Blackall Visitor Information Centre 108a Sham rock Street, Blackall Queensland 4472 Phone (07) 4657 4637 Fax (07) 4657 4913 Information on Blackall and the Blackall Woolscour Email: info@blackall.qld.gov.au Website: www.blackall.qld.gov.au

Woolscour notches up a century this year

THERE may never be a better time in this lifetime to see the Blackall Woolscour than in May this year.

That’s when the woolscour will notch up a century of existence. See the engineering achievements and determination of Australia’s pioneers - and smell the wool from a century gone by - on a tour of the last steam-powered wool washing plant left intact in the country during this landmark year.

The historic Blackall Woolscour, with its 20-stand shed attached, offers a step back in time so you can experience the magic of working steam machines and enormous wool driers.

From May to August, the woolscour operates on steam power. For visitors, it’s a chance to discover the magic of steam at work and gain a fascinating insight into the way the wool-washing plant operated during its working life from 1908 to 1978.

The main source of water for the scouring process was from the Great Artesian Basin. A bore was sunk in 1906 for the woolscour and the free-flowing bore can still be seen at the woolscour today.

The basic principles of mechanical scouring involve passing wool through a series of tanks to remove dirt with a gentle agitation by forks. Four tanks were used for the washing and rinsing process. Between the tanks, rollers squeezed excess water from the wool. The wool was dried in a multi-shelved drier and fanned by hot air. The machinery was driven by a single cylinder steam engine with a 2.4m (8ft) flywheel. Most of the steam machinery was imported from England.

The building itself is one of the largest timber frame buildings of its type in Queensland and its timber frame is completely nail free! The entire hoop pine frame is tenon and morticed.

The Blackall Woolscour is open from 9.00am to 5.00pm, seven days a week, with steam operating from May to August. Tours are conducted every day; on the hour, every hour, with the first tour starting at 9.00am and the last at 4.00pm.

Each tour is personally guided by one of Blackall’s real characters. The tours take up to an hour, starting with a video. Then wander around the displays and visit the souvenir shop. Enjoy the quiet outback scenery with some smoko and a cup of tea or a cappuccino. Or have a picnic under one of the bough sheds. Afterwards, take a walk around the grounds and see the old shearers’ quarters and cookhouse.

For something special, join one of the woolscour bush dinners on the first Saturday night of every month from May to September. Have a few drinks from the licensed bar and listen to the yarns told around the campfire, then tuck into a meal of roast pork or beef, cooked in the antique wood stove in the shearers’ cookhouse. Old-fashioned puddings and campoven damper complete the meal.

For details about entry fees, email blackallwoolscour@bigpond.com or contact by phone/fax (07) 4657 6042.

The Blackall Woolscour’s centennial celebration will be held in conjunction with the Heartland Festival. The woolscour festivities will centre around the weekend of May 24 and 25. Join the fun as everything from the Seniors’ Woolscour Challenge to poetry reading is rolled out as entertainment. There will be market stalls, photographic displays, blacksmithing. shearing on the hour, tours and live entertainment of all kinds. The bar opens at 5.00pm and will run until 11.00pm, so you can even raise your glass for a special toast to the centenarian. On Sunday, a combined church service will be held at the woolscour, with the “blessing of the fleece” as a special feature.