Bouldercombe is in Central Queensland. The town is on the Burnett Highway, 636 kilometres (395 mi) north west of the state capital, Brisbane and 22 kilometres (14 mi) south of the regional centre of Rockhampton.
There are a number of neighbourhoods within the locality:
Bouldercombe came into existence in 1865 when gold was found at nearby Crocodile Creek and Gavial Creek. Within a year over 2000 miners were living in the area.[9] The town was originally called Crocodile after the creek name.[10][11][12]
Crocodile Creek Post Office opened on 24 September 1866 and closed in 1879.[13]
Crocodile Creek Provisional School opened on 14 August 1871. It was later closed and reopened on 15 August 1881. It was later relocated to a new building at Bouldercombe. On 23 February 1900 it was renamed Bouldercombe State School.[15][16]
By 1876, the gold rush was over and the population slumped to 149, but the discovery of gold at nearby Mount Usher in 1897 caused the population to rise to over 1000 people for a short time.[11]
The first Bouldercombe Post Office opened on 7 September 1883 and closed in 1889.[13]
The Royal Hotel opened on the corner of Mount Usher Road and Oleander Street on 5 March 1897 under licensee Samuel Heiser; the hotel is still operating in 2014.[10]
Mount Usher Receiving Office opened by 1899, was raised to post office status in 1900, closed in 1906, reopened in 1909, was reduced in status in 1913, was renamed Bouldercombe in 1924 and closed in 1927.[13]
The former Dawson Valley railway line passed through the locality with the following stations (now abandoned):
The name of the neighbourhood Moonmera derives the railway station. It is an Aboriginal word meaning bottom of the hill.[6]
Moonmera Provisional School opened in 1900. On 1 January 1909, it became Moonmera State School. It closed in 1950.[18]
Mount Usher Methodist Church opened on Sunday 10 November 1901. It was on a quarter-acre block immediately opposite the pumping plant. It was 30 by 24 feet (9.1 by 7.3 m) and 14 feet (4.3 m) high with a porch. The doors and windows were in Gothic style. It was designed and built by carpenter George Nathaniel Delahunt at a cost of £142 17s.[19]
The third Bouldercombe Post Office opened on 28 August 1928 and closed in 1977.[13]
The Crocodile Creek Gold Dredging Company started up in 1935 to extract gold by alluvial washing and operated until 1946.[11]
Since that time, the area has mainly been known for its citrus growing.[9]
^ abc"Bouldercombe". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
^"Crocodile Fields". The Queenslander. National Library of Australia. 27 March 1897. p. 12 Supplement: Unknown. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
^ abcdPremier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
^"MOUNT USHER METHODIST CHURCH". Morning Bulletin. Vol. LXII, no. 11, 227. Queensland, Australia. 11 November 1901. p. 6. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2020 – via National Library of Australia.