Tibooburra - angells-au

Located 340 kilometres north of Broken Hill, Tibooburra is the essence of an outback town. Established around 1845 at the height of the gold rush, Tibooburra provides many services for the people of the 'Corner, as well as the many thousands of visitors who pass this way each year.

In the1880s Tibooburra was the shanty-town up the track from Milparinka… At least that seems to have been the attitude of the “Milparinkaoneans” as they were called on one occasion. The town's population in 2001 is quite probably the highest it has ever been.

But Tibooburra had an attraction or two that Milparinka could never have. First – there was gold to be found in the streets of the town itself, not at some place sixteen miles away such as Mount Browne. Second – it did not have the District Courthouse or “the establishment” - although it did have a much smaller courthouse. That is not to say “Tib” was without police – they most certainly were there, as is demonstrated by a browse through the Police Charge and Summons Book for the town. But they had a different attitude. As did the whole populace of Tibooburra it seems. They were more inclined just to get on and do something, rather than follow the "correct" process. They were more tolerant in many ways too. A couple of examples will do… While Milparinka was arguing about where to build a hospital, Tibooburra went ahead and built one… While the Milparinka Progress Committee was making rules about where the Afghans could put their camels, at Tibooburra they were pastured in the Police Paddock… Well, that's not quite true - but the Police Paddock wasn't fenced, so the camels just happened to - sort of - wander in there and have a feed.

There is a lot of information about Tibooburra, and the people who lived there. And at least two good books have been written about the town. They do not, however, seem to have much about the history of Tibooburra, or plans of the school house, the story of Tibooburra Cottage Hospital, the autopsy conducted by his bitter rival after the death of Dr.Willis. Nor do they have gems from the Tibooburra Telegraph – like: “Get that dead poisoned dog lying nearly opposite Mr.H.Downe's private residence removed, you whose duty it is to see to. The smell arising from the carcase gives Otto of Roses a long start and a beating." At 110°F we suspect it would self-levitate, but you make up your own mind. And we don’t think any of them write about the Chinese pastrycooks and market gardeners, the Afghans, the freed American slave who used to play at Saturday night dances in the Albert Hall. Nor do they describe the decoration of that hall on a Saturday night, Fred Cornthwaite’s Christmas gift tables, or the building of the Two Storey Hotel. We think these things explain Tibooburra.

Tibooburra had a much stronger will to survive. They people of "Tib" were miners, entrepreneurs, or whatever. They certainly didn’t wait for “The Government” to make a decision for them, even if the decisions they were made were a bit controversial.

As any visitor to the far west can see today – Tibooburra survived where Milparinka is more or less just a pile of stone ruins. Which is another thing – Tibooburra built some stone buildings, but many of them were simple corrugated iron structures. Tibooburra had few pretensions, while Milparinka was ‘the administrative centre’.

The Family Hotel

The Family Hotel dates from 1881 - almost from the beginnings of the gold rush to Tibooburra. The original tent township was down the track, at Thomson's Dam. The first hotels were most likely corrugated iron shacks and calico tents. The next ones were a little further north, where Tibooburra stands today, and the first of those was just north of the Two Storey Hotel. The Family Hotel dates from that period too. It has seen a few internal changes over the years, but the outside has not changed very much at all.

The Albert Hall

The Albert Hall is probably the best surviving example of why Tibooburra is still with us, long after Milparinka has faded away. The Albert Hall is not all that grand - in fact it is relatively small - but it was built by the people of Tibooburra - with contributions from the owners of the pub next door, who also owned the land upon which it is built. The Albert Hall belonged to the community and was used by them for all manner of things - including Saturday night dances, which are well-remembered even by myself. The community at Tibooburra supported those dances because they were a community affair - the money raised went to build their hospital, or to improve the water supply. At Milparinka dances were often organised as a private affair, in a private house or a privately-owned room, such as that built by Alfred Bigmore. At Tibooburra everyone was welcome. Which is just as well - because they turned up anyway, and you had to welcome them as long as they paid their money.

The Two Storey Hotel (formely Tibooburra Hotel)

The Two Storey Hotel is where the high and mighty stayed when they came to Tibooburra. It was also where the school-teachers, doctors and the occasional politician stayed while they worked in or visited this very remote township. Many things happened here - some not so pleasant, some quite amusing. But the Two Storey Hotel has a lot of history attached to it, even if it is not, by quite a few years, the oldest establishment in town.

Fred Cornthwaite's Store

Fred Cornthwaite was the storekeeper to contend with. He was a determined competitor with his rivals across the street and down the track at Milparinka, and made very sure that no-one got a jump on him.

Every Christmas he would have one-shilling tables, selling gift lines. He wasn't the first to have them but no-one got the better of him.

Every summer he would have new clothing lines. But so did everyone else. He advertised profusely, and gave back to his community in the way of donations and prizes for various fund-raising events.

Others did not spend so much, but he was not alone in helping his community. His store became a huge ramshackle place, constructed of local timbers, stone and corrugated iron.

When he sold out some time around 1930 his store lived on, until one day when it burned to the ground. But by then it had outlived its' utility and was simply too big for the shrinking community it served.

Tibooburra Hospital

The Tibooburra Cottage Hospital was born in 1892.

It almost did not happen - and would never have done so if the community had waited for "the Government" to get their act together.

True to form, the people of Tibooburra just built it and then worried about the details later.

The original building is still there tucked in amongst the newer ones which date from the 1930s and the late 1950s. But it was not the first Tibooburra Hospital structure - that honour belongs to another building which was situated a little way away, on an open space that has a sign announcing it was the site of the first school.

True - but it is also the site of the first hospital. This is also the hospital where most of my family were born including myself.

Created on 08/10/2008 02:25 AM by Rod
Updated on 08/10/2008 02:34 AM by Rod