TOURS ATTRACTIONS BARCALDINE

Barcaldine and District Museum is housed in the old National Bank Building. There are displays containing artefacts from the pioneering days of the bush including household items, machinery, photographs and paintings. Some of the most unusual include a fruit cake make in the 1970s and an opium pot used by the Chinese population.

The historic Tree of Knowledge is famous for being the birthplace of the Australian Labour movement. The tree was poisoned in 2006, preserved and placed under an award winning timber structure. It is now a place of inspiration, reflection and celebration. It is beautifully lit with green lighting during the night giving the illusion that the tree is still living.

Discover at your own pace the Australian Workers Heritage Centre - a place of reflection, within this museum styled complex, visitors can journey through exhibition space which celebrates the extraordinary legacy of working Australians telling a vitally important part of our nation's history through its working life via interactive displays, film, photographs, artefacts and recreated historical work settings. Sited in the grounds of the former Barcaldine State School, many of the original structures have been re-invented into exhibition space. Historical work places of yesteryear, including a one teacher school, police watch house and railway station, have been relocated to the Centre from throughout Queensland. Home of the "Young-Un' an enduring legacy - this offspring is the only direct descendant of the Heritage listed 'Tree of Knowledge' - symbolic of the Shearers Strike of 1891. Set in over two hectares, the Workers Heritage Centre has been designed with the weary traveller in mind. Beautifully landscaped gardens and shady trees surround a sparkling bore fed billabong creating a cool outback oasis, with the convenience of picnic, barbecue and playground facilities.

Between the Bougainvilleas is an award winning heritage trail, which showcases some of Barcaldine's varied and colourful history. Maroon signs featuring a windmill logo have been placed at significant historical sites around Barcaldine. Each sign gives you a brief history of the site and a photo of what originally stood at that site. The Between the Bougainvillea Heritage Booklet is available from the Visitor Information Centre. You can then either drive or walk the heritage trial at your leisure.