Marburg, Queensland
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Marburg is a rural town in the
City of Ipswich The City of Ipswich is a local government area (LGA) located within the southwest of Greater Brisbane, which in turn, is situated within the vast South East region of the state of Queensland. Positioned between the City of Brisbane and the Ci ...
and a
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 ...
split between the City of Ipswich and the
Somerset Region The Somerset Region is a local government area located in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, northwest of the City of Brisbane. The region is centred on the town of Esk, which also serves as the council seat. Somer ...
, both in
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 , the locality of Marburg had a population of 1,013 people.


Geography

Marburg is located approximately west-south-west from Brisbane city. The land has an elevation of between approximately 80 and 120 metres above sea level. A small creek, the Black Snake creek, runs through Marburg. It is named after the
Red-bellied Black Snake The red-bellied black snake (''Pseudechis porphyriacus'') is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae, indigenous to Australia. Originally described by George Shaw in 1794 as a species new to science, it is one of eastern Australia ...
.
Rosewood–Marburg Road Warrego Highway state-controlled roads presents information about how the Warrego Highway is described for administrative and funding purposes by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, and about the state-controlled roads that int ...
enters from the south.


History

German settlers arrived around the 1860s in the region, which is part of the land of the Indigenous
Jagera people The Jagera people, also written Yagarr, Yaggera, Yuggera, and other variants, are the Australian First Nations people who speak the Yuggera language. The Yuggera language which encompasses a number of dialects was spoken by the traditional own ...
. The district was initially named ''Sally Owens Plains'', but the town itself takes its present name from
Marburg Marburg (; ) is a college town, university town in the States of Germany, German federal state () of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Districts of Germany, district (). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has ...
in
Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
, Germany. The story goes that the settlers used to respond with 'ober dar' when asked where they lived. Eventually they named their settlement after the German town of Marburg, which was well known at the time. The timber, sugar cane and dairy industries put Marburg on its feet and the town grew over time. About 46 acres, sub-divided into 200 allotments, were offered for sale by auction on 29 November 1884. Advertising included details of the clearing of the Rosewood Scrub, of close-by townships, and the future rail and telegraph services, following "the establishment of the police station". In 1900 Marburg had a courthouse, police barracks, a post office, two hotels, five churches, a State school, a School of Arts, several stores, a blacksmith, a butter factory, a sugar factory and a rum distillery. At that time nearly 80 percent of Marburg's population came from Germany or were of German descent. Frederick State School opened on 18 March 1879. In 1888, the name was changed to Marburg State School. From 1920 to 1934, it incorporated a rural school, which taught practical skills needed for farming. In 1977, a pre-school centre was added. Marburg Post Office opened on 1 October 1879 (a
receiving office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
named Frederick had been open from 1878), was renamed Townshend in 1917 during World War 1 and reverted to Marburg in 1919. On 4 July 1891, All Saints' Anglican Church was officially dedicated by
Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
William Webber. It was built at 2-6 Seminary Road () adjacent to the present
Warrego Highway The Warrego Highway is located in southern Queensland, Australia. It connects coastal centres to the south western areas of the state, and is approximately 715 km in length. It takes its name from the Warrego River, which is the endpoint ...
on of land donated by Thomas Lorimer Smith, the owner of the mansion Woodlands, also in Seminary Road. It was designed by architect
George Brockwell Gill George Brockwell Gill (1857–1954) was an architect in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. Many of the buildings he designed are heritage-listed. Early life George Brockwell Gill was born in 1857 in the Lambert district of Surrey, England. Archite ...
of
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
and built by W. Luder for £225. On Wednesday 9 November 1892, Bishop Webber returned to consecrate the church's burial ground. Not being located in the town itself led to requests to relocate the church. In 1956, land was bought in Queen Street and a church hall was built on the site, opening in February 1959, but the church remained at its original location. However, in the 1970s, the plan to make the Warrego Highway four lanes wide required the resumption of part of the church's land. The last service was held at the original location on 22 May 1977 after which it was moved onto the Queen Street site beside the hall. On 22 October 1979, the church re-opened with a service conducted by Reverend John Magee. The cemetery remains at the original site. Marburg grew rapidly in the first half of the twentieth century, as the main road from Brisbane to
Toowoomba Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...
passed through the town's centre. Marburg became popular as a stopover for travellers. Marburg was the administrative centre for local government in the area, composing Walloon Division (1879–1903) and
Shire of Walloon The Shire of Walloon is a former local government area in the south-east of Queensland, Australia. Its administrative centre was in the town of Marburg. History On 11 November 1879, the Walloon Division was created as one of 74 divisions withi ...
(1903–1917). In 1912, the Marburg branch railway line from
Rosewood Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...
to Marburg was opened but only a few years later the railway began to suffer from the competition of highway traffic. It still survived until 1965 when the line was closed. There were two stations within the locality (from north to south): * Marburg railway station () * Malabar railway station () Because of an anti-German sentiment of some State politicians the name of Marburg was changed during the
First World War 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 ...
into ''Townshend'', a name change the locals did not support. Dr. Sirois, the local General Practician at the time, was instrumental in having the name Marburg be re-introduced after the war in 1920, which created a storm of protest but the name ''Marburg'' prevailed. In 1971, the
Warrego Highway The Warrego Highway is located in southern Queensland, Australia. It connects coastal centres to the south western areas of the state, and is approximately 715 km in length. It takes its name from the Warrego River, which is the endpoint ...
had of new road built to bypass Marburg, including bridges over Queen Street and Black Snake Creek.


Demographics

In the , the locality of Marburg had a population of 567 people. In the , the locality of Marburg had a population of 873 people. In the , the locality of Marburg had a population of 1,013 people.


Heritage listings

Marburg 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: * Marburg Hotel, Edmond Street * Marburg Community Centre and First World War Memorial, 71 Edmond Street * Rosewood Scrub Historical Society Building, 73 Edmond Street * Marburg State School, Louisa Street * Woodlands, Seminary Road


Education

Marburg State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 40-54 School Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 52 students with 5 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent). The nearest government secondary schools are Rosewood State High School in
Rosewood Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...
to the south and
Lowood State High School Lowood State High School is a band 10 state high school in Lowood (Queensland, Australia), located 32 km north-west of Ipswich, an area administered by the council of Somerset. Administration The school's founding principal was Peter Whitelaw ...
in
Lowood Lowood is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Lowood had a population of 4,082 people. Geography The town is on the Brisbane River, west of th ...
to the north.


Amenities

Marburg has active community groups such as the Marburg and District Resident's Association, the Rosewood Scrub Historical Society, the Marburg Harness Racing Club, the Marburg Show Society and show grounds. The town hosts the Marburg Fire and Rescue Station, the Marburg Rural Fire Brigade, and the Marburg branch of the State Emergency Services. Weekly Sunday services are held at All Saints' Anglican Church at 111 Queen Street (). A street library was installed in the park in the centre of the town by the Marburg Residents Association. It includes a reading room in the form of a typical Australian
outhouse An outhouse — known variously across the English-speaking world otherwise as bog, dunny, long-drop, or privy — is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket ...
.


Attractions

'Woodlands' is Marburg's finest building. It is an example of the nineteenth century plantation owner's residence and for its historic significance in relation to the development of various primary industries in Queensland. It was built between 1888 and 1891 by Thomas Lorrimar Smith who was the owner of the sawmill, sugarmill, distillery and other business interests in the region. At present the property serves as a centre for functions such as weddings, business meetings and conferences.


Events

The Marburg Black Snake Creek Festival is an annual event held in October and features musicians and other attractions. The 'Band in the Park' is an initiative of the Marburg and District Resident's Association on the first Friday of the month at 6.30 pm. Marburg is well known for its 'Marburg Dances' which take place every Saturday night in the hall on the show grounds.
Harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...
takes place regularly on the Marburg race course at the show grounds.


References


External links

*
Town map of Marburg, 1973





Woodlands of Marburg

Black Snake Creek Festival
{{authority control Towns in Queensland City of Ipswich Suburbs of Somerset Region Localities in Queensland