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Esk
From the 1840s local pastoralists ran their own station stores. Notable amongst these families were the McConnells of Cressbrook, the Norths at Fairnie Lawn and the Archer Brothers at Duramba. Settlement of land use further diversified in the 1860s and 1970s with the influx of Prussian (German) immigrants to Mt Beppo, Marburg, Tarampa, Lowood and Minden areas introducing wine making and dairying.
A hotel established at Sandy Creek in 1872 at the Teamster’s Camp, soon developed into a town. A town was planned in 1872 and lodged with the surveyor in 1873. Officially called “Gallanani”, said to be an Aboriginal name for Easter Swamp Hen. When the railway arrived in 1886 the town continued as ‘Gallanani’ and the station was called Esk. The town was then known as ‘The Railway Town of Esk’, which was changed by the Survey Office in 1913 to the official name of Esk. The town rapidly developed due to the copper boom at Diara in 1873 and was soon a thriving community becoming the hub of the Brisbane cattle industry and centre of prosperous dairying, agriculture and timber industries with two mills in operation.
In 1875 there were numerous buildings in the township, including a general store, Glenrock Hotel and the Royal Hotel. Buildings were mainly slab huts with shingle roofs. By 1877, Esk boasted a police station and lock-up, post and telegraph office, church manse, primary school, two butchers and accommodation, all located on Ipswich sire of Sandy Creek. 1909 records show wide variety of businesses.
Between 1905 and 1907, the town’s population doubled to six hundred, becoming the hub of the Valley’s cattle, dairying, agriculture and timber industries. The butter factory was established in 1906 providing increased economic prosperity for the town. ‘Gallanani’ became known as the railway town of Esk in 1903.





