Bell

Bell is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia.

Bell is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census the locality of Bell had a population of 502 people.Bell is in the western foothills of the Bunya Mountains, 39 kilometres (24 mi) north of Dalby.

Jarowair (also known as Yarowair, Yarow-wair, Barrunggam, Yarrowair, Yarowwair and Yarrow-weir) is one of the languages of the Toowoomba region. The Jarowair language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Toowoomba Regional Council, particularly Toowoomba north to Crows Nest and west to Oakey. Giabal is the Southern neighbour in Toowoomba City.The name Koondai-Iis believed to be the Indigenous name for the area.The name Wonga may refer to the Wonga windmill.Originally the area around what is now known as Bell was known at Cattle Creek and was part of a large land holding called Jimbour Station. In the 1870s the area was opened up for closer settlement and Angus & Christina McPhee from Scotland became the first European settlers nearest to what would become the village of Bell. Over time other families - including Bellingham, Bradley, Edwards, Ensor, McClelland Rush and Walker - settled in the vicinity of Cattle Creek and in 1878 a school was established at Maida Hill to cater for these families. The first use of "Bell" as a town name was in mid-1905 however it was still inter-changeable with Cattle Creek as a description of the general area.In April 1906 the Bell Branch railway line was opened linking to the Western railway line at Dalby with the following (now-abandoned) stations within the locality:

Bell railway station (26.9339°S 151.4488°E? / -26.9339; 151.4488? (Bell railway station (former)))

Koondai-I railway station (26.9470°S 151.4609°E? / -26.9470; 151.4609? (Koondai-I railway station (former)))

Warmga railway station (26.9694°S 151.4682°E? / -26.9694; 151.4682? (Warmga railway station (former)))With the opening of the railway 1,600 acres (650 ha) was resumed for the township and surveyed into town allotments. The first land sales in Bell were in May 1906. The village was named after Sir Joshua Peter Bell who, at that time, was owner of Jimbour Station.Maida Hill Post Office opened on 8 September 1877. It was renamed Bell by 1898, Malakoff in 1907 and closed in 1930. Bell Railway Station Post Office opened by December 1906 and was renamed Bell in 1907.The Bell Provisional school opened on 4 November 1907 and the Bradley, McPhee and Shaw families feature strongly on the enrolments of 1907. On 1 January 1909, it became Bell State School. The school celebrated its centenary in 2007.The railway continued to operated until 1994.Bell Library opened in 2013.In the 2016 census the locality of Bell had a population of 502 people.

The Railway Heritage Parkland, built on the site of the original railway terminus, features an early model diesel locomotive and a vintage passenger carriage as well as a historical mural painted on the shed wall. A number of Bell's early buildings were constructed from locally sourced sandstone - an example is a stone house which was built in 1913.The Roman Catholic Church hosts a mural painted by local artists showing a history of Salvation.The Bluebelles Art Gallery at the Bell Bunya Community Centre holds displays of local artists' works.