Barcaldine Masonic Temple facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barcaldine Masonic Temple |
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Barcaldine Masonic Temple, 2010
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| Location | 39 Beech Street, Barcaldine, Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1900 - 1914 (early 20th century) |
| Built | 1900 |
| Official name: Barcaldine Masonic Temple, Comet Masonic Temple | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600020 |
| Significant period | 1900 (fabric) |
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The Barcaldine Masonic Temple is a special old building in Barcaldine, Australia. It's listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, which means it's an important historical place. This temple was built in 1900 and is also known as the Comet Masonic Temple.
Contents
A Moving History
The Masonic Temple in Barcaldine has a very interesting past. It was built in 1901, but it wasn't the first home for the local group of Freemasons. Their first building actually moved around!
What is Freemasonry?
Freemasonry is one of the oldest social groups in the world. Members, called Freemasons, meet in local groups called "lodges." They focus on friendship, helping others, and personal growth.
The Lodge on the Move
Freemasonry came to Queensland from New South Wales. As new towns grew, especially along railway lines, more lodges were formed. In 1876, a group of Freemasons, many of whom worked on the Central Western Railway, started the Comet Lodge.
This lodge was unique because its first building actually traveled with the railway workers! They would take it apart, load it onto trains, and put it back together in the next new railway camp. This happened many times.
The building moved from Dingo Creek to Cometville in 1878, then to Emerald in 1879, Bogantungan in 1881, Pine Hill in 1883, and Jericho in 1885. Finally, it settled in Barcaldine in 1886.
A New Home in Barcaldine
In 1900, a new, larger temple was built in Barcaldine for the Comet Lodge. It cost about £720, which was a lot of money back then! This new building was officially opened in 1901. It quickly became an important place for social events in the town. In the early 1980s, the building was carefully repaired, and its special painted front was restored.
What Does It Look Like?
The Barcaldine Masonic Temple is a two-story building on Beech Street. It's made of timber and has a unique roof shape called a gambrel roof, covered with corrugated iron. You can see triangular windows, called dormers, sticking out from the roof on the sides. The back and sides of the building are covered simply with vertical corrugated iron.
The Front of the Building
The most eye-catching part of the temple is its front. It's covered with horizontal timber boards that are painted to look like large, smooth stone blocks, known as ashlar masonry. This painted stone effect is very rare in Queensland!
The front also has a pointed roof section, called a gable, with fancy, wavy wooden decorations called barge boards. The front wall is divided into three sections by decorative flat columns, called pilasters. These support a fancy border, or entablature, just below the roof.
There's a main entrance in the middle, covered by a small, triangular roof structure called a pediment porch. On either side of the entrance are windows that can be pushed up from the bottom, known as sash windows. The upper floor has tall, round-arched windows in each section.
Inside the Temple
The inside of the temple is mostly original and looks much like it did when it was built. The walls are covered with wooden boards that fit together tightly, called tongue and groove timber.
The ground floor is used as a supper room. It has a brown lower wall section, called a dado, with a hand-painted flower design, or frieze, above it. The upper walls are painted a yellowish-brown color. The ceiling has shallow arched beams that support the floor above. At the back of this floor, there are small extra rooms. In the middle, there's a special section of floor with gaps, probably to help clean mud off boots.
A wooden staircase with a simple railing leads up to the second floor. From the landing, you can enter a dressing room, which then leads into the main lodge room. This room has partly curved ceilings that rise to a flat, boarded ceiling. The walls have a mix of horizontal and diagonal wooden boards. The room gets its light from small, high windows on the sides and the three semicircular windows at the front.
Why is it Heritage Listed?
The Barcaldine Masonic Temple was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. This means it's recognized as an important part of Queensland's history and culture for several reasons:
- Shows Queensland's History: It helps us understand how towns quickly grew along railway lines and how groups like the Freemasons were formed by workers in these new areas.
- Rare and Unique: The way it uses classical building styles with local materials, especially the painted "mock stonework" on the front, is very unusual and special in Queensland.
- Good Example of a Masonic Temple: It's a great example of a regional Masonic temple. These buildings were often important landmarks and social centers in country towns.
- Aesthetic Significance: The building is considered beautiful and well-preserved, showing the architectural style of its time.
- Community Connection: The temple has a strong link to both its members and the wider Freemasonry movement in Queensland, holding special social, cultural, and spiritual meaning.
