Ravensbourne is a rural

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 Toowoomba Region,

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 , established_ ...

, Australia. In the , Ravensbourne had a population of 248 people.

Geography

The locality is on the Darling Downs in southern Queensland. The locality is crossed from east to west by the

Esk–Hampton Road The Esk–Hampton Road is a state highway in Queensland. It leaves the Brisbane Valley Highway at Esk and travels in a westerly direction for until it reaches the New England Highway at Hampton, where it ends. This road is part of State Route ...

. In the far north is reservoir created behind the

Cressbrook Dam Cressbrook Dam is one of the three water storages used to supply Toowoomba and the surrounding region in Queensland, Australia. The dam is north-east of Toowoomba in the locality of Biarra in the Somerset Region. It was constructed in 1983 for ...

. Most of the area is within the catchment of the dammed Cressbrook Creek, a tributary of the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Go ...

. However a small section in the southeast lies within the

Lockyer Creek The Lockyer Creek is a creek located in South East Queensland, Australia. A tributary of the Brisbane River, the creek is a major drainage system in the Lockyer Valley. Rising on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, the creek flows ...

catchment. In this part lies the

Ravensbourne National Park Ravensbourne is a national park in Ravensbourne and Buaraba in South East Queensland, Australia, 33 km west of Esk. It is a small scenic park on the Great Dividing Range within the Lockyer Creek water catchment area and overlooking the ...

. In the west Perseverance Creek marks the boundary.

History

The locality takes its name from the parish, which in turn was named after the pastoral run belonging to a Mr ''Raven'' which was near a creek (called a ''

bourne Bourne may refer to: Places UK * Bourne, Lincolnshire, a town ** Bourne Abbey ** Bourne railway station * Bourne (electoral division), West Sussex * Bourne SSSI, Avon, a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Burrington, North Somerset * Bourne ...

'' in many parts of England). A reserve for camping was established in 1880 and cancelled in 1885. A Village Settlement was established in the late 1880s including a post office and a half acre allotment for houses. Ravensbourne Provisional School opened on 22 June 1891. On 1 January 1909, it became Ravensbourne State School. It closed on 31 December 1969. It was at the end of Ravensourne School Road off Post Office Road (). The school acted as a community meeting hall including for the Farmers' Association. Other additions included a general store and saw mill. The school, post office and general store are no longer in operation. Few buildings remain in the original village. The site of the school is currently owned by the

University of Southern Queensland The University of Southern Queensland (branded as UniSQ and formerly branded as USQ) is a medium-sized, regional university based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, with three university campuses at Toowoomba, Springfield and Ipswich. It offe ...

and is marked as a scientific reserve. In 2003 Reushle Cottage was moved from Post Office Road (in Ravensbourne) to Hampton to act as the visitor information centre. In the , Ravensbourne had a population of 248 people.

Agriculture & Lumber

Evidence of an Aboriginal yam dig site can be found in Ravensbourne national park. Logging began in the 1860s and 1870s. By 1891 two mills serviced the area, one situated along Perseverance creek and another established circa 1891 closer to the Ravensbourne village settlement. In 1889 when the Ravensbourne region was opened for selection, large areas were cleared for farming of maize, potatoes and dairy cows. The rich soil has been used for a range of farming activities including vegetable and flower farming. Present day farming activities include cattle, avocados, limes and a range of other vegetables and meat products.

Mining

Gold prospecting was conducted at Bunkers Hill (located in the Ravensbourne region) in the 1870s and by 1932 the site had grown to 25 men. In 1933 deposits of gold, silver, copper and lead were discovered 22 feet (approximately 7 meters) underground. As with much of the gold mining in the Esk and Brisbane Valley regions, gold mining has remained a sideline compared to farming and grazing activities. The region also hosts an open cut mine for Kaolin.

Transport

Early goods were transported by cart from the farms in Ravensbourne to Hampton and then by train from Hampton to Toowoomba for sale. In the 1920s trucks replaced carts for haulage to Hampton or directly to Toowoomba. Sometime after 1932 the

became trafficable allowing access to the

Brisbane Valley railway line The Brisbane Valley railway line was a railway connection in Queensland, Australia connecting Ipswich, west of Brisbane, to the upper Brisbane River valley. Progressively opened between 1884 and 1913, the railway provided a vital transport link ...

. Between 1907 and 1909 the

Munro Tramway The Munro Tramway was a private tramway established in the late 1890s and early 1900s to cart timber and other freight from Perseverance and Ravensbourne to Hampton in Queensland, Australia. The tramway was originally serviced by teams of ho ...

construction reached Ravensbourne, terminating at Bunkers Hill. The private tramway operated until 1936 haling timber and other freight between the loading stations, saw mills and rail connection at Hampton. Very little evidence remains of the tramway as most of the tramway steel was salvaged shortly after it ceased operation.A partially restored

Shay locomotive The Shay locomotive is a geared steam locomotive that originated and was primarily used in North America. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a ''geared st ...

recovered from Bunkers Hill is on display near the Ravensbourne National Park.

Attractions

There are several short walks along the

and a partially restored

is visible from

near Ravensbourne National park. Picnic areas and several short walks can be found at

and the Gus Beutel Lookout. Camping, kangaroos and water activities can be found at

and

Perseverance Dam Perseverance Creek Dam (also known as Perseverance Dam) is a reservoir in Crows Nest, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It creates Lake Perseverance which is the second largest (in terms of storage capacity) and the second oldest reservoi ...

References

External links

{{Toowoomba Region Toowoomba Region Localities in Queensland