1. Geography

2. History

3. Facilities

4. References

5. Further reading

Geography

The town is located on the Proston-Wondai road, {{convert|277|km|mi|0}} north west of the state capital, Brisbane.

History

Hivesville was originally known as Jaumbill, believed to be an Aboriginal word in the Waka language meaning yam. On the request of James Braidwood Edwards, the Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Nanango, the town was named Hivesville, after George Hives, a pioneer settler. On 2 March 1923, the Queensland Railways Department named the railway station Hivesville.^[1]

The Hives family owned substantial property around the site of the town (centred on Sunday Creek Station) from the 1890s.^[4]

Hivesville Post Office opened by December 1923 and closed in 1991. The town is now serviced by a Community Post Office located at the service station.^[5]

The town was for many years the predominant business centre for the district west of Wondai and had developed into a vibrant community hub before the nearby town of Proston was founded. Indeed, until 1930, Hivesville eclipsed Proston in size and importance. In these early years Hivesville boasted a general store, bakery, butcher, garage with six bowsers, blacksmith, post office, school, hotel, two cafes, two bank branches, the Empire theatre cinema, railway station and various receiving depots. When the railway arrived some fourteen years after the first town buildings had been established, the name of the town was changed from Jaumbill to Hivesville (in 1923). Rail sidings were established at nearby Kawl Kawl and Kinleymore. In addition, a large public hall was constructed, along with QCWA rest rooms, Church of England and Lutheran church. Residents of the following nearby farming localities regarded Hivesville as their primary town of business from the time of first settlement into the 1960s, although the town originally serviced a much wider area - Abbeywood, Stalworth, Speedwell, Kinleymore, Stonelands, Keysland. When the nearby town of Proston overtook Hivesville as the major centre of the district in the 1930s, Hivesville entered a long period of slow decline until by the early 1970s it resembled what it is today.^[6]

The Hivesville State School opened in 1924 and closed in 1968. The school's first teacher, Alexander Wilson served in that position until July 1937.^[7] Nearby schools were also established at Kinleymore (1913-1969), Speedwell (1912-1963), Stonelands (1932-1967), Keysland (1915–1974) and Abbeywood (1914-1969). There was no school at Stalworth, however that district became known for a local hall where dances and social functions were held and there was also a butter factory there for a short time as well.^[8]

Some of the original settlers in the district included John and Percy Slinger, George Perkins, W.Perkins, C.Perkins, H.Perkins, R.Potter, E.Hird, A.Taylor, George Hatchett, W.T.B.Hatchett, Reuben (John) Bull, E.Dowell, H.Olsen, S.Porter, A.Chesterton, A.Harper, C.Harper, M.Comerford, J.Walton, M.McGovern, R.Glanville, E.Cridland, H.Nairne, W.Waters, E.Murgatroyd, S.Sunderland, A.Ley, J.Kinnear, D.Morey, W.Welch, E.York, C.Rees, R.Bracken, J.Donkersley, J.Wardill, J.Grace, H.Holdsworth, H,Crick. P.Henry, T.Marriott, S.Shaw, and Harry Flynn.^[9] These first settlers, took up uncleared selections of virgin bush, with most between 300 and 350 acres in size. The price was seventeen shillings and sixpence an acre, payable to the Queensland Lands Department over thirty-three years in annual installments, at an interest rate of three percent. Initially the bush and scrub was cleared and then corn and Rhodes grass planted. Income was generated through dairying, with the cream being sent by rail to Maryborough in the earliest years and later to Murgon. Excess milk was fed to pigs which generated further income and calves from the cows were also sold. Corn was the most regular crop. The system was viable, but only just, and there were many hard years.^[10]

The northwestern part of the district, which became known as Abbeywood, Speedwell and Stalworth, was largely settled by English immigrants who had travelled to Australia on the ship "Oswestry Grange". This ship made several journeys to Queensland between 1905 and 1912. These immigrants formed a progress association in order to agitate authorities for improvements such as roads, railway and schools. As the area had no name, it was referred to for a time as the Oswestry Grange settlement and later simply, the Overseas settlement, due to the selections being reserved for English settlers. Throughout the Hivesville area, sub-district locality place names were gradually adopted, usually when a school, hall, rail siding or other building was initiated.^[11]

Early businesses in Hivesville were operated by Arthur Johnson, Messrs. Thorne and Walker, Mrs. Jennings, S.Fuller, Messrs. Levitt and Smith, Miss Schultz and J.Webb.^[7]

Mary Vaughan (nee Johnson), daughter of Arthur Johnson, operated a general store in the town for many years until well into old age.

At the 2006 census, Hivesville and the surrounding area had a population of 310.^[12]

Facilities

Facilities in the town include a pub, a convenience store and a petrol station.^[13]

The Hivesville branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at 12 Main Street.^[14]

References

Further reading

• {{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21395416|title=FOR THE MAN ON THE LAND.|date=13 April 1929|newspaper=The Brisbane Courier|accessdate=28 December 2018|issue=22,218|location=Queensland, Australia|page=13|via=National Library of Australia}}—a description of Hivesville in 1929

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