Biddeston
town
CityToowoomba Region
Stateqld
Coordinates27.5702°S 151.7155°E
Zoom10
Pop269
Postcode4401
Area73.8
Time zoneAEST
Utc+10:00
Dist 113.9
Dir 1S
Location 1Oakey
Dist 223.6
Dir 2W
Location 2Toowoomba
Dist 3155
Dir 3W
Location 3Brisbane
LgaToowoomba Region
StategovCondamine
FedgovGroom
Near-nOakey
Near-neKingsthorpe
Near-eWellcamp
Westbrook
Near-seAthol
Near-sSouthbrook
Near-swLinthorpe
Near-wLinthorpe
Near-nwAubigny

Biddeston is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia.[1][2] In the , the locality of Biddeston had a population of 269 people.[3]

Geography

The Toowoomba–Cecil Plains Road runs through from east to west.[4]

History

Crosshill State School opened on 9 August 1880 and closed in 1940.[5][6]

A postal receiving office opened on 1 February 1882 and was upgraded to a post office on 1 July 1927. During that time it was run by the Anderson family of Biddeston Farm, which is probably the origin of the district name. The post office closed on 5 January 1965.[1][7]

The town reserve was established on 26 August 1890.[1]

In 1880, a 10-acre block of land on the Oakey-Southbrook Road was aside for a school. However, it was not until 14 October 1919 that the Biddeston State School finally opened, but with only a tent for a schoolroom for the 14 children enrolled under teacher Margaret Cecilla Cloherty Anderson. It was not until 10 October 1921 that the Education Department built a one-room timber building to replace the tent. Despite growing enrolment numbers, the Education Department would not enlarge the building apart from the addition of a verandah in 1927. It was not until 1954 that a second school room was built.[8][9] A pre-school was added in 1986.[5]

Burton Provisional School opened on 22 February 1900. On 1 January 1909, it became Burton State School. It closed on 5 December 1944.[5][10] It was at 1840 Toowoomba Cecil Plains Road (27.5494°S 151.7531°E).[11][12]

Biddeston was the site of the Biddeston Murders that took place on 2 March 2015 when a grandfather killed his pregnant daughter and grandson.[13]

Demographics

In the , the locality of Biddeston had a population of 328 people.[14]

In the , the locality of Biddeston had a population of 284 people.[15]

In the , the locality of Biddeston had a population of 269 people.[3]

Economy

There are a number of homesteads in the locality:[16]

Education

Biddeston State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 2425 Cecil Plains Road (27.5541°S 151.6973°E).[17][18] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 61 students with 5 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[19] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 70 students with 6 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[20]

There is no secondary schools in Biddeston. The nearest government secondary school is Oakey State High School in neighbouring Oakey to the north.[12]

Events

The Biddeston Tractor Pull is an annual event in which restored and modified tractors compete to pull heavy loads.[21]

References

  1. ^ Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  2. ^ Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  3. ^
  4. ^ Biddeston, Queensland. OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  5. ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present, Version 1.01 ed., Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  6. ^ "School for Crosshill.". Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser. No. 1464. 11 March 1879. p. 3. Retrieved 23 November 2019. – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions. Archived 9 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  8. ^ Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  9. ^ "School history". Biddeston State School. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  10. ^
  11. ^ "Parish of Westbrook" (Map). Queensland Government. 1932. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  12. ^
  13. ^ "Man took own life after murdering grandson, daughter: police". www.abc.net.au. 2015-03-05. Archived 8 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  14. ^
  15. ^
  16. ^ "Homesteads - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 18 November 2020. Archived 24 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  17. ^ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived 21 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  18. ^ "Biddeston State School". Archived 3 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  19. ^ "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived 22 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  20. ^ "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived 27 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  21. ^ "Tractors pull Biddeston crowd". Farm Online. 18 February 2014. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.

Further reading