Community & Business
21 July, 2025
Allure's historic penny-farthing bicycle, nearly 150 years old
This is a Penny-farthing or high wheeler bicycle made by Rouges & Co Limited as model No. 2 with a 54inch (137cm) front wheel diameter.
It is an example of an early type of bicycle which was popular during the 1880s.
These bicycles had solid rubber tyres with little shock absorption except for the seat.
The penny-farthing became obsolete during the early 1890s when the modern chain-driven bicycles with pneumatic tyres became popular.
James Dougall likely purchased this bike in the 1880s and rode it while Mayor in 1888 and 1890.
The bike lay in the rubbish heap at “Kilburnie” (home of James Dougall in South Street, Allora) for 40 years before it was rescued by Stanley Gaius (Gay) Neale, a plumber and tinsmith, in 1938.
The bike was resurrected sufficiently to be ridden in the Allora St. Patrick’s Day parade held on 21 March 1938.
It won a prize for the best decorated bicycle.
The bike was in poor condition when rescued.
The frame and 90 per cent of the large wheel rim were recovered for the rebuild.
The rim was welded and made good while the spokes were made from No. 8 wire - the same spokes as you see on this bike today.
The tyre, which was originally solid rubber, was made of rope and bound to the rim by cloth.
The rope tyre was replaced by solid rubber prior to the celebration of the Centenary of Queensland in 1959.
The bike was powder coated in 1996 for the 20th Annual Australian Heritage Festival at the Jondaryan Woolshed.
James Dougall was born in Perthshire, Scotland on 10 March 1841 and arrived in Moreton Bay, on 1 February 1864 on the sailing ship “Flying Cloud” as a trained carpenter, joiner and draughtsman.
James Dougall arrived in Allora in 1866 as a building contractor to build the first State School and school residence and the first Courthouse.
The first courthouse is presently the Allora Historical Society’s Drayton Street Museum.
James Dougall also built the first town Hall in Allora in 1870 for £184 and was a member of the first Committee of the Allora Show Society, being appointed on 3 April 1877.
He married Margaret, the eldest daughter of Henry Black of Goomburra in 1871 and they had 10 children.
Also in 1871 he joined Francis Kates and Robert Cooke as a junior partner and manager of Allora’s
first flour mill in Drayton Street, known as Kates & Company.
After selling out his flour milling interests to Francis Kates, James Dougall pursued farming.
He held the 250 acre “Kilburnie” block in South Street Allora, a 1500 acre block at Goomburra and “Millvale” - 661 acres, 8 miles from Clifton Railway station.
James Dougall died at the age of 93 years at Kilburnie in 1934.
- Ross & Trevor Neale
