43-455: Aramac / ˈ ær ə m æ k / is a rural town and locality in the Barcaldine Region , Queensland , Australia. In the 2021 census , the locality of Aramac had a population of 372 people. Aramac is located 68 kilometres (42 mi) north of Barcaldine , and 1,280 kilometres (800 mi) by road from the state capital, Brisbane . It is situated on Aramac Creek , which flows into
86-463: 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. It was the region's first town, and the centre of the first local-government division. To this day John William Kingston is recognised as the original founder of Aramac. His grave bears a plaque in
129-599: A daughter, Jemima Mary Elizabeth, in 1872. Readford was apprehended in Sydney in 1872, and faced trial in Roma, Queensland . However, the jury members were so impressed by his achievements that they found him not guilty, whereupon the judge, Charles Blakeney , remarked, "Thank God, gentlemen, that verdict is yours and not mine!" In response to the verdict, in July 1873, the Government shut down
172-524: A government employee at Stainburn Downs station, north-west of Aramac, led to a revenge attack by squatters. Three Europeans are supposed to have tracked 30 Aborigines to a cave at Mailman's Gorge and shot them. Another account states that after the body of the station-worker was found, Alexander "Long" Gordon (after whom the main street of Aramac is named) tracked "the blacks" out to a cave near Greyrock at Mailman's Gorge where he shot every one of them dead. In 1870, Henry 'Harry' Redford duffed cattle from
215-588: A national hero, and the character Captain Starlight in Rolf Boldrewood's book Robbery Under Arms was based in part on his exploits. Readford was never himself known by the name of Captain Starlight, which was the pseudonym of the bushranger Frank Pearson . Pearson had adopted the name Captain Starlight in 1868, twenty one years prior to the publication of the novel in 1889, but Boldrewood himself claimed that
258-533: A plan to steal some of the station's cattle. With two associates, George Dewdney and William Rooke, he built stockyards in an outlying part of the property, and gradually assembled a mob of about 1,000 cattle, which he then took from the property, all without any of the station workers realizing what was going on. Redford knew the cattle would be recognised from their brands as being stolen if he tried to sell them in Queensland, so he headed for South Australia through
301-511: A post office, bank, court house, and surgery", and the surrounding countryside and as "one of the emporia of the West." "The place is known to so many by name only that the visitor feels himself travelled. Moreover, he has become, acquainted, however slightly, with the great western country, of which we have all heard so much. "He has been on its threshold, having traversed the desert, and beheld, not without surprise, broad rolling downs stretching away to
344-462: A property called Bowen Downs . He amassed a herd of about 1,000 cattle. Knowing that the Bowen Downs cattle brand would be recognised locally, Redford knew he could not sell them locally, so decided to drive the cattle overland to South Australia . This was a remarkable achievement of droving, but unfortunately for Redford, his herd included a prize white bull which was sufficiently unusual that it
387-552: A respectable family. Little is known of his early life. He originally operated locally, but later moved to Queensland where there were more opportunities for duffing. In 1870, Redford was working as a stockman on Bowen Downs Station near Longreach in Queensland . Realising that remote parts of the property, which stretched some 228 km (142 mi) along the Thomson River , were seldom visited by station workers, he devised
430-517: A well attended public ceremony. The Last Post was played by Mr Affoo, and the children were all given a bag of lollies at the end of the ceremony. Shire Chairman, E.W. Bowyer presided and, as the Governor was unable to attend, gave the following speech: "This memorial was erected by the people of the Aramac Shire, as a modest tribute to the patriotism and loyalty of the men who enlisted to take part in
473-598: Is also serviced by the Royal Flying Doctor Service . Barcaldine Regional Council operates the Ollie Landers Community Library at 68 Gordon Street. The annual Harry Redford Cattle Drive begins in Aramac and partly traces the 1870 footsteps of renowned cattle duffer Harry Redford who walked 1,000 head of cattle from Bowen Downs , north of Aramac, to South Australia. In 2015 and 2016 the drive
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#1732851285079516-596: Is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Iningai people. The Iningai language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Longreach Region and Barcaldine Region , particularly the towns of Longreach , Barcaldine , Muttaburra and Aramac as well as the properties of Bowen Downs and catchments of Cornish Creek and Alice River . In 1860, pastoralists and explorers, William Landsborough and Nathaniel Buchanan , travelled through
559-416: Is kind, quietly firm, and sensible; the moral tone appears to be healthy; the school habits are very satisfactory; general behaviour is respectful and attentive; the class movements are quietly and effectively carried out, and very good order is maintained. Methods: The methods employed in teaching are generally intelligent and skillful; they are applied with skill and considerable energy; the amount of revision
602-547: Is split between the City of Newcastle and City of Lake Macquarie LGAs; and Woodville , which is split between the City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council LGAs. In unincorporated areas , localities are declared by the relevant state authority. Harry Redford Henry Arthur Readford (sometimes spelt Redford ) (December 1841 – 12 March 1901), was an Australian stockman , drover and cattle thief . Although Readford himself never used, and had never been associated with
645-502: Is sufficient. Progress: The progress made by the pupils may be regarded as good and sound. General condition: Everything considered the general condition of the school is highly satisfactory. Remarks: The two highest classes have been carefully and intelligently instructed, and the pupils of these classes have evidently been taught to think. The demeanor of the children during inspection was most pleasing." The hospital opened in 1879. Circa 1888-1889 an Anglican church opened in Aramac. Aramac
688-500: The 2016 census , the locality of Aramac had a population of 299 people. In the 2021 census , the locality of Aramac had a population of 372 people. Aramac has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: Aramac State School is a government primary and secondary (Early Childhood-10) school for boys and girls at 69 Porter Street ( 22°58′28″S 145°14′33″E / 22.9744°S 145.2426°E / -22.9744; 145.2426 ( Aramac State School ) ). In 2017,
731-629: The Barkly Tableland in the Northern Territory where he was the station manager. In 1899 he became the manager of McArthur River Station . In 1901 Redford set off from Brunette Downs to explore Central Australia, but (in what one author would later describe as "one of the great ironies of the outback" ), the man who had guided so many travelers to safety drowned on 12 March of that year, while trying to swim across Corella Creek, which had flooded due to heavy rain. Readford became something of
774-606: The Channel Country and the Strzelecki Desert . Only ten years earlier, explorers Burke and Wills had set out to cross the continent along the same track, and died in the attempt. As a droving exercise, it was a remarkable achievement, as anyone who has travelled the present-day Strzelecki Track will know. Three months and 1,287 km (800 mi) later he exchanged two cows and a white bull for rations at Artracoona Native Well near Wallelderdine Station. They then moved
817-512: The Northern Territory had not completed this process. The CGNA's Gazetteer of Australia recognises two types of locality: bounded and unbounded. Bounded localities include towns, villages, populated places, local government towns and unpopulated town sites, while unbounded localities include place names, road corners and bends, corners, meteorological stations, ocean place names and surfing spots. Sometimes, both localities and suburbs are referred to collectively as "address localities". In
860-716: The Roma District Criminal Court for two years but rescinded the order in January 1874. In 1881, several counts of horse stealing resulted in Readford being jailed for eighteen months in Brisbane . After his release, he drove cattle from the Atherton Tableland to Dubbo . In 1883, on behalf of Macdonald, Smith and Company, Readford drove 3,000 cattle which were the first mob taken to Brunette Downs near Corella Creek on
903-550: The Thomson River 60 kilometres (37 mi) west of town. The Muttaburra–Aramac Road enters from the north and exits as Barcaldine–Aramac Road to the south. The predominant industry is grazing. The town water for Aramac is supplied from two bores connecting into the Great Artesian Basin . Aramac lay on the traditional tribal lands of the Iningai . Iningai (also known as Yiningay, Muttaburra, Tateburra, Yinangay, Yinangi)
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#1732851285079946-522: The moniker , Rolf Boldrewood indicated that the ' Captain Starlight ' character, in his 1882–83 novel Robbery Under Arms , was a composite of several infamous people of the era, including Readford and several bushrangers . Readford's 1870 cattle drive was a major story arc in the book. Henry Arthur Redford was born in December 1841 near Mudgee in the Cudgegong District of New South Wales to
989-578: The Aramac Cemetery acknowledging his achievement. The town was originally called Marathon. The name was changed to that of Aramac, after the station, when the survey was conducted in 1875. Recollections of an 1878 visit to Aramac were published in the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin in 1933, describing the township as consisting of "neat weatherboard structures, painted, and comprising four stores, three hotels, and three butchers' shops, with
1032-465: The Barcaldine railway station. The tramway opened on 2 July 1913 and operated until 31 December 1975. A tramway museum opened in 1994 in the old goods sheds. St John's Catholic Church was opened circa 23 May 1901 by Bishop Joseph Higgins . In 1952, the old church was demolished to enable the construction of a new church, with services being held temporarily in the presbytery. On Sunday 14 December 1952,
1075-565: The Captain Starlight character in his novel was a composite of several bushrangers of the era. These did include Henry Readford, but another key inspiration was Thomas Law , the bushranger better known as Captain Midnight. In particular, the early chapters of Robbery Under Arms recall Readford's exploits, while the denouement follows the shoot-out and death of Midnight. An annual Harry Redford Cattle Drive commemorates Readford's exploits as
1118-751: The Queensland Government was interested in creating a western connection between the Central Western railway line and the Great Northern railway and making that connection via Aramac was one possibility, but the government decided instead to build the connection between Longreach and Winton. Eventually the council borrowed the funding to build the Aramac Tramway connecting to the Western Central Line at Lagoon Creek, 1 mile (1.6 km) west of
1161-438: The first instance, decisions about the names and boundaries of suburbs and localities are made by the local council in which they are located based on criteria such as community recognition. Local council decisions are, however, subject to approval by the state's geographical names board. The boundaries of some suburbs and localities overlap two or more local government areas (LGAs). Examples of this are Adamstown Heights , which
1204-466: The great pastoral interest, as represented in the persons of men of intelligence and energy -the pioneers of colonisation, the promoters of commerce." Little is known about the original indigenous population, although there was a reported massacre of 25 local Aborigines at the nearby Mailman's Gorge. This event remained largely unknown until the publication of North Queensland Pioneers in 1932. The author stated: "The indigenous people were very numerous in
1247-402: The horizon, with an open landscape, sparsely mottled with trees, the whole presenting a vivid contrast to the dense scrub and scanty herbage of some of the more easterly districts. He has, in a word, seen an oasis in the 'Sahara' -one which, to him, has a beginning, but is boundless on the western side. Besides this, if the visit has been made during Show week, he has come more, fully to appreciate
1290-565: The late deplorable European War. It will serve as an ineffaceable record to remind not only the rising generation but succeeding generations that Australians fought, bled, and died in the defence of their country." In June 1924, a branch of the Country Women's Association was formed in Aramac, and by August that year were active, their efforts much appreciated in the town, and reported in the Western Champion : "Something new in entertainments
1333-450: The new St John's Catholic Church was officially opened by Bishop Andrew Tynan . In 1914, Aramac developed thermal baths with its artesian water to promote itself as a health resort; however, it did not attract many invalids due to its isolated geographic location and the failure of the local government to promote the baths. The Aramac War Memorial was officially unveiled in April 1924, at
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1376-586: The past as informal units, but in 1996 the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping and the Committee for Geographical Names in Australasia (CGNA) decided to name and establish official boundaries for all localities and suburbs. There has subsequently been a process to formally define their boundaries and to gazette them, which is almost complete. In March 2006, only South Australia and
1419-401: The ranges around Aramac in the early days and the murder of a travelling jeweller and his wife and child caused reprisals. Harried by the police, the offending tribe took refuge in the country of a hostile tribe, and this precipitated wholesale tribal warfare. To this day it is said the mountain caves yield skeletons, the result of this tribal war." An 1865 account said the death of a shepherd or
1462-492: The region looking for land to acquire. They came across a creek surrounded by good grazing country and Landsborough named it Aramac (derived from R.R. Mac) in honour of the future Premier of Queensland , Robert Ramsey Mackenzie . British pastoral occupation began in the region in 1862 with the formation of the massive Bowen Downs station . Aramac Station was established by John Rule and Dyson Lacey in 1863. In 1867, an employee of Aramac Station , John William Kingston, opened
1505-595: The remainder of the mob via Mt Hopeless, and sold them for £5,000 (2009:A$ 250,000) at Blanchewater Station , east of Marree . Workers at Bowen Downs eventually discovered the yards, and the tracks heading south. A party of stockmen and Aboriginal trackers set out on the trail, many weeks behind Readford. They eventually reached Artracoona where they recognised the white bull. In April 1871 Redford married Elizabeth Jane Scuthorpe at Mrs Elizabeth Nevell's home in Lewis Street, Mudgee, NSW. The couple had at least one child,
1548-410: The school had an enrolment of 56 students with 10 teachers (9 full-time equivalent) and 10 non-teaching staff (6 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 55 students with 10 teachers (9 full-time equivalent) and 12 non-teaching staff (6 full-time equivalent). The closest secondary school for students from Years 11 and 12 is Barcaldine Prep-12 State School, 67 km (42 mi) to
1591-581: The south in Barcaldine. Aramac has a visitor information centre, swimming pool located within the grounds of the Aramac Memorial Park in Gordon Street, a town hall, showground and a pub. There is no hospital, but nurse-led clinic facilities (Monday to Friday), ambulance services and 24-hours a day, seven days a week emergency on-call services. In 2016 the community had access to two doctors, with one staying overnight for two full days each week. The town
1634-575: The term "suburb" differs from common American and British usage, where it typically means a smaller, frequently separate residential community outside, but close to, a larger city. The Australian usage is closer to the American or British use of "district" or "neighbourhood", and can be used to refer to any portion of a city. Unlike the use in British or American English, this term can include inner-city, outer-metropolitan and industrial areas. Localities existed in
1677-472: Was cancelled due to prolonged drought in the region. Suburbs and localities (Australia) Suburbs and localities are the names of geographic subdivisions in Australia , used mainly for address purposes. The term locality is used in rural areas, while the term suburb is used in urban areas. Australian postcodes closely align with the boundaries of localities and suburbs. This Australian usage of
1720-409: Was expanded to incorporate Cornish Creek (eastern part), Dunrobin (south-western corner), Galilee , Garfield (western corner), Ibis , Ingberry (northern part), Pelican Creek , Sardine (eastern part), Upland , and Upper Cornish Creek . In the 2006 census , the town of Aramac had a population of 341 people. In the 2011 census , the locality of Aramac had a population of 299 people. In
1763-542: Was initially a major outback town. However, when the Central Western railway line reached Barcaldine to the south in 1886, it drew trade away from Aramac. The residents agitated to get a railway connection to Aramac, but the Queensland Government was not willing. Having surveyed a route, in 1906, the Aramac Shire Council tried to borrow money from the Queensland Government to build their own railway. At that time,
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1806-658: Was provided on Friday evening at the Shire Bail, when the Aramac branch of the Country Women's Association arranged a Euchre and Ping Pong tournament for us, with dance thrown in." On 22 November 2019, the Queensland Government decided to amalgamate the localities in the Barcaldine Region, resulting in five expanded localities based on the larger towns: Alpha , Aramac, Barcaldine , Jericho and Muttaburra . Aramac
1849-573: Was recognised and Redford and his conspirators were arrested. Redford is believed to be the inspiration for the fictional bushranger Captain Starlight in the novel Robbery Under Arms . Aramac Post Office opened on 1 March 1874. Aramac State School opened on 21 January 1878. By 1901 the school was well established and received a very positive report from the School Inspector, Mr. Benbow, printed in The Western Champion . "The discipline
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