Rannes is a rural town in the west of the locality of

Goovigen Goovigen is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Goovigen had a population of 215 people. A second town, Rannes (), is also within the locality of Goovigen, near its western boundary ...

in the

Shire of Banana The Shire of Banana is a local government area located in the Capricorn region of Queensland, Australia, inland from the regional city of Gladstone. The shire was named after the first township in the region (Banana), which in turn was named ...

, Queensland, Australia.

Geography

Rannes is in Central Queensland between Wowan and

Banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

on the

Leichhardt Highway The Leichhardt Highway is a major transport route in Queensland, Australia. It is a continuation northward from Goondiwindi of the Newell Highway, via a section of the Cunningham Highway. It runs northward from Goondiwindi for more than 600 ki ...

and the Don River.

History

Rannes was established as a

pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

sheep station property in April 1853 by Scottish brothers James, Norman and Charles Leith Hay. The brothers were the offspring of Peninsula War veteran

Andrew Leith Hay Sir Andrew Leith Hay of Rannes (17 February 1785 – 13 October 1862) was a Scottish soldier, Whig politician and writer on architecture. Biography Andrew Leith Hay was the eldest son of General Alexander Leith Hay of Rannes and Mary Forbes of ...

and the grandsons of General Alexander Leith Hay of Leith Hall. They were the first Europeans to occupy the region and at that time Rannes was the northern-most outpost of British colonisation in Eastern Australia. The brothers named the property Rannes after a Leith Hay family manor house located near Buckie in Scotland. On 11 May 1853, James Leith Hay sent a letter to Lieutenant John Murray, reporting that two of his shepherds had been murdered by Aborigine men and requested the services of the Native Police. On 16 May, Murray and a section of troopers arrived at Rannes Station. Two days later, Murray went in search for those responsible. In November 1853, James Leith Hay requested a section of Native Police be posted permanently at Rannes after two men were killed and one hundred sheep stolen. A sort of peace ensued and some of the local tribes were allowed onto the property. On the night of 23 September 1855, the Native Police barracks at Rannes was attacked by a large number of Aboriginal men, killing three troopers and leaving all but one wounded. Murray then led the Native Police and pursued Aborigines "who had taken forcible possession of a station and were prevented from murdering the inhabitants by the timely arrival of the troopers." Sub-Lieutenant Walker also led a patrol to search for the murderers but did not find them. The town of Rannes was surveyed by surveyor A.F. Wood in July 1860 and the town reserve was gazetted 2 October 1860 (page 396). StateLibQld 1 105260 Shire Council building, Rannes, ca

StateLibQld 1 105260 Shire Council building, Rannes, ca

Rannes was once a major railway town at the junction of the

Dawson Valley railway line The Dawson Valley Branch Railway was a railway line in Central Queensland, Australia. It branched from the Central Western railway line at Kabra in the Rockhampton Region and went via Mount Morgan to Theodore in the Shire of Banana. It op ...

and the

Callide Valley railway line The Callide Valley railway line ran from Rannes to Lawgi in Queensland, Australia. The Callide Valley lies to the south-west of Rockhampton in Central Queensland. History There were grand plans to link Monto by railway with the south, east ...

. Both railway lines having been abandoned, the Rannes railway station is no longer extant (). In 1880, the local government area

Banana Division #REDIRECT Shire of Banana The Shire of Banana is a local government area located in the Capricorn region of Queensland, Australia, inland from the regional city of Gladstone. The shire was named after the first township in the region (Banana) ...

(later the

) was established with its headquarters in

(taking its name from the town). However, in 1930 the shire headquarters became Rannes and the shire offices were physically relocated from Banana to Rannes. Since 1946, the shire has its headquarters in

Biloela Biloela ( ) is a rural town and locality in Shire of Banana, Central Queensland, Australia. It is situated inland from the port city of Gladstone at the junction of the Burnett and Dawson highways. Biloela is the administrative centre of Banan ...

Railway Station at Rannes, Queensland - circa 1940s

Rannes railway station was originally named Kuyul, but was changed 29 April 1915. Rannes State School opened on 14 March 1916. It closed on 23 February 1960 but reopened on 30 January 1962. It closed permanently on 18 March 1966. Woolein State School opened on 27 February 1918 and closed on 17 August 1924.

Economy

Rannes is primarily a farming town which specialises in the beef and

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...

industry.

Education

There are no schools in Rannes. The nearest government primary school is Goovigen State School in the town of Goovigen to the east. The nearest government secondary schools are Baralaba State School (to Year 10) in Baralaba to the west and Biloela State High School (to Year 12) in

to the south-east.

References

External links