When approached by the Blackall Woolscour Association to assist with the revitalisation of one of Australia’s culturally important icons, Blackall Council, along with the local community, jumped at the chance.
Blackall is a remote community in central Queensland, located 1,200 kilometres north west of Brisbane. With a population of 1,833 and an area of 16,393 square kilometres, there are limited physical and financial resources from which to draw.
However, Blackall is home to the Blackall Woolscour, a wool washing complex that operated from 1908 to 1978. It had a major role in the development of Blackall and the district. A grant of $2 million from the Queensland Heritage Trails Network was used to revamp the woolscour.
“With such an enormous amount of funding, the Association, being a committee of volunteers, was unable to manage such a project and requested help from Council,” said Council’s Economic Development Officer, Louise Campbell.
Council was only too willing to provide assistance, which it did in the form of project management, administration and financial accountability, manpower, machinery and other operational requirements. A steering committee was formed to manage the project, comprising members from Council, Blackall Woolscour, Queensland Heritage Trails Network and other community representatives.
“The Woolscour is now a tourist attraction that provides uniqueness, authenticity and real life experiences,” said Louise Campbell. “It is culturally important as a physical display to past, present and future Australian generations, as a place to identify who they are and where they came from. It is the only steam driven scour incorporating a shearing board that survives substantially intact in Australia.”
The significance of the scour is recognised by its inclusion on the schedule of the Queensland Heritage List, Register of the National Estate, and National Trust. The project has also created opportunities for people in the community. It is now a working museum; tourist numbers have increased and ongoing traineeships are offered at the woolscour.
“The community is proud of the results,” Louise Campbell said. “Blackall now feels it has one of the best and most authentic cultural heritage projects in the central west region, and has become excited about the prospects of tourism. It is an ideal model for other communities, to see what can be achieved when communities pull together to take charge of their future. By developing internal resources, all revenue created from the project is reinvested locally, producing economic strengths for rural areas, and helping to attract people to relocate to rural regional areas.”
For further information, contact Louise Campbell on (07) 4657 4707.
