Things to Do in Barcaldine
Things to see and do in Barcaldine, Barcaldine highlights, Barcaldine activities and attractions, and points of interest in Barcaldine - the ALL NEW Jasons Barcaldine Things to Do Guide is your complete guide to sightseeing in Barcaldine.
- Australian Workers' Heritage Museum
Designed to complement the Longreach Stockman's Hall of Fame, this interesting and award-winning museum in Ash Street is a tribute to all of the nation's working people, their history, heritage and traditions. The Heritage Centre features landscaped gardens and shady trees around a billabong, with picnic shelters, barbecue facilities and a modern children's playground.
- The Wanpa-rda Matilda Outback Education Centre
This education centre is located on the same grounds as the Heritage Centre. It offers day trips around the area with a local tour operator, air-conditioned dormitories, a fully-equipped kitchen, outdoor barbecues and a recreation area.
- The Shearers' Strike Camp
A short distance out of town is the site of the Shearers' Strike Camp where literally hundreds of shearers camped during the troubles. It is protected by the National Trust but, at the moment, is not open to the public. The tourist information office has a leaflet which has an excellent analysis of the causes of the strike by a local station owner.
- The Barcaldine and District Folk Museum
The town's folk museum is open on a daily basis. Full of memorabilia collected from locals, it includes a rare Edison gramophone dating from 1900, some barbed wire from the 1870s and a 1923 ticket issued by Qantas. While it has the chaotic appearance of a junk shop it is a fascinating collection of everything from old pots and pans to antiquated newspaper articles. The grounds outside the museum even include the town's first motorised fire engine and a Southern Cross windmill.
- Buildings
Perhaps the most remarkable of all Barcaldine's buildings is the Masonic Lodge on Beech Street (note that all the streets in the town are named after types of trees). Built in 1908 as a bank, the facade of elaborate friezes and arches is actually painted on. The effect is at once pretentious and eccentric.
- Around the corner is St Peter's Church, a superb example of the use of timber in outback Queensland. The church was built in 1899 and its elaborate tongue-and-groove boards and its craftsmanship make it a worthy example of Queensland's distinctive architecture. It was built for the modest sum of £520.
- On the outskirts of town is the Beta Farm Slab Hut, a reconstruction of an 1880s structure which betrays some superb craftsmanship. The owners have furnished it with unusual objects from the period including a kitchen cupboard made out of piano cases and an extensive display of dolls.