Barcaldine - named the garden city of the west. The name originates from the Oban region in Scotland. Donald Charles Cameron was one of the first settlers in the district and a direct descendent of the Campbell's of Barcaldine Castle. He settled on a parcel of land fronting the Alice River and immediately named it Barcaldine Downs. Barcaldine has had a colourful past which centered around the Great Shearers Strike of 1891 and is the home of the Tree of Knowledge. This historic tree was a Ghost Gum which grew outside the Railway Station for a period of 180 years. Sadly it was poisoned in 2006 by an unknown culprit. During the Shearers Strike meetings were held in the shade of the old gum tree and so it became known as the Tree of knowledge. Salvation Army meetings were also held under this tree and their name for it was "The Alleuia Tree"
We also visited the Australian Workers Heritage Centre which pays tribute to the lives of ordinary workers both past and present who have contributed to the shaping of our nation. Clare is sitting on what is known as "The Seat of Knowledge" - probably a lost cause!