Barakula, Queensland

{{GeoGroup}}{{Infobox Australian place

| type = suburb

| name = Barakula

| city =

| state = qld

| image = Timber cutter near a large log in the Barakula district.jpg

| caption = Timber cutter with a large log in Barakula

| coordinates = {{coord|-26.3311|150.5977|type:city_region:AU-QLD|display=inline,title|name=Barakula (centre of locality)}}

| pop = 0

| pop_year = {{CensusAU|2021}}

| pop_footnotes =

| established =

| postcode = 4413[https://auspost.com.au/postcode/barakula Barakula Postcode] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115220303/https://auspost.com.au/postcode/barakula |date=15 November 2021 }} Australia Post

| area = 1639.4

| timezone = AEST

| utc = +10:00

| dist1 =

| dir1 =

| location1 =

| dist2 =

| dir2 =

| location2 =

| dist3 =

| dir3 =

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| location4 =

| lga = Western Downs Region

| stategov = Callide

| fedgov = Maranoa

| near-n = Auburn

| near-ne = Kragra

| near-e = Durah

| near-se = Fairyland
Burncluith

| near-s = Blackswamp

| near-sw = Hookswood

| near-w = Pelham

| near-nw = Roche Creek

}}

Barakula is a rural locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia.{{cite QPN|47662|Barakula|locality in Western Downs Region|access-date=14 December 2020}} In the {{CensusAU|2021}}, Barakula had "no people or a very low population".

Barakula's postcode is 4413.

History

In 1911 the Queensland Railway Department built a tramway from Chinchilla to Wongongera (now Barakula) to transport railway sleepers made from logs taken from the state forest at Barakula and milled at the Barakula sawmill (approx {{Coord|-26.4279|150.5044|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Barakula sawmill (former)}}). The route of the Barakula tramway was based on an earlier plan to construct a railway line from Chinchilla to Taroom that was subsequently abandoned in favour of a railway line from Miles to Taroom.{{cite news|date=16 May 1911|title=RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT.|page=5|newspaper=The Brisbane Courier|issue=16,643|location=Queensland, Australia|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19688747|via=National Library of Australia|access-date=9 November 2021|archive-date=15 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115220352/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/19688747|url-status=live}}{{cite news|date=16 September 1911|title=DOWNS RAILWAYS|volume=LIV|page=5|newspaper=Darling Downs Gazette|issue=9853|location=Queensland, Australia|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article180616721|via=National Library of Australia|access-date=9 November 2021|archive-date=15 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115220313/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/180616721|url-status=live}} Originally established to supply sleepers for the Great Western Railway, the sawmill and the tramway operated intermittently depending on demand. The sawmill was mothballed in August 1928 but a caretaker, F. Brooks, was retained. The line reopened in 1942.{{Cite journal|last=Knowles|first=John|date=June 2010|title=Re: Tall Timber and Tramlines in Queensland|url=http://media.lrrsa.org.au/folu213/Light_Railways_213.pdf|journal=Light Railways|issue=213|pages=26|access-date=15 November 2021|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709074314/http://media.lrrsa.org.au/folu213/Light_Railways_213.pdf|url-status=live}} The tramway operated until 1970.{{Cite web|title=From Charley's Creek to Chinchilla|url=https://www.queenslandrail.com.au/History/Documents/QR014.3_150Storyboards_Chinchilla_LR_0515.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=9 November 2021|website=The railway through Queensland's south and west|publisher=Queensland Rail|archive-date=13 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313115749/https://www.queenslandrail.com.au/History/Documents/QR014.3_150Storyboards_Chinchilla_LR_0515.pdf}} It was a {{track gauge|3ft6in}} gauge tramway.{{Cite journal|last=Houghton|first=Norman|date=June 2008|title=Queensland Rail Tales|url=https://www.foresthistory.org.au/newsletter/afhsnewsletter49.pdf|journal=Australian Forest History Society Inc. Newsletter|issue=49|pages=8|access-date=15 November 2021|archive-date=23 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323132247/https://www.foresthistory.org.au/newsletter/afhsnewsletter49.pdf|url-status=live}}

Wongongera Sawmill Provisional School opened on 25 July 1912. In 1914 it was renamed Barakula Provisional School. It closed and re-opened a number of times due to low student numbers. In 1927 it became Barakula State School. It closed on 31 December 1982.{{Citation | author1=Queensland Family History Society | title=Queensland schools past and present | publication-date=2010 | publisher=Queensland Family History Society | edition=Version 1.01 | isbn=978-1-921171-26-0 }} It was located within Barakula State Forest (approximately {{coord|-26.4273|150.5027|type:edu_region:AU-QLD|name=Barakula State School (former)}}).{{Cite web|date=1951|title=Queensland Two Mile series sheet 2m83|url=https://gisservices.information.qld.gov.au/arcgis/rest/directories/historicalscans/cad_scans/cad-map-2mile-qld-2m83-roads-1951.jpg|url-status=live|access-date=6 November 2021|publisher=Queensland Government|type=Map|archive-date=6 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106063248/https://gisservices.information.qld.gov.au/arcgis/rest/directories/historicalscans/cad_scans/cad-map-2mile-qld-2m83-roads-1951.jpg}}{{Queensland Globe|access-date=6 November 2021}}

Demographics

In the {{CensusAU|2016}} Barakula had a population of 13 people.{{Census 2016 AUS|id=SSC30151|name=Barakula (SSC)|access-date=20 October 2018|quick=on}}

In the {{CensusAU|2021}}, Barakula had "no people or a very low population".{{Census 2021 AUS|id=SAL30150|name=Barakula (SAL)|access-date=28 February 2023|quick=on}}

Heritage listings

Barakula has the following heritage-listed sites:

Waaje Fire Tower No.4, Barakula State Forest{{cite QHR||Waaje Fire Tower No.4|650070|access-date=22 February 2018}}

Barakula, Queensland

History

Demographics

Heritage listings

References

Further reading