Richmond, Queensland: History
Jirandali (also known as Yirandali, Warungu, and Yirandhali) is an Australian Aboriginal language of North-West Queensland, particularly the Hughenden area. The language region includes the local government area of the Shire of Flinders, including Dutton River, Flinders River, Mount Sturgeon, Caledonia, Richmond, Corfield, Winton, Torrens, Tower Hill, Landsborough Creek, Lammermoor Station, Hughenden, and Tangorin.
Wanamarra (also known as Maykulan and Wunumura is an Australian Aboriginal language in North West Queensland. The language region includes areas within the Shire of McKinlay, Shire of Cloncurry and Shire of Richmond, including the Flinders River area, and the towns of Kynuna and Richmond.
The explorer William Landsborough camped on 13 March 1862 at the site that would become the town of Richmond. Explorer and former Commandant of the Native Police, Frederick Walker, had previously passed through the area in October 1861, naming and camping on the Dutton River. Both the Landsborough and Walker parties were attempting to locate the Burke and Wills expedition.
The leasehold of the Richmond Downs Pastoral Run was granted in 1863 to Wellington Cochrane Bundock and Enoch Price Walter Hays who came from the Richmond River in New South Wales. In 1866 the Crown Lands Office transferred the leasehold on the Pastoral Runs of Wyanganie, Landsborough Downs and Richmond Downs in the Burke district from W C Bundock and F S Hays to Robert Napier, manager of the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney. Then in 1867 the interest of the bank in these three properties was transferred back to W C Bundock and Francis S Hays.
By 1867, Richmond Downs had a postal service. However at some stage the service drew the attention of the Postmaster General for inefficiency. In the 1870s services became intermittent. In May 1899, the post office name was changed from Richmond Downs to Richmond, and a new post office built.
In 1880, gold was found at Woolgar to the north and Richmond became an important stagecoach stop en route to Woolgar.
The town was surveyed on 9 December 1882 by surveyor Joseph Hargreaves with town lots sold from April 1883.
Richmond Provisional School opened on 22 May 1889 with 23 pupils, becoming Richmond State School on 27 February 1902 when it had 113 pupils.
The Great Northern railway reached the town in June 1904. At the official celebration on 2 June 1904, it was explained that the line was the first to be built by cheaper methods by replacing the track ballast with packed earth, but the cost saving was at the expense of train speed, which was expected to be 15 miles per hour. It was hoped that cheaper methods would allow more pastoral areas to be serviced by rail with an immediate desire to connect through to Cloncurry.
On Sunday 24 July 1904, St Brigid's Catholic Church was blessed and opened by Bishop Joseph Higgins.
In July 1909, St John the Baptist Anglican Church was officially opened and dedicated by Bishop George Frodsham.
The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart opened a Catholic primary school in 1915.
The Richmond Public Library was opened in 1996.