Miriam Vale, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Miriam Vale is a town in the state of Queensland
, Australia
. The town is situated on the Bruce Highway
, 464 km north of Brisbane
, the state capital, and 170 km south of Rockhampton
.
Miriam Vale is renowned as a traditional cattle growing area, and also supports timber, beef and dairy cattle. Tourism is an emerging industry within the shire and the town is a gateway to the tourist resorts of Agnes Water
and the Town of 1770
.
In the 1970s signs at the entry to town proudly proclaimed "Welcome to Miriam Vale - Cattle, Tobacco, Timber and Dairy". The tobacco industry faded in the late 1970s followed by the dairy industry in the 1990s.
In these early days hoop pine was cut and two timer chutes allowed logs to be shot to the foot of the range where bullock wagons were waiting. Evidence of these old chutes can still be found at the back of Boreelum on the sides of the range. The southern chute was on tram rails and consisted of two carriages. As the log was lowered down the mountain the other empty carriage was drawn to the top. This was achieved by a small overtaking siding in the middle. The other chute to the west was smaller and built out of logs. The timber was in most cases ferried to rail at Lowmead.
There were also many timber mills in the district but many of these closed in the late part of the century. Perhaps the closet mill to town was located on the flat at House Creek.
Across House Creek there is also evidence of an old speed way ground (circa 1970s) and if you look around the district you can find history in old horse race tracks.
A visit to Miriam Vale is surely not complete without a trip to the nine hole golf course. This course with its postage-stamp-sized greens and mature gum trees is well worth a stopover. At times in its history the course was stretched to twelve holes but the members and district could not sustain the extra work needed to keep these holes open.
The town can proclaim itself as the gate way to Queensland as Captain Cook in 1770 visited the coast in May of that year. Locals know the area as Round Hill but it is now more famously referred to as the Town of 1770.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The town is situated on the Bruce Highway
Bruce Highway
The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is a part of the Australian National Highway and also part of Highway 1...
, 464 km north of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, the state capital, and 170 km south of Rockhampton
Rockhampton, Queensland
Rockhampton is a city and local government area in Queensland, Australia. The city lies on the Fitzroy River, approximately from the river mouth, and some north of the state capital, Brisbane....
.
Miriam Vale is renowned as a traditional cattle growing area, and also supports timber, beef and dairy cattle. Tourism is an emerging industry within the shire and the town is a gateway to the tourist resorts of Agnes Water
Agnes Water, Queensland
Agnes Water is an increasingly popular tourist town on the coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located approximately 50 km east of the Bruce Highway, Queensland's major coastal route. Agnes Water has the most northerly surfing beach on Australia's east coast. At the 2006 census, Agnes Water had a...
and the Town of 1770
1770, Queensland
1770 is a village in Queensland, Australia, built on the site of the second landing by James Cook and the crew of HM Bark Endeavour in May 1770 . Originally known as Round Hill — after the creek it sits on — the name was changed in 1970 to commemorate the bicentennial of Cook's visit...
.
In the 1970s signs at the entry to town proudly proclaimed "Welcome to Miriam Vale - Cattle, Tobacco, Timber and Dairy". The tobacco industry faded in the late 1970s followed by the dairy industry in the 1990s.
Timber industry
The timber industry has roots in the late 19th century, with early timber cutters working along the Bobby Range cutting hoop pine.In these early days hoop pine was cut and two timer chutes allowed logs to be shot to the foot of the range where bullock wagons were waiting. Evidence of these old chutes can still be found at the back of Boreelum on the sides of the range. The southern chute was on tram rails and consisted of two carriages. As the log was lowered down the mountain the other empty carriage was drawn to the top. This was achieved by a small overtaking siding in the middle. The other chute to the west was smaller and built out of logs. The timber was in most cases ferried to rail at Lowmead.
There were also many timber mills in the district but many of these closed in the late part of the century. Perhaps the closet mill to town was located on the flat at House Creek.
Across House Creek there is also evidence of an old speed way ground (circa 1970s) and if you look around the district you can find history in old horse race tracks.
Dairy industry
Historically the dairy industry has the most iconic claim to fame with a massive fig tree near the railway station being the drop off point of "cream cans" full of milk. This depot (being no more than a wooden stage) was the district dairy focal point. Locals would deliver the fresh milk to the depot where it was then loaded onto Claude's Truck for the trip to the PCD. Fresh milk wasn't always the delivery and in the 1950s cream was separated on farms and delivered to town. Cream in those days was sold on "degrees of Rancid" as there was no refrigeration. The cream even then was going to the PCD in Gladstone.A visit to Miriam Vale is surely not complete without a trip to the nine hole golf course. This course with its postage-stamp-sized greens and mature gum trees is well worth a stopover. At times in its history the course was stretched to twelve holes but the members and district could not sustain the extra work needed to keep these holes open.
The town can proclaim itself as the gate way to Queensland as Captain Cook in 1770 visited the coast in May of that year. Locals know the area as Round Hill but it is now more famously referred to as the Town of 1770.