Dalby, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Dalby is a town in the Darling Downs region of Queensland
, Australia
, and is located approximately 210 kilometres (130 mi) west of the state capital, Brisbane
, at the junction of the Warrego
, Moonie
and Bunya Highway
s. Dalby is the administrative centre of the Western Downs Region and the centre of Australia's richest grain and cotton growing area. At the 2006 census
, Dalby had a population of 9,778.
The name of the town is believed to come from the village of Dalby
on the Isle of Man
and reflects immigration from the Isle of Man in the mid nineteenth century. The name was apparently chosen by Captain Samuel Perry when he surveyed the settlement in 1853.
Dalby was linked by rail to Ipswich
on 20 April 1868.
Dalby was founded in the early 1840s at a place known locally as "The Crossing" on Myall Creek, a tributary of the Condamine River
. The first settler was Henry Dennis, who explored the region and chose land for himself and others in the locality. Today an obelisk
in Edward Street denotes the location where Dennis camped.
A small settlement was founded to assist travellers heading north to nearby Jimbour Station. The explorer Ludwig Leichhardt
visited the area in 1844, on his way to Port Essington.
In February 1853, the New South Wales government sent the Deputy Surveyor General Captain Samuel Perry to the area to survey a township. In August of the following year, Mr Charles Douglas Eastaughffe
arrived with a document under the Seal of the NSW Government officially proclaiming 'Dalby' a township. Mr Eastaughffe was later appointed Chief Constable and remained in Dalby until his retirement.
The first Post Office also opened in 1854 in Roche's store, with Mr Simpson as the first Postmaster.
In 1859, Dalby was made part of the new state of Queensland
. In August 1863 Dalby was officially proclaimed a municipality in the Government Gazette, and was invested with all the trappings of the Westminster System.
From 1873 to 1949 the electoral district of Dalby
was an electoral district
of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
.
). Dalby is the centre of a diverse and productive agricultural area with rich black soil allowing the production of crops such as wheat
, cotton
and sorghum
. Livestock raising including pigs
, cattle
and sheep is also popular. Two cotton gins are situated within 10 kilometres (6 mi) of the town.
Dalby is to be the site of the first dry mill grain-to-ethanol plant constructed in Australia (the first plant built specifically for the production of ethanol for fuel since the Second World War).
bores being established to the west of Dalby. A local company has been awarded a contract to establish wind turbines on adjacent farm land.
Approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of Dalby is the Kogan Creek Power Station. This A$
1.2 billion project is a 750-megawatt coal-fired power station, with adjacent coal mine being developed at the small town of Kogan, which is roughly equidistant between Dalby, Chinchilla
, and Tara
.
. Dalby Shoppingworld includes Woolworths
, Big W, Amcal and other specialty shops.
Dalby's Water Treatment Plant uses a state-of-the-art reverse osmosis
process, and will soon have a second RO plant to cater for the town's increasing needs. The town has made a ground-breaking deal with nearby gas companies by taking water from gas fields. It has been noted that the town will have a definite water supply for at least another 30 years, taking into account demographic trends.
Dalby's population has been increasing rapidly recently with many new estates created and subdivisions made. Some notable new estates include Sunnyside Estate, Heritage Gardens, Callistemon Park and a new estate on the Warrego Highway side of Sandalwood Avenue.
Dalby has a monument
to the Cactoblastis cactorum
in a park by the Myall Creek which runs through the town. The Argentinian caterpillar successfully eradicated the prickly pear in the 1920s.
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...
, and is located approximately 210 kilometres (130 mi) 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...
, at the junction of the Warrego
Warrego Highway
The Warrego Highway is located in southern Queensland, Australia. It connects coastal centres to the south western areas of the state, and is approximately 750 km in length. It takes its name from the Warrego River, which is the endpoint of the highway...
, Moonie
Moonie Highway
The Moonie Highway is a state highway of Queensland, Australia. It leaves the Warrego Highway at Dalby and runs for over 250 km until it reaches St George. From there, it continues as the Balonne Highway...
and Bunya Highway
Bunya Highway
The Bunya Highway is a 173 kilometre state highway of Queensland, Australia. It is a relatively short road, running approximately 170 kilometres in a south-westerly direction from Goomeri to Dalby. The highway connects the Warrego and Burnett Highways....
s. Dalby is the administrative centre of the Western Downs Region and the centre of Australia's richest grain and cotton growing area. 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,...
, Dalby had a population of 9,778.
The name of the town is believed to come from the village of Dalby
Dalby, Isle of Man
thumb|right|250px|The Dalby area is popular for its view of [[Niarbyl, Isle of Man|Niarbyl Bay]]Dalby is a small hamlet on the Isle of Man, located near the western coast. It lies on the A27 Port Erin to Peel road, five miles south of Peel....
on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
and reflects immigration from the Isle of Man in the mid nineteenth century. The name was apparently chosen by Captain Samuel Perry when he surveyed the settlement in 1853.
Dalby was linked by rail to Ipswich
Ipswich, Queensland
Ipswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
on 20 April 1868.
History
Condamine River
The Condamine River, part of the Murray-Darling Basin, drains the northern portion of the Darling Downs, an area of sub-coastal southern Queensland, Australia...
. The first settler was Henry Dennis, who explored the region and chose land for himself and others in the locality. Today an obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
in Edward Street denotes the location where Dennis camped.
A small settlement was founded to assist travellers heading north to nearby Jimbour Station. The explorer Ludwig Leichhardt
Ludwig Leichhardt
Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt, known as Ludwig Leichhardt, was a Prussian explorer and naturalist, most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia.-Early life:...
visited the area in 1844, on his way to Port Essington.
In February 1853, the New South Wales government sent the Deputy Surveyor General Captain Samuel Perry to the area to survey a township. In August of the following year, Mr Charles Douglas Eastaughffe
Charles Douglas Eastaughffe
Charles Douglas Eastaughffe was an early Australian settler, later becoming a police trooper and Chief Constable of Dalby, Queensland.Born in Inverness, Scotland c1804, it is unclear when he first arrived in Australia but it seems to have been about 1835, spending time in Sydney where he married in...
arrived with a document under the Seal of the NSW Government officially proclaiming 'Dalby' a township. Mr Eastaughffe was later appointed Chief Constable and remained in Dalby until his retirement.
The first Post Office also opened in 1854 in Roche's store, with Mr Simpson as the first Postmaster.
In 1859, Dalby was made part of the new state of 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...
. In August 1863 Dalby was officially proclaimed a municipality in the Government Gazette, and was invested with all the trappings of the Westminster System.
From 1873 to 1949 the electoral district of Dalby
Electoral district of Dalby
Dalby was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland. It existed from 1873 to 1949 and centred on the town of Dalby.-Members for Dalby:...
was an electoral district
Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral districts
This is a list of current and former electoral divisions for the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the state legislature for Queensland, Australia.-Districts in Far North Queensland:*Barron River*Cairns*Cook*Mulgrave*Dalrymple...
of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
.
Industry
Industry in Dalby includes large-scale engineering, coal mining, and fuels (ethanolEthanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
). Dalby is the centre of a diverse and productive agricultural area with rich black soil allowing the production of crops such as wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
and sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
. Livestock raising including pigs
PIGS
PIGS is a four letter acronym that can stand for:* PIGS , Phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis, class S, a human gene* PIGS , the economies of Portugal, Italy , Greece and Spain...
, cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and sheep is also popular. Two cotton gins are situated within 10 kilometres (6 mi) of the town.
Dalby is to be the site of the first dry mill grain-to-ethanol plant constructed in Australia (the first plant built specifically for the production of ethanol for fuel since the Second World War).
Power
The local area is developing an energy-based economy with a large coal-fired power station and a number of coal mines and natural gasNatural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
bores being established to the west of Dalby. A local company has been awarded a contract to establish wind turbines on adjacent farm land.
Approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of Dalby is the Kogan Creek Power Station. This A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
1.2 billion project is a 750-megawatt coal-fired power station, with adjacent coal mine being developed at the small town of Kogan, which is roughly equidistant between Dalby, Chinchilla
Chinchilla, Queensland
Chinchilla is a town in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Chinchilla had a population of 3,681.The town was established in 1877...
, and Tara
Tara, Queensland
Tara is a town in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, located 300 kilometres south west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Tara had a population of 819...
.
Development
The recent opening of a shopping centre at the northern end of Cunningham Street has brought new life to the Dalby CBDCentral business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
. Dalby Shoppingworld includes Woolworths
Woolworths Limited
Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the:* largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand by market capitalisation and sales...
, Big W, Amcal and other specialty shops.
Dalby's Water Treatment Plant uses a state-of-the-art reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis is a membrane technical filtration method that removes many types of large molecules and ions from solutions by applying pressure to the solution when it is on one side of a selective membrane. The result is that the solute is retained on the pressurized side of the membrane and...
process, and will soon have a second RO plant to cater for the town's increasing needs. The town has made a ground-breaking deal with nearby gas companies by taking water from gas fields. It has been noted that the town will have a definite water supply for at least another 30 years, taking into account demographic trends.
Dalby's population has been increasing rapidly recently with many new estates created and subdivisions made. Some notable new estates include Sunnyside Estate, Heritage Gardens, Callistemon Park and a new estate on the Warrego Highway side of Sandalwood Avenue.
Notable residents of Dalby
- B.R. Dionysius (Poet)
- David GleesonDavid Gleeson (golfer)David Gleeson is a professional golfer from Australia currently playing on the Asian Tour, where he has three victories.-Amateur career:...
(golfer) - Andrew McCulloughAndrew McCulloughAndrew McCullough is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Brisbane Broncos of the National Rugby League. He usually plays at hooker. While attending Brisbane State High School, McCullough played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 2007...
(Rugby League player) - Andrew McGahanAndrew McGahanAndrew McGahan is a bestselling Australian novelist, best known for his cult first novel Praise, and for his Miles Franklin Award-winning novel The White Earth.-Early life and education:...
(Author) - Steve Price (Rugby League player)
- Carl WebbCarl WebbCarl Webb , is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer for the Parramatta Eels of the National Rugby League. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative forward, he previously played for the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys...
(Rugby League player) - Mark O'sheaO'Shea (band)O’Shea is a country music duo formed by husband and wife team Mark O’Shea and Jay O’Shea . Since relocating to Nashville, TN in 2007, the duo has seen success not only as artists, but also as songwriters, and finalists in the Country Music Television series "Can You Duet".-Early...
(O'Shea Country Music Duo)
Monument to Cactoblastis
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
to the Cactoblastis cactorum
Cactoblastis cactorum
Cactoblastis cactorum, commonly known as the Cactus Moth, South American Cactus Moth, or Nopal Moth, is native to Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. It is one of five species in the genus Cactoblastis that lives in South America...
in a park by the Myall Creek which runs through the town. The Argentinian caterpillar successfully eradicated the prickly pear in the 1920s.