Mount Larcom, Queensland

Commander Matthew Flinders named Mount Larcom (the mountain) on 4 August 1802, after a Royal Navy colleague Captain Thomas Larcom.[2] For most of the colonial period the spelling for the name of the region around the mountain was Mount Larcombe. It reverted to the spelling of Mount Larcom in the early 1900s.

In 1854, the region was made available for pastoral farming by the colonial British Government of New South Wales.[6] The following year, William Young, a Scottish colonist who was previously a storekeeper at Gayndah, established the Mount Larcombe sheep station.[7]

Frontier conflict between British colonists and the Aboriginal residents at Mount Larcombe, like in many other parts of Australia, was severe. William Young gave food and clothing to the local Aboriginal people in exchange for their land and their labour shearing his sheep, but also drove them away when they were not needed. He once kicked and pointed a gun at an Aboriginal man for not leaving a hut when told to. Native Police troopers were stationed on the property and in November 1855 they opened fire on a group of Aboriginal people at Mount Larcombe killing one. It was thought that some of the people shot at were involved in an attack a month earlier on the Native Police barracks located at nearby Rannes.[8][9]

In late December 1855, those that survived the shooting mounted a revenge attack on Mount Larcombe, taking sheep and supplies, and killing five station-hands including three men, one woman and an Aboriginal servant. William Young was away at Gladstone at the time reporting the drowning death of his superintendent. He was quickly informed of the killings and a punitive expedition was organised under the command of Lieutenant John Murray of the Native Police. Murray's group set out and later surrounded a camp of sleeping Aboriginal people at Hourigan's Creek. They subsequently killed a large number of people there and then tracked down other groups of Indigenous people in the following weeks as far as the northern banks of the Fitzroy River shooting them as they found them.[9][10][11]

Mount Larcombe sheep station was subjected to another series of killings in 1858. In October of that year, another three station-hands were killed by Aboriginal people. Second Lieutenant Frederick Wheeler of the Native Police was ordered to investigate the killings. Wheeler together with his troopers and William Young tracked down several camps of Aboriginal people but was only able to take seven female prisoners. Wheeler wrote in his report that they "were not able to shoot any...cannot say whether any of the murderers are amongst the mob, but they must all suffer, for the innocent must be held responsible for the guilt of others...going to Gladstone tomorrow but do not suppose to be able to shoot any." After resupplying at Gladstone, Wheeler set out again along the coastal estuaries where "some firing took place but unluckily no blacks were shot." Lieutenant John Murray with his own detachment of troopers then joined with Wheeler's group at Mount Larcombe and together set out on a large punitive expedition to the upper reaches of the Calliope River. Murray later reported that they came upon a large camp of Aboriginal people in that region and shot dead five of them, expressing disappointment that not more had been killed. Heavy rain interrupted further punitive measures and Wheeler and Murray returned to their barracks. Murray left instructions to Wheeler to conduct further operations to track down Aboriginal people when resupplied and the weather improved.[9]

In 1909 township allotments were advertised for sale as 'Mt Larcombe Estate', with the map showing the Gladstone railway station adjacent to the property.[12][13]

Mount Larcombe Provisional School opened on 13 November 1882, but closed for some time during the 1890s due to low student numbers. In 1909, it was upgraded to be Mount Larcombe State School and was renamed Mount Larcom State School in 1913. In 1964, a secondary department (Years 8-10) was added to the school.[14][15]

Mount Larcom Post Office opened by December 1909 (a receiving office had been open from 1904, first known as Mount Larcombe).[16]

Butlerville State School opened on 18 February 1918 but closed circa 1919.[17] In 1922 it reopened in 1922 and closed permanently in 1927.[18][19] The school was located on a 5-acre (2.0 ha) site on the western side of The Narrows Road (23.7525°S 151.0324°E / -23.7525; 151.0324 (Butlerville State School (site))).[20][21]

The first of Mount Larcom's annual agricultural shows was held on 8 October 1919. It was opened by George Carter, the Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Port Curtis.[22]

On Sunday 16 July 1922 the Catholic church was opened by Bishop of Rockhampton Joseph Shiel. It was named for Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The land cost £64 and the church building cost £441.[23]

The ambulance station first opened in 1924; its replacement opened on 20 December 2001.[24]

The Mount Larcom library building opened in 2004.[25]

At the 2011 census, Mount Larcom had a population of 278.[1]