Allora, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Allora is a town
in south-western Queensland
, Australia
, on the Darling Downs 158 km south-west of the state capital, Brisbane
. The town is in the Southern Downs Region. The township is located on the New England Highway
between Warwick
and Toowoomba. At the 2006 census
, Allora had a population of 923.
The region surrounding this small farming community was first explored by Europeans in the 1840s; the town was surveyed in 1859. Its name is believed to derive from an Aboriginal
word "gnarrallah", meaning waterhole or swampy place.
Following European settlement, the history of the area is entwined with two famous pastoral homesteads in the vicinity of Allora: Glengallan and Talgai. Both properties ran sheep. The original 'Talgai' run was taken up by E.E. Dalrymple in 1840. The creek that runs through Allora is named in his honour. Built in 1868 for the Clark family, Talgai homestead stood on 300,000 acres (1,200 km²). The homestead is built of sandstone
and covers sixty squares. It is now a bed and breakfast. In 1884 the first fossil
evidence of early human occupation, the Talgai skull, was found on the station, embedded in the wall of Dalrymple Creek. Radiocarbon dating suggests the Talgai skull is between 9,000 and 11,000 years old.
From the 1870s, red cedar, pine and beech logged from the Goomburra valley were milled at Allora.
Local attractions include the Goomburra Forest Reserve, part of which was World Heritage listed in 1994 by UNESCO
. The Talgai skull is located in the Shellshear Museum, Department of Anatomy, Sydney University. A replica is found in the Allora Museum.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in south-western Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, on the Darling Downs 158 km south-west of the state capital, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. The town is in the Southern Downs Region. The township is located on the New England Highway
New England Highway
The New England Highway is a highway in Australia running from Hexham near Newcastle at its southern end to Yarraman near Toowoomba at its northern end. At its southern end it connects to the Pacific Highway and at its northern end it connects to the D'Aguilar Highway. It traverses the Hunter...
between Warwick
Warwick, Queensland
Warwick is a town in Queensland, Australia, lying south-west of Brisbane. It is the administrative centre of the Southern Downs Local Government Area. In 2006 the town of Warwick had a population of 12,562....
and Toowoomba. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Allora had a population of 923.
The region surrounding this small farming community was first explored by Europeans in the 1840s; the town was surveyed in 1859. Its name is believed to derive from an Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
word "gnarrallah", meaning waterhole or swampy place.
Following European settlement, the history of the area is entwined with two famous pastoral homesteads in the vicinity of Allora: Glengallan and Talgai. Both properties ran sheep. The original 'Talgai' run was taken up by E.E. Dalrymple in 1840. The creek that runs through Allora is named in his honour. Built in 1868 for the Clark family, Talgai homestead stood on 300,000 acres (1,200 km²). The homestead is built of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and covers sixty squares. It is now a bed and breakfast. In 1884 the first fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
evidence of early human occupation, the Talgai skull, was found on the station, embedded in the wall of Dalrymple Creek. Radiocarbon dating suggests the Talgai skull is between 9,000 and 11,000 years old.
From the 1870s, red cedar, pine and beech logged from the Goomburra valley were milled at Allora.
Local attractions include the Goomburra Forest Reserve, part of which was World Heritage listed in 1994 by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
. The Talgai skull is located in the Shellshear Museum, Department of Anatomy, Sydney University. A replica is found in the Allora Museum.