Chinese Temple and Settlement Site, Croydon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chinese Temple and Settlement Site |
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Chinese Temple and Settlement Site, 2000
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| Location | Off Gulf Developmental Road, Croydon, Shire of Croydon, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | Circa 1880s |
| Official name: Chinese Temple and Settlement Site | |
| Type | state heritage (archaeological) |
| Designated | 28 July 2000 |
| Reference no. | 602079 |
| Significant period | 1880s-1910s (historical) ongoing (social) |
| Significant components | hall - assembly, temple |
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The Chinese Temple and Settlement Site is a special historical place near Croydon, Queensland, Australia. It was built around the 1880s. This site shows how Chinese settlers lived and worked during the gold rush era. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on July 28, 2000, because of its important history.
Contents
History of the Chinese Settlement
Chinese settlers arrived in the Croydon area shortly after gold was found in 1885. They played a very important role in helping the isolated goldfield survive. They provided fresh vegetables and fruit. They also worked as cooks, carriers, and helped miners.
Gold was discovered on Croydon Downs Station in the early 1880s. But it was in 1885 that a big gold rush started. On January 18, 1886, Croydon was officially named a goldfield. By the end of 1887, the town had grown a lot. It had about 3,500 people, including 300 Chinese, Cingalese, Malays, and African people. This was interesting because a law from 1878 usually kept Chinese people away from new goldfields for three years.
Even with these rules, Chinese settlers moved to the area soon after gold was found. They mostly worked as gardeners, cooks, and carriers. No Chinese people owned gold claims in Croydon. However, some worked for other miners. Most of them were market gardeners. They grew fresh fruit and vegetables for the goldfields. They grew fruits like custard apples, mandarins, watermelons, and lemons.
The Chinese settlement in Croydon grew on the edge of the town. This was common in other mining towns in north Queensland. The community built a temple, houses, and other buildings like pig ovens. The temple was the most important part of their settlement.
The Role of Temples
Temples were more than just places to worship. They were a central part of village life. They were places to meet friends and check one's horoscope before starting something new. They were also places where people honored their ancestors. In China, a village might have several temples. Each temple was usually for one main god. But Chinese people in Australia often had one main temple. This temple would have one main god and several other gods.
Because the temple was so important, people would worship there at any time. Big gatherings happened on festival days. On these days, the community would come together to worship, eat, and have parades.
Temples in the late 1800s and early 1900s also helped people in need. This was based on a Confucian idea called Universalism. This idea said that everyone should work together. It meant that people should choose good leaders and act with trust and friendship. It also meant caring for the elderly, giving jobs to those who could work, and helping young people learn. The goal was for everyone to feel safe and secure.
The Croydon goldfield did not last very long. But the temple was much bigger than you might expect for a community that moved around a lot. The temple was even a bit larger than the Atherton temple. That temple was in a place where over 1,000 Chinese people lived. Croydon had about 300 Chinese people. This means it probably had one of the largest Chinese populations in regional Australia.
Community Life and Decline
There were some disagreements with Chinese people in September 1886. In 1888, a miners' group asked all non-Australians to leave the goldfield. This caused more problems. But even with some anti-Chinese feelings in north Queensland, reports from that time show that Chinese and local communities usually got along well. The long time that the Chinese settlement and temple site were used in Croydon shows this. Also, Chinese graves in Croydon cemeteries and Chinese descendants still living there support this idea.
The Croydon goldfield made a lot of money at first. But the good times did not last long. After 1900, gold mining started to slow down. The first three years of the century were very dry. This made it hard to crush the gold ore. After 1905, water started to cause problems in the mines. A tropical cyclone damaged the town in 1906. This happened when the community could not afford to lose much. Mining kept going down until 1914 when the last Golden Gate mine closed. All gold crushing stopped in 1918.
Even after mining ended, Chinese people continued to use the temple site for a long time. Some families in Croydon today are descendants of these early Chinese settlers.
What the Site Looks Like Today
The Chinese Temple and Settlement site is located northwest of Croydon town. It is between the Gulf Developmental Road and some low hills.
You can find old items spread over a large area. But the actual remains of buildings are in a town block. This block is bordered by Charles, Kelman, Nicholas, and Edward Streets.
The Temple Remains
The main part of the site is what is left of the temple. The concrete foundations of the temple are about 22 meters long and 6 meters wide. The temple faced southwest. It had a front section, a covered porch, a concrete floor inside, and a rear section.
A large area of granite chips spreads out about 4 meters from the entrance. This shows that the porch might have been bigger. It probably had poles supporting a roof over a raised wooden deck.
At the back of the large concrete slab, there is a sunken square section. This was likely a "heavenly well" or central area for offerings. People might have burned incense sticks here.
Six carved sandstone bases are still in their original spots. Two others were moved to a private home in Croydon. These bases are carved to look like lotus flowers. This shows that someone in the community was good at stone carving. Rare sandstone markers on Chinese graves in local cemeteries also suggest this.
Caretaker's House and Meeting Hall
About 2.5 meters south of the temple, there are signs of another building. You can see old postholes and pieces of corrugated iron walls stuck in the ground. This building likely had a dirt floor. Between this building and the temple, there is a mound of earth. This probably held a water tank.
The "Pig Oven" or Outdoor Oven
About 26 meters southeast of the temple foundations, you can find the remains of a stone oven. This oven was built from local stone. It was held together with mud and broken termite mounds. The walls were about 600 mm thick. The oven was about 2.2 meters wide and used to be taller than its current 1.2 meters. The top part has fallen down. So far, no other Chinese ovens like this have been found in Queensland. However, some have been found in the Northern Territory.
Other Structures
There are also traces of a small building northwest of the "Pig Oven." It has pieces of corrugated iron walls, similar to the Caretaker's House.
Southeast of the temple, crossing Charles Street, are the foundations of several houses. You can see outlines of small rooms, hallways, and entrances made of stone. There is also a second, small outdoor oven between two of these house foundations.
Why This Site is Important
The Chinese Temple and Settlement Site was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on July 28, 2000. It meets several important criteria:
Showing Queensland's History
This site at Croydon shows how much Chinese people helped develop Queensland in the 1800s. They were very important to the success of isolated goldfield towns.
At its busiest, the Chinese settlement in Croydon had over three hundred people. This made it one of the largest Chinese communities in regional Australia at that time. Even though there were sometimes conflicts, the remains of the settlement and old documents show that the Chinese built a successful community here.
The Croydon settlement also shows a common pattern for Chinese settlements in north Queensland. They were often on the edge of the main town, and the temple was always the most important building.
Rare and Special Features
The two remaining "pig" ovens are very special. They are rare examples of ovens found at Chinese settlement sites in Queensland.
Learning About Queensland's Past
The remains of the settlement, including the temple foundations, other buildings, house foundations, and many scattered old items, can teach us a lot. They can help us understand the Chinese communities that thrived in Queensland in the 1800s. The two "pig" ovens are especially important for this.
Connection to a Community
This place has a strong and special connection with Chinese settlers in Australia and their descendants. It is important to their history and culture.
