Mallanganee Memorial Park

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A memorial park featuring an entrance consisting of a two-tone brick arch with gates. The left and right pillars each have an honour roll attached. A relief sculpture is set in the wall to the left of the gate. The memorial was dedicated by Lt Col. The Hon. M. F. Bruxner.

Covered eating areas, children’s play facilities, toilets.

The Mallanganee National Park is a short drive from the village and worth a look/drive to it.

 

Mallanganee & District Centenary

16-May-2017
16-May-2017
16-May-2017
Photographs supplied by John Huth

The monument commemorates the centenary of Mallanganee and District from 1878 to 1978. The structure, which is located in the Memorial park, contains a time capsule to be opened in 2028.

Patrick McNamee Anzac Memorial Park-Bonalbo

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Situated on the Cnr of Koreelah St and Clarence Way, Bonalbo, next to the District Hall, this is a lovely little park to stop and take a break in. Toilets are located nearby and there is a café open some days in the adjacent Hall.

Patrick McNamee ANZAC Memorial Park was established on land donated by Mr Patrick McNamee and dedicated in memory of those who served in World War One. The Memorial Park was officially opened in 1938. Roses, in memory of those who served, are planted around the edge of the park and there is a small rotunda where visitors can sit and enjoy the view.

In 2017  a Bronze Statue of  “The Bonalbo working dog” was unveiled in the park as a tribute, marking Bonalbo as the birthplace of working cattle dog trials and to honour our working dog mates.

Bonalbo village with a population around 300 is an ideal location to base yourself and to explore the Upper Clarence River valley. Visitors can enjoy the variety of facilities available, including a round of golf, take  a walk watching the birdlife, observe the sentinel Hoop pines or take a pic of the old gaol door outside the Post Office.

 

The Kyogle Historical Museum

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The museum holds a detailed history of Kyogle and District dating back pre 1900’s. An extensive pictorial collection, maps, stories and items of memorabilia display the path of the early selectors and settlers. You can contact them also re family history research etc. Whether they were on the land, timber getters, railway workers or town’s business people, their story is told here.

The Museum has reopened in Sept 2020 (after shut down due to C-19). Current exhibit displays the history of the Timber Industry since the inception of Kyogle area.

The museum is  situated in lovely new premises in Bloore Street, Kyogle, next door to the Library, and is managed by the volunteer members from the  Kyogle and District Historical Society. Many parts of other historical buildings around Kyogle have been used in the new building. Members and non members may research during the time we are open.

New opening times are Saturdays from 9.00am to 1.00pm and  Thursdays from 10.00am to 2.00pm and Now Tuesdays 10am-1pm.  Bus groups and others can ring and make viewing appointments for other times.  66 321 672 during opening hours. Small complex run by volunteers.

 

LIGHT HORSE MONUMENT- TABULAM

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A monument, located in Chauvel  St, Tabulam,  commemorates the  formation of the Upper Clarence Light Horse unit by Charles Chauvel of Tabulam Station.

This plaque was unveiled on the 5th. October, 1985 by Mrs. Elyne Mitchell daughter of General Sir Harry Chauvel.

The memorial features a base-relief of a Light Horseman, the work of Father John Casey of Mallanganee. It shows the names of those who enlisted from Tabulam and district for the 2 World Wars. Picnic tables and a flag pole are located in the area also.

Tabulam`s involvement with the Light Horse goes back to 1885 when the Chauvel`s owned Tabulam Station. General Sir Harry Chauvel who was born at Tabulam led the Australian and New Zealand mounted troops at The Battle of Beersheba. Sir Harry’s father C.H.E Chauvel raised the 1st Light Horse Troop- Upper Clarence in 1885. The old Captain, Charles Chauvel, had been an Indian Army man and, with the Russian scare in mind, he offered to raise a body of fit and able men to serve, if necessary, on the North West Frontier. The result was that in October 1885, the two troops of the Upper Clarence Light Horse were formed, No 1 (Tabulam) and No 2 (The Border).

On New Year`s Day 1886, 129 men were sworn in and there was a banquet and great rejoicing in McLean`s Tabulam Hotel that night. The first official duty of the new troops was to form a guard of honour at the opening of the Tenterfield Railway in February 1886.

The Boer War (1889-1902) was the first overseas service for the Light Horse. Tabulam’s own Harry Chauvel was there. He served first as an officer with the 1st QMI contingent and again as the CO of the 7th Battalion Australian Commonwealth Horse. Christopher Mealing, Billy Mealing and lou Hunter, at least three Tabulam men, enlisted in the Boer War. They enlisted as State troops but returned as “Commonwealth Military Forces”, Federation having been achieved during their absence.
The Light Horse next served on Gallipoli as infantry and then fighting in Palestine during the desert campaign of 1916-17, under the command of the now General Harry Chauvel. Alf Ravenscroft, whose father, also Alf, was an original member of the Upper Clarence Light Horse, was General Chauvel’s standard bearer during this campaign. Names like Magdhaba, Rafah, Gaza, Romani, El Arish and the famous charge of Beersheba, are a proud part of our history on account of the heroism of our Light Horsemen.
During the post-war years, there was less activity on the part of Citizen’s Military Forces. Perhaps old soldiers were sick of war and talk of war, after all, had they not fought a “war to end all wars”? – or so they thought. By the 1930’s, however, there was a fresh stirring of interest, perhaps fostered by the ominous unrest in Europe.
The Tabulam troop was reformed in January 1931 and became part of the 15th Light Horse, Northern Rivers Lancers. The first parade was held on the same ground where Captain Charles Chauvel first enrolled the men of the Upper Clarence Light Horse, forty six years before. The then Lieutenant Harry Chauvel was now Hon. Colonel of the Regiment.

Bonalbo Old Gaol Door

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The old gaol door was found on a farm outside Bonalbo. Exactly which of the several Bonalbo lock-ups it belonged to has not been determined yet.It has now been restored and is sited outside the Bonalbo Post Office.

The Bonalbo Working Dog Statue-Bonalbo

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A bronze statue of a working dog was unveiled in 2017. It is located in Patrick McNamee Anzac Memorial Park, Bonalbo. The statue was designed and sculpted by Catherine Anderson of Boonah,Qld, under the guidance of local dog triallers who required quality detailing. It marks Bonalbo as the birthplace of working dog trials using cattle and also honours the role played by working dogs in rural life. The Bonalbo Show Society co-ordinated the project A replica of The Bonalbo Township Company seal can also be seen in the park.

Memorial Park – Kyogle

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Located in the southern end of the CBD on Summerland Way between the Memorial Swimming Pool and the Post Office, this park features a children’s playground, seating and roadside parking. Memorial Park is also the site of the town’s Cenotaph commemorating the sacrifices of Service Personnel and is the focal point of Kyogle’s ANZAC Day Ceremonies.

The nearest public toilets are located in Stratheden St (about 100metres away) in the Kyogle Memorial Institute Hall complex.

 

The Border Loop

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A memorial stone indicates the site where the then Commonwealth Attorney-General Mr. J.G. Latham K.C, in 1926, turned the first sod to begin construction of the rail link to Brisbane. It is significant because it was the first time same gauge railway was laid interstate. It also included a major engineering feat, which involved building the railway line over the McPherson Range on the Queensland border. This was achieved by a series of tunnels forming a ‘Spiral Loop’, also known as ‘The Border Loop’. (There is a viewing platform with amenities on the Lions Road, approx 47klms from Kyogle). Upon completion it was possible to travel an unbroken journey from Brisbane to Adelaide. The construction was under taken at the height of the depression, employing 1500 men.

These days train buffs, can watch (if lucky to be there when a train is on the line- one can phone Countrylink on132232 or Casino Railway station on 0266634910 to check on train times) as trains come up one valley, pass through the mountain twice to cross the original track thereby gaining 20 metres in height.

The story goes; Neville Bonner was the first person to travel from Queensland to NSW through the main tunnel. As a small child he would take lunch to his stepfather who worked on the line. When workers ‘broke through’ the NSW/QLD tunnel Neville was passed through the hole.
On the 27th September 1930 when the First Through Train from Sydney to Brisbane rolled out of Kyogle, 4GR a Brisbane radio station decided to give that Saturday afternoon’s horse racing broadcast to a rival station so they could broadcast the arrival of the train into South Brisbane. Not very significant you might say, but if you look a little harder at the times, Australia was in the midst of the Great Depression. Times were tough, people needed relief from day to day pressures, sporting heroes provided much of this relief and one in particular was considered the People’s Champion, Phar Lap. Honest and courageous Phar Lap always gave the punter a fair run for their money. This particular Staurday’s racing program would have been significant because Phar Lap was on his way to win his first Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday in November a little over a month away. Controversy surrounded the champion on this Saturday as to wether he would run in the Caulfield Cup. The punters wagered on the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup double for Phar Lap but speculation was riff that his trainer would scratch him at the last minute leaving a very angry public out of pocket. History shows, that’s what he did, at his next start the champion was booed for the only time in his career, aimed at Talford the trainer.

Art Deco Walk -Kyogle

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What is the link between Art Deco, Cars and Speed?

Speed lines are a feature of the Art Deco style, a style which adopted much from the period when fast cars, fast women, fast lifestyles, cinemas and nightclubs were all the rage. The period had its heyday from 1925 to 1940 and the associated Art Deco architecture indicated forward movement and progressive times. Kyogle’s main street has excellent examples of this period.

Why Art Deco in Kyogle?

Prior to 1920 Kyogle, being close to the “Big Scrub” rainforests most buildings were timber. Some of these early buildings, such as the Masonic Lodge in Stratheden Street and Kyogle Post Office, are still standing. However, in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, a series of large fires burnt whole rows of shops and destroyed much of the original fabric of Kyogle. New buildings were constructed of more durable bricks and as the Art Deco style was at the height of its  popularity local builders and architects enthusiastically adopted its clean lines and decoration.

The Walk

The Art Deco walk takes about 1.5 hours and guides you up and down both sides of the Summerland Way. It is considered essential to walk on both sides of the street so that you can look across the road and see the varied Art Deco facades above the awnings. It also draws attention to Art Deco details such as doors and their hardware, entrances, and glazing. Start from the Visitor Centre and walk up the footpath on the western side of the Summerland Way. If you need a rest why not have a tea or coffee at one of our cafés.

Price Range

Free Self Guided

Click here to download the brochure 

History of Kyogle Tour

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Many towns have stories behind their unique buildings, parks and community spaces; Kyogle is one of those towns.

Stop in at the Malcolm Wallis Visitor Information Centre and pick up your copy of the self guided Foundation Stone Detective Tour. The tour will take you to 8 sections of the Kyogle township and, if your eyes are sharp enough, you will find a collection of 23 marble and brass plaques, foundation stones and dedication plates that have been placed around the town over the decades, and be able to answer all the questions on the back of the tour map.

A great activity for kids and for those keen on a good walk around the town.