Grandchester is a rural town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...

in the

City of Ipswich The City of Ipswich is a local government area in Queensland, Australia, located within the southwest of the Brisbane metropolitan area, including the urban area surrounding the city of Ipswich and surrounding rural areas. Geography The Ci ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. In the , the locality of Grandchester had a population of 444 people.

Geography

Grandchester is located west of the

Brisbane CBD Brisbane City is the central suburb and central business district of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is colloquially referred to as the "Brisbane CBD" or "the city". It is located on a point on the northern bank of the ...

. The district historically known as Hidden Vale (or Hiddenvale) is within the locality, approx south of the town of Grandchester where Hiddenvale Road has its junction with the Grandchester Mount Mort Road (). Although unofficial, the name persists in the road name, St Anne's Hidden Vale (Anglican church), Spicers Hidden Vale (a rural resort), and the Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre (jointly operated by the resort and the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

History

Grandchester was the initial terminus of the first

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

mainline

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

in the world. The first track opened to traffic on 31 July 1865 from

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

, as the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended f ...

was keen to prove the viability of its controversial 'pony railway'. The choice of Ipswich as the starting point for the first rail line in Queensland was a testament to the importance of Ipswich in early Queensland. Coal was needed for steam trains and Ipswich's port was an inland freight centre. In Ipswich, this first line skirted north around the river, running through

North Ipswich North Ipswich is a suburb of Ipswich in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. In the , North Ipswich had a population of 4,515 people. Raymonds Hill is a neighbourhood within the suburb of North Ipswich. Geography The southern bound ...

to enter a two-storey iron station, then on to the Bremer River wharf. This wharf handled rail freight until a railway line joining Ipswich to Brisbane was opened in 1875. The construction of the Victoria Tunnel through the

Little Liverpool Range The Little Liverpool Range is a mountain range of the Scenic Rim and Lockyer Creek valley, part of the Great Dividing Range, which is located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Location and features The range extends from the ...

to the west of Grandchester was behind schedule, and so although it served a very small population, Bigges Camp (as it was initially known) became the terminus for 10 months, until the line was extended to Gatton. The original

Grandchester railway station Grandchester railway station is a heritage-listed former railway station at Ipswich Road, Grandchester, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1875 to 1876. It is also known as Bigge's Camp. It was added to the Queensland Her ...

, including the former station master's residence, still exists. The name Grandchester derives from the old English name for ''bigge'' (''Grand'') and ''camp'' (''Chester''), which was the initial name of the locality, and suggested by the wife of the Governor of the day when the railway opened. Grandchester Post Office opened on 1 January 1866 after the arrival of the railway and closed in 1978. Grandchester Provisional School opened in November 1870 in a tent borrowed from the Queensland Government. which closed after one month in December 1870. Granchester State School opened on 29 January 1878. Hidden Vale Provisional School opened on 10 July 1916. On 1 September 1919, it became Hidden Vale State School. It closed on 15 February 1943. It was at 779-799 Hiddenvale Road (). On Sunday 18 July 1937, St Anne's Anglican Church was officially dedicated by Archdeacon H.W.H. Stevenson. Grandchester Sawmills is one of the last known surviving steam-powered flat-belt sawmills in Australia. The engine powering it was manufactured in 1908, and the mill has been in operation from 1945. It was destroyed by a fire, sometime in the early hours of 6 May 2007. Work on the long process of restoring the mill to its former glory started almost immediately in the days following the fire. The mill is operating once again with work still continuing on the restoration. This will ensure that this important piece of history is preserved for the generations that follow. In the , the locality Grandchester had a population of 504 people. In the , the locality of Grandchester had a population of 444 people.

Heritage listings

Grandchester has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Franklin Vale Road: Franklyn Vale Homestead * Ipswich Road:

* Symes Street: Grandchester Sawmills

Education

Grandchester State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at School Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 37 students with 6 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).

Amenities

The

Ipswich City Council The City of Ipswich is a local government area in Queensland, Australia, located within the southwest of the Brisbane metropolitan area, including the urban area surrounding the city of Ipswich and surrounding rural areas. Geography The C ...

operates a fortnightly

mobile library A bookmobile or mobile library is a vehicle designed for use as a library. They have been known by many names throughout history, including traveling library, library wagon, book wagon, book truck, library-on-wheels, and book auto service. Bookm ...

service which visits the Grandchester Hotel. St Anne's Anglican Church at 798 Hiddenvale Road () holds monthly services. It is part of the Rosewood Anglican Parish.

References

External links

* * * {{authority control Towns in Queensland City of Ipswich Localities in Queensland