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| The main street of
Queanbeyan |
Queanbeyan (including Molonglo)
Large service centre just beyond the limits of the
Australian Capital Territory.
Queanbeyan is a city of 28 000 people located on the
Queanbeyan River 291 km south-west of Sydney via Tarago and
Bungendore and 18 km south-east of the centre of
Canberra. It is essentially in NSW although parts of the
city sprawl over the ACT border. Queanbeyan is situated at
an elevation of 576 m.
Agricultural and pastoral industries are still strong in
the area (sheep, cattle, wool, an abattoir, nurseries,
honey, wine, hay and barley) while the city has strong
building, manufacturing, service, retail, recreation and
tourism sectors. Many residents work in nearby
Canberra.
Once occupied by the Ngarigu people, the first Europeans
in the vicinity were the exploratory party of Charles
Throsby. While searching for the Murrumbidgee River in 1820,
they found and followed the Queanbeyan River into a valley
at the eastern end of the Limestone Plains. This area was to
become a natural stopping place for those crossing into the
Monaro.
Squatters were moving into the district from 1824. The
first person to commence grazing on land near to the present
townsite was ex-convict Timothy Beard who had established a
property on the Molonglo River called 'Quinbean' (after an
Aboriginal word meaning 'clear waters'). Beard was an
innkeeper from Campbelltown and preferred to remain there while three
convict stockmen ran his western enterprise. However, he was
ordered to quit the property in 1828.
Although a township reserve had been established at
Queanbeyan in 1828 nothing much happened until a post office
and store were established in 1836 to serve the settlers. A
police magistrate was appointed in 1837 and Queanbeyan was
officially proclaimed a township in 1838, at which time
there were some 50 residents. The first inn opened that
year.
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| Autumn colours beside the
Queanbeyan River |
As there was no proper accommodation in the new
settlement the police magistrate initially established a
court at Acton. A residence, known as 'Dodsworth', was built
for him on the town's southern boundary in 1839. Adjoining
were huts for the court, lock-up and constables' quarters.
This collection was known as 'Irish Town' and the court was
conducted here until 1853. The first hospital was also built
here in 1847.
In 1841 there were three brick and seven timber buildings
at Queanbeyan. The first flour mill (wind-driven) opened in
the 1840s. Bushrangers such as Jacky Jacky, Ben Hall, Frank
Gardiner and John Tennant harried the district from the
1840s to the 1860s.
Gold was found in the area in 1851, by which time the
population had increased to 372. Lead and silver were also
mined though not with remarkable success. The first bridge
was opened in 1858, the first banking agency in 1859 and the
town's first newspaper in 1860. The 1861 census revealed 526
residents.
Queanbeyan was declared a municipality in 1885. At that
time there were eight hotels, four churches, two flour
mills, a tannery and a lemonade factory, as well as
dwellings and shops. The railway arrived in 1887 and the
population was recorded as 1262 in 1891. Although it
stagnated during the 1890s depression, the numbers were on
the rise again during the 1910s and 1920s owing to the
construction of nearby
Canberra. This led to subdivision and closer settlement
and stimulated building, employment and business activity.
The initial unavailability of alcohol in Canberra was also a
boon to Queanbeyan which has continued to prosper due to its
proximity to the Federal capital. The population increased
by 50 per cent from 1949 to 1958, passing 10 000 in 1963. It
became a city in 1972. The Queanbeyan Show is held in
November.
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Broadwalk Business
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Sale, Motels for Sale, Management Rights & Resorts for Sale, Farms for
Sale, Hotels for sale,Commercial & Industrial Properties for Sale.
Phone:
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Email:
enquiries@broadwalkbusinessbrokers.com.au
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responsibility for the accuracy of any information in the business
provided by vendors or their professional advisers and that they should
make their own enquiries as to the accuracy of this information,
including obtaining independent legal and/or accounting advice
Queanbeyan
