ESK
Esk is the first ‘major’ town out of
the Brisbane region when traveling north out of the major centre. Esk
is a really nice small town that has most essential services. Esk is
right on the fringe of the commute distance to Ipswich that may drive
some growth into the future. Esk is also a ‘café set’ town, that
thrives at weekends with the greater Brisbane weekend and day tripper.
  
Heritage factors are important for Esk
and the number of old buildings and past history is on display. Be
sure to check out these old poster adverts.   
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. Settlers
moved into the region during the 1840s. Several sawmills were built
and in 1904 a butter factory opened. The timber industry declined in
the 1920s and dairying slowed from the 1960s onwards, which has
eventually led to the decline of the town's importance as a major
rural centre
The Esk War Memorial was erected in 1921
to record the names of 462 Shire residents who enlisted during the
WW1. It also contains bronze honour rolls bearing the names of 83
local men who fell during the war.
Four
commemorative plaques have subsequently been added to the structure.
_small.JPG)
The Catholic
and Anglican Churches  _small.JPG)
are very old but undated wooden buildings. The Presbyterian 
and United
likewise are very old.
There are two very old hotels. The
Club
has had its centenary, and the Grand
was built in the early 1920’s.
Esk is a very nice small town that has
a lot for the visitor to enjoy, so an overnight is recommended.
   
Heritage diary_small.JPG) _small.JPG)
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