western town, also demonstrates the extensiveness of the 1922 policy.
|The former Isisford District Hospital maternity ward is an uncommon and intact example of a standard plan Department of Public Works maternity ward; a design that was once common. Of the 71 maternity wards erected in Queensland, it is one of the two most intact maternity wards surviving.
\nThe 1909 pavilion ward is an uncommon and intact example of a twentieth century pavilion ward; a design that was once common.
|The former Isisford District Hospital is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a district hospital in Queensland. Located on a large, elevated site at a distance from the town centre, the hospital includes wards, operating theatre, maternity ward, sterilising room, dispensary, morgue, staff accommodation, kitchen and laundry facilities.
The Maternity Ward is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a standard plan five bed maternity ward built as a result of the Maternity Act 1922. These are the labour ward, sterilising room, duty room (nursery), two single bed wards, one two-bed ward, and an ancillary wing connected by verandahs.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion D","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":15322,"place_ref":600547,"name":"Beaconsfield Station Sheep Wash (former)","alternate_name":"Beaconsfield Station Sheep Wash (Ruins)","street_address":"Beaconsfield Station","suburb":"ILFRACOMBE","lga":"LONGREACH REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1992-10-21","description":"Beaconsfield is located approximately 19 kilometres north of Ilfracombe. The former sheep wash is located some 5km west of the homestead. The shearing shed, about 1km south-east of the sheep wash, has been replaced by a modern building.
The remains of the sheep wash are on the bank of an intermittently dry creek; the dam that retained the water there was washed away in a flood.
The visible remains of the sheep washing process comprise a circle of timber stumps, which supported the turning loop of the twin rails from the wash to the shearing shed and which encircled the draining yard. Miscellaneous machinery survives including a 61cm centrifugal pump made by Robinson Bros & Co. (patent 1882) of Melbourne, jets under which the sheep were washed, and the end of the pump with a column to a head of pressure.
","history":"The Beaconsfield Station Sheep Wash (former) comprises a dam, washing trough, machinery and tramlines situated on a creek bank near the site of the 19th century woolshed, north of Ilfracombe.
The runs that later comprised Beaconsfield Station were first taken up in 1872, although they were acquired by southern investors and little development seems to have taken place before the property was bought by George Fairbairn in 1882. Fairbairn built one of the greatest pastoral empires in Australia, his station holdings in Queensland including Landsdowne, Barcaldine Downs, Home Creek, Bimerah, Delta, Logan Downs, Wolfgang, and Beaconsfield, which became one of Australia's premier sheep stations. At their peak, the Fairbairn stations in Queensland carried over 800,000 sheep with Beaconsfield alone commonly running 100,000 head.
Beaconsfield's growth is largely attributed to its manager, Walter Anderson, who oversaw the station for Stephen Fairbairn, the youngest of George's several sons, and was resident at the station between the 1880s and early 1900s. A number of improvements were made during the stewardship of these two men; in 1893 an artesian bore was put down and 24 Wolseley shearing machines were installed at the shearing shed, which was also used by other property owners. The sheep wash is thought to have been built around this time.
Sheep accumulate dirt, grease and vegetable material such as burrs in their fleeces. Washing the sheep before shearing removes this matter, reducing the weight of the wool to be transported. The Beaconsfield wool wash was built near a former dam on Brutus Creek about 1000m from a shearing shed. The pumping machinery was installed in a timber-lined trough cut into the bank of the dam. Water was drawn out of the dam by a steam pump located in the trough near the creek. The sheep were washed in the trough by a combination of manual scrubbing and water jets located along the length of the trough. The washed sheep were then moved up a race on the western side of the trough to draining pens where they stood before being taken to the woolshed on trolleys that were winched along twin rail lines. The winch was possibly powered by the steam engine used to power the steam press in the shed.
The process was found unsatisfactory, perhaps because of difficulties in obtaining sufficient water supply, and was abandoned later in the 1890s. The wash may have been abandoned after an artesian bore was sunk at Ilfracombe in c.1897 and a wool scour established soon after (The Longreach Leader, 9 December 1927, p. 3, 4 & 5). Other steam-driven scouring works, popular in the early 1890s, had by the end of the decade been rendered obsolete by the establishment of a wide-ranging network of large, mechanised scours (refer to the entry for the Blackall Woolscour, QHR 600033). Over time the track and trolleys were removed to sugar mills and the wool scours at Cramsie and Ilfracombe.
The scheme is considered highly unusual in Queensland pastoral practice; the large scale of both the scheme and of the pump itself are testament to both the imagination and capital resources of the Fairbairns who may have had experience of comparable schemes in New South Wales and Victoria.
George Fairbairn died in 1895, after which the property passed to Stephen Fairbairn who moved to England in 1904 and remained there until his death in 1938. After his departure, the property reverted to the family company with Walter Anderson as manager until 1907, when Frederick Cobb took over from him. In 1911 the property was sold to John Murray. By this time Beaconsfield's area had been somewhat reduced by resumption.
John Murray was a Scot who had moved to Victoria with his family as a youth. In 1864 he moved to Rockhampton to join his oldest brother and took up a run in the area called Fitzroy Park. He was successfully involved in the sugar industry in the 1870s. Entering politics in 1888 as a member of the Legislative Assembly, he later became a member of the Legislative Council and Minister for Railways and Public Works. After his retirement in 1903 he expanded his pastoral holdings, including the acquisition of Beaconsfield.
Following his death in 1917 the property passed to his son Norman who had managed Beaconsfield since its purchase. It continued as one of the larger properties in Queensland's central west until further resumptions were effected in 1929. The property is still held by members of this family.
","criteria":"The former Beaconsfield Station Sheep Wash, thought to have been constructed in about 1893, is important in demonstrating the evolution of mass wool production techniques during the development of Queensland's pastoral industry. It is a good example of an attempt at mass, mechanised washing of sheep using available technology in a remote location.
|The former sheep wash is important as an uncommon example of a large-scale sheep washing system in outback Queensland.
|The former sheep wash at Beaconsfield has the potential to yield information that will contribute to an improved understanding of wool production techniques in outback Queensland during the 19th century. The place is sufficiently intact to permit further study of the washing technique used at that location and to contribute to a broader understanding of the development of Queensland's wool industry.
|The Beaconsfield Station Sheep Wash (former) is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of such a facility, the following key features being extant: a dam, washing trough, pump, water jet, and tramline for transporting the washed sheep to the nearby woolshed.
|The Beaconsfield Station Sheep Wash (former) has a special association with the Fairbairn pastoral empire, one of the most extensive pastoral holdings in Australia at the time. It has a particular association with Stephen Fairbairn and Walter Anderson the owner and manager of Beaconsfield respectively, who were responsible for its development into one of Australia's foremost sheep stations.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion C | Criterion D | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":15438,"place_ref":600663,"name":"QATB Centre (former)","alternate_name":"Longreach Arts & Crafts Centre","street_address":"111 Ibis Street","suburb":"LONGREACH","lga":"LONGREACH REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1992-10-21","description":"The former QATB centre is a two storey timber framed building with a corrugated iron roof. and has wide surrounding verandahs to both levels. The front of the building is clad with pressed metal sheeting which simulates bricks and stone quoins. This effect is heightened by appropriate painting. The sheeting is continued up into a parapet which conceals the roof from the street and carries the QATB Maltese cross insignia and the date 1921. The remainder of the building has exposed studs and a timber lining. The verandah to the upper floor has dowel balustrading and panels of lattice at the front corners and at the rear. There is a timber valance of vertical boards cut to form shallow arches between the timber post which support the verandah.
The building has been changed little to accommodate its new use and the extension building is connected only by a light pergola supporting vines.
","history":"The former Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade centre in Longreach is a two storey timber building purpose built for the Brigade in 1921 and in use as an Arts and Crafts centre since 1973. \t
The Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade began in Brisbane in 1892. It was formed by Seymour Warrian of the Army Medical Corps after seeing an accident victim suffer considerable aggravation of his injuries through inexpert transport to hospital. The Brigade aimed to provide first aid and skilled transport to hospital for the sick and injured. In the first years the Brigade was wholly funded by subscription, but met such an important need that from 1895 they were subsidised by the government, both directly and by involving the Department of Works in the construction of ambulance buildings. In the late 1890s and 1900s they expanded into regional centres. By 1921, a specific layout for ambulance buildings had been formalised into policy. This incorporated a space for vehicles with easy street access, a casualty room, meeting room and sleeping room for ambulance bearers on a ground floor level and residential quarters for the Superintendent above.
A Longreach branch of the Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade was formed on 24 June 1919. A modified Buick car was purchased from Brisbane, and the ambulance began operations from the Commercial Hotel, before moving to premises in Galah Street, and then Crane Street. In 1920, the Ambulance Brigade committee petitioned the State Government for a dedicated reserve for ambulance offices at Longreach, and this was granted at 111 Ibis Street. After a year of highly successful fundraising, the committee was able to commission the construction of a purpose-designed ambulance building. Plans were submitted by Mr G Meacham and the Brigade superintendent, Mr Archibald Solway, and the contract let in 1921 to Messrs Edwards, Martin Ltd of Longreach, with a price of £3,185. The building was opened free of debt in May 1921, by the Longreach Shire Chairman, Mr RH Edkins.
The new building was a two-storeyed timber structure, following the now standard layout for QATB centres. The ground floor contained the casualty room, office, store, and accommodation for the Bearer - which comprised 2 bedrooms, an enclosed verandah which served as the living room, kitchen and toilet, shower and bathroom - and a cement floored area for housing the ambulance vehicles. On the upper floor was the Superintendent's quarters, comprising 3 bedrooms, a study, kitchen, bathroom, shower and toilet and a large verandah, where all meals were taken.
The Ambulance Service was transferred to the Longreach Hospital in 1958, after which the upper floor of the ambulance station was occupied for some years as a residence, but the ground floor remained vacant. The building began to fall into disrepair and in 1971, Longreach citizens formed an Arts and Craft group and petitioned to make use of the disused ambulance building. In 1973, the ambulance reserve was transferred from the Health Department to local trustees as a Reserve for Cultural Purposes and the Longreach Cultural Association undertook to restore the former ambulance building as an arts and crafts centre. Assistance came from local Rotarians and from State and Federal governments in the form of grants for restoration work and various Arts grants.
The building now functions as an Arts and Crafts Centre and accommodates various art and craft classes, an art gallery, potters' workshop, Flying Arts activities, a theatre group, and community group meetings. The upper level currently comprises the Gallery, a flat rented on a semi-permanent basis, a Tutor's Room for visiting arts tutors, a store room, a craft display room, and a QATB memorabilia room. The Gallery was officially opened in November 1979.
An adjoining structure that houses the potters' group and the theatre group was constructed in 1988 as a bi-centennial project.
","criteria":"The former QATB centre demonstrates the way in which the Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade spread through Queensland and the importance of Longreach as a regional centre
|It is a good example of a regional QATB centre which uses the standard ambulance station plan comprising garage space, casualty room and bearer's room on the ground floor and accommodation for a superintendent above.
|The former ambulance station, due to its prominent position in the main street of Longreach and its use of scale, form and materials, makes a major contribution to the townscape and is a well designed and proportioned building adapting a vernacular style well suited to the climate.
|The building has a strong association with the people of the Longreach area as a community facility and with the work of the Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion G","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":15439,"place_ref":600664,"name":"Qantas Museum/Former Qantas Hangar","alternate_name":"Qantas Hangar","street_address":"Landsborough Highway","suburb":"LONGREACH","lga":"LONGREACH REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1992-10-21","description":"The Qantas hanger is located at the Longreach aerodrome, on the western side of the complex and is a large, freestanding structure which forms a dominant landmark in the area.
The hangar comprises a large open space, or hangarage, with annexes on either side and at the rear. The hangarage has a light frame of tubular steel which comprises a series of trusses supporting a gable roof with a ventilated ridge. The roof trusses are only supported by columns where the roof has been extended over the side annexes. The gable at each end of the hangar is also sheeted with corrugated iron and painted with the words QANTAS LTD on the northern (front) end and QANTAS LTD AIR SERVICES on the southern (rear)end.
At each side of the front elevation are new steel frames which support the recently constructed sliding doors when opened.
Internally, the hangarage has a concrete floor, whilst the floors to the annexes are of timber boards. The walls and roof of the hangarage and annexes are clad in galvanised corrugated iron and openings are cut in the walls in some areas to allow light to enter the interior. Windows in the form of corrugated iron flaps, hinged at the top are located down each side and at the rear of the annexes. The western annexe has been altered to accommodate offices and amenities associated with the operation of the place as a museum.
","history":"The town of Longreach was gazetted in 1887 as the new terminus of the railway line extending west from Rockhampton. Prior to this, the site of Longreach was a teamsters stop, however the completion of the railway in 1892 provided the impetus for the rapid development of the town.
Interest in air transport was accelerated after the First World War. In 1919, the Australia government offered £10 000 to the first Australian who completed the flight from England to Australia in twenty eight days. Two returned pilots, W Hudson Fysh and Paul J McGinness, with their former flight sergeant Arthur Baird as engineer, were prepared to attempt the flight but had to abandon their plans when their financial benefactor died shortly after the start of their attempt. Fysh and McGinness were experienced pilots, having been awarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross whilst serving in the Australian Flying Corps. They had also served in the Australian Light Horse and landed at Gallipoli in 1915.
Unable to take part in the race, the two pilots were subsequently employed by the Department of Defence to survey the route for the race contestants. This took them through western Queensland and the Northern Territory and it was during this exploration that they realised the potential for an air service linking outback towns not linked by rail.
In mid 1920, Fysh and McGinness decided to establish an air taxi and joy ride service from Cloncurry. They met with grazier Fergus McMaster and two other backers from the Longreach area, who agreed to become financially involved in the project.
The Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited (Qantas) was registered in November 1920 and the first official meeting was held at the Winton Club. Arthur Baird rejoined Fysh and McGinness as engineer and became the backbone of Qantas in the early years. In the same year, the company moved to Longreach, as it was a more central position from which to operate. Business was slow at first, as most of the interest was in joy rides which, in the early days of aviation, were expensive and sometimes dangerous. However, support from McMaster and the newly formed Country Party, as well as pressure from shire and municipal councils compelled the Commonwealth government to announce a tender for a mail run from Charleville to Cloncurry. Qantas won this tender in February 1922.
The first office in Longreach was located in Eagle Street. After this building was destroyed by fire, the office was moved to a temporary building in Duck Street before relocating to the Graziers Building across the street in May 1922. The first hangar was constructed near the site of the showgrounds in 1921. However, the contract for the mail service necessitated larger premises and a contract for a new hangar was won by Stewarts and Lloyds in March 1922. The hangar was completed in August 1922 and the inaugural mail service flight was made in November of the same year.
The new hangar was erected on the site of the new aerodrome which was one and a half miles east of the town. Constructed of a tubular steel frame with galvanised iron cladding, it measured 120 feet by 60 feet (36.5 metres by 18.2 metres) and cost £1 637. It initially had a dirt floor, but by 1924 when town water was connected, most of the floor had been concreted. The existing hangar near the showgrounds was dismantled and re-erected of the new site as offices and a store.
The mail service was extended to Camooweal and Normanton in the mid 1920s and the flying service grew to include transportation of food and people in times of flood and acted as an aerial ambulance in emergencies.
In 1926, the development of aerial communications throughout the Commonwealth was encouraged during an Imperial Conference in London, resulting in Prime Minister Stanley Bruce increasing the budget for civil aviation. In the same year, production of DH50 aeroplanes under licence from de Havilland commenced in the Longreach hangar. Although this practice ceased in 1929 when the DH50s were superseded by the more complex DH61s, the construction of aeroplanes became a secondary industry in the grazing district, creating jobs for many local people. This new use necessitated extensions to the hangar which included the additions of workshops at the sides and sliding doors to the front.
In June 1930, Qantas ended its occupation of the Longreach hangar when the headquarters were moved to Brisbane. This move was generated by the realisation that a takeover was imminent if they remained a small outback company. In 1934, Qantas merged with Imperial Airways
During the Second World War, the hangar was used by the Royal Australian Air Force and subsequently by the United States Air Force. After the war, the hangar became a terminal for the domestic services of various airlines, including local Longreach airline, Somerset Airways.
The most extensive alterations were carried out in the 1960s when a passenger terminal comprising a waiting room, a trolley way for baggage and offices was constructed at the north east corner of the building. At the same time, the roof sheeting, purlins and primary roof trusses were replaced and additional purlins were installed. The plans for these alteration were drawn by the Commonwealth Department in 1960, however the work was not completed until 1963.
The signage to the gable ends has been repainted a number of times. The Allom Lovell Marquis-Kyle Conservation Plan states that the positions of the gables were reversed during the 1963 alterations and that the signs were repainted in 1963, 1969 and 1972. The 1969 repainting included the painting over of the sign on the southern end which originally read Qantas Empire Airlines, the name resulting from the 1934 merge with Imperial Airways to enable international flights to England.
The hangar remained in use until 1996 when it was altered for re-use as a museum illustrating the history of Qantas.
","criteria":"The Qantas Hangar at Longreach was constructed in 1922 on the second site of then fledging airline, Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service. Originally established in Winton, Qantas relocated to Longreach shortly after its registration. The hangar provides a tangible link with pioneering air services in Australia and demonstrates the evolution of air services in Australia as well as the development of the history of Queensland.
|It is rare as one of the few surviving structures associated with the establishment of Qantas, now one of the largest international airlines, and as one of the earliest aviation sites in Australia.
|The large uninterrupted space of the hangarage and the adjoining annexes demonstrates the principal characteristics of a structures of its type.
|The hangar is of aesthetic significance as a landmark in the area, The simplicity of its design and construction also contributes to its aesthetic value.
|It has strong associations with the community of Longreach.
|It has strong associations with the development of aviation in Australia. It also has special association with the founders of Qantas, W Hudson Fysh and Paul J McGinness, and engineer Arthur Baird.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion G | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":15441,"place_ref":600666,"name":"Darr River Downs","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"Landsborough Highway","suburb":"MORELLA","lga":"LONGREACH REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2003-06-27","description":"Darr River Downs, located to the west of Darr River northeast of Morella, consists of a homestead, office and saddle room, store, woolshed, woolscour ruins and cemetery.
The homestead has been substantially altered, although parts of the original internal and external walls and paving stones around the exterior have been retained. All early internal joinery and linings have been removed. The homestead building is not considered to be of cultural heritage significance.
The office and saddle room, a single-storeyed structure with a hipped corrugated iron roof and verandahs all round, is constructed of rough-squared field stone with clay mortar. Verandahs have tree trunk verandah posts and earth floors.
The store, a single-storeyed structure with a hipped corrugated iron roof and verandahs all round, is constructed of field stone with clay mortar. Internally, the building has stone paved floors and the roof is unlined.
The woolshed, located approximately two kilometres to the east of the homestead complex, is a corrugated iron clad structure with timber stumps and consists of arched metal trusses over a T-shaped plan. Internally, the building has timber floors, timber fencing and gates and evidence of early shearing equipment.
The woolscour ruins are located to the north of the homestead complex.
The cemetery, to the south of the homestead complex, is surrounded by a timber post and rail fence and contains two graves with headstones and metal surrounds.
","history":"The runs comprising Darr River Downs station were taken up during the early 1870s by a number of people, and were progressively acquired from 1876 by Baird, Rowan and Co.; a group of Melbourne businessmen carrying on business together as sheep and cattle farmers. Although the Darr River Downs runs were recorded as being stocked with cattle initially, during the 1880s many of the newer pastoralists commenced raising sheep rather than cattle.
Darr River Downs was consolidated during the late 1880s, and the lease taken up by Baird, Rowan and Co. The lease was transferred to William Taylor and Andrew Rowan, in partnership as Taylor, Rowan and Co, in 1888. Taylor and Rowan appear to have also been in partnership with Archibald Fisken and John Bertram, as in 1893, records indicate that the lease was transferred from Taylor, Rowan, Fisken and Bertram to the Trust and Agency Co. of Australasia. Rowan retired from the firm in 1897, and in August 1898, the lease again appears to have been held by Taylor, Fisken and Bertram. The lease was transferred to the Corporation of the Bank of Australasia later in 1898.
Darr River Downs, described in an advertisement in 1888 as a First-class sheep station in Queensland...comprising about eleven hundred square miles, [704 000 acres], was one of three large pastoral properties established in the district as a result of the consolidation of runs. The other two properties were Corona and Evesham.
A stone storehouse is understood to have been erected c1874 and used as the homestead on the station for some years, before a new stone homestead was erected. Other stone outbuildings were probably erected around this time. The stone for these buildings was quarried from the bed of the nearby Darr River.
Wool scouring developed as an alternative to sheep washing in Australia from the 1840s, and had almost replaced it by the 1890s. The Darr River Downs woolscour, reputedly the first to be erected in this part of Queensland, is thought to have been built during the early-mid 1880s. Construction of the scour has been attributed to the desire of the owners to overcome the difficulties involved in presenting buyers at the London wool sales with the cleanest possible wool. A document outlining the approximate cost of improvements on the Station suggests that the woolscour may have been erected in two stages, in 1883 and 1886, and it is recorded also that in 1886, Darr River Downs scoured its own wool for the first time. Darr River Downs was running approximately 135 550 sheep in 1890, and in 1893, the property recorded 1725 bales of wool.
The document outlining improvements to the station records also that a woolshed was erected on the property c1883. During the shearers' strike in 1891, a group of striking shearers unsuccessfully attempted to burn down the woolshed. A new woolshed appears to have been erected, possibly in the early 1900s, and is reputed to have formerly been a temporary pavillion/annexe for the c1880 Melbourne Exhibition, which was dismantled and shipped to Rockhampton, then transported to Darr River Downs where it was re-erected as the woolshed. An official record of the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880-1881 noted that the temporary annexes erected for the Exhibition were constructed of corrugated iron and timber, and the materials were subsequently sold at fair prices to the Victorian Railway Department to be utilised in building shed & c at railway stations. It is not clear whether all of the annexes were sold to the Railways Department, or whether some may have been disposed of elsewhere. It is also of interest to note that an A Fisken (presumably Archibald Fisken, a prominent Melbourne businessman who was involved with Darr River Downs during the late 1890s) was listed in the Exhibition record as one of the Commissioners of the Exhibition, and therefore may have been involved in acquiring one of the annexes for Darr River Downs. The woolshed was located just over one mile from the homestead, and included large holding pens for the sheep, and shearers' quarters.
Records of the station buildings in 1904 refer to a complex of buildings including homestead, house kitchen, quarters, store, wheelwrights and carpenters shop, stables, and huts.
In March 1910, the property was transferred to James Henry Coleman and Edward James Watt, of New Zealand, and was transferred into Watt's name in 1918. Watt was described as a generous employer, who, following the First World War, subdivided 60 000 acres from Darr River Downs, and gave it to four of the men who had worked on Darr River Downs and returned from the War.
Watt died in 1942, and Darr River Downs was acquired by TC Lowry, Watt's nephew, in 1950. Following Lowry's death in the mid 1970s, the property passed to Lowry's son and other members of the Lowry family. The property was acquired by the present owners in 1989. The portion of land on which the homestead and outbuildings, including the woolshed and woolscour ruins are located presently comprises 51 564 acres.
The woolshed, formerly crucifix-shaped in plan, has been partially dismantled and sections of the building re-erected on other properties in the area. The woolshed is still in use by Darr River Downs and other properties in the district. The homestead was extensively renovated c1987.
","criteria":"Established in the early 1870s, Darr River Downs is important in demonstrating the evolution of the pastoral industry in Queensland.
|The construction and layout of the woolshed, with the use of prefabricated arched metal trusses is rare and uncommon. The woolscour ruins (c1886) are a rare example of an early use of new technology which even by the late nineteenth century was only common in regional centres.
|The surviving 19th and early 20th century structures have the potential to contribute to an understanding of building technology and wool processing in western Queensland.
|Darr River Downs demonstrates the principal characteristics of a late nineteenth century/early twentieth century pastoral station by the layout, materials, scale and design.
|Darr River Downs demonstrates the principal characteristics of a late nineteenth century/early twentieth century pastoral station by the layout, materials, scale and design. Together with mature plantings, these elements contribute to the aesthetic significance of the place.
|The woolshed and woolscour remains also demonstrate a high degree of technical achievement for the period, through the early use of mechanical wool washing techniques and metal truss construction.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion C | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion F","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place is important in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":15835,"place_ref":602544,"name":"Isis Downs Woolshed Complex","alternate_name":"Isis Downs Woolshed","street_address":"Isisford Blackall Road","suburb":"ISISFORD","lga":"LONGREACH REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2008-09-18","description":"The Isis Downs Woolshed complex is located on the Isisford-Blackall Road approximately 20 kilometres east of the township of Isisford, within the homestead complex of the Isis Downs Station. The complex consists of the shearing shed (completed with mechanical shearing motors and wool presses), holding yards, powerhouse (with an extensive array of machinery and infrastructure) and a stand alone bale hoist, located in close proximity to each other, and which were used conjointly to clip and process the fleeces.
\nWoolshed
\nThe dominant feature of the complex is the woolshed. A large, high-set semi-circle with a low-set section along the rear wall, the woolshed's curved exterior faces the property entrance. The whole is clad in corrugated iron and crowned by a three-tiered roof. The upper two levels of the roof are progressively smaller raised semi-circles that sit in the centre of the roof and do not extend back to the rear wall. These provide light and ventilation to the large interior space via clerestory windows and louvres.
\nIn the centre of the front curved wall is a central double-door entry that is met by the holding yard ramp. The sliding doors are rectangular and clad entirely in corrugated iron. Ten smaller sliding ventilation shutters of similar design are evenly spaced in the curved facade, five on either side of the double doors. At the rear ground level of the woolshed is another central double sliding door, clad in corrugated iron.
\nInternally, the woolshed has two levels - the main floor, high-set, of timber construction, and semi-circular; and a much smaller ground level floor, of concrete, along the rear, straight wall. There are no internal wall or roof linings, leaving the shed structural components clearly visible. The woolshed has a steel superstructure, with a central pillar that sits directly under the apex of the roof; located at the mid-rear point of the top roof tier. Steel web trusses radiate out from the central pillar over a clear space of 70 feet (21.3 metres). The trusses terminate at supporting steel posts, which frame the 52 shearing bays that follow the curve of the semicircle. Mechanical shearing motors are mounted on the tally boards above each bay, with smaller holding pens located between the bays and the exterior wall. The current motors are modern upgrades but an example of an original motor survives within the shed. The large open space between the central pillar and the bays was used to sort and class the fleeces. Wool presses are located on the rear edge of the timber floor and extend down to the narrow concrete ground level.
\nHolding Yards
\nImmediately abutting the curved wall of the woolshed is a series of timber let-out pens. The pens lead into 'counting-out' yards that surround the curved face of the shearing shed. The larger series of holding yards extending beyond the 'counting-out' yards are not included in the heritage boundary. A large timber forcing-up ramp gives access from the yards into the central opening of the woolshed.
\nPowerhouse
\nThe powerhouse is a simple rectangular building with a gable roof located at the rear of the woolshed, in the north-eastern corner of the complex. With the exception of a small number of windows and fixed louvres, the powerhouse is clad almost entirely in corrugated iron. A tall metal chimney extends out of the north-eastern corner of the roof and is supported by four cable ties. A smaller corrugated iron skillion shed extends from the northern corner.
\nThe powerhouse has two internal sections: a boiler room and a generating room, and still contains an extensive array of the machinery used during the woolshed's operation. The boiler room contains a wood-fired boiler and a high pressure water pump. External to the boiler room is a hydraulic accumulator and nearby, a ship's tank. Identified equipment within the generator room includes:
\n- Southern Cross Mark YEB engine, 1200 RPM, manufactured by the Toowoomba Foundry Pty Ltd;
\n- 240 volt, KW HP 12, continuous current generator manufactured by The British Thomson-Houston Co. Ltd;
\n- Lister alternator manufactured by Higgs Motors of Dursley, England;
\n- A generator manufactured by Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies of Ipswich, England; and
\n- A hydraulic pump manufactured by The Austral Otis Engineering Co. Ltd of Melbourne and Sydney.
\nThe powerhouse also retains much of the associated infrastructure such as pipes and the power board.
\nBale Hoist
\nThe bale hoist was used to load bales of wool onto transports and is located on the rear eastern side of the woolshed, adjacent to the powerhouse. The hoist is made from steel and consists of a vertical upright with a horizontal arm at the top. The arm is supported by decorative steel bracing. Part of the hydraulic power network, the hoist had a single cable that operated through a series of sheaves; the lower sheave is now missing. Historical evidence suggests a ball weight was mounted above the hoist hook, which was sufficient enough to pull the cable to the ground and force the piston into position for the next lift. The vertical upright of the hoist is supported by two angled steel braces.
","history":"The current Isis Downs Woolshed was completed in 1914. A prefabricated steel structure clad with corrugated iron, the shed was designed by Kay, MacNicol and Company Engineers for the then property owners, Sir Rupert Clarke and R S Whiting. Although smaller than the previous shed that had burnt down, the current shed's design is unique, creating a large semi-circular internal space.
The Queensland wool industry commenced in 1840 when Patrick and Walter Leslie established Canning Downs Station on the Darling Downs. Pastoralists followed explorers in opening up the land for utilization and by 1860 wool had become the primary export earner for the newly established colony of Queensland.
Isis Downs was one of the first properties to be established in the Isisford District of far west Central Queensland. The initial lease commenced on 1 January 1867 and was held by Charles Lumley-Hill, W St John Holberton and W B Allen. The run was named after the Isis River in England, which is actually the upper reaches of the Thames River. Following the taking up of pastoral properties throughout the area, a town was founded by William and James Whitman in 1877 to provide essential services for the district. It had various early names including Whittown, Wittown or Whittington, but in 1897 was officially named Isisford, as it was near to a ford and not far from Isis Downs Station.
Isis Downs changed hands a number of times before Robert Selmon Whiting and Sir Rupert Clarke acquired it in 1910. The eldest son of a prominent Victorian family, Sir Rupert Clarke was the 2nd Baronet of Rupertswood and held vast pastoral holdings across the Australian colonies. His father, William John Clarke, appears to have owned Isis Downs for 6 years from 1877, but let it go. Clarke's long standing business partner, RS Whiting, was a wealthy Melbourne based solicitor. The Clarke-Whiting partnership acquired vast land holdings in Queensland, including Isis Downs, Avington, Emmet Downs, Stockbury, Brynhyfryd, and Bellevue/Kiama in the Isisford area, Sedgeford near Alpha, and Albina near Springsure. Of all their holdings, both in Queensland and elsewhere in Australia, Isis Downs was regarded as their 'masthead' sheep station.
By 1910 Isis Downs had grown to over 200,000 hectares and carried a similar number of sheep. At that time the shearing shed on Isis Downs was a rectangular-shaped timber and corrugated iron structure with a central arched spine. Erected in the late nineteenth century, it contained 100 shearing stands and was larger than the current shed, but it was destroyed by fire in September 1912, immediately after the close of the shearing season.
By December 1912 the owners had commissioned Melbourne engineers Kay, MacNicol and Company to design a new shearing shed. A number of designs were considered but by late December the current structure was chosen as the "cheapest and simplest form of construction". The designers argued that "the use of one big pillar 30 feet above the ground and sunk to about five feet below, would provide a clear space of about 70 feet to cover shearing board, tables, bins etc". The design allowed for 52 shearing stands around the semi-circle, with the sheep-yards on the immediate exterior. On the flat, far side of the building were the wool bins and presses. A separate engine room provided its own electricity, with the lighting supplemented by clerestory windows. Large, rectangular ventilation shutters were spaced around the curved façade of the building providing more light when open.
Steel was ordered from Dorman Long and Co. of Melbourne in January 1913, the same company that later built the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The steel could not be produced in Australia at that time and therefore had to be shipped from Middlesborough (England) to Melbourne to be cut and prepared as per the design. It was then shipped to Rockhampton and moved by rail to Malverton, near Blackall. From there, the steel was carted to the property and installed under the supervision of the property manager, Mr Frank Luck. Construction commenced in 1913 and by April the foundations were well advanced, however, completion was delayed due to the late arrival of the steel. The shed was not complete by the 1913 shearing season, forcing the owners to make temporary alternative arrangements.
Adjacent to the woolshed a powerhouse was constructed to supply electric and hydraulic power for the various machines used in the clip. The interior of the Isis Downs powerhouse contained both a boiler room and a generating room. The generating room accommodated an Austral Otis hydraulic pump (which was coupled to an external accumulator) and a single cylinder reciprocating vertical steam engine that was attached to an electric generator. The system produced DC power for the Falkiner Boll shearing machines and hydraulic power for the wool presses, bale dump and hoist. Power was transmitted via a power-board in the powerhouse and a distribution-board in the woolshed. A diesel generator was eventually installed, followed by a belt driven set which was powered by a twin cylinder motor within the skillion annex; these systems were eventually superseded in the 1970s with the introduction of 240 volt electric power.
By April 1914 the shed itself had been completed and the machinery installed, but the external pens had not been completed and the shorn sheep chutes had not arrived. The external pens were designed to hold thirty thousand sheep, with an anticipated daily tally of five thousand sheep during the peak season. Accessing sufficient timber for the construction of the pens was a major logistical issue, as the nearest natural supply was 25 miles away. The shed, yards and powerhouse were finally completed in July 1914, at a total cost of £18,000.
Whiting and Clarke were known as innovators and had a substantial impact upon the station. In addition to the shearing shed, they built the homestead, sank 3 artesian bores, dug a 192km network of bore drains and introduced a 110 horsepower road train (imported from England). Their descendants held the property until 1979.
Isis Downs had substantial impact upon the development of the region. Before World War II approximately 150 permanent staff and numerous seasonal workers were employed at Isis Downs, undertaking the variety of tasks necessary to run the property, including the outstations. Increasing mechanisation drastically reduced permanent staff levels, which had a negative effect upon the local economy and community.
Environmental and economic factors led to varying stock numbers over the years. In the late 1950s only 60,000 head of sheep were grazed on the station, but by the 1990s stock numbers had risen to 100,000, due in part to the acquisition of surrounding properties. Stock levels eventually declined as the current owners moved toward cattle grazing. As sheep numbers fell, the shearing season became smaller and the final clip was made in May 2004 with less than 30,000 sheep.
In recent years the Isis Downs Shearing Shed has been used to host events such as the Queensland Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra (2003) and the Outback Opera in the Shearing Shed (2005).
","criteria":"The large and distinctive semi-circular prefabricated shearing shed is the only example of its type in Australia. The collection of associated machinery within the complex is also 'unique' in terms of its composition and condition.
|The Isis Downs Woolshed Complex (constructed 1913-1914) is important in demonstrating the evolution of sheep shearing processes in Queensland, and in particular of early mechanised shearing.
The powerhouse is important in demonstrating the generation of non-grid electricity in remote and regional Queensland prior to World War I. The introduction of both hydraulic and electrical generating systems specifically for a shearing shed was only possible at the largest and most progressive sheep stations.
|The Isis Downs Woolshed complex has a special association with the business partnership of Sir Rupert Clarke and Robert Whiting who played a significant role in the development of the region and were known nationally as major figures in the Australian pastoral industry.
|The Isis Downs Woolshed is an innovative approach to design of large-scale pastoral infrastructure in Queensland. The use of prefabricated steel for the superstructure, unusual semi-circular shape, the provision for light and ventilation, is a unique attempt to address the functional, financial and logistical issues associated with a large shearing shed.
|Although designed as a utilitarian structure, the size and semicircular layout of the shearing shed at Isis Downs makes a dramatic visual impact against the flat, unwooded landscape. The use of corrugated iron cladding coupled with the setting of the Isis Downs Woolshed Complex within a flat, open landscape, evokes a strong sense of isolation.
|The Isis Downs Woolshed Complex is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a large, early twentieth century shearing operation, comprising shearing shed (completed with mechanical shearing motors and wool presses), holding yards, powerhouse (with an extensive array of associated machinery and infrastructure) and bale hoist. The place was and remains one of the largest and most intact early twentieth century shearing complexes in Queensland, of exceptional value in contributing to our understanding of early mechanised shearing in this State.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion B | Criterion A | Criterion H | Criterion F | Criterion E | Criterion D","criteria_definitions":"The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":15861,"place_ref":601088,"name":"Langenbaker House","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"Mitchell Street","suburb":"ILFRACOMBE","lga":"LONGREACH REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2001-11-29","description":"Langenbaker house is located in the centre of town on Mitchell Street, Ilfracombe, and is described as Lot 908 on Plan No. 14173 being the whole of the land contained in Deed of Grant. Like most of the town's houses, Langenbaker house was brought from elsewhere - the light timber frame construction making it easy to dismantle and re-assemble.
There are four principal structures remaining on the land:
1. the dwelling house, with semi-detached rain water tank. The house is set on low stumps. It is comprised of a front verandah, a lounge, three bedrooms, a combined kitchen/dining/storage area, a back verandah with bathroom off to the side, and a ground level lean-to verandah.
The house is constructed of corrugated iron and timber and appears to have originally comprised of a front verandah; a central hallway with three bedrooms and one lounge room; rear verandah and semi-detached kitchen. The rear verandah is now fully enclosed and the original gabled roof has been replaced by a corrugated iron hipped roof. Windows facing to the south east and north west all have metal awnings. The front verandah is enclosed using laced hoop iron.
The interior of the home is as it was at the date of the son's accident, in approximately 1921. Parts of the bedroom, lounge room and kitchen walls and ceiling are clad with timber paneling. Other interior areas still have exposed corrugated iron walls and wooden beams. Furnishings within the home are of humble design, with some furnishings being hand-built by the owner. The central lounge still houses a Radio-Gram and the later addition of a television. Photos, Bric a Brac and other household utensils remain in the home
2. to the north west of the house, a former garage, now filled with bric a brac;
3. to the north east of the house, a shed, also partly filled with bric a brac;
4. to the east of the house, a detached lavatory.
An aggregation of building materials on the rear of the allotment, roughly between the two sheds, is the remains of a butcher's shop which was one conducted in Ilfracombe by Syd. Bailey. The original outdoor toilet with provision for Night Soil removal also still exists at the side of the dwelling.
The site is fenced, although the front gate has been removed. Shedding for vehicles and horses (night horse) still exist in the yard surrounding the home. No gardens have survived except for the Peppercorn tree in the front of the yard.
","history":"Langenbaker house, a small single story corrugated iron and timber house, was erected in Ilfracombe in 1899 by owner Harry Langenbaker, an outback teamster or carrier by trade.
The town of Ilfracombe dates from 1890, when ambitious settlers anticipated the arrival of the Central Queensland railway. However, some of Australia's largest and best known sheep stations had been established in the area from 1864. Rodney Downs, Portland Downs, Beconsfield and Wellshot were the original holdings in what is now the Ilfracombe Shire area.
From September 1891 Ilfracombe was a strategic railhead for teamster's traffic, positioned close to the final terminus of the Central Western Railway line at Longreach to capture road traffic from the large stations toward Aramac and Muttaburra in the north, and to the lower Barcoo in the south.
Teamsters or carriers as they were sometimes known, provided an essential service of carrying goods and stock across trackless country to the new stations of western Queensland. The first teamsters into a new country were limited to the use of drays, which were more manoeuvrable than wagons. Among the essential equipment of these first teamsters were axes to clear tracks of land, picks and shovels to make creek crossings and a piece of brightly coloured rag. The rag was tied to a wheel so that its revolutions could be easily counted. These rough measurements of distance gave carriers a guide for cartage charges and provided a bush standard which remained in use until the introduction of surveyors and roadmakers. Ilfracombe provided work for teamsters up until a branch railway line was opened from Jericho to Blackall in 1908. At this time many teamsters traded in their horse and ox and replaced them with motor lorries. Others hung up their reins and looked for work with the railways or at the wool scour which opened in Ilfracombe in 1898.
Henry (Harry) and Mary Ann Langenbaker nee Kahl, came to Ilfracombe in 1899 from Barcaldine, where they had married in 1890. They brought their house with them on their horse drawn wagon. Like many other teamster families it is likely that both the Langenbaker's and their house had already moved several times to various locations at temporary railheads along the railway line. Langenbaker house was assembled on Mitchell Street, Ilfracombe, in about April of 1899 and remained in the family until 1991 with the passing of Harry and Mary Ann's youngest son Bernard.
Harry Langenbaker, was one of many teamsters who took advantage of the chance which Ilfracombe offered to keep his teams in work. Bernard Langenbaker, youngest son of Harry and Mary Ann describes his father's life as a teamster;
Dad worked down on the lower Barcoo. Often he would be away for twelve months at a time, and while there was work to be had he wouldn't come home. While he was away Mum would often play the piano on Saturday nights at euchre parties and dances at the \thall next to the hotel. This way she got a few shillings to battle along. Dad had switched from bullocks to horses for his wagons when he came to Ilfracombe, and I \tsuppose he had about 50 horses altogether. The Gooch family, the Baileys, the Hanifins and Storches all had horses too, so when the teams weren't working there might be 500 horses running on the stock routes and reserves around the town. Peter Forest,(1988) A Rush for Grass, Murianji Press.
Harry was a typical teamster - hard working and hard living. Evidence of both his life and work exist in the Langenbaker house in the form of personal memorabilia and tools of his trade. Harry, unlike many others, continued to work as a teamster up until 1922 at which time he pulled his wagon to its final resting place at the side of the house and passed the time by making skewers for the local butcher and greenhide whips. In contrast, his wife Mary Ann was ladylike and dainty. She was an accomplished needlewoman, and many examples of her craft can be seen in the house. She was also a skilled pianist who taught piano to many Ilfracombe children, and whose services were much in demand at town social gatherings.
Harry and Mary Ann had eleven children. Ruby, born in 1891, Lillian born 1893, Julius born 1895, Ivy born 1897, Harold (Sonny) born 1899, Thelma born 1901, Les born 1904, William Roy born 1906, Estelle Gladys (Stella) born 1908, Vera born 1911 and Bernard born 1913. Three daughters married into the Bailey family, prominent carriers and business people in the town. Another four children intermarried with other local families, creating a network of relationships and friendships.
Affectionately known as "Daddy Lang" and "Mumma Lang" a feature of family life for many years, even after the marriages of the children, was a regular gathering at the Langenbaker house. In 1993 Marge Escreet (born 1922) daughter of Ruby Bailey nee Langenbaker describes a typical afternoon at the Langenbaker's.
All the Langenbaker girls and their children used to gather for afternoon tea and to see their mother most days. There was a large pepperina tree (Schinus molle) at the side of the house, chairs and stools stayed outside and afternoon tea was held outside. The children used to ride bikes and play on the big old wooden swing. They would stay there until the \tshade of the house came over and joined with the shade of the pepperina tree. It was lovely and cool out there. You would get a breeze out there. Dadda Lang built the swing. It was made from big heavy bush timber, and the trace chins from his harness. It was just near the back door behind the water tank.
The Langenbakers sixth child Les, was blind as the result of a horse riding accident in about 1921. After this time the family took care to change the layout and features of the house as little as possible so that Les could easily find his way about. This is one reason for the remarkably unchanged condition of the house today. It is full of old photographs, bric a brac and other personal items including a tennis trophy won by Bernie Langenbaker and Marge Escreet at the Central Western doubles championship. Other items include early metal all purpose tubs, a hand made wheelbarrow, a galvanised iron bath, an upturned hand made galvanised iron boat and more personal items including early 1930's hairdressing equipment.
Following damage caused by a windstorm in 1933 the rear verandah was enclosed and extended and the kitchen built in its present location. At about this time the originally corrugated iron gabled roof was also replaced by a corrugated iron hipped roof. In about 1942 an air raid shelter was excavated to the east of the rear of the house, but there is now no clear above ground evidence of this feature. Another notable feature of the house is the use of laced hoop iron to provide screening for the verandah. The hoop iron was originally used at the wool scour to bind wool bale packs and wool bales. Townspeople found the material ideal to create shaded semi-enclosed verandahs. The technique was once seen on most Ilfracombe houses, but now survives only at the Langenbaker house.
The last child of the family, Bernard, was born in the house in 1913 and died there in 1991. The house was then bought by the Ilfracombe Shire Council and has been conserved as a monument to the ordinary men and women of the outback.
","criteria":"Langenbaker House, relocated to Ilfracombe in 1899, is a rare example of what was once a typical Ilfracombe workers dwelling and demonstrates the evolution and pattern of western Queensland's transport industry and the development of western Queensland towns and communities.
|Langenbaker House, relocated to Ilfracombe in 1899, is a rare example of what was once a typical Ilfracombe workers dwelling and demonstrates the evolution and pattern of western Queensland's transport industry and the development of western Queensland towns and communities.
|Langenbaker House is thought to be one of the earliest surviving residences in Ilfracombe and a good example of what was once a typical workers cottage. The architectural style of the building and the significance of the removal and relocation of the property to its present site, demonstrates an approach to building design that was influenced by climate, culture and resources. This is particularly evident in the use of metal bales straps woven into a lattice and fixed to the front verandah of the house which demonstrates the creative ability of early settlers to make do with fabrics and materials at hand.
|Langenbaker House reflects the life and work of Harry and Mary Ann Langenbaker. Remaining virtually unchanged since its erection in Ilfracombe, the house and its contents, including personal memorabilia and numerous household utensils, provides an insight into the life of a pioneering family and the establishment of the town of Ilfracombe. Relocated from Barcaldine to Ilfracombe in 1899 by Harry and Mary Ann Langenbaker, the house remained in the Langenbaker family until 1991 with the passing of Harry and Mary Ann's youngest son, Bernard.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion D | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":16304,"place_ref":601541,"name":"Longreach Powerhouse (former)","alternate_name":"Longreach Powerhouse Museum","street_address":"12 Swan Street","suburb":"LONGREACH","lga":"LONGREACH REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1999-06-24","description":"The buildings which form the former powerhouse (the generating complex, engine annexe and the gas production shed) and the CAPELEC office and store today form the nucleus of the Longreach Powerhouse Museum.
The powerhouse comprises a series of large, interconnected, corrugated galvanised iron sheds of a sawn timber frame construction. Included within this structure are the engine room (1921, with extensions in 1947, 1966, 1973), gas producer room (1921, with extensions in 1938, 1950, 1954, 1962), workshop (1934) and amenities area (1938). The office and store were built in the mid 1960s.
Of the earlier buildings, the engine room and its annexe and the gas producer room are of two distinct types of construction. The engine room is constructed of a sawn timber frame with a trussed roof structure. Both walls and roof sheeting have been replaced at least in parts. The amenities wing east of the engine room is similarly of sawn timber frame construction. The amenity rooms are clad in corrugated galvanised iron externally and lined internally with composition board. The workshop, constructed in 1934 is a sawn timber framed with trussed roof clad in corrugated iron without internal lining. By contrast, the gas producer rooms are constructed of large timber posts set directly into the ground and to which a sawn timber frame is attached. The building is clad with corrugated iron sheeting. Roof trusses, supporting corrugated roof sheeting, are themselves supported at mid span by hardwood poles.
Ten engine sets and gas producers are located within the engine and gas producer rooms. The galvanised iron cladding is attached to a timber framework on massive timber uprights. The full width and half-width suspended roof trusses are large scale with king and queen post construction.
The separate office and store was built in the mid 1960s. To the east of this building is evidence of the cooling pond which was formerly the swimming baths.
","history":"The Longreach Powerhouse began operating in 1921 under the Longreach Shire Council until 1966 when it came under the control of the Central West Regional Electricity Board and later the Capricornia Regional Electricity Board. The former Longreach Powerhouse was built by Edward and Martin, under the supervision of consultant engineer Norman White, and was completed by September 1921.
Electricity was generated in Longreach by at least 1908 when it was installed in the Longreach Hotel by the City Electric Light Company. The first documented moves to provide Longreach with an electric light scheme began in early 1916 when the Longreach Shire Council made enquiries about the costs of a scheme for the town. The Council appointed a consulting engineer, Norman White, to investigate the possibilities and he estimated a cost of £10,000.
After much debate, Council applied to the Queensland Treasury for a loan, but was refused as the Government of the day was undergoing a financial crisis. Undeterred, the Council and townspeople, through local member, John Payne, lobbied the Treasury and finally, in October 1919, money was made available - a sum £16,000 as the estimates had risen considerably. Ratepayers questioned the desirability of borrowing such a large sum of money for electricity generation, citing the facts that the town still didn't have an adequate drainage system and that a proper water reticulation or sanitary scheme would be more practical. One group even lobbied vigorously for a swimming pool to be built. Council, however, went ahead and applied for an Order in Council to permit it to generate electricity as the Longreach Electric Authority. This was granted on 15 July 1920 and the Council appointed Norman White as consulting engineer and supervisor of construction.
A site was selected on the town's recreation reserve, opposite the school and behind the artesian bore. The choice was made for two reasons. Firstly, the engines would need a plentiful supply of water for cooling purposes and secondly, the electricity generated would be Direct Current (as opposed to today's Alternating Current) which does not transmit over great distances, thus, the generating station needed to be close to its potential customers. By 12 December 1920, tenders were called for the supply of machinery, poles, insulators and wire. There tenders were not met and fresh plans were drawn up and tendered in March 1921.
By 30 April 1921, the foundations for the building had been poured and the engines - Ruston and Hornsby charcoal gas units - were expected to arrive imminently. A supply of 200 poles had been obtained from the Clermont district. Work by the contractor, Edward Morton Limited, proceeded steadily and on 17 September, Council passed for payment £695 asked for the construction of the building and concreting work. The same Council meeting also noted that the installation work was over budge and now looked like costing £19,000.
At the next meeting in November, Council heard that there were problems with the engine installation and that a start-up date was uncertain. This meeting resolved to ask State Treasury for a further £5,000, but a later meeting amended this figure to £6,000 undefined expenses to be paid directly by Treasury. On 12 December 1921, John Edward Lloyd Jones signed a tender to supply cord wood and charcoal to the powerhouse at the rate of 10 tonnes per month at £5 per ton.
Nothing is recorded in minutes from Council meetings between 12 December 1921 and 9 January 1922. The minutes from the meeting of 9 January indicate that the powerhouse had begun operating. In the minutes the Council called for a powerhouse manager to be appointed at £9 per week; the meeting requested Edward Martin to repair unsatisfactory concrete work at the powerhouse, indicating that engine vibration had damaged some of the concrete bedding; tenders were called to wire the Shire Office. A previous decision had been made not to have this work done until the electricity scheme was up and running and, finally, three people were to be prosecuted for illegally connecting their premises to the electricity supply.
Initially, the local government reserve contained the powerhouse, swimming baths and town bore. Subsequently, the boundaries of this reserve were altered as the power station expanded. The 1938 extension to the main building necessitated the alteration of the boundaries between the recreation reserve and the local government reserve. The boundary was altered again in 1943 when the producer annex was extended. In 1958, all of the recreation reserve was regazetted to enable further expansion of the powerhouse buildings. The recreation reserve had contained four tennis courts which were relocated to the showgrounds. When the Central West Regional Electricity Board took responsibility for the power station in 1966, the boundaries of the reserve were altered again. Most of the local government reserve was regazetted a reserve for electricity purposes while a portion containing the bore was retained by the Council.
The evolution of the powerhouse reflects the growth in demand for electricity. When the powerhouse opened it primarily supplied electricity for lighting. During the 1940s, demand increased significantly as a result of two major developments, the new hospital and the upgrading of the aerodrome. The US airforce is credited with upgrading the landing facilities at the aerodrome. The American base in Longreach was established in May 1942, where it remained until 24 July 1942. The -93rd and a portion of the 28th Bombardment Squadron were stationed there and it was from their Longreach base that they flew to engage in the battle of the Coral Sea in early May.
By the 1960s the powerhouse supplied other towns and rural areas under the Central West Regional Electricity Board. In 1977 the electricity supply in Queensland underwent reorganisation resulting in the powerhouse's operations being taken over by the Capricornia Regional Electricity Board. The power station continued to generate electricity until 1985 when the town and district were linked to the state wide grid.
Since the first building was erected in 1921, substantial changes have occurred on the site in response to the growth in the capacity and function of the power station. The original powerhouse was of timber frame construction and clad in corrugated galvanised iron. This latter material was to be the standard cladding and roofing, with one exception, for all subsequent buildings and extensions on the site. The first major extension to the powerhouse occurred in 1934 when a workshop was added adjacent to the producer annexe. Four years later a bathroom was built and the producer annexe extended when an additional gas producer was installed.
Until 1947, there was sufficient space within the main building to accommodate the additional engines that were installed in 1938 and 1943. When the National FA7 was purchase however, it was positioned on the western side of the main building and covered by a skillion roof.
The installation of the coal fired gas producers necessitated the construction of a separate building in 1951. In 1954, the gas producer building was extended to accommodate the second unit. At the same time as this extension was undertaken, major alterations were made to the main building. The roof was realigned in order to accommodate an internal mobile crane. Also, the building was extended 7 metres on the western side to provide full protection for the FA7 engine.
During the 1960s and 70s, the additions and alterations to the buildings continued as more equipment was installed. The main building was extended twice on the western side to accommodate the Mirrlees engines when they were installed in 1966 and 1973. In 1962, the producer building was doubled in size to provide room for the fourth gas producer. This extension was almost identical to the existing building. Other buildings constructed on the site included a garage and heavy equipment store. A new office was built soon after the Central West Regional Electricity Board took control of the power station in 1966.
The site of the Longreach Powerhouse is considerably reduced from that utilised at the peak of the power station's capacity. From 1958 the total area that had been formally gazetted as a recreation area was needed for the storage of fuel - both oil and coal - and for cooling ponds and tanks.
The powerhouse was decommissioned in 1985 when the central west became part of the state grid. Since this time, the site has been subdivided and reduced in area. In 1989, the Longreach Shire Council purchased the powerhouse and a portion of the land with the intention of converting it into a museum. The Longreach Powerhouse Museum Association commenced operations in February 1994. The powerhouse was opened as the Longreach Powerhouse Museum in September 1994.
","criteria":"The former Longreach Powerhouse is significant providing evidence in the remaining buildings and machinery of the earliest generation of electricity in Longreach and the development of the industry within the district. The former Longreach Powerhouse is significant for the evidence contained within the surviving fabric that the generation of electricity was formerly a local undertaking. The size and scale of the powerhouse operation on this site from 1921-1985 signifies the role played by the local shire council in electrical generation as one of a number of services to the community of the town and district.
|The surviving engines and equipment are significant as evidence of the first application of coal-fired gas producers in the electricity industry within Australia. This equipment was built specifically for the Longreach Powerhouse by Major Furnace and Combustions Pty Ltd in Melbourne.
|The former Powerhouse demonstrates the importance of the site to the town and provides landmark value to the area.
|With an area initially gazetted for recreation purposes, including tennis courts, and also containing the local swimming pool, the site of the former Longreach Powerhouse is significant for its association with the people of Longreach both as a recreational reserve and later as the source of the town's electricity supply, ushering in a new era in the town's history and changing forever the lives of the people.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion E | Criterion G","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":16706,"place_ref":601970,"name":"Longreach Railway Station","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"Capricorn Highway","suburb":"LONGREACH","lga":"LONGREACH REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2005-12-12","description":"The station complex has a prominent location on the Capricorn Highway at the northern end of the main commercial precinct. It is opposite parkland with mature trees and a memorial.
Passenger Station
The Passenger Station building is a substantial and stylistic timber passenger station of the early twentieth century, demonstrating an Edwardian influence in style and decoration including central portico with parapet and pediment. The building is located on concrete stumps with timber floor throughout.
On the northern side of the building is the cantilevered steel framed platform awning with bull-nose front edge. Two timber sash windows are located along the northern side of the building.
The building has an imposing open front verandah with paired timber posts, capitals and brackets with a hipped main roof with a parapet surmounted by turned finials. The date AD 1916 appears on the pediment. The roof is clad with corrugated galvanised iron with original metal ventilators intact.
There are some internal tongue and groove VJ walls still exposed, however, the Ladies waiting room has been fitted out with toilet facilities. A bench seat remains in the waiting room.
Original ticket windows survive in the western end of the building. The windows have been fitted with security grills. A bench seat remains in this central walkway section.
Internally, some suspended exposed grid drop-in ceilings have been installed and new tiling has been laid in the entrance ticket hallway.
Corrugated galvanised iron tanks are located at the western and eastern ends of the building.
Refreshment Room
The Refreshment Room is a single storey timber building, clad with weatherboards, with a half-gable roof clad with corrugated galvanised iron. The roof projects on the northern [or track side] with additional diagonal strut supports. The eastern and western ends has timber posts supporting verandah roof.
One original colonial sash window and double tongue and groove VJ doors are located in the eastern side of the building.
Internally, the building is lined with tongue and groove VJ boards throughout. A stove recess, with numerous metal flues, is located in the western wall. A roller door to a loading dock is located on the southern wall.
A tank and tankstand is lcoated at the western end of the building.
Goods Shed
The Goods Shed is a large timber and steel framed shed with gable ends, with recent colorbond cladding. Steel columns are lcoated to the northern side, elsewhere the frame is timber. The roof trusses are composite timber and steel with steel rods as tension members.
A single track enters the shed at the western and eastern ends through new hinged double gates clad with colorbond. A new concrete floor has replaced the original timber floor. Original offices at each end have also been removed. Two new roller shutter doors are located in the southern and western sides.
Timber struts to a projecting roof forming an awning are located over a former loading platform, southern wall. A quad gutter is located to the southern side and an ogee gutter to the northern side of the building.
A new office with recent aluminium framed windows has been installed in the south-west corner.
A corrugated galvanised iron tank on a steel stand is located near the shed.
Male Toilet
Freestanding male toilet block at east end of station, with pyramid roof, part chamferboard wall cladding and glass louvre windows.
","history":"The plan to build a railway in southern Queensland in 1863 prompted the residents of central Queensland to demand their own railway. The discovery of rich copper deposits at Peak Downs west of Rockhampton strengthened their case and in January 1864, Engineer for Roads, Northern Division, Henry Plews was ordered to survey a line to the copper field. Plews was made Chief Engineer of the northern railway in October 1864. The line opened as far as Westwood in September 1867.
\nThis line was too short to be profitable and approval for an extension was granted in late 1872. Robert Ballard was appointed Chief Engineer and was given authority to let contracts for each section. The aim was to produce an affordable line.
\nAs work progressed, towns developed at each temporary terminus. Some such as Pine Hill declined after the railway passed while others such as Alpha and Emerald continued to grow. Many buildings and businesses were shifted westwards from one terminus town to the next.
\nThe line reached Duaringa in 1876, Blackwater in 1877 and Emerald in 1879. After Bogantungan (1881), the most difficult section was encountered - the crossing of the Drummond Range. The decision to extend the railway from Barcaldine (1886) to Longreach was the result of pressure being brought to bear by parliamentary representatives from Central Division and the fear that the northern Separation Movement could succeed. The final section was completed to Longreach in February 1892.
\nThe Longreach site was selected by railways surveyors due to the presence of a large waterhole on the Thomson River. It was a popular stop for teamsters but it had never developed into a hotel or small community. Longreach was gazetted as a township in November 1887, and the first land sales occurred soon after that.
\nAt the time the extension was completed, the bitterness of the Shearers' Strike was affecting the town and Premier Sir Samuel Griffith was rebuffed when he arrived to try to officially open the line.
\nWhen the line was completed, there were no railway buildings at the terminus, although a small post and telegraph office had been built to service the telegraph line which had advanced beside the railway. The first station building was a small timber shelter shed and office, 60ft x 14ft.
\nThe opening of the railway from Barcaldine to Longreach caused a building and population boom in the area. By 1914, Longreach had 14 hotels.
\nIn 1912 Commissioner Evans promised a deputation of locals that he would ask the government to build a station at Longreach similar to that at Winton. QR at this stage was undergoing a major reinvestment and rebuilding program of railway lines, branch lines, carriages, locomotives, and buildings. The new station was begun in 1915/16. This would indicate something of the political influence of central Queensland, in that a new building was provided even though the existing building remained intact. The new station was completed in 1916/17.
\nThe current timber station was completed in 1916 to a design attributed to Henrik Hansen, this date appearing on the pediment. It is similar to stations he designed at Emerald, Mount Morgan and Archer Park. The most obvious difference is the platform awnings: Archer Park and Mount Morgan have carriage shades with a curved roof; Emerald re-used the platform shade from Central Station; and Longreach has a cantilevered platform shade.
\nThe refreshment room was built shortly afterwards. It has now closed and the building is used as offices.
\nThe goods shed is thought to have been built in 1892 and was substantially renovated in 1988.
\nLongreach is a focus for heritage tourism for Queensland Rail, being the terminus for Queensland Rail's 'Spirit of the Outback' rail adventure, offering what is promoted as a 'unique insight into the history and culture of early Australia'.
","criteria":"The station helps to demonstrate the pattern of Queensland history as Longreach is one of the largest of the many towns which developed as the result of railway construction. Longreach remained the terminus of the Central Line from 1892 until an extension was built to Winton to connect with the Great Northern Line in 1928 and it has been significant as a centre of railway operations up to the present day.
|The refreshment room is a rare surviving example of a free-standing timber refreshment room.
|Longreach Railway Station demonstrates many of the principal characteristics of a late 19th century railway complex design.The passenger station, platform, refreshment room, goods shed and other ancillary buildings are significant for their contribution to an understanding of how the complex functioned.
The passenger station is associated with the office of railway designer Henrik Hansen and compares with similarly designed stations at Archer Park, Emerald and Mount Morgan.
|The passenger station, platform awning and refreshment room exhibit aesthetic characteristics valued by the community as finely-detailed and well executed examples of railway buildings. They make a substantial contribution to the townscape at the junction of the Capricorn Highway with the main street of Longreach and form part of an important urban precinct including parkland and a memorial.
|(Criterion under review)
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"} ]}