The early days of Hughenden, in colour.

Hughenden, named after the residence of Benjamin Disraeli (because why not?), grew up as a hub for the sheep stations in the area during the late 1800s.

The Sheep Stations

Drover’s pack horses at a bore drain west of Hughenden, 1905
Family in a domestic setting, Hughenden, ca 1880. Very posed and artificial, but the earliest photograph I could find from Hughenden.
Crossing at Station Creek, Hughenden, Queensland, 1919
Sinking an artesian bore on Barenya Station near Hughenden, 1895. A reliable water source was always needed in the outback.

The Shearers

Hughenden and Barcaldine were hubs for striking shearers in the 1891 conflict with landholders over non-union labour. How deeply the strike affected the people of the area can be seen by the sheer numbers of people gathered at strikers’ camps.

Hughenden Strike Camp, Queensland, 1891
Striking shearers on the move through the Hughenden district, 1891
Portrait of shearers at the Telemon shed, Hughenden, Queensland, 1920. The conflict was 30 years in the past, but the attitude of the hard-working bush shearers is clear from this photo.

The Town

Brodie Street in Hughenden, Queensland, ca. 1910. The broad streets were designed to be wide enough for bullock or camel teams to turn around in. The deep shade from the shop balconies was a necessity.
St Thomas’ Church of England at Hughenden, c 1910.
Hughenden Town Band, Queensland, 1897. I wonder how long that little girl lingered by the drummer once the music started.
Large group of people loading camels at Hughenden railway station, ca. 1890. Camels were a reliable transport option where the countryside couldn’t be passed by bullocks or horses.

Flood and fire

When nature attacked an outback town, the results were unusually severe. No newly-settled township enjoyed the kind of town planning that could foresee natural disasters.

Streets of Hughenden inundated by the floods, 1917
Evening Telegraph, 1917.
Waters of the Flinders River in full spate, Hughenden, 1917
Hughenden Fire Brigade, ca. 1920. These stout-hearted chaps were about to be kept awfully busy.
Hughenden hotel fire on Brodie Street, 1923. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
General view of the ruins after the 1924 Hughenden fire.
Queensland Times, 1924.
Townspeople observing the fire damage in Hughenden, 1924

But, no matter how hard things got in Hughenden, there was always time for a little fun. Here are a group of young goat racers preparing for some serious shenanigans.

Large crowd standing outside the Central Hotel in Hughenden, Queensland 1911-1930

Header photo: Bushman with his dog and horse outside a Humpy, Hughenden, 1910s.

All images are taken from the digital collection of the State Library of Queensland, and are out of copyright. AI colourisation by Copilot.

  • Evening Telegraph (Charters Towers, Qld.: 1901 – 1921), Saturday 13 January 1917, page 4
  • Queensland Times (Ipswich, Qld.: 1909 – 1954), Monday 7 April 1924, page 5

Leave a Comment