Blackall 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

Blackall-Tambo Region The Blackall-Tambo Region is a local government area in Central West Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by two previous local government areas dating from the 1870s. For the financial year 2010/11 it had an approximate ...

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 Blackall had a population of 1,416 people. The town is the service centre for the

. The dominant industry in the area is grazing with over 70 homesteads in the locality (as at 2020).

Yalleroi Yalleroi is a rural town in the north of the locality of Blackall in the Blackall-Tambo Region, Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subd ...

is another town in the north of the locality ().

Geography

Blackall is in

Central Western Queensland Central West Queensland is a remote region in the Australian state of Queensland which covers 396,650.2 km2. The region lies to the north of South West Queensland and south of the Gulf Country. It has a population of approximately 12,387 pe ...

, approximately by road from the state capital,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, 106 kilometres (65 mi) south of Barcaldine and 302 kilometres (187 mi) north of

Charleville Charleville can refer to: Australia * Charleville, Queensland, a town in Australia **Charleville railway station, Queensland France * Charleville, Marne, a commune in Marne, France *Charleville-Mézières, a commune in Ardennes, France ** ...

. The town is situated on the

Barcoo River The Barcoo River in western Queensland, Australia rises on the northern slopes of the Warrego Range, flows in a south-westerly direction and unites with the Thomson River to form Cooper Creek. The first European to see the river was Thomas ...

and

Landsborough Highway Landsborough Highway is a highway in western Queensland, Australia, running in the northwest–southeast direction from Morven to Cloncurry. The Landsborough Highway runs through vast tracts of land that was once occupied by William Landsborou ...

(Matilda Highway). The locality contains numerous mountains, including: * Battery Knob () * Carlton Hill () * Cory Peak () * Flat Top () * Joey Peak () * Lorne Mountain () * Mount Battery () * Mount Calder () * Mount Conebreak () * Mount Cullen () * Mount Harden () * Mount Mistake () * Mount Northampton () * Mount Sentinel () * Mount Watson () * Mountain Red () * One Stone Hill () * One Tree Hill () * Scrubby Mountain () * The Cone () * The Nob ()

History

''Bidjara'' (also known as ''Bidyara, Pitjara,'' and ''Peechara'') is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Bidjara people. The Bidjara language region includes the local government area of the

Shire of Murweh The Shire of Murweh is a local government area in the Maranoa district, which is part of South West Queensland, Australia. The administrative centre and largest town in the shire is Charleville. In June 2018, the Shire of Murweh had a populati ...

, particularly the towns of

Augathella Augathella is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Murweh, Queensland, Australia. Geography Augathella lies on the Matilda Highway, is north of the town of Charleville, west of Roma and west of Brisbane (Queensland's capital). The ...

and Blackall as well as the properties of Nive Downs and

Mount Tabor Mount Tabor ( he, הר תבור) (Har Tavor) is located in Lower Galilee, Israel, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, west of the Sea of Galilee. In the Hebrew Bible (Joshua, Judges), Mount Tabor is the site of the Battle of Mount Tabo ...

. ''Kuungkari'' (also known as Kungkari and Koonkerri) is a language of

Western Queensland Western Queensland encompasses the three western regions in the Australian state of Queensland: * North West Queensland, often known as Gulf Country; * Central West Queensland; and * South West Queensland. History Karuwali (also known as '' ...

. The Kuungkari language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of

Longreach Region The Longreach Region is a local government area in Central West Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it superseded three previous local government areas that had existed for more than a century. It has an estimated operating budget of ...

and

. '' Gungabula'' (also known as ''Kongabula'' and ''Khungabula'') is an Australian Aboriginal language of the headwaters of the Dawson River in

Central Queensland Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Capricorn Coas ...

. The language region includes areas within the local government area of

Maranoa Region Maranoa Region is a local government area in South West Queensland, Australia. The town of Roma is the administrative headquarters of the region. History The Gunggari language region of South West Queensland includes the landscape within the ...

, particularly the towns of

and Blackall and as well as the

Carnarvon Range The Carnarvon Range is a mountain range in Central Queensland, Australia. It is a plateau section of the Great Dividing Range. The Carnarvon Range is 160 km in length. Geography North eastern parts of the range have formed a plateau kno ...

. The region was explored in 1846 by explorer Sir Thomas Mitchell and his party. In 1856,

Augustus Gregory Sir Augustus Charles Gregory (1 August 1819 – 25 June 1905) was an English-born Australian explorer and surveyor. Between 1846 and 1858 he undertook four major expeditions. He was the first Surveyor-General of Queensland. He was appointed a ...

passed through the area noting that the landscape was a vast plain lacking vegetation, in contrast to Mitchell's description of good country. Blackall was named by Surveyor Abraham H. May after Sir

Samuel Blackall Samuel Wensley Blackall (1 May 1809 – 2 January 1871) was an Irish soldier and politician, who was the second Governor of Queensland from 1868 until he died in office in 1871. Early life Blackall was born in Dublin, Ireland into a prosperou ...

, the second

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...

. During the 1860s the town developed as a service centre for the surrounding pastoral properties. A survey of town allotments was conducted in 1868. Barcoo Post Office opened on 1 April 1864. It was renamed Blackall in 1868. Blackall State School opened on 10 September 1877. On 5 October 1964, the school was destroyed by fire, but was subsequently rebuilt. On Tuesday 29 March 1881, following seven inches of rain, the river burst through the town embankment, completely washing away the stonework of the dam. On Wednesday 30 March, the still-rising river flooded the town's main street and many people in the town's lower-lying areas were forced to evacuate as their homes became fully submerged. Blackall was one of the first Queensland towns to sink an artesian bore in 1885. It supplies the town with water from the

Great Artesian Basin The Great Artesian Basin (GAB), located in Australia, is the largest and deepest artesian basin in the world, stretching over , with measured water temperatures ranging from . The basin provides the only source of fresh water through much ...

. The water temperature is 58 degrees Celsius. There is an artesian spa bath at the aquatic centre and locally produced soft drinks are made from the artesian water.''Reader's Digest Guide to Australian Places'', Reader's Digest (Australia) Pty. Limited, Surry Hills N.S.W., 1993, The first Methodist church in Blackall opened on Easter Sunday 13 April 1884. On Thursday 23 January 1913 a new Methodist church opened. The present church building (now the Blackall Uniting Church) was established circa 1956–1958. Blackall claims to be the home of the original Black Stump, which marks the original Astro Station established in 1887. Places west of this point are said to be 'beyond the black stump'. The Black Stump was moved from its original location to make it more accessible to tourists, and can now be found on the boundary of the Blackall State School grounds, Thistle Street, Blackall. Blackall has many attractions for public use and entertainment, including the Blackall showground, the local pool and the historic Blackall Woolscour. In December 1890 the Australian Labour Federation’s executive met in Blackall to draw up plans for a proper organisational structure for the Labour Party. Four years earlier, in December 1886, the first meeting of the first shearers’ union, which later became the Australian Labor Party, took place in Blackall. This is commemorated by the Australian Labor Federation Memorial in Short Street. In Australian folklore, the best known citizen of the town was the sheep shearer Jack Howe. In 1892, he

shore A shore or a shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In physical oceanography, a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past a ...

a total of 321 sheep at Alice Downs station in 7 hours and 40 minutes, a record for hand shearing that still stands, and was only broken by a shearer using a machine driven handpiece in 1950. The Blackall and Yaraka railway line branched off from the Central Western railway at Jericho. The line opened to Blackall in 1908 and ran all the way to Yaraka. the Jericho – Yaraka branch line closed on 14 October 2005 and has since been dismantled. Former stations on the line (now all abandoned) within the locality were (from Jericho heading south): * Ballast railway siding () * Lancevale railway station () * Yalleroi railway station () *Glenusk railway station () * Sandy Creek railway siding () * Blackall Wool Scour railway siding () *Blackall railway station () *Glenstuart railway station () * Malvernton railway station () *Benlidi railway station () *Mekaree railway station () St Joseph's Catholic Primary School was established in 1917 by the

Sisters of St Joseph The Sisters of St. Joseph, also known as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, abbreviated CSJ or SSJ, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, in 1650. This congregation, named for ...

. The opening ceremonies were conducted on Saturday 21 July 1917 by Archbishop

James Duhig Sir James Duhig KCMG (2 September 187110 April 1965) was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest-s ...

. The Blackall War Memorial commemorates those soldiers who died in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The memorial was dedicated on 25 April ( Anzac Day) 1927 by James Charles Minnis (former mayor of Blackall and a former soldier). The honour roll of those who died in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

was added later. Staff behind the counter of Logos Brothers’ Central Cafe and Store, Blackall, ca

According to information published by the Blackall Shire Council, the Cominos opened a café in the 1920s in Shamrock Street, Blackall which they called the Central. A few years later it was taken over by the Logos Brothers who installed a newsagency at one side. The

Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...

met at the cafe to farewell their secretary Mrs R.A.G. Malcolm in September 1929. Blackall Ambulance commenced operations in November 1923 led by Superintendent W.J. King (from Rockhampton). On 15 October 1927 the first permanent building was officially opened by the Mick Kirwan (the Queensland Minister for Public Works) assisted by

Frank Bulcock Frank William Bulcock (6 June 1892 – 19 January 1973) was an Australian politician. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Early life Bulcock was born at Mount Arapiles, near Horsham, Victoria in 1892 to Thomas Bulcock an ...

, the local Member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

for Barcoo. On 14 April 1984 the current building in Coronation Drive was officially opened by Roy Hauff. Blackall Methodist Church – This stone was set by – Mr F J Green – To the memory of the – Pioneers of the District – and dedicated to the – Glory of God – by the Rev S J R Murr L Th – on 8 February 1958 – The Rev J L Savage, Minister. A plaque records: (''This has discrepancies with the original foundation stone)'' Blackall Methodist Church – This stone was set by – Mr F J Green – To the memory of the – Pioneers of the District – and dedicated to the – Glory of God – by the Rev S J Murr Lth – on 8 February 1956 – The Rev J L Savage, Minister. Blackall's population was more than 3,000 in 1965. A declining population has coincided with the decline in the wool industry in the district. At the 2011 census, Blackall had a population of 1,588. In the , the locality of Blackall had a population of 1,416 people. The new Blackall Hospital opened on 25 November 2020. It cost $20.11 million.

Heritage listings

Blackall has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Blackall Masonic Temple, Hawthorn Street * Blackall Woolscour, northeast of Blackall

Education

Blackall State School is a government primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at the corner of Hawthorne Street and Shamrock Street (). In 2012, there were 152 students enrolled with 14.5 teachers. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 111 students with 13 teachers (11 full-time equivalent) and 17 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent). St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is a Catholic primary (Kindergarten-6) school for boys and girls at 109 Thistle Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 69 students with 7 teachers (5 full-time equivalent) and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).

Facilities

Blackall Police Station is at 139 Shamrock Street, access via Violet Street (). Blackall Fire Station is at 125 Shamrock Street (). Blackall Hospital is a public hospital at 31 Hospital Road (). Prior to July 2014 it was known as the Black Stump Medical Centre. Blackall Ambulance Station is at 4 Coronation Drive (). Blackall Cemetery is on Evora Road (). Legendary shearer

Jackie Howe John Robert "Jackie" Howe (26 July 1861 (?) – 21 July 1920) was a legendary Australian sheep shearer at the end of the 19th century. He shot to fame in pre-Federation Australia in 1892 when he broke the daily and weekly shearing records ...

is buried there.

Amenities

Blackall has a showground, racecourse, bowling club and aquatic centre, cultural centre and an historical association. The Blackall-Tambo Regional Council operates a public library at 108 Shamrock Street () with Internet access provided through a High-Speed ISDN Connection to Brisbane (powered through the

National Broadband Network The National Broadband Network (NBN) is an Australian national wholesale open-access data network. It includes wired and radio communication components rolled out and operated by NBN Co, a Government-owned corporation. Internet service provide ...

). Blackall Cultural Centre is on the south-east corner of Shamrock Street and Hawthorne Street (). The Blackall branch of the

has its rooms at 14 Clematis Street (). Blackall Uniting Church is at 28 Clematis Street (). The Blackall Golf Club has an 18-hole golf course at 192 Shamrock Street ().

Media

Blackall is serviced by a number of radio stations: * West FM (Resonate Radio) – 95.1 FM * Classic Hits 4LG (Resonate Radio) – 100.7 FM * ABC Radio National – 107.9 FM The

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

transmits

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

and its sister channels ABC Kids/

ABC TV Plus ABC TV Plus (formerly ABC2 and ABC Comedy) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television network. The channel broadcasts a range of general entertainment pr ...

ABC Me ABC Me (stylised as ABC ME) is an Australian English language children's free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was officially launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 4 December 2009 as ABC3. Hist ...

and

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

to Blackall through its Blackall relay station, ABBLQ The

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australia ...

and its sister stations 7Two,

7Mate 7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a c ...

and

7Flix 7flix is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 28 February 2016. 7flix targets a variety of viewers and offers drama, comedy, reality, docusoap, and movies. History On 18 Decembe ...

transmit to Blackall through its regional area affiliate, ITQ The Nine Network and its sister channels

9Gem 9Gem is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, launched by the Nine Network in September 2010. The channel provides general entertainment and movie programming, from which the original name "GEM" is derived. History Nine N ...

9Go! 9Go! is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Nine Network on 9 August 2009, replacing Nine Guide. It is a youthful channel that offers a mix of comedy, reality, general entertainment, movies, ani ...

and

9Rush 9Rush is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, launched by the Nine Network on 5 April 2020. The channel is a joint venture with Warner Bros. Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific Pte. Ltd (which also supplies its programming) ...

transmit to Blackall through its regional area affiliate,

Imparja Television Imparja Television (IMP) is an independent Australian television station servicing over , across six states and territories: Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. It is based in Alice Spring ...

Network Ten and its sister channels

10 BOLD 10 Bold is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It originally launched on 26 March 2009 as One HD with a focus on broadcasting sports-based programming and events, but rebranded to One in April 2011 to ...

, 10 Peach and

10 Shake 10 Shake is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It launched on 27 September 2020 at 6am. The channel includes a mix of shows for people aged forty and under. It broadcasts programming for children fr ...

transmit to Blackall through its regional area affiliate, CDT The

Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World ...

and its sister channels

SBS Viceland SBS Viceland (stylised as SBS VICELAND) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). It began as SBS TWO on 1 June 2009, and was branded as SBS 2 between 2013 and 2016. On 8 April 2017, SBS ...

SBS World Movies SBS World Movies is an Australian free-to-air television channel showing international movies. The channel features foreign language films, documentaries, independent and mainstream cinema and interviews with international movie stars. It w ...

and

SBS Food SBS Food is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel airs programs about food and cooking, from cultures around the world. History SBS first revealed it would laun ...

also transmit to Blackall

Attractions

The Black Stump is in Thistle Street behind the Blackall State School (). The Major Mitchell Memorial is in the centre of Shamrock Street (opposite Short Street, ). It commemorates Thomas Mitchell's exploration of the district. The Australian Labor Federation Memorial is at the intersection of Shamrock Street and Short Street (). It commemorates the meeting of shearers that led to the foundation of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms t ...

. Blackall Memorial Park is on the south-east corner of Shamrock Street and Hawthorne Street () in front of the Blackall Cultural Centre. Blackall War Memorial and other memorials and honour rolls are located either within the park or within the cultural centre. Blackall Woolscour is in Evora Road (). Guided tours are available.

Transport

Blackall Airport is on Aerodrome Road (). QantasLink has services connecting the town to

Longreach Longreach is a town and a locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the Longreach Regional Council, which was established in 2008 as a merger of the former Longreach, Ilfracombe, and Isisford ...

and

. Blackall is also a timetabled meal stop for

Bus Queensland Bus Queensland was formed in April 2009 when the Pulitano Group purchased both the Garden City Sunbus and Kynoch Coaches operations. Kynoch Coaches was a family-owned business, previously owned by Jason Ward, operated urban, school and long-di ...

's long-distance bus services: * BQ201 (

–

Mount Isa Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive single mines in world history, base ...

) * BQ202 (

–

)

Climate

Blackall experiences a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen: ''BSh'', Trewartha: ''BShl''); with very hot summers with moderate rains; warm to hot, dry springs and autumns with occasional rains; and mild, dry winters with little rain.

Notable people

* Ashley Adams – Paralympic shooter *

Bonny Barry Veronica Lesley "Bonny" Barry (born 30 January 1960) is an Australian politician. She was a Labor member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 2001 to 2009, representing the district of Aspley. Barry was first elected to parliament ...

– Politician * Jack "Jackie" Howe – Shearer *

Jacki MacDonald Jacki MacDonald (born Jenine MacDonald; 26 November 1953) in Blackall, Queensland is a former Australian television personality, who now works in radio broadcasting. Career Popular in her home state of Queensland, MacDonald appeared on a number ...

− Television and radio personality *

Chris Nyst Chris Nyst (born November 1953) is an Australian solicitor and crime fiction writer. Legal career Nyst attended the University of Queensland and was awarded a Law Degree and in 1977 he was admitted as a solicitor in the Queensland Supreme C ...

– Solicitor and crime fiction writer * Edgar Towner – Recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

Gallery

References

External links

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Blackall and Blackall Shire
{{Authority control Towns in Queensland Populated places established in 1868 Central West Queensland Blackall-Tambo Region 1868 establishments in Australia Localities in Queensland