View across the grass to Cressbrook Homestead, circa 1887
Jagara (also known as Jagera, Yagara, Yugarabul, Yuggera and Yuggerabul) is one of the Aboriginal languages of South-East Queensland.[5] There is some uncertainty over the status of Jagara as a language, dialect or perhaps a group or clan within the local government boundaries of
Ipswich City Council,
Lockyer Regional Council and the
Somerset Regional Council.[6]
Esk formed part of the southern border of the Garumga clan of the
Dalla tribe.
The land around Esk was first explored by Captain
Patrick Logan in 1830. The town was established to service the short-lived
copper mines of Eskdale and Cressbrook Creek.[7] Settlers moved into the region during the 1840s.
Mount Esk Post Office opened on 1 February 1874 (a
receiving office had been open from 1873) and was renamed Esk by February 1881.[8][9]
Mount Esk State School was opened on 1 November 1875 and was renamed Esk State School in 1887.[10][11][12]
On Sunday 25 November 1883, the Esk Primitive Methodist Church was opened with services conducted by the Reverend Willian Little. It was a timber church, 18 by 30 feet (5.5 by 9.1 m).[13] It became the Esk Methodist Church after the amalgamation of Methodist denominations in 1902.[14] A new church was constructed in 1907.[15]
In 1886, the
Brisbane Valley railway line reached Esk from
Lowood.[7] Several sawmills were built and in 1904 a butter factory opened. The timber industry declined in the 1920s.
On 30 November 1920, Dr
Graham Butler laid the foundation stone of the Esk War Memorial.[18] The finished memorial was unveiled by General
Lachlan Chisholm Wilson on 27 August 1921.[19] The memorial records the names of 462 Shire residents who enlisted during the First World War. It also contains bronze honour rolls bearing the names of 83 local men who died during the war. Four commemorative plaques have subsequently been added to the structure. The war memorial stands in Esk Memorial Park, which also contains a memorial to Captain Logan, who was murdered while exploring the
Brisbane Valley in 1830.[20][21]
There are no secondary schools in Esk. The nearest government secondary school is Toogoolawah State High School in
Toogoolawah to the north. Other government secondary schools in the area are Lockyer District High School in
Gatton or Lowood State High School in
Lowood.[35]
Esk township is also serviced by a local Hospital and racecourse and plans are underway for a retirement village.[citation needed]
Attractions
Nearby attractions include
Lake Somerset and
Lake Wivenhoe, both lakes created by dams which provide a number of camping areas with facilities and opportunities for water-based recreational activities including boating, canoeing, fishing and skiing and
Ravensbourne and
Crows Nest National Parks.
The historic
Bellevue Homestead is located in the area. Also close by are the peaks Glen Rock and Mount Esk.
Media
Esk is serviced by a Christian radio station on FM 87.6 MHz.[citation needed]
Notable people from Esk
Douglas Berry (1907–1957), butcher and Liberal MP in the 1950s
^Phoenix Auctions History.
"Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions.
Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
^"The Brisbane Courier". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XXXV, no. 4, 312. Queensland, Australia. 17 March 1881. p. 2.
Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^
abBlake, Thom.
"Esk Methodist Church". Queensland religious places database.
Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
^"Esk Anglican Church". The Telegraph. No. 5, 322. Queensland, Australia. 2 November 1889. p. 5.
Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Lutheran Church". The Queensland Times. Ipswich, Queensland: National Library of Australia. 22 July 1941. p. 2 Edition: Daily.
Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
"THE TOWN OF ESK". The Brisbane Courier. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 13 March 1929. p. 10. Retrieved 9 May 2014. – a detailed description of Esk in 1929