Shearers Strike Print Page

Plaque is a replica of the original blaze marked in 1891 and was erected as a Centenary of Federation Project. A tree approximately 2kms downstream marked the site of the strikers camp until it was destroyed in 1944.

In early 1891, central Queensland shearers went on strike. From February through until May, central Queensland was on the brink of civil war. Striking shearers formed armed camps outside of towns. Thousands of armed soldiers protected non-union labour and arrested strike leaders. The unionists retaliated by raiding shearing sheds, harassing non-union labour and committing acts of sabotage. But the shearers were unable to hold out. By May the union camps were full of hungry penniless shearers. The strike had been broken. The squatters had won this time. But the squatters realised that the industry could not afford to win such costly battles. They knew they would have to work more closely with the Shearers' Union and the shearers realised that they would need to be better organised next time. The strike laid the foundations of the Labour Movement in Australia. 

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