Laidley, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Laidley is a town situated in the Lockyer Valley
of South East
Queensland
, Australia
. The township lies 83 km west of Brisbane
, the state capital.
The local industry has been dominated by agriculture
since the end of the 19th century. Laidley has long regarded itself as "Queensland's Country Garden". Fruit and vegetable production features prominently, with the majority of beetroot
grown in Australia coming from the Laidley district.
first explored the area in 1829. Cunningham named it Laidley's Plain after the Deputy Commissary General of the colony of New South Wales
.
The town developed around a wagon stop on the main road route between Ipswich
and Toowoomba
. A stop was needed after the climb over the small Little Liverpool Range
west of Marburg
.
By the 1850s the area was being cleared for sheep grazing. In the mid 1870s the railway line from Grandchester
stopped at a railway station 1.5 km north of the town.
Between 1911 and 1955, a branch railway line ran from Laidley along the Laidley Creek to the settlement at Mulgowie.
The town was the centre of the Shire of Laidley
, a former local government area.
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...
of South East
South East Queensland
South East Queensland is a region of the state of Queensland in Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population...
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 township lies 83 km west of 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 state capital.
The local industry has been dominated by agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
since the end of the 19th century. Laidley has long regarded itself as "Queensland's Country Garden". Fruit and vegetable production features prominently, with the majority of beetroot
Beetroot
The beetroot, also known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet or informally simply as beet, is one of the many cultivated varieties of beets and arguably the most commonly encountered variety in North America, Central America and Britain.-Consumption:The usually deep-red roots of beetroot are...
grown in Australia coming from the Laidley district.
History
Allan CunninghamAllan Cunningham (botanist)
Allan Cunningham was an English botanist and explorer, primarily known for his travels in New South Wales to collect plants.- Early life :...
first explored the area in 1829. Cunningham named it Laidley's Plain after the Deputy Commissary General of the colony of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
The town developed around a wagon stop on the main road route between 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...
and Toowoomba
Toowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...
. A stop was needed after the climb over the small Little Liverpool Range
Little Liverpool Range
The Little Liverpool Range is a mountain range of the Scenic Rim in South East Queensland, Australia. It runs from the Main Range to the west of Aratula northwards to the area between Marburg and Hatton Vale where it is crossed by the Warrego Highway...
west of Marburg
Marburg, Queensland
Marburg is a small township of 536 inhabitants located 60 km west of Brisbane, the capital of the State of Queensland, Australia. It is a township in the City of Ipswich.German settlers arrived in the region around the 1860s...
.
By the 1850s the area was being cleared for sheep grazing. In the mid 1870s the railway line from Grandchester
Grandchester, Queensland
Grandchester is a town in the Lockyer Valley region in South East Queensland, Australia. It is located 76 km west of the Brisbane CBD and is situated on the border of the Ipswich and Laidley local government areas. The name comes from Grantchester, a village outside of Cambridge in England...
stopped at a railway station 1.5 km north of the town.
Between 1911 and 1955, a branch railway line ran from Laidley along the Laidley Creek to the settlement at Mulgowie.
The town was the centre of the Shire of Laidley
Shire of Laidley
The Shire of Laidley was a Local Government Area located in the Lockyer Valley region between the cities of Toowoomba and Ipswich, and about west of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia...
, a former local government area.