Archer Brothers
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The Archer brothers were among the earliest European settlers in
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia. They were explorers and pastoralists. Seven sons of William Archer, a
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timber merchant, they spent varying amounts of time in the colony of
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, mainly in parts of what later became Queensland. A substantial number of locations in Queensland were either named by or for them. They were, in order of birth:


Brisbane River valley

The first of the Archer brothers to settle in Australia was David, who arrived in Sydney in 1834. He was joined by William and Thomas in 1838. Together, they planned to seek pastoral land on the
Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generally ...
. Delays meant they would be too late to secure good land, so this venture did not proceed. In 1841 David and Thomas, joined by their brother John, travelled to the upper reaches of the Stanley River, an eastern tributary of the
Brisbane River The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
. There, near present-day Woodford, they established Durundur Station, a holding of , which is equal to . Durundur is an aboriginal name for the Moreton Bay Ash ( Eucalyptus tessellaris) The Archer name is seen in the main street of Woodford, and in Mount Archer about to the west. Charles Archer arrived in Australia in 1841, and joined his brothers at Durundur in 1843. He was accompanied by the explorer
Ludwig Leichhardt Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt (; 23 October 1813 – ), known as Ludwig Leichhardt, was a German explorer and naturalist, most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia.Ken Eastwood,'Cold case: Leichhardt's disappearanc ...
, who stayed at Durundur for several months until early 1844. The country at Durundur proved unsuitable for sheep, leading the brothers to take up two runs further west in 1845. One of these was Cooyar, a holding of on Cooyar Creek, a western tributary of the Brisbane River, near present-day Cooyar, north of
Toowoomba Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...
, on the
New England Highway New England Highway is an long highway in Australia running from Yarraman, Queensland, Yarraman, north of Toowoomba, Queensland, at its northern end to Hexham, New South Wales, Hexham at Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle, New South Wales, ...
. The other was Emu Creek, a holding of on Emu Creek, another western tributary of the Brisbane River.


Burnett region

In 1847, Thomas Archer travelled west to the area named Fitzroy Downs by the explorer Thomas Mitchell, near present-day
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, but did not claim any land. In 1848 he travelled north to the Burnett region, which resulted in two runs being acquired on the
Burnett River The Burnett River is a river in the Wide Bay–Burnett and Central Queensland regions of Queensland, Australia. Course and features The Burnett River rises in the Burnett Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, close to Mount Gaeta and east ...
in the names of David and Thomas Archer. One of these was named Eidsvold, after
Eidsvoll Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike Districts of Norway, traditional region. The administrative centre of the munic ...
,
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, where the Archer family had land holdings. The present day town of Eidsvold was named for the nearby property. The other, named Coonambula, was south of Eidsvold on St John Creek, a tributary of the Burnett River. Near the site of Eidsvold Station is present day Tolderodden Conservation Park. The association of the Archers with this name is the fact that Colin Archer was born in a house named Tollerodden, in Norway. Although not on the Burnett River, Maryborough was the main port for the Burnett region, particularly for the export of wool. One of the houses of St Mary's College, Maryborough is named Archer in honour of the contribution of the pioneering family to the Burnett region.


Fitzroy River

In 1853, Charles and William Archer were the first Europeans to explore the Fitzroy River, which they named in honour of Sir Charles FitzRoy, Governor of the Colony of New South Wales. They explored the river valley and marked proposed boundaries for a new run before returning to the Burnett region. In 1855 the brothers began farming a run on the Fitzroy River, naming it Gracemere Station in honour of Thomas Archer's bride, Grace, whom he had married in
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in 1853. Gracemere homestead was built in 1858, overlooking a shallow lagoon known variously as Padgole, Farris, and Gracemere. The present-day town of Gracemere was named for the station. In 1860 Archibald Archer joined his brothers at Gracemere. At first both cattle and sheep were raised, but during the early 1870s the station switched entirely to cattle. The city of
Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...
now stands on part of the original Gracemere run.
Mount Archer National Park Mount Archer National Park is a national park in Central Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane. It makes up the backdrop to the city of Rockhampton which marks the start of Tropical Queensland. It comprises of open forests and woodland ...
is based on Mount Archer, near Rockhampton. The mountain was named in honour of Charles and William Archer, who had named the
Berserker Range The Berserker Range is a mountainous region located on the eastern and northeastern boundary of the city of Rockhampton in Central Queensland, Australia. Within it lies Mount Archer National Park. It has been designated the ''Berserker Range E ...
and Mount Sleipner (both names derived from
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) in 1853.


Gracemere in Google Maps

Google Maps shows the central point of Gracemere as near the intersection of Lawrie St (Gavial Gracemere Rd) and Platen St. About 1,000 metres to the north is the intersection of
Capricorn Highway The Capricorn Highway is located in Central Queensland, Australia, and links the city of Rockhampton with western Queensland. The highway is long, and joins the Landsborough Highway at Barcaldine. Formerly National Route 66, Queensland began ...
and Archer Rd. With satellite imaging enabled, a tree-lined drive can be observed opposite Archer Rd. This extends west for about 2,000 metres to the Gracemere homestead buildings, on the eastern shore of the lagoon.


Other details

John Archer was captain of the schooner "Letitia" in 1844, and then the schooner "Clarence". In 1847 Captain Archer acquired a job managing Lucknow Station in Gippsland, Victoria and his first wife was buried there the same year. John met his brother Thomas in San Francisco in 1848. John was captain of the "Harriett Nathan" and Thomas had gone to the California goldfields. From 1852 to 1854 John - "Captain Jack" - commanded the barque "Fair Tasmanian" on the Hobart-
Twofold Bay Twofold Bay is an open oceanic embayment that is located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The bay was named by George Bass, for its shape of two bights. The northern bight is called Calle Calle Bay; while the southern ...
route. He then captained the brig "Retriever" until he and his third wife were lost when the "Retriever" is believed to have foundered off the coast of New Zealand after departing Newcastle, Australia. Archibald Archer was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1867 to 1869, and from 1879 to 1895. He served as colonial treasurer and minister for education from 1882 to 1883. He was an advocate of the idea of having Central Queensland declared a separate state. In 1870 he accepted the job of Agent-General for Queensland, but resigned when he realised that his plan to present a petition from the advocates of separation to the Colonial Office was inconsistent with his holding of that job. He was replaced in early 1872 by Richard Daintree.
Thomas Archer Thomas Archer (1668–1743) was an English Baroque architect. His buildings are important as the only ones by an English Baroque architect to show evidence of study of contemporary continental, namely Italian, architecture. It is said that hi ...
was Agent-General for Queensland from 1881 to 1884 and from 1888 to 1890. He was appointed C.M.G. in 1884. While serving as Agent-General he published pamphlets designed to foster interest in Queensland. Colin Archer was the first to sail a vessel''Ellida'', a
ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch f ...
of about twelve tons up the Fitzroy River to the present site of Rockhampton. He was met by Charles, riding his horse Sleipner, on 1 September 1855. This event is commemorated by a statue of horse and rider on the river bank in Rockhampton. During later life he became a successful shipbuilder in Norway, where he built the '' Fram'', the ship in which
Fridtjof Nansen Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 1861 – 13 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and co-founded the ...
made the successful exploration of the North Polar Sea in 1893 – 1896. Jack Earl's boat, "''Kathleen Gillett''", which he sailed in the inaugural
Sydney to Hobart yacht race The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is an annual oceanic yacht racing event hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, New South Wales, on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. The race distance is approximately ...
on Boxing Day 1945, was based on designs by Colin Archer.


References


Further reading

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External links


Archer Family correspondence
State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...

Archer Family and Durundur Station diary 1843-1844
State Library of Queensland
Alexander Archer papers 1865
State Library of Queensland
Archer Family Watercolours
State Library of Queensland {{DEFAULTSORT:Archer brothers, The Explorers of Queensland Australian pastoralists