History
A snap shot from around the area
The railway line from Ferny Grove to Samford was completed in 1918 and extended to Dayboro in 1920. The station was built close by the Hall and acted as the Post Office. It only opened at train times; for the rail motors once daily trip from Dayboro to Brisbane and back, half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the late afternoon. The remnants of the train station platform are still visible today in front of the Closeburn Rural Fire Brigade depot to the east of the Hall.
This store was built by a Brisbane man, Mr. Perry, who recognised that the local people had no shopping facilities. He bought land from Gus Kopp and built the shop close to the railway station. There was a small fenced paddock for those travellers who would leave their horses there for the day while they went into Brisbane. A saddle room was also available to the travellers allowing for storage of items. Over the years Mr. Chilton also ran the store at one time. The store burned down one night in the days when it was owned by Mr. Len Duprey while he and the family were at the theatre in town.
Samford Valley
Records at Queensland State Archives show a lease was held from 1855 for the land where Samford is today. The Government began putting up parts of lease land for sale and selection from 1865.
It was heavy forest land and had no easy access, as the river valley is surrounded by steep ranges. Smaller holdings led to closer settlement, taking advantage of a favourable water supply in many creeks flowing into the South Pine River. The main source of income for the settlers was timber, dairying, bananas, small crops and fruit. 1914 – 1918 World War I saw many local lads join the forces. Some returned soldiers were given holdings at the Highlands later named Highvale.
With relocation of the hotel and the small shop and Post Office closer to the railway station in 1918, Samford Village began to evolve. 1926 – 1927 saw more bananas consigned from Samford Railway Station than any other in Queensland. Disaster hit the industry early in the 1930’s when the “bunchy – top” virus necessitated a government order for all plantations to be destroyed.
Electricity came to Samford in 1937 and with the introduction of milking machines, dairy-farmers began increasing their herds. Timber continued to be an industry employing locals.
World War II 1939 – 1945 again saw local lads go to war. As farming was an essential service, many of our men were compelled to stay on their properties. Some American soldier units used the Samford Blacksmith to shoe their horses. Post-War Samford remained constant, but once the road over the range was reconstructed, the town began to change. Motor transport was becoming more popular, hence the closure of the railway from Ferny Grove to Dayboro in 1955.
Land sales of the farms for housing development began in the 1960’s. There are now no dairy farms producing milk in Samford district, the last farm closing in 2001. After 40 years the Samford CSIRO pastoral research farm closed, and land was sold in 2002.
Visit the Samford Museum!
The Samford Museum’s volunteers have a wealth of knowledge and are eager to pass it on. You can research the history of the local district and early settlers. They have maps of the area dating back to 1864 and a vast array of photos, documents and local history publications.
The Hall for All : All for The Hall
Content for the History page has been sourced from archives, for any errors and omissions please contact the committee.