Bahrs Scrub
Bahr was a pioneer who took up land in the area.
BakingBoard
A piece of bark was kept at this location for teamsters to make
their damper on while camped on this higher ground west of Chinchilla.
Bald Hills
Two treeless hills amid scrub-covered plain gave rise to the
descriptive Bald Hills, and this has been its official designation from 1871.
Its Aboriginal name was Wyampa. There is a story about these bald hills being
used by cattle duffers years before the first permanent settlers moved in which
says that it was they who first made use of what has become the name for the
district.
Ballandean
According to the Queensland Railways, the Ballandean holding on
the Granite Belt from which the district derived its name, was named after two
early pioneers, Messer Ball and Dean. However it has more reliably been
acknowledged as the name of the Scottish birthplace of Robert Mackenzie, the
first owner of Ballandean Run. It means dwelling in the valley.
Balmoral
The existence of Balmoral House in the area may have influenced
the choice of name, but the local authority area was given the name of Balmoral
on its proclamation by the Executive Council, 21 January, 1888, in honour of the
royal residence in Scotland acquired by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in
1852. The name in Gaelic means homestead in a big clearing.
Balmoral in Scotland has been a country retreat for British monarchs over
the years since then. Prince Albert left his mark on the property through his
overseeing of the rebuilding program and the establishment of the gardens, and
because of this Balmoral Castle had a special place in Queen Victoria�s
affections during the long years of her widowhood.
The name Balmoral was used in the subdivision of this Brisbane property in
the latter part of the 19th century when Queen Victoria still ruled. It was
confirmed in 1927 when the name was given to the tram terminus.
Bannockburn
Bannockburn, a name derived from the stream, Bannock Burn, was
the scene for a famous Scottish battle in 1314 when the Scots under Robert the
Bruce routed the English forces under Edward II. Bannockburn, south of Windaroo,
keeps the memory of that event, so important to Scottish nationalism, alive on
the other side of the globe.
Banyo
According to Europeans, this was the Aboriginal name for the area and meant a ridge or
small hill. Sir James Dixon, Minister for Railways, had earlier dubbed the
railway junction there Clapham Junction, but the name Banyo has been used from
about 1887.
Bapaume
Like other soldier settlement areas on the Granite Belt, this
area was named after a First World War battlefield in France, where Australian
soldiers fought.
Barakula
The State Forest near Chinchilla is aptly named as the Aboriginal word meant
tall and big timber.
Barambah
The name refers to the westerly wind.
Bardon
The suburb derives its name from the house Joshua Jeays built for
his wife in 1863. This prominent Brisbane architect and builder named it after
Bardon Hill in his native Leicestershire. Architecturally the house which still
stands, now owned by the Catholic Church, is in the Early Victorian Gothic
Revival style and has been likened, in appearance, to an English manor house.
Sadly his wife died before the house was completed, and he refused to live in
it. His son took it over. Then later his daughter, married to Sir Charles
Lilley, formerly Premier of the Colony of Queensland and recently made Chief
Justice, lived there. It was later occupied by another Queensland Premier, Sir
Thomas McIlwraith.
Baroon Pocket Dam
From barun-ba, a place where fish could be obtained, but the
name is also said to refer to an open grassy space or to the rat kangaroo.
Baroona
Baroona Road remains to remind us of an area once known as
Baroona after the house of that name, a house which at one time belonged to
Robert Philp who with James Burns formed the Burns Philp Company and was a
member of parliament and, for a short period, Premier. The name is of Aboriginal
derivation and means a place far away.
Basin Pocket
Captain Logan named the limit of navigation on the Bremer
River 'The Basin" and suggested that it would be a good site for a town.
The name of Basin Pocket derived from this earlier designation.
Battery Hill
This area near Caloundra gained its name from the
fortifications built there in the 1880s when there was some fear of a Russian
incursion.
Bauple
The Aboriginal name referred to the mountain, supposedly the
dwelling place of a lizard-like demon. The name refers to the frilled
lizard. It has also been spelt Bopple, Boppil, Bahpil, Boopal and Baphal.
Beachmere
It is said that a Mr Bonney who settled in the area around 1870
called it Beachmere because of the strip of sandy beach set amidst a marshy
countryside. William Goodwin Geddes was the first person to hold freehold title
for the area between King John Creek and the beach. About 1887 Millman moved
from Oaklands to start dairying there and in the Millmans� time it
started to be used by picnicking parties.
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