Grantham is a town in the Lockyer Valley

Lockyer Valley, Queensland

The Lockyer Valley is an area of rich farmlands that lies to the west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and east of Toowoomba. The Lockyer Valley is rated among the top ten most fertile farming areas in the world...

 region 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...

, 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...

. The town is located 100 kilometres (62.1 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 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,...

, Grantham had a population of 370.

History

The area was first settled in 1841, by George Mocatta. In 1866 a railway siding from the main Toowoomba line was opened which assisted in the development of a small settlement. It wasn't until the mid-1879s that a railway station was built. A butter factory was established in 1907. The building was replaced in 1926 by a brick building which operated until 1971.

2011 flash floods

On 10 January 2011, Grantham was severely damaged in a flash flood from heavy rains. Some houses were washed away and some people died. Throughout the small town, nine people were confirmed to have been killed and several missing, believed dead. Many homes in the town were destroyed by the disaster by the torrent of water. 50 families were left with nothing, with many more requiring significant assistance from the government and non-profit charities.

Following the 2011 floods, Grantham received visits by politicians including Queensland Premier Anna Bligh

Anna Bligh

Anna Maria Bligh is an Australian politician and the Premier of Queensland since 2007. The 2009 Queensland state election was the first time a female-led political party won or retained state or federal government in Australia...

 on numerous occasions. Australia's Governor-General Quentin Bryce

Quentin Bryce

Quentin Bryce, AC, CVO is the 25th and current Governor-General of Australia and former Governor of Queensland....

 also visited the town.

In May 2011, it was announced that the town would be moved to higher ground to prevent future damaging floods. A 935-acre site was purchased so that landholders could be provided a voluntary swap of equivalent-sized blocks. The new site is situated on a hill overlooking Grantham and has permission from the state government to bypass the normal development approval process. It is expected that the first residents could be resettled by the end of 2011. Resident of nearby Murphys Creek

Murphys Creek, Queensland

Murphys Creek is a town in Queensland, Australia, located at the foot of the Great Dividing Range. The town's name is correctly spelled without an apostrophe.-History:...

, Postmans Ridge, Withcott and Helidon

Helidon, Queensland

Helidon is a town in the Lockyer Valley region of south east Queensland, Australia. Helidon is located on the Warrego Highway, west of the state capital, Brisbane and east of Toowoomba...

have been included in the fast-tracked plan.

External Links

• Grantham is a town left in tatters Video of flood damage
• Grantham Flood Support A fundraiser helping with Grantham relief