Kalbar, Queensland

Kalbar (formerly Fassifern Scrub and Engelsburg / Engelsberg) is a rural town and locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2016 census, the locality of Kalbar had a population of 1,093 people.[1]

Kalbar
Queensland
Kalbar Community Baptist Church
Kalbar is located in Queensland
Kalbar
Kalbar
Coordinates27.9419°S 152.6233°E / -27.9419; 152.6233 (Kalbar (town centre))
Population1,093 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density34.48/km2 (89.30/sq mi)
Established1876
Postcode(s)4309
Area31.7 km2 (12.2 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Scenic Rim Region
State electorate(s)Scenic Rim
Federal division(s)Wright
Localities around Kalbar:
Silverdale Kents Lagoon Obum Obum
Frazerview Kalbar Teviotville
Fassifern Fassifern Valley Templin

In 1916 during World War I, Engelsburg was renamed Kalbar due to anti-German sentiment.[4]

Geography
Farms close to Warrill Creek, 2015

Kalbar is in the Scenic Rim in South East Queensland, 81.8 km south-west of Brisbane. It is located near the Cunningham Highway and directly north of Mount French in the Fassifern Valley.

History

In 1877, 17,700 acres (7,200 ha) were resumed from the Fassifern pastoral run and offered for selection on 19 April 1877.[5] By 1890, a small town had developed.[6] The town was once known as Fassifern Scrub and then Engelsburg after an early settler, storekeeper August Engels.[7][8] The town has a very rich German history, having been established "almost exclusively" by German settlers, reflected today in the many Anglo-German road and street names as well as the many local German settler descendant surnames.[9]

Fassifern Scrub Provisional School opened on 3 February 1879.[10][11] On 4 September 1879, it was renamed Engelsburg State School. Having previously operated in the Baptist Church, the school moved to 25-27 Edward Street (now Engels Memorial Park, 27.9405°S 152.6354°E / -27.9405; 152.6354 (Engelburg State School)) on 28 September 1885. On 24 January 1955, the school relocated to the Kalbar School of Arts while modern school buildings were being constructed in a new site on George Street. On 24 June 1955, the school moved into the new George Street buildings. On 19 April 1958, an official opening of new school site in George Street was held. On 27 August 1979, the school was renamed Kalbar State School (it had not been possible to rename the school during World War I because there was another Kalbar State School in South Kolan which operated until 1962). In 2007, some of the school buildings were invaded by a colony of microbats which lived in the walls and roofs and constituted a health hazard to staff and students as the bats can transmit Australian bat lyssavirus. The staff and students in the affected buildings were relocated into demountable buildings and the bat-infested buildings were demolished.[12][13] A "bat haven" was established on the school grounds to provide an alternative home for the bat colony (being a protected species). New bat-proof buildings were opened in July 2010.[14][15] Over the years, the school expanded to accommodate students from a number of other small local schools which were closed, including Fassifern Station School (1888), Obum Obum State School (1946), Fassifern Valley State School (1958), Charlwood State School (1958), Moogerah Dam State School (1961), Silverdale State School (1963), and Frazerview State School (1975).[15]

Engelsburg Post Office opened on 7 July 1897 (a receiving office had been open from 1878 and was known as Engels for five years). It was renamed Kalbar Post Office in 1916.[16]

During the 1899 referendum to decide if Australia should become a federation, Kalbar registered the highest No vote of any town in Queensland.[17]

On Sunday 5 July 1908 the new Engelsburg Primitive Methodist Church was officially opened.[18] It was the Primitive Methodist church building originally built at Dugandan in 1883 and subsequently relocated to Boonah to avoid flooding. Following the opening of a new Methodist Church in Boonah in 1907, the church building was relocated to Engelsburg where it was extensively renovated.[19][20]

Passengers waiting at Kalbar railway station on the Mount Edwards railway line, 1917

The first stage of the Mount Edwards railway line reached the town on 17 April 1916,[21] with the town being served by the Kalbar railway station at the western end of Railway Street (27.93924°S 152.62090°E / -27.93924; 152.62090 (Kalbar railway station (former))).[6][22][23] On 7 October 1922, the second and final stage of the line was completed, including Warumkarie railway station on Warumkarie Road in the south of the Kalbar locality (27.95715°S 152.61082°E / -27.95715; 152.61082 (Warumkarie railway station (former))).[21][22][23] The Mount Edwards railway line closed in 1960.[24][25]

The name changed to Kalbar because of anti-German sentiment in 1916 during World War I.[6] Initially it only applied to the railway station.[26] The Engelsberg School of Arts did not change to the Kalbar School of Arts until July 1918.[27]

Edward Street in the 1920s

In 1920, the Kalbar School of Arts hall and half the businesses in town were destroyed by fire.[6]

St Boniface Catholic Church was built in 1888 adjacent to the Catholic cemetery. It closed in 1925. On 20 October 1946, St Boniface Catholic Church was rebuilt on the corner of George and William Streets from the materials taken from the old church. It was dedicated by Monsignor J English and Monsignor M Balwin. It was adjacent to the Catholic cemetery. The church closed in 1978 and in 1987 it was sold to the Assemblies of God (now the Australian Christian Churches). The building is now used by one of its affiliated congregation, the Fassifern Christian Church.[28][29][30]

From 1961 to 1990, Kalbar held a large annual celebration, the Fassifern Potato Festival. The event included a street parade with motorised floats culminating at the show grounds and continuation of festivities.[31][32] Some artifacts from the festival can be found at the Templin Historical Village. Harvest Festivals organised by the local Salvation Army church extended back to the 1920s.[33][34][35]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Kalbar had a population of 1,093 people.[1] The locality contains 453 households, in which 47.8% of the population are males and 52.2% of the population are females with a median age of 41, 3 years above the national average. The average weekly household income is $1,133, $305 below the national average. 4.8% of Kalbar's population is either of Aborigional or Torres Strait Islander descent. 57.3% of the population aged 15 or over is either registered or de facto married, while 42.7% of the population is not married. 28.7% of the population is currently attending some form of a compulsory education. The most common nominated ancestries were Australian (28.6%), English (27.8%) and German (13.4%), while the most common country of birth was Australia (83.0%), and the most commonly spoken language at home was English (90.9%). The most common nominated religions were No religion (23.7%), Catholic (15.0%) and Anglican (14.3%). The most common occupation was a labourer (19.4%) and the majority/plurality of residents worked 40 or more hours per week (40.9%).[1]

Heritage listings
St John’s Lutheran Church, 2015

Kalbar has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Education

Kalbar State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at George Street (27.9421°S 152.6238°E / -27.9421; 152.6238 (Kalbar State School)).[40][41] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 202 students with 21 teachers (15 full-time equivalent) and 14 non-teaching staff (8 full-time equivalent) and included a special education program.[42][40] In 2022, the school had an enrolment of 252 students with 19 teachers (15 full-time equivalent) and 14 non-teaching staff (8 full-time equivalent).[43]

There is no secondary school in Kalbar. The nearest government secondary school is Boonah State High School in Boonah to the south-east.[23]

Amenities

The Scenic Rim Regional Council operates a mobile library service which visits George Street.[44]

Fassifern Christian Church is on the north-east corner of George Street and William Street (27.9407°S 152.6238°E / -27.9407; 152.6238 (Fassifern Christian Church)). It is affiliated with the Australian Christian Churches.[30]

The Fassifern Corp of the Salvation Army in Australia is at 74 George Street (27.9397°S 152.6241°E / -27.9397; 152.6241 (The Salvation Army - Fassifern Corps)).[45]

Events

The annual agricultural show is held in June.

Kalbar Country Day is a festival which is held in late October annually since 1991.[46][47]

Light Up Kalbar is a community street festival held in early December to bring the community together as they light the town's Christmas tree.

Notable residents

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Kalbar (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  2. "Kalbar – town in Scenic Rim Region (entry 17575)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  3. "Kalbar – locality in Scenic Rim Region (entry 45151)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  4. "History". Historic Kalbar. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  5. "Proclamations under the New Land Acts". The Brisbane Courier. Queensland, Australia. 2 March 1877. p. 3. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020 – via Trove.
  6. Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) (2000). Heritage Trails of the Great South East. State of Queensland. pp. 36–37. ISBN 0-7345-1008-X.
  7. "Kalbar". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  8. "Our History". Visit Scenic Rim. Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  9. "A Visit to Englesburg". Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald And General Advertiser. Vol. XXXI, no. 4407. Queensland, Australia. 18 September 1890. p. 5. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  11. "Kalbar SS". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  12. Ratnam, Reshni (1 May 2007). "Bats drive kids out of school". Queensland Times. Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  13. "Bats have school in a flap". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 May 2007. Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  14. Maeseele, Melanie (31 July 2010). "Kids get new 'bat-proof' school". Queensland Times. Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  15. "History". Kalbar State School. 4 January 2019. Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  16. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  17. "The Brisbane Wheel". Centenary of Federation. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 12 March 2001. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  18. "BELOW THE RANGE". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. LXV, no. 15, 752. Queensland, Australia. 7 July 1908. p. 2. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. "Australian Christian Church Histories - Boonah, QLD - Methodist". Australian Christian Church Histories. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  20. "The Beginning of Methodism in Boonah". Fassifern Uniting Church. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  21. Kerr, John (1990). Triumph of narrow gauge : a history of Queensland Railways. Boolarong Publications. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-86439-102-5.
  22. "Queensland Two Mile series sheet 2m38" (Map). Queensland Government. 1955. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  23. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  24. Southern Downs Steam Railway (2009). "'Via recta' - The line that never was". Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  25. QR Limited. "Rail as foremost mode of travel". Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  26. "A FATAL ACCIDENT". Queensland Times. Vol. LVII, no. 9638. Queensland, Australia. 31 August 1916. p. 4 (DAILY.). Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  27. "Kalbar Letter". Queensland Times. Vol. LX, no. 10, 121. Queensland, Australia. 17 July 1918. p. 6 (DAILY.). Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  28. Blake, Thom. "St Boniface's Catholic Church (1888)". Queensland religious places database. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  29. Blake, Thom. "St Boniface's Catholic Church (1946)". Queensland religious places database. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  30. "Fassifern Christian Church". Churches Australia. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  31. Pfeffer, C. K. (26 November 2007), Fassifern Potato Festival parade entering Kalbar Showgrounds, 1987, Scenic Rim Regional Council, archived from the original on 14 December 2021, retrieved 10 February 2015
  32. "Beautiful bikes". Scenic Rim. Scenic Rim Regional Council. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  33. "WEST MORETON NEWS". Queensland Times (Ipswich) (Qld. : 1909 - 1954). Ipswich) (Qld.: National Library of Australia. 17 March 1923. p. 6 Edition: DAILY. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  34. "KALBAR". Queensland Times (Ipswich) (Qld. : 1909 - 1954). Ipswich) (Qld.: National Library of Australia. 15 March 1935. p. 12 Edition: DAILY. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  35. "Farewell Socials At Kalbar". Queensland Times (Ipswich) (Qld. : 1909 - 1954). Ipswich, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 1 March 1949. p. 4 Edition: DAILY. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  36. "Wiss House (former) (entry 601137)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  37. "Fassifern Homestead (entry 602675)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  38. "Local Heritage Register" (PDF). Scenic Rim Regional Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  39. "Wiss Brothers Store & Dwelling (former) (entry 601200)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  40. "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  41. "Kalbar State School". Kalbar State School. 9 December 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  42. "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  43. "Annual school report 2022" (PDF). Kalbar State School. pp. 2, 6. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  44. "Mobile Library" (PDF). Scenic Rim Regional Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  45. "The Salvation Army - Fassifern Corps". Churches Australia. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  46. "Kalbar Country Day". Visit Scenic Rim. Archived from the original on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  47. Bushnell, Tom (17 October 2018). "Kalbar to come alive for Country Day". Beaudesert Times. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  48. Cumming, G.H. (26 March 2007). "Bro. Dr. JOHN JOB CREW BRADFIELD CMG, DSC, ME, M Inst CE, MIE Aust. (1867-1943)" (PDF). The Masonic Historical Society of New South Wales: 1.

Further reading
  • Krause, Herbert Albrecht; Fassifern Potato Festival Committee (1972), Out of the brigalows : history and reminiscences of the Kalbar district Queensland 1872-1972, Fassifern Potato Festival Committee
  • Pfeffer, Collin; Miller, Lawrence; Yarrow, Robert A; Engelsburg State School Centenary Association (Kalbar, Qld.) (1979), Engelsburg State School centenary book : including history of:- Fassifern Station, Fassifern Valley, Charlwood, Silverdale, Obum Obum, Frazerview and Moogerah Dam Provisional School, Engelsburg State School Centenary Celebrations Association, ISBN 978-0-9595324-0-1
  • Pohlner, Howard J (24 August 1980), St. John's Lutheran Church Engelsburg-Kalbar centenary book, including history of Mutdapilly Reserve, Teviotville, Aratula, Milbong, Centenary Committee, St. Johns Lutheran Church (published 1980), ISBN 978-0-9598469-1-1
  • Kalbar State School (2004), A kaleidoscope of education : Kalbar State School's 125th anniversary - 2004, Kalbar State School
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