Byee 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

South Burnett Region The South Burnett Region is a local government area in the South Burnett district of Queensland, Australia. In the , the South Burnett Region had a population of 32,996 people. Geography The South Burnett Region covers an area , containing a ...

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 , Byee had a population of 39 people.

History

The district name was chosen by the

Queensland Railways Department Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Queensland Rail is owned by the Queensland Government, and operates both suburban and interurban rail services in South East Queensland, as well as long-distance passenger t ...

in 1915 when plans for the Murgon to Proston branch line were approved and under development. The word ''Byee'' is derived from Aboriginal origin with connotations meaning ''silver leaf ironbark tree''. The branch railway from

Murgon Murgon () is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Murgon had a population of 2,220 people. Geography Murgon is in the region of Queensland ...

Proston Proston is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Proston had a population of 410 people. Geography The town is located north-west of the state capital, Brisbane northwest of th ...

opened on 25 February 1923, with Byee the second station on the route after Barlil, although some services to Byee functioned prior to the entire line opening as that section had been completed. A mixed service was provided three times a week between 1938 and 1964 utilising a

rail motor A railcar (not to be confused with the generic term railroad car or railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coa ...

service operated to and from

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. Located in the Greater Sunshine Coast, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River ( ...

. In 1924 it was reported that the local Byee storekeeper Mr. W.J.Wrigely had been appointed postmaster, and also that the telegraph and telephone office was functioning, and that land had been reserved for the purpose of building a hotel (which never eventuated) A public hall was established at Byee in 1929 on land donated by E.D. Quinlan and was funded by local donations and fundraising efforts such as a dance held in the barn of a nearby property owned by A. Sempf. The hall became a popular local venue for regular dances and social functions. The district had its own soccer and cricket teams which competed in South Burnett fixtures. Telephone infrastructure was first extended to Byee in 1923 and was based at the local railway station which itself was only new. A small village developed in Byee which included a shop, receiving depots and later, grain silos. Most business revolved around the functions of the railway. The railway line was progressively closed with Byee not serviced from 1999. The Byee railway station is now abandoned ().

Demographics

In the , Byee had a population of 31 people. In the , Byee had a population of 39 people.

Education

There are no schools in Byee. The nearest government primary schools are Wheatlands State School in neighbouring Wheatlands to the south and Murgon State School in

to the south-east. The nearest government secondary school is Murgon State High School in Murgon to the south-east.

References

{{South Burnett Region South Burnett Region Localities in Queensland