Barcaldine - Places to See

Australian Workers' Heritage Museum

Designed to complement the Longreach Stockman's Hall of Fame (thus making this part of Queensland a very desirable option for tourists) this interesting and award-winning museum in Ash Street proffers itself as a tribute to all of the nation's working people, their history, heritage and traditions.

The award-winning museum is located in the former grounds of the old Barcaldine State School, with old school structures renovated and incorporated into the exhibition space. Other historic workplaces, such as a one-teacher school, a railway station and a police watch-house, have been relocated from around Queensland. Artifacts, artworks and multimedia presentations help to tell the story with displays including features on the shearers' strike (see town history above), the role of women in outback life and the importance of Aboriginal stockmen.

The Heritage Centre features landscaped gardens and shady trees around a billabong, with picnic shelters, barbecue facilities and a modern children's playground. It is located in Ash St and is open every day but Christmas Day from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information check out: http://www.australianworkersheritagecentre.com.au/

The Wanpa-rda Matilda Outback Education Centre
This education centre is located on the same grounds as the Heritage Centre. It offers day trips around the area with a local tour operator, air-conditioned dormitories, a fully-equipped kitchen, outdoor barbecues and a recreation area. For more information check out: http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/environment/outdoor/wanpardamatilda.html

The Shearers' Strike Camp
A short distance out of town is the site of the Shearers' Strike Camp where literally hundreds of shearers camped during the troubles. It is protected by the National Trust but, at the moment, is not open to the public. Enquire at the tourist information office near the Tree of Knowledge if you have special reason to visit it. The tourist information office also has a leaflet which has an excellent analysis of the causes of the strike by a local station owner.

The Barcaldine and District Folk Museum
The town's folk museum is open on a daily basis. Like many of the museums in western Queensland it is full of memorabilia collected from locals, including a rare Edison gramophone dating from 1900, some barbed wire from the 1870s and a 1923 ticket issued by Qantas. While it has the chaotic appearance of a junk shop it is a fascinating collection of everything from old pots and pans to antiquated newspaper articles. The grounds outside the museum even include the town's first motorised fire engine and a Southern Cross windmill.

Buildings
Perhaps the most remarkable of all Barcaldine's buildings is the Masonic Lodge on Beech Street (note that all the streets in the town are named after types of trees). Built in 1908 as a bank it stands out from everything around it. This is because the facade "a hugely elaborate combination of friezes and arches" is actually painted on. The effect is at once pretentious and eccentric.

Around the corner is St Peter's Church, a superb example of the use of timber in outback Queensland. The church was built in 1899 and its elaborate tongue-and-groove boards and its craftsmanship make it a worthy example of Queensland's distinctive architecture. It was built for the modest sum of �520.

On the outskirts of town (at the end of Pine Street) is the Beta Farm Slab Hut, a reconstruction of an 1880s structure which betrays some superb craftsmanship. The owners have furnished it with unusual objects from the period including a kitchen cupboard made out of piano cases and an extensive display of dolls.