Amiens is a rural

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

in the

Southern Downs Region The Southern Downs Region is a local government area (LGA) in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The region runs along the state's southern boundary with New South Wales and was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of War ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , Amiens had a population of 343 people.

History

Following

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Amiens was one of the Pikedale soldier settlements established in the

Granite Belt The Granite Belt is an area of the Great Dividing Range in the Darling Downs region of Queensland and the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The Granite Belt is centred on the town of Stanthorpe. The cool, high country of the gr ...

area of the

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generally ...

. The name ''Amiens'' refers to the World War I battlefield in northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, of special importance to the Australian Imperial Force in March–April 1918. The name was suggested by surveyor George Grant in 1920. Construction of the Amiens railway line commenced in 1919 and the line was opened on 7 June 1920 with the locality being served by the now-dismantled Amiens railway station (). Edward, Prince of Wales travelled the length of the Amiens branch in a

royal train A royal train is a set of railway carriages dedicated for the use of the king or other members of a royal family. Most monarchies with a railway system employ a set of royal carriages. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial tr ...

to officially open the line on 26 July 1920. On Saturday 15 October 1921, a Methodist church was officially opened in Amiens by Reverend Edwin George Walker, of

Stanthorpe Stanthorpe is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Stanthorpe had a population of 5,286 people. The area surrounding the town is known as the Granite Belt. Geography Stant ...

. It had been relocated from Tannymorel (where it had been opened in 1902). In 1945, it was relocated to Severnlea, where it is now operates as the Severnlea Uniting Church. Although the intention of the soldier settlement farms in the district was fruit growing, the fruit trees required a number of years before they would bear fruit and the government loans on the farms required immediate interest payments. Many soldier settlers turned to vegetable growing, both for their own use and to enable them to sell for a short-term income. Pikedale Soldier's Settlement State School opened on 10 March 1919. In 1920 it was renamed Amiens State School. On Sunday 1 July 1923, St Denys' Anglican Church was officially opened by Canon David Garland. It was named after St Denys, a patron saint of France. On Saturday 26 June 1926, the Amiens Memorial School of Arts and Hall was officially opened by Major Edward Costello, the

Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly This is a list of members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the state parliament of Queensland, sorted by parliament. See also * Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral districts This is a list of current and former Electoral dis ...

for Carnarvon. It was used for the annual agricultural show as well as social events such as dances. It was located in Memorial Lane, but was relocated in the 1980s to Storm King Dam to be used as a recreation centre in the youth camp. St Patrick's Catholic Church was established in 1964, having been relocated from

Sugarloaf A sugarloaf was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which dark molasses, ...

. The railway line closed on 28 February 1974. Fruit and vegetables are carried by road to the markets.

Demographics

In the , Amiens had a population of 293 people. In the , Amiens had a population of 343 people.

Heritage listings

Amiens has a number of

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and human-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In ma ...

sites, including: * 17 Trevethan Lane: St Denys Anglican Church

Economy

Amiens is a fruit and vegetable growing district. As the Granite Belt suffers from regular hail, many orchards are protected by hail nets. Traditionally hail nets were intended to prevent the hail from entering the orchard; however, the heavy hail would pool in the nets and break through onto the orchard below. Modern hail nets are designed to have gullies between the rows of the trees which allow the hail to fall into the orchards but avoiding the fruit on the trees.

Education

Amiens State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 1337 Amiens Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 39 students with 3 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent). There is no secondary school in Amiens. The nearest government secondary school is Stanthorpe State High School in

to the south-east.

Amenities

St Denys Anglican Church is at 17 Trevethan Lane (). It is part of the Stanthorpe Parish within the

Anglican Diocese of Brisbane The Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, also known as Anglican Church Southern Queensland, is based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The diocesan bishop's seat is at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane. The diocese stretches from the south-eastern coastl ...

. St Patrick's Catholic Church is at 10 Goldfields Road ().

Attractions

The Amiens Legacy Centre is at 17 Goldfield Road (). It is operated by the Amiens History Association. Tours are available. The Robert Channon Winery hosts musical events in their Swigmore Hall.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Southern Downs Region Queensland soldier settlements 1920 establishments in Australia Localities in Queensland