Many Peaks, Queensland

Gureng Gureng (also known as Gooreng Gooreng, Goreng Goreng, Goeng, Gurang, Goorang Goorang, Korenggoreng) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Gureng Gureng people. The Gooreng Gooreng language region includes the towns of Bundaberg, Gin Gin and Miriam Vale extending south towards Childers, inland to Monto and Mt Perry.{{Cite web|url=https://maps.slq.qld.gov.au/iyil/view/17?embed=true|title=Gureng Gureng|date=21 January 2020|website=State Library of Queensland|access-date=21 January 2020|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214421/https://maps.slq.qld.gov.au/iyil/view/17?embed=true|url-status=live}}

The township was briefly called Nanandu, but the name was changed back to Many Peaks in July 1909 to avoid being confused with the town of Nanango.{{Cite news|title=The Bundaberg Mail and Burnett Advertiser, 6 July 1909|page=3}}{{cite news |date=1 October 1907 |title=NANANDU. |page=3 |newspaper=The Bundaberg Mail And Burnett Advertiser |issue=3333 |location=Queensland, Australia |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article215747357 |accessdate=29 September 2022 |via=National Library of Australia}} The Many Peaks Range runs to the east and south east of the Boyne Valley.{{cite news |date=7 September 1895 |title=Boyne River Watershed.-I |volume=XLVIII |page=469 |newspaper=The Queenslander |issue=1037 |location=Queensland, Australia |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21635657 |accessdate=29 September 2022 |via=National Library of Australia}} The Many Peaks Boarding House had been conducted by Mrs Nina Jensen at Nanandu for several years previously.{{cite news |date=4 August 1908 |title=Advertising |page=3 |newspaper=The Bundaberg Mail And Burnett Advertiser |issue=35266 |location=Queensland, Australia |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article215289473 |accessdate=29 September 2022 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |date=12 August 1907 |title=GLADSTONE. |page=5 |newspaper=Morning Bulletin |issue=13,350 |location=Queensland, Australia |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article53098709 |accessdate=29 September 2022 |via=National Library of Australia}}

Nanandu Post Office opened by August 1907, was renamed Many Peaks in July 1909 and closed in 1977.{{Cite web | last = Phoenix Auctions History | title = Post Office List | publisher = Phoenix Auctions | url = http://www.phoenixauctions.com.au/cgi-bin/wsPhoenix.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=QLD&filter=*Many*Peaks* | access-date = 3 March 2021 | archive-date = 4 June 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220604080623/http://www.phoenixauctions.com.au/cgi-bin/wsPhoenix.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=QLD&filter=%2AMany%2APeaks%2A | url-status = live }}

File:Students and teacher, Many Peaks State School, circa 1908.jpg

Nanandu Provisional School opened in March 1909. On 1 April 1909, it was renamed Many Peaks State School. It closed in 1973.{{Cite QSA Agency|6522|Many Peaks State School|4 June 2022

}} It was at 5 Wentworth Street ({{Coord|-24.5446|151.3727|type:edu_region:AU-QLD|name=Many Peaks State School (former)}}).{{Cite web |date=1984 |title=Towns of Many Peaks |url=https://gisservices.information.qld.gov.au/arcgis/rest/directories/historicalscans/cad_scans/cad-map-town-many-peaks-1984.jpg |access-date=4 June 2022 |publisher=Queensland Government |type=Map |archive-date=16 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116031837/https://gisservices.information.qld.gov.au/arcgis/rest/directories/historicalscans/cad_scans/cad-map-town-many-peaks-1984.jpg |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=1975 |title=9148-14 Many Peaks |url=https://gisservices.information.qld.gov.au/arcgis/rest/directories/historicalscans/topo_scans/topo-map-25000-line-colour-9148-14-many-peaks-ed-1-1975.jpg |access-date=4 June 2022 |publisher=Queensland Government |type=Map |archive-date=4 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604080629/https://gisservices.information.qld.gov.au/arcgis/rest/directories/historicalscans/topo_scans/topo-map-25000-line-colour-9148-14-many-peaks-ed-1-1975.jpg |url-status=live }}

Many Peaks Hospital was opened on October 15th 1909 and remained in use until the 1990s when the Boyne Valley Primary Healthcare Clinic was opened in nearby Builyan.{{Cite news |date=2025-02-17 |title=Community's plea as former country hospital left to 'rot away' |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-18/queensland-health-under-pressure-fix-sell-many-peaks-hospital/104937446 |access-date=2025-03-05 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}

Three shops were destroyed by fire in Many Peaks in January 1916 with the Theatre Grand, a large building, also damaged due to a lack of an available fire brigade or sufficient water to fight the blaze.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article79754856|title=Barcaldine AND General Budget|date=22 January 1916|newspaper=The Western Champion and General Advertiser for the Central-Western Districts|access-date=5 February 2020|location=Queensland, Australia|page=6|via=Trove|archive-date=4 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604080633/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/79754856|url-status=live}}

Nicholas Gianis Veneris (Nicholas Hellen) purchased a property with an established café and fruit orchard in Many Peaks in 1915-1916 and in time he was to become one of the first Greek immigrants to serve as a Councillor for the Calliope Shire Council.{{Cite SLQ-CC-BY|url=http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol/2019/10/14/cafe-many-peaks-boyne-valley/|title=Cafe Many Peaks, Boyne Valley|author=Anne Scheu|date=14 October 2019|access-date=5 February 2020}}

Many Peaks Railway Camp Provisional School opened on 23 Oct 1922 as part of the railway construction camp (57 Mile Camp) for the Gladstone to Monto railway line. In 1923, it was relocated south to the 63 Mile Camp. In 1926, it moved south to 67 Mile Camp and was renamed Barrimoon Provisional School (Barrimoon being the name of the railway station there). In 1927, it moved again to 74 Mile Camp and its name was changed in 1928 to Kalpowar Provisional School. In 1929, it moved to 82 Mile Camp and in September 1930 it was renamed Bancroft Provisional School. On 1 August 1931, it became Bancroft State School and remained there permanently until its closure on 31 December 1998.{{Citation|author1=Queensland Family History Society|title=Queensland schools past and present|date=2010|edition=Version 1.01|publisher=Queensland Family History Society|isbn=978-1-921171-26-0}}

Many Peaks has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Glassford Creek Smelter Sites, off Many Peaks Road{{cite QHR|5070|Glassford Creek Smelter Sites|602389|accessdate=8 July 2013}}
• The Builyan Cemetery (formerly the Many Peaks Cemetery) is on the Gladstone Regional Council's Local Heritage Register.{{Cite web |last=Billing |first=Amy |title=Local Heritage Register |url=https://www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/local-heritage-register |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=Gladstone Regional Council |at=Builyan Cemetery}} An area of {{Convert|4|acre}} at Many Peaks was proclaimed a cemetery reserve in 1910.{{cite news |date=25 November 1910 |title=PUBLIC RESERVES. |page=7 |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |issue=16,497 |location=Queensland, Australia |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19655586 |accessdate=29 September 2022 |via=National Library of Australia}}
• The Grand Hotel was opened in 1909 and was one of five hotels in the town. The hotel was originally the Railway Hotel, which was located close to the Gladstone railway station. It was dismantled in 1907 and every item was carefully numbered and then transported to Many Peaks, where it was rebuilt. . The Many Peaks Roll of Honour, honouring town residents who died fighting in World War I, is also located in the dining room.{{Cite web |last=Billing |first=Amy |title=Local Heritage Register |url=https://www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/local-heritage-register |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=Gladstone Regional Council |at=Grand Hotel, Many Peaks}} The hotel was closed in 2020, and reopened in December 2024 under new owners Desley and Craig O'Grady.{{Cite news |date=2025-02-28 |title=Community helps restore country pub after five-year closure |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-01/many-peaks-community-helps-restore-pub-after-five-year-closure/104964382 |access-date=2025-03-05 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}
• The Many Peaks Railway Complex.{{Cite web |last=Billing |first=Amy |title=Local Heritage Register |url=https://www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/local-heritage-register |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=Gladstone Regional Council |at=Many Peaks Railway Complex}}
• Many Peaks Railway Dam.{{Cite web |last=Billing |first=Amy |title=Local Heritage Register |url=https://www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/local-heritage-register |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=Gladstone Regional Council |at=Many Peaks Railway Dam}}
• Many Peaks Road Bridge.{{Cite web |last=Billing |first=Amy |title=Local Heritage Register |url=https://www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/local-heritage-register |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=Gladstone Regional Council |at=Many Peaks Road Bridge}}

There are no schools in Many Peaks. However, there are three primary schools at the other Boyne Valley township with the nearest being Builyan State School.{{Queensland Globe|access-date=4 June 2022}} The Ubobo State School was temporarily closed in 2019 and remains non-operational.

There are no secondary schools in Boyne Valley. The nearest is Miriam Vale State School in Miriam Vale which offers secondary schooling to Year 10. For Years 11 and 12, the nearest schools are Calliope State High (opening in 2020) and Monto State High School in Monto.

The Dawes Range Tunnel section of the Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail was opened on 11 September 2021. The {{Convert|26.28|km|adj=on}} section starts at Barrimoon Siding, Kalpowar and finishes at Builyan, Boyne Valley.{{Cite web |last=McLachlan |first=Mark |date=2022-08-20 |title=Interactive Maps, Dawes Range Section, BBIRT |url=https://www.boyneburnettinlandrailtrail.org.au/blog/interactive-maps-dawes-range-section-bbirt/ |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail}} The trail passes through the historic township of Many Peaks. This section contains 6 tunnels between Barrimoon Siding and Golembil Siding. The tunnels are Local Heritage listed.{{Cite web |last=McLachlan |first=Mark |date=2018-06-19 |title=Railway Tunnels, Dawes Range between Golembil and Barrimoon sidings |url=https://www.boyneburnettinlandrailtrail.org.au/blog/railway-tunnels-dawes-range-between-golimbal-and-barimoon-sidings/ |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail Blog}}{{Cite web |last=Billing |first=Amy |title=Local Heritage Register |script-title= |url=https://www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/local-heritage-register |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=Gladstone Regional Council |at=Many Peaks / Barrimoon Railway Tunnels}} Tunnel Six is the only place 100 year old rail and hogback sleepers are preserved on any of the disused rail corridors in the state. Hogback sleepers have a round top. They are hand hewn from the hard dense iron bark trees growing adjacent to the track.{{Cite web |last=McLachlan |first=Mark |date=2018-07-17 |title=Is preserving rail and hogbacks in the Boyne Burnett Tunnels and bridges along the corridor important? |url=https://www.boyneburnettinlandrailtrail.org.au/blog/preserving-rail-and-hogbacks/ |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail Blog}}

While not on the rail trail, the Heritage listed Many Peaks Railway Dam is accessed by getting on to the (very low traffic) bitumen road at Many Peaks and riding back less than a kilometre. There is a new shelter shed, history information signage, toilet block and elevated lookout over the old weir. There is no drinking water available.{{Cite web |last=Trail Guide |title=Trail – Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail |url=https://www.railtrails.org.au/trails/boyne-burnett-inland-rail-trail/ |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=Rail Trails Australia}}

• List of schools in Central Queensland

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Many Peaks, Queensland}}

• {{cite web|title=Many Peaks|url=http://queenslandplaces.com.au/many-peaks|website=Queensland Places|publisher=Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland}}
• {{cite web|date=1984|title=Town map of Many Peaks|url=https://gisservices.information.qld.gov.au/arcgis/rest/directories/historicalscans/cad_scans/cad-map-town-many-peaks-1984.jpg|publisher=Queensland Government}}
• [http://www.boynevalley.org.au The Boyne Valley, Queensland, Australia]
• [https://boynevalley.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/valley-road-map.pdf Map of The Boyne Valley]

{{Gladstone Region}}

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Category:Towns in Queensland