The Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame is a museum located in Longreach,

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, which pays tribute to pioneers of the

Australian outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass ...

. The centre is also dedicated to Australian stockmen who have shown bravery and courage. The founder of the

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

was artist Hugh Sawrey, a well-known painter and former stockman, who had the name registered in 1974, put up the initial funding, and enlisted supporters. His vision was to create a memorial to the explorers, overlanders, pioneers and settlers of outback Australia. This dream was shared by other outstanding Australians, including the legendary R. M. Williams. Longreach was chosen as the location because of its historical role as a stock route junction and because of its current transport links. The original information centre, a sandstone cottage built by R. M. Williams, complete with hand

adze An adze () or adz is an ancient and versatile cutting tool similar to an axe but with the cutting edge perpendicular to the handle rather than parallel. Adzes have been used since the Stone Age. They are used for smoothing or carving wood in ha ...

d timber and black marble floors, was restored to its original character and now houses the Hall of Fame's growing library collection. The structure was designed by Sydney architect Feiko Bouman and provides of usable floor space.

History

In 1980, an architectural design competition was announced by the

Royal Australian Institute of Architects The Australian Institute of Architects, officially the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (abbreviated as RAIA), is Australia's professional body for architects. Its members use the post-nominals FRAIA (Fellow), ARAIA (Associate Member) an ...

. Construction began in July 1985. The Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame was opened by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

Queen of Australia The monarchy of Australia is a key component of Australia's form of government, by which a hereditary monarch serves as the country's sovereign and head of state. It is a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the Westminster system of parli ...

on 29 April 1988. In 2009, as part of the

Q150 Q150 was the sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) of the Separation of Queensland from New South Wales in 1859. Separation established the Colony of Queensland which became the State of Queensland in 1901 as part of the Federation of Australia ...

celebrations, the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame was announced as one of the

Q150 Icons The Queensland's Q150 Icons list of cultural icons was compiled as part of Q150 celebrations in 2009 by the Government of Queensland, Australia. It represented the people, places and events that were significant to Queensland Queensland ...

of Queensland for its role as a "location". In 2021, the museum reopened after a three year makeover that cost $15 million. The museum now features an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure-style experience using headsets and smart devices.

Displays

Gold medals once belonging to legendary

sheep shearer A sheep shearer is a worker who uses (hand-powered)-blade or machine shears to remove wool from domestic sheep during crutching or shearing. History During the early years of sheep breeding in Australia, shearing was carried out by shepherds, as ...

Jackie Howe are on display. A restored Queen Air plane hangs from the ceiling in a display about the

Royal Flying Doctor Service The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an aeromedical retrieval service in Australia and the largest of its kind in the world. It is a non-profit organisation that provides urgent and emergency medica ...

References

External links

Official websiteAMOL National Guide to Collecting Institutions
- Images of the Outback
Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame collection on eHive
{{coord, -23.4441, 144.2747, type:landmark_region:AU, display=title Halls of fame in Australia Museums in Queensland Awards established in 1988 Agriculture museums in Australia Agriculture in Queensland 1998 establishments in Australia Longreach, Queensland Livestock in Australia

History

Displays

See also

References

External links