Barcaldine

After stopping at Longreach for lunch we drove onto Barcaldine in the strongest head wind we have encountered for some time (although we had encountered a strong wind accross the Barkley) then decided to settling into the Barcaldine Tourist Park - was recommended to stay at the Showgrounds however they were just packing up from a Field Day Event so was not sure if was open for camping.  Friendly Owners of the Barcaldine Tourist Park arranged  Damper and Billy Tea for Happy Hour plus stories and poems told by Tom Lockie, a local identidy who runs the Artesian Country Tours.  Went to the Shakespeare Pub for tea and met owners Heather and Barry - had a great night.

The next day we went to Visitors Centre and for $2 purchased a Heritage Trail booklet which gives history on various sites around town. With booklet in hand we walked around the town and was impressed by the historical buildings plus extensive information offered.  Barcaldine is a country town situated in the heart of Queensland's Outback and was formed when the rail line forged west from Rockhampton in 1886.  It has an interesting and famous history due to its involvement with the Shearer's Stike of 1891.  It is home to the Tree of Knowledge, the reputed birth place of the labour movement in Australia.  During the 1891 Shearer's Strike the Tree was used as a place of inspiration for the shearers and grew in folk law as the birth place of the Labour Party.

The Tree of Knowledge was a Ghost Gum which grew outside the Railway Station for around 180 years. In 2006 it was poisoned by an unknown culprit and after its death the Tree was taken to Brisbane to undergo a world's first preservation process which protected it from fungal and insect attack.  It was then taken back to Barcaldine and placed under the award winning timber structure.

After preservation the Tree was placed under an award winning timber structure

The Tree of knowledge lit up at night.

World War One Memorial Clock - marble clock honours 292 local men who served during the first world war, including the 38 fallen. 

Sidney Williams & Co of Rockhampton built this Windmill in 1917 with a wheel diameter of 8m, is direct acting with a stroke of 6cm and will pump in wind speeds as low as 3km per hour.  It originally pumped the artesian water at Back Creek before being moved into town after the bore was no longer needed.

Masonic Lodge - the comet Freemason's lodge was built in 1901 and is built from iron and timber.  It has a painted facade which has been designed to make the building look like brick.

The Shakespeare Hotel - the original hotel was shifted from Pine Hill by rail in 1886.  It was pulled down and replaced with a larger structure in 1914 with 40 rooms and 250 ft of verandahs but was destroyed by fire in 1924. The new building code resulted in the present day hotel which was opened in December 1925

After a very interesting walk around we stopped at the Shakespeare Hotel for another great meal and drink before heading back to the Van in time for another Happy Hour!