Ilfracombe, Queensland

Ilfracombe /ˈɪlfrəkoʊm/ is a small town and locality in the Longreach Region in Central West Queensland, Australia.[2][3] Ilfracombe calls itself The Hub of the West. The main industry is sheep rearing, mainly for wool. Ilfracombe is situated on the Landsborough Highway, about 27 kilometres (17 mi) east of Longreach, 214 metres above sea level.[4] In the 2016 census, Ilfracombe had a population of 259 people.[1]

Ilfracombe
Queensland
Town entry signs.
Ilfracombe
Coordinates23°30′S 144°30′E
Population259 (2016 census)[1]
Established1891
Postcode(s)4727
Elevation214 m (702 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Longreach Region
State electorate(s)Gregory
Federal Division(s)Maranoa
Localities around Ilfracombe:
Longreach Muttaburra Aramac
Longreach Ilfracombe Barcaldine
Longreach Isisford Blackall

History

Sheep stations were established in the area from 1864.[5] The townsites of Ilfracombe and Longreach were amongst resumed portions of Wellshot Station.[6] In 1892, Wellshot was known as the biggest sheep station in the world, not because of the area it occupied but because of the number of sheep it ran; 460,000. So important was the property that Ilfracombe was known as Wellshot until 1890.[7] 40,000 two-year-old wethers were sold off from the property later the same year.[8]

The Central Western railway line reached Ilfracombe in 1891[9] and the Post Office opened on 7 December 1891.[10]

In April 1910, Isisford became the first town in Australia to be serviced by a motorised mail delivery from Ilfracombe (a journey of 90 kilometres (56 mi)).[11]

The town was named after the coastal town of Ilfracombe in North Devon, England.[12]

In the 2016 Census, there were 259 people in Ilfracombe. 84.3% of people were born in Australia and 89.3% of people spoke only English at home. The most common response for religion was Anglican at 39.5%.[1]

The town was much larger in the past. It once had three hotels instead of the single hotel now and two general stores.[4]

Heritage listings
Langenbaker House, 2003

Ilfracombe has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Amenities
Farming equipment along the Landsborough Highway, 2011

Ilfracombe is home to a collection of antique agricultural machinery at the Ilfracombe Machinery and Heritage Museum. Other attractions and facilities in the town include a public library, swimming pool, a 14-hole golf course, racecourse and caravan park.[4] The Longreach Regional Council operates a public library at 20 Main Avenue.[15] The library offers publicly accessible Wi-Fi.[16]

Education

The Ilfacrombe State School opened on 3 May 1893.[17] It is situated 27 km east of Longreach and 673 km west of Rockhampton on the Landsborough Highway, Queensland.[18] It is a co-educational school, from Prep to Year 6 and is organised into multi-age Units.[18]

Notable people

Notable people from the area include:

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Ilfracombe (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 12 July 2019. Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Archived 16 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. "Ilfracombe – town (entry 16618)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  3. "Ilfracombe – locality (entry 47050)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  4. "Ilfracombe". Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  5. "Langenbaker House (entry 601088)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  6. "Wellshot Station". The Capricornian. Rockhampton, Queensland: National Library of Australia. 24 September 1898. p. 20. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  7. "Ilfracombe". Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  8. "Commercial". The Morning Bulletin. Rockhampton, Queensland: National Library of Australia. 29 December 1892. p. 4. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  9. "Longreach Regional Council". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland. Archived from the original on 24 October 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  10. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  11. Arthur, Chrissy (1 April 2010). "Outback towns deliver mail milestone celebration". ABC News. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  12. "Ilfracombe". Queensland Holidays. Tourism Queensland. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  13. "Beaconsfield Station Sheep Wash (former) (entry 600547)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  14. "Langenbaker House (entry 601088)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  15. "Ilfracombe Library". Public Libraries Connect. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  16. "Queensland Public Library Statistical Bulletin 2016-17" (PDF). Public Libraries Connect. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  17. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  18. "2016 Ilfacrombe Annual Report" (PDF). Ilfracombe State School. December 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  19. Schubert, Misha (14 April 2008). "A woman takes the keys to Yarralumla". Melbourne: The Age. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
  20. Ross, Deborah (2 March 1998). "Interview: Paul Wilson - The storm before Mr Calm". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
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