Old Byfield Road facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old Byfield Road |
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Stone-pitched crossing on Old Byfield Road, 2003
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| Location | Old Byfield Road, Byfield, Shire of Livingstone, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1840s - 1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | 1860s - 1940s |
| Official name: Old Byfield Road and Stone-Pitched Crossing | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 9 July 2004 |
| Reference no. | 601746 |
| Significant period | 1860s-1940s (fabric; main period of historical use). |
| Significant components | ford |
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The Old Byfield Road is a special historic road located in Byfield, Queensland, Australia. It was built between the 1860s and 1940s. This road is important because it shows how people traveled and lived in Queensland a long time ago. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 9 July 2004, which means it's protected for its historical value.
The Road's Early Days
The path that became Old Byfield Road was first used in the 1860s. This was when people started raising cattle in the Byfield area. It was the only way to get from Maryvale Station north to Byfield Head Station. It also continued to other stations in the Shoalwater area.
The Byfield Creek Crossing
A special part of this road is a stone-pitched crossing over Byfield Creek. A "ford" is a shallow place in a river or creek where you can cross. This ford was built with stones to make it easier to get across. We don't know the exact date it was built, but it was probably around the 1860s. This was when Byfield Head Station was set up on the other side of the creek. This stone crossing is the only one of its kind left from that time. It was the main way to access properties north of Yeppoon until the 1930s.
Traditional Owners of Byfield
The Byfield area is a quiet place, surrounded by the Byfield Range and the Capricorn Coast. For a very long time, it was the home of the Butcha-Bura people. They were part of the Ningebul tribe, which was part of the Darrambul Nation. They lived in the Byfield district until the late 1800s.
Explorers and Land Management
Explorers like Ludwig Leichhardt and Thomas Mitchell explored this area between 1844 and 1846. They found that this route was the easiest way to reach the grassy plains of Shoalwater and Broadsound. The Butcha-Bura people had already managed these plains for a long time. They used a method called "fire-stick farming." This meant they would carefully burn small areas of grass. This made new, sweet grass grow, which attracted wallabies and kangaroos. This made hunting easier for them.
Early Settlers and Stations
In the 1850s, the government opened the Port Curtis area for cattle farming. The first permanent non-Indigenous settlers arrived in Byfield and Shoalwater in the early 1860s. Families like the Huttons, Rosses, Athertons, and Tuckers came from New South Wales. In 1863, the Tucker family started the Maryvale and Bayfield (later Byfield) cattle stations. Other families also took over land for their own stations, like Raspberry Creek.
The Main Transport Route
In the 1860s, the only way to reach Byfield and Shoalwater from Rockhampton was a long, winding road. This road went around the Berserker Range. It was used to transport supplies, animals, and other goods to and from these distant properties. The road connected one main station to another and crossed Byfield Creek near Byfield Head Station. A map from 1868 shows this "Road to Byfield" linking Maryvale and Byfield head stations. Byfield Head Station was right on the northern bank of Byfield Creek, close to the crossing.
New Farmers and More Traffic
In the mid-1880s, the Byfield area was divided into smaller farms. More people moved in to grow crops. This meant more wagons and people used the old Byfield Road and the creek crossing. In 1887, the old route was officially mapped as the main road to Raspberry Creek and Peninsula stations. It also went south to Maryvale, crossing Byfield Creek where the stone ford is today. A part of this old road is now called Richters Road. There was also an "old postman's track" that crossed the Byfield homestead diagonally, meeting the creek at the ford.
The Mail Service
In 1888, a weekly mail service started from Yeppoon to Raspberry Creek, passing through Maryvale and Byfield. The route was over 80 miles long! Jock Cowan delivered the mail for 40 years, using horses with pack saddles. He used the Byfield Creek crossing to get to the northern stations. In the 1930s, the Sherriff brothers took over the mail route using motorbikes and then a small truck. They even sold small items like chocolates along with the mail.
Moving Cattle and Horses
For many years, horses and cattle were driven along the Old Byfield Road to Yeppoon for sale. The Hutton family, who owned Raspberry Creek and Shoalwater, were important in the cattle industry. They even worked to export live cattle from Port Clinton to New Caledonia. To get cattle to the Rockhampton market, they would drive them along Byfield Road. They used the ford to cross Byfield Creek and reach another road that went around the Berserker Range. Horse breeders also used this road to sell horses to India for army use and polo.
Social Events and Travel
Between 1879 and 1909, country race meetings and other social events were held at the stations. People would travel from far away to attend these "Raspberry Creek Races." The only way to get to these northern stations for social events was by using the Old Byfield Road. People would cross Byfield Creek by buggy or on horseback.
The New Bypass Road
Farmers and fruit-growers in Byfield used the old road over Byfield Creek until the early 1940s. By then, more people were moving to the area, and a new, better road was needed. This new road, called the Yeppoon-Byfield Road, was designed to be a durable, all-weather path with overpasses over creeks. It made travel much more comfortable. This new road went around the old Byfield Road, but it rejoined the original route further north.
Even after the bypass was built, the Byfield Creek crossing on the old road was still used as a shortcut by locals and council workers. People on foot, horseback, in vehicles, and even heavy machinery used it. The local council tried to block it off, but the barriers were removed. By the early 2000s, the old road south of the crossing became overgrown and hard to use. The stone-pitched crossing is not likely to be used regularly again.
Community Connection
The local community in Byfield still cares a lot about the stone-pitched crossing and the old road. The Byfield State School has used the area for studying local plants since the late 1990s. For families whose ancestors were early settlers, the crossing and road are a real link to their past. Because the community worked to protect it, the old road and ford were added to the Queensland Heritage Register.
What the Road Looks Like Today
The part of Old Byfield Road that is protected is about 450 meters long. It runs between the Yeppoon-Byfield Road and Richters Road. At its northern end, it includes the stone-pitched crossing over Byfield Creek.
The Stone-Pitched Ford
The stone-pitched ford crosses Byfield Creek in a north-south direction. It has a rectangular frame made of timber logs held together with bolts. This frame is filled with stones to create a solid path across the creek.
The part of the ford that you can see is about 4.8 meters wide and 9.4 meters long. The logs forming the frame are different sizes, from about 15 cm to 40 cm thick.
Some of the stones in the crossing have come loose or moved. This might be from natural wear and tear, or from vehicles using it. Some parts of the ford have sunk lower than others, and some stones have cracks. The middle of the ford, where water is often present, is the most worn down. This part is most likely to be damaged by fast-moving water during floods.
Sand is building up on the southern bank of the creek and covering part of the crossing. Small plants are also growing between the stones. The log on the southern side is mostly covered by this sand.
The Roadway Sections
From the crossing, the southern part of the old road goes for about 420 meters to the Yeppoon-Byfield Road. There's a large sandy area near the creek, which looks like sand has washed down the slope. Further up, the road is made of clay and stone. Native trees, ferns, and palms grow thickly along the creek bank and embankment.
As you continue towards the Yeppoon-Byfield Road, the path is covered with plants, leaves, and fallen branches mixed with sand and soil. Near the intersection, there's a drain to move water away from the road. Thick plants, mostly grasses, hide the entrance to the old road from the main Yeppoon-Byfield Road, making it easy to miss.
The northern part of the old road extends about 20 meters from the northern bank of Byfield Creek. This section is now part of Richters Road. There's no sand here, and the ground is clay-based. Thick plants, mainly blady grass, grow on either side of the path, hiding the entrance from Richters Road. Native trees, ferns, and palms also grow along the path down to the creek.
Why Old Byfield Road is Important
The Old Byfield Road was added to the Queensland Heritage Register because it meets several important criteria.
Showing Queensland's History
This road was used from the 1860s onwards. It helps us understand how people settled and developed the Byfield, Shoalwater, and Broadsound areas of central Queensland. It was the only way to access stations north and west of Byfield until the 1940s. It was very important for starting the cattle and fruit-growing industries in the Capricorn Coast region. The stone-pitched crossing, which might be from the 1860s, is a key part of this road's history as a main access route. This crossing was the only way to get to the northern part of Byfield and other properties until the new Yeppoon-Byfield Road opened in the 1940s.
A Rare Part of Our Heritage
The Old Byfield Road is special because it's the only part of the original road through Byfield that hasn't been changed. The stone-pitched crossing is also important because it shows an old way of building fords that isn't used anymore. It's the only stone-pitched crossing in the Byfield area that is still in its original condition.
Showing How Things Were Built
The stone-pitched crossing is a great example of how fords were built in the past. This method is no longer common. It's especially interesting because it's the only stone-pitched crossing in the Byfield area that remains in its original, unchanged state.
Important to the Community
The Byfield community values this place for its history and for learning. The crossing and the old road remind the local community of the hard work of early settlers and postal workers. It's important because it played a big role in early transport and communication in an area that was very isolated. The community also values the native plants that still grow there.
