After renting a two room cottage in Eromanga for use as a police station, at a cost of five shillings per week, the station was instructed to close three months later. It was December 1891. At the time the town of Eromanga also sported a large store, two first class pubs and a few humpys. The population of about 20 mostly earned their living through opal mining, and utilised their earnings in the cool brick built pubs by knocking back a beer or two.
In 1893 Inspector 2/C Brannelly reported and recommended two good mounted constables be stationed at Eromanga, and on the 14 and 18 December 1893, Constables Collins and Ordish arrived at Eromanga on transfer from Brisbane. The constables were first accommodated in the back verandah room of Eurongella Station.
Aerial view of Eromanga township. Image courtesy of Google.
In 1894, further police transfers occurred, with Senior Constable J.Manuell returning to Eromanga. He had originally policed the town in 1891, but this time wished to return with his wife and requested suitable quarters for them both. In 1895 a four roomed house on one acre was rented at a cost of nine shillings per week for this purpose.
In January 1900, a portable police barracks constructed of galvanised iron with wooden uprights, and comprising three rooms and a verandah, was sent by rail from Brisbane to Charleville. Two bullock teams transported the material on to Eromanga, where it was erected by a police carpenter, Constable Cutler. The barracks were completed in September that year, together with storeroom and water closet (toilet).
Eromanga Police Station, built in 1965. This image was taken during the summer of 2013, complete with emu enjoying green grass, and is courtesy of Eromanga’s Senior Constable Brad Ziebell.
Police Station buildings were maintained and modernised for the next 60 years, then in 1965 the current steel framed, metal sheeted station was erected, including full insulation and a steel sheeted roof specifically designed for the climatic conditions of the region with wide overhanging roof and over 400 louvres, and fly proofed openings.
A notable figure who served at Eromanga as a Constable from the 15 November 1912 until 26 February 1915 was John Smith who later rose through the ranks to become Commissioner of Police serving from 1949 until 1955.
PM2305 Police Commissioner John Smith was the top Queensland Police Officer between July 1949 to August 1955. Image courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing. The article was compiled by Police Museum Assistant Georgia Grier. The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
Email contact: museum@police.qld.gov.au
“FROM the VAULT – Eromanga Police Station” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode