Barcaldine - 2-8-2023

On our way to Longreach, we drove through a small township called Barcaldine. We didn’t know much about Barcaldine, so as we were driving through town, we saw a huge monument on the right side of the road and decided to stop and have a look.

The monument is called ‘The Tree of Knowledge’. The Tree - a ghost gum - grew outside the Railway Station for about 180 years until 2006 when sadly, it was poisoned by someone they never caught.

This is the tree under which the workers of the 1891 Shearer's Strike met. An icon of the Labor Party and Trades Unions, it symbolises the foundation of the organised representation of labour in Queensland. The famous tree has been preserved and placed under an award-winning timber structure that was constructed to protect the preserved tree and celebrate its importance in Australia's history.

Further down the road we came across the most amazing Shakespeare Hotel. It was beautifully restored and

decorated partially in the Art Deco style. We met the proud owner who allowed us to walk through it, so we did. It had a wide wooden staircase and upstairs besides the rooms a huge wooden deck where we sat down on and enjoyed a drink.

We could have stayed much longer, but had to move on with our travels.