Petford
Petford is a locality in the Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia.[1]
Petford Queensland | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() ![]() Petford | |||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 17.3666°S 144.9125°E | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 4871 | ||||||||||||||
Area | 737.3 km2 (284.7 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Location | 142 km (88 mi) SW of Cairns | ||||||||||||||
LGA(s) | Shire of Mareeba | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | |||||||||||||||
Federal Division(s) | Kennedy | ||||||||||||||
|
History
The locality takes its name from the railway station which was named after John Joseph Petford, an official of Queensland Railways Department for many years.[1] The railway station was on the Chillagoe Railway & Mining Co. line from Mareeba to Mount Garnet which opened its first section from Mareeba to Lappa, just south-west of Petford, in 1900. The station no longer operates, but the line still exists, with the Savannahlander tourist train passing through Petford on its way between Cairns and Forsayth.[2]
Bamford Provisional School opened on 23 January 1905. The school closed in 1907 but reopened in 1908. On 1 January 1909 it became Bamford State School. It closed on 2 August 1935.[3]
References
- "Petford - locality in Shire of Mareeba (entry 48840)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- The Savannahlander - Forsayth to Cairns Thomas, A. Australian Railway History, July 2004 pp255-258
- Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0