Aramac Tramway station, Barcaldine, 1967. From the Queensland Heritage Registerid=601172 ) . When Queensland separated from New South Wales in 1859, the new administration was quick to throw open land for grazing, and a great wave of pastoral settlement swept across western and northern Queensland in the early 1860s. The establishment of towns in the west soon followed, for example Tambo, Blackall and Aramac which developed as commercial centres to service the pastoral industry. Aramac Town Reserve was gazetted on 26 June 1869 and the first businesses were established in the town that same y
Aramac Tramway station, Barcaldine, 1967. From the Queensland Heritage Registerid=601172 ) . When Queensland separated from New South Wales in 1859, the new administration was quick to throw open land for grazing, and a great wave of pastoral settlement swept across western and northern Queensland in the early 1860s. The establishment of towns in the west soon followed, for example Tambo, Blackall and Aramac which developed as commercial centres to service the pastoral industry. Aramac Town Reserve was gazetted on 26 June 1869 and the first businesses were established in the town that same year. On 6 April 1880, local government commenced when the Aramac Divisional Board, established under the Divisional Boards Act 1879, held its first meeting in the Court House. Nineteenth century Queensland development was further influenced by the pattern of building railway lines west into the hinterlands from the major ports, first from near Brisbane in 1865, then the Central Line from Rockhampton in 1867 and the Great Northern Railway from Townsville in 1880. The Central Line reached Barcaldine in 1886 and was extended to Longreach in 1892. These towns were founded when the railway arrived, and had the immediate effect of taking business away from the nearby well-established towns of Aramac and Blackall. Throughout Australia, the early twentieth century heralded a time of rapid railway expansion, and competition between towns for services was fierce. Aramac had first asked for a railway extension in 1896, without success. Ten years later, in 1906, a deputation of Aramac Councillors visited the Premier, William Kidston, seeking his support for the railway. It also failed. Despite these disappointing responses, the Aramac Shire Council persevered with their plans. In 1908 Council asked the State Treasury for a special loan of £1 375 to finance a survey of the route of the proposed line. With some reservation from the Railways Department, Council was granted its survey loan,
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Photo credit: © QS Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: 1960s, 1967, aramac, archival, archive, archives, australia, australian, barcaldine, collection, historic, historical, history, image, locomotive, photo, qsa, queensland, railway, reference, state, train, tram, vintage
