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Grandchester is a rural town and
locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...
in the
City of Ipswich The City of Ipswich is a local government area in Queensland, Australia, located within the southwest of the Brisbane metropolitan area, including the urban area surrounding the city of Ipswich and surrounding rural areas. Geography The Ci ...
,
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...
, Australia. In the , the locality of Grandchester had a population of 444 people.


Geography

Grandchester is located west of the Brisbane CBD. The district historically known as Hidden Vale (or Hiddenvale) is within the locality, approx south of the town of Grandchester where Hiddenvale Road has its junction with the Grandchester Mount Mort Road (). Although unofficial, the name persists in the road name, St Anne's Hidden Vale (Anglican church), Spicers Hidden Vale (a rural resort), and the Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre (jointly operated by the resort and the
University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...
).


History

Grandchester was the initial terminus of the first
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
mainline
railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...
in the world. The first track opened to traffic on 31 July 1865 from
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...
, as the
Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended f ...
was keen to prove the viability of its controversial 'pony railway'. The choice of Ipswich as the starting point for the first rail line in Queensland was a testament to the importance of Ipswich in early Queensland. Coal was needed for steam trains and Ipswich's port was an inland freight centre. In Ipswich, this first line skirted north around the river, running through North Ipswich to enter a two-storey iron station, then on to the Bremer River wharf. This wharf handled rail freight until a railway line joining Ipswich to Brisbane was opened in 1875. The construction of the Victoria Tunnel through the Little Liverpool Range to the west of Grandchester was behind schedule, and so although it served a very small population, Bigges Camp (as it was initially known) became the terminus for 10 months, until the line was extended to Gatton. The original Grandchester railway station, including the former station master's residence, still exists. The name Grandchester derives from the old English name for ''bigge'' (''Grand'') and ''camp'' (''Chester''), which was the initial name of the locality, and suggested by the wife of the Governor of the day when the railway opened. Grandchester Post Office opened on 1 January 1866 after the arrival of the railway and closed in 1978. Grandchester Provisional School opened in November 1870 in a tent borrowed from the Queensland Government. which closed after one month in December 1870. Granchester State School opened on 29 January 1878. Hidden Vale Provisional School opened on 10 July 1916. On 1 September 1919, it became Hidden Vale State School. It closed on 15 February 1943. It was at 779-799 Hiddenvale Road (). On Sunday 18 July 1937, St Anne's Anglican Church was officially dedicated by Archdeacon H.W.H. Stevenson.
Grandchester Sawmills Grandchester Sawmills is a heritage-listed sawmill business at Symes Street, Grandchester, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1941. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. History The Gi ...
is one of the last known surviving steam-powered flat-belt sawmills in Australia. The engine powering it was manufactured in 1908, and the mill has been in operation from 1945. It was destroyed by a fire, sometime in the early hours of 6 May 2007. Work on the long process of restoring the mill to its former glory started almost immediately in the days following the fire. The mill is operating once again with work still continuing on the restoration. This will ensure that this important piece of history is preserved for the generations that follow. In the , the locality Grandchester had a population of 504 people. In the , the locality of Grandchester had a population of 444 people.


Heritage listings

Grandchester has a number of
heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many i ...
sites, including: * Franklin Vale Road:
Franklyn Vale Homestead Franklyn Vale Homestead is a heritage-listed homestead at Franklin Vale Road, Mount Mort, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was built in the early 1870s. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. Histor ...
* Ipswich Road: Grandchester railway station * Symes Street:
Grandchester Sawmills Grandchester Sawmills is a heritage-listed sawmill business at Symes Street, Grandchester, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1941. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. History The Gi ...


Education

Grandchester State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at School Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 37 students with 6 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).


Amenities

The
Ipswich City Council The City of Ipswich is a local government area in Queensland, Australia, located within the southwest of the Brisbane metropolitan area, including the urban area surrounding the city of Ipswich and surrounding rural areas. Geography The ...
operates a fortnightly
mobile library A bookmobile or mobile library is a vehicle designed for use as a library. They have been known by many names throughout history, including traveling library, library wagon, book wagon, book truck, library-on-wheels, and book auto service. Bookm ...
service which visits the Grandchester Hotel. St Anne's Anglican Church at 798 Hiddenvale Road () holds monthly services. It is part of the Rosewood Anglican Parish.


See also

*
Rosewood Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. True rosewoods All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated ...
* Rail transport in Queensland * Victoria Tunnel, Queensland


References


External links

* * * {{authority control Towns in Queensland City of Ipswich Localities in Queensland