A windmill near Ilfracombe on the Matilda Highway

Ilfracombe
Tiny western Queensland township surrounded by large grazing properties.
Looking at the tiny settlement of Ilfracombe, with its one hotel and rather isolated Folk Museum, it is hard to imagine that, in the 1890s, the town had three hotels each with its own dance hall, a soft drink maker, a coach builder, two general stores, a billiard saloon, a dressmaker, three commission agents, a couple of butchers, a baker and a saddler. The story of western Queensland is contained in these changes. Once transportation became efficient the number of people living in the outback declined. What took a month in the 1890s can now take only a few hours.

Today there are just 350 people living in a shire which covers an area of 6500 sq. km. The old stations where anything up to 100 people were employed are now a thing of the past. Back in1892 Wellshot Station (60 km south of town) was the largest sheep station in the world, in terms of the number of sheep it ran: 460 000. Indeed, so predominant was it that Ilfracombe was, until 1890, known as Wellshot.

To the north of the town Beaconsfield Station is a reminder of the enterprise and ingenuity which accompanied the development of the area. A small section of the property has been listed by the National Trust because in the 1890s the property devised a sheep wash which consisted of a trench which was filled with water from a dam built across Brutus Creek. The sheep were washed in this trench by a combination of steam and scrubbing. The washed sheep were then transported towards the shearing shed by means of trolleys which were driven by steam power. The trolleys travelled along rails. Although it is nothing but ruins now it is an important reminder that in the 1890s Australia was at the forefront of wool technology.

Another record claimed by the shire is that of the largest mob of sheep ever moved as a single flock. In 1886 43 000 sheep were moved through the area by a droving team of 27 horsemen - and that doesn't include the cooks, blacksmiths and hands which would have been needed to accompany the drovers. The era of the large wagon hauls was ended by the arrival of the railway in 1891, making Ilfracombe a railhead for the transportation of regional livestock to urban markets.

The changing of the times is apparent in another historical landmark associated with the town, when, in 1910, it became part of the first motorised postal service in Australia, from Ilfracombe to Isisford.

Located just 27 km east of Longreach, on the Matilda Highway, and 214 m above sea level, Ilfracome currently has a town population of 190. The huge properties which once dominated the area have been broken up into smaller units. Despite the changes of the last century Ilfracombe still survives as a service centre to the surrounding sheep and cattle stations. It possesses such facilities as a swimming pool, a 14-hole golf course, tennis, rugby league, and clay target clubs, a recreation centre, a racecourse, an hotel, a store, a post office, a school and a caravan park. It is of some interest that Fred Schepisi, the director of Evil Angels and The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, now owns land in the shire.

In 1988 Peter Forrest was commissioned to write a history of the shire. The result 'A Rush for Grass' is much more than a local history. It provides an insight into the forces which shaped the development of western Queensland in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Ilfracombe is a microcosm of those forces.

Things to see:  

Ilfracombe Machinery and Heritage Museum
The Museum, situated on the northern side of the main road, provides an insight into this past with its displays of an old police lock-up used between 1901 and 1974, a meat house, the old manual post office exchange, a machinery shed with steam engines, tractors, pumps, graders, trucks, drays, buggies, a 100-million year-old petrified palm, curious natural limestone rocks with a remarkably rounded form, along with other interesting artefacts and memorabilia. One of the old wagons possessed by the museum was once in local use. It was drawn by 20 or 30 horses and carted about 100 bales of wool (weighing 15 to 20 tons) to sea ports such as Bowen or Rockhampton: a six-month return journey.

Also on-site is 'Oakhampton', a cottage which was once part of the 'Lyndon' estate. It is considered typical of a station hand's married quarters and was common enough on rural stations until after World War II. It now sells souvenirs and crafts, The museum has been built in the style of an old station homestead. It is open permanently with no entry charge.

Wellshot Hotel
Dating from 1890, the front section remains largelt unaltered, though the accommodation wing to the rear was rebuilt in 1956. The interior contains memorabilia from the height of the wool-station era.

Langenbaker House
Langenbaker House is an early example of an Ilfracombe residence, dating from 1892. It is made of timber and corrugated iron and was occupied by the original family until 1991. The verandah features latticwork made from hoop iron which was once used to tie wool packs. The house retains original furnishings and is in original condition, barring some restoration work to render it safe. To inspect the house ring (07) 4658 1639, or enquire at any of the business establishments.

Bottle Museum
One of the local residents has an extensive antique bottle collection, along with rocks and artefacts. Inspections are by arrangement.

	Tourist Information
	Ilfracombe Shire Council Offices Devon St Ilfracombe QLD 4727 Telephone: (07) 4658 2233
	Hotels
	Wellshot Hotel Landsborough Hwy Ilfracombe QLD 4727 Telephone: (07) 4658 2106
	Caravan Parks
	Ilfracombe Caravan Park Main Ave Ilfracombe QLD 4727 Telephone: (07) 4658 1510 Facsimile: (07) 4658 0634 Email: hitson@tpg.com.au