Aramac, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Aramac is a small town in Western Queensland
, Australia
, lying 68 kilometres (42.3 mi) north of Barcaldine
, and 1280 kilometres (795.4 mi) by road from the state capital, Brisbane
. It is situated on Aramac Creek, which flows into the Thomson River
60 kilometres (37.3 mi) west of town. At the 2006 census
, Aramac had a population of 341.
The predominant industry is grazing. The town water for Aramac is supplied from two bores connecting into the Great Artesian Basin
.
travelled through the area. He blazed a tree with the inscription 'R R Mac', which was later corrupted into the name of the town.
The town was originally called Marathon. The name was changed to that of a surrounding station when a survey was conducted in 1875. In 1870, a new post office opened in town.
There was a massacre of 25 local Aborigines at the nearby Mailman's Gorge.
The town was initially a major outback town. However, the railway line ran through Barcaldine
to the south, taking away the trade. The local council built a spur line (tramway) from Barcaldine, which opened on the 2 July 1913. The tramway operated until the 31 December 1975. A tramway museum that opened in 1994, occupies the old goods sheds.
The white bull (pictured) was stolen by Henry 'Harry' Redford, otherwise known as Captain Starlight who duffed cattle from a property called Bowen Downs. The herd of cattle was driven overland to South Australia
where some of the thieves were caught and tried.
In 1867 an employee of Aramac Station, John William Kingston, opened a bark-hut store at an outlying point on the Aramac Creek. Enlarged two years later to include a hotel (Kingston's Bazaar), Kingston's settlement was declared a town site in 1869 and surveyed as a town in 1875. The town settlement by John William Kingston was the region's first town, and the centre of the first local-government division (see Aramac Shire). A post office was opened in 1874, a school in 1878 and a hospital in 1879.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, lying 68 kilometres (42.3 mi) north of Barcaldine
Barcaldine, Queensland
Barcaldine is a small town in Western Queensland, Australia, approximately by road west of the city of Rockhampton. The town is situated on Lagoon Creek, which flows into the Alice River approximately five kilometres south of the Barcaldine. This is the administrative centre of the Barcaldine...
, and 1280 kilometres (795.4 mi) by road from the state capital, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. It is situated on Aramac Creek, which flows into the Thomson River
Thomson River
Thomson River may refer to:*Thomson River , western Queensland, Australia*Thomson River , Victoria, Australia...
60 kilometres (37.3 mi) west of town. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Aramac had a population of 341.
The predominant industry is grazing. The town water for Aramac is supplied from two bores connecting into the Great Artesian Basin
Great Artesian Basin
The Great Artesian Basin provides the only reliable source of freshwater through much of inland Australia. The basin is the largest and deepest artesian basin in the world, stretching over a total of , with temperatures measured ranging from 30°C to 100°C...
.
History
William Landsborough explored the area in 1859. In the 1850's, pastoralist and future Premier of Queensland Robert Ramsey MackenzieRobert Mackenzie (Queensland politician)
Sir Robert Ramsay Mackenzie, 10th Baronet was premier of Queensland, Australia from August 1867 to November 1868.-Early life:...
travelled through the area. He blazed a tree with the inscription 'R R Mac', which was later corrupted into the name of the town.
The town was originally called Marathon. The name was changed to that of a surrounding station when a survey was conducted in 1875. In 1870, a new post office opened in town.
There was a massacre of 25 local Aborigines at the nearby Mailman's Gorge.
The town was initially a major outback town. However, the railway line ran through Barcaldine
Barcaldine, Queensland
Barcaldine is a small town in Western Queensland, Australia, approximately by road west of the city of Rockhampton. The town is situated on Lagoon Creek, which flows into the Alice River approximately five kilometres south of the Barcaldine. This is the administrative centre of the Barcaldine...
to the south, taking away the trade. The local council built a spur line (tramway) from Barcaldine, which opened on the 2 July 1913. The tramway operated until the 31 December 1975. A tramway museum that opened in 1994, occupies the old goods sheds.
The white bull (pictured) was stolen by Henry 'Harry' Redford, otherwise known as Captain Starlight who duffed cattle from a property called Bowen Downs. The herd of cattle was driven overland to South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
where some of the thieves were caught and tried.
In 1867 an employee of Aramac Station, John William Kingston, opened a bark-hut store at an outlying point on the Aramac Creek. Enlarged two years later to include a hotel (Kingston's Bazaar), Kingston's settlement was declared a town site in 1869 and surveyed as a town in 1875. The town settlement by John William Kingston was the region's first town, and the centre of the first local-government division (see Aramac Shire). A post office was opened in 1874, a school in 1878 and a hospital in 1879.