Grandchester, Queensland

Grandchester is a town in the Lockyer Valley region in South East Queensland, Australia. It is located 76km west of the Brisbane CBD and is within the boundaries of the City of Ipswich. The name derives from the old English name for bigge (Grand) and camp (Chester), which was the initial name of the locality, and suggested by the wife of the Governor of the day when the railway opened. At the 2011 census, Grandchester had a population of 504.HistoryGrandchester was the initial terminus of the first narrow gauge mainline railway in the world. The first track opened to traffic on 31 July 1865 from Ipswich, as the Queensland Government was keen to prove the viability of its controversial 'pony railway'. The construction of the Victoria Tunnel through the Little Liverpool Range to the west of Grandchester was behind schedule, and so although it served a very small population, Bigges Camp (as it was initially known) became the terminus for 10 months, until the line was extended to Gatton. The original Grandchester railway station, including the former Station Master's residence, still exists.Grandchester Post Office opened on 1 January 1866 after the arrival of the railway and closed in 1978.