Category: Queensland State Archives’ Photostream About Fortitude Valley

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Dirranbandi is a town and locality in south-west Queensland, located in the Shire of Balonne. It sits on the Castlereagh Highway and the Balonne River. The railway reached Dirranbandi on 22 May 1913. Dirranbandi had the honour of being the destination for the last mail train to operate in Australia.

Dirranbandi is said by some to be an Aboriginal word meaning “swamp abounding in frogs and waterfowl”. Although this is possible, there is no evidence in any of the region’s languages to support this. Other possibilities include a Yuwaaliyaay dialect placename, Dhurrunbandaay (“hairy caterpillars move in single file”) and Yuwaalaraay noun, dhirrinbaa, meaning “bad weather camp, on high ground”.

Did You Know: Actor Ray Meagher grew up near Dirrabandi. He is best known for playing Alf Stewart on ‘Home and Away’, and credits one of his character’s catchphrases “Stone the flamin’ crows!” to a man who was

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The Roma Street Railway Station was completed in 1875 as the terminus of the newly constructed railway line from Brisbane to Ipswich. It was a fine two-storey brick building with a large carriage shade designed by Queensland Colonial Architect FDG Stanley.

Originally the Station had direct vehicular and pedestrian access from Roma Street, but this changed in the late 1930s when new railway lines were installed between the building and Roma Street effectively turning the Station building into an island platform.

By the late 1990s the Station was in a poor state. It was largely unoccupied and suffered from a lack of maintenance. The rook leaked in many places due to damaged skylights, and there was considerable damp and termite infestation evident. Stage One Works commenced on site in 2012, and involved making the whole building structurally sound and watertight, as well as the restoration and reconstruction

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The Roma Street Railway Station has high cultural significance having been the main Brisbane Station early in its history and the point of departure for many long-distance travellers for generations. The building is also architecturally important as an exceptional example of late 19th-century railway station architecture.

Over the years the building suffered haphazard renovations as well as from the lack of maintenance. Architectus in association with Michael Kennedy Heritage Architect worked with Queensland Rail and a team of consultants in the planning of the Stage One Stabilisation Works which commenced in 2011, and started onsite in 2012. The works involved making the whole building structurally sound and watertight, as well as the restoration and reconstruction of external elements on the upper floor.

Description source:
Architecture & Design

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Digital Image ID 27053

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Clifton is a town in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, situated just west of the New England Highway, about 50 km south of Toowoomba. The lands around the town were first settled by Europeans in 1840. The township came about from the opening of the railway line from Toowoomba to Hendon in 1869 but was limited to the station, a hotel and a few buildings for several years.

Description source:
Wikipedia, Queensland Places

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Digital Image ID 25597

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Kuranda is a town and locality on the Atherton Tableland in the Shire of Mareeba, Far North Queensland. It is 25 km from Cairns, via the Kuranda Range road. It is surrounded by tropical rainforest and parts of it, particularly along its eastern edge, are protected within the Kuranda National Park and Barron Gorge National Park, both of which belong to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.

The rainforest around Kuranda has been home to the Djabugay people for over 10,000 years. Europeans began to explore the area throughout the nineteenth century. Kuranda was first settled in 1885 and surveyed by Thomas Behan in 1888. Construction of the railway from Cairns to Herberton began in 1887 and the line reached Kuranda in 1891. The current railway station was built in 1915.

Description source:
Wikipedia

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Digital Image ID 1239

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Despite the declining economic conditions in 1987, some industries continued to receive favourable government attention. Sugar had long been an important product for Queensland, and during the year several submissions came to Cabinet regarding the Commonwealth State Agreement on Adjustment Assistance to Sugar Cane Growers (Dec 50543); individual levies on particular mills (Dec 50775); and the drafting of a Bill to rationalise Far North Queensland Sugar Milling (Dec 50812).

Other discussions that occurred include drafting a Bill to ensure the Sugar Board’s role continued beyond 30 June, when it would have ceased as a result of a sunset clause in existing legislation (Dec 50894). In September, Cabinet agreed to grant $102,162 for tramworks for the Babinda Cooperative Sugar Mill, provided the Commonwealth grant of $204,235 was met (Dec 52548).

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Expo ’88

The government continued to plan for Expo ’88 throughout the year. Numerous submissions were brought to Cabinet including those relating to the extension of appointment of members of the Authority scheduled for consideration which despite being deferred until 27 January saw all appointed (Dec 50551). In January Cabinet approved the inclusion of an official visitors program and a business visitors program (Dec 50540; 52259).

In April, (Dec 51303) Cabinet noted Sir Llew Edwards’ report on Expo that explained how construction was ahead of schedule; Expo was on budget; a security firm had been appointed; staff training; uniform design was selected; 27 countries committed and 42 – 43 Governments expected on site; entertainment division had organised 14,000 acts over six months. All going well, arrangements were in place for the Premier to publicly purchase the first ticket on 30 April as a marketing strategy.

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History of the Great Court

The foundation stone for the new University campus was laid by Queensland Premier the Hon William Forgan Smith on 6 March 1937 and construction began the following year. Built from Helidon freestone – or sandstone – it was unlike other buildings of the period as no attempt was made to achieve a uniform colour, resulting in a swathe of purples, lavenders, creams, buffs and browns that looks particularly attractive after rain.

The Great Court took more than 40 years to complete, and played a key role in World War II when it housed the Advanced Land Headquarters of the Allied Land Forces in the Pacific, headed by General Sir Thomas Blamey. A 1945 bronze plaque commemorating this period can be found in the Forgan Smith tower.

Description source:
The University of Queensland

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In the final months of 1987, the revelations from the Fitzgerald Inquiry were taking their toll on individual Ministers and the government, though the business of Cabinet continued with little reference to this turmoil. As the end of his reign came closer, the Premier bunkered down in his executive building office stalling what was now the inevitable end (Wanna & Arklay 2010:583-4). Still Cabinet meetings continued throughout November.

The Premier’s last Cabinet meeting was on Monday 30 November – the day before he officially resigned. The submissions to that meeting were unsurprising, giving no hint to the drama unfolding outside. Bjelke-Petersen’s last submission (Dec 53086) to Cabinet dealt with the mundane matter of what to do with surplus funds ($42,615) left over from the failed Brisbane Olympic bid. The answer: a scholarship to support Queensland’s aspiring athletes.

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In October (Dec 51840) Brian Austin brought a submission regarding the establishment of an ‘Artist Day’ to be held annually. Bumper stickers with the Government crest would be distributed through newspapers and schools.

It was thought that Churches would dedicate a special service to artists and the Minister would send out letters to community and professional organisations asking them to celebrate the day.

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Digital Image ID 44732, Digital Image ID 1890

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