Warwick, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Warwick is a town in Queensland
, Australia
, lying 130 kilometres (80.8 mi) 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.
The surrounding Darling Downs
have fostered a strong agricultural industry for which Warwick, together with the larger city of Toowoomba
, serve as convenient service centres. Warwick is situated on the Condamine River
. The Cunningham Highway
and the New England Highway
pass through the town.
the mythical frog that drank all of the fresh water in a renowned Aboriginal Dreamtime
story.
Patrick Leslie
and his two brothers originally settled in the area as squatters
, naming their run Canning Downs
. In 1847 the NSW government asked Leslie to select a site on his station for a township, which was to be called 'Cannington,' although the name 'Warwick' was eventually settled on. Land
sales were held in 1850, and the first allotment was bought by Leslie. The telegraph
to Brisbane was operating by 1861. The 1870s were boom years for this new town. In 1871 the railway reached Warwick, a brewery
was built in 1873, then a cooperative flour mill and brickworks were completed during 1874.
An event officially known as the Warwick Incident occurred on the 29 November 1917, which would lead to the formation of the Australian Commonwealth Police
with the first commissioner for Commonwealth Police appointed eight days later. As Prime Minister William Morris Hughes was addressing a crowd at the Warwick railway station, a man in the crowd threw an egg dislodging the Prime Minister's hat. Hughes ordered his arrest but the Queensland State Police
allegedly refused to carry out the order.
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...
, lying 130 kilometres (80.8 mi) south-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...
. It is the administrative centre of the Southern Downs Local Government Area. In 2006 the town of Warwick had a population of 12,562.
The surrounding Darling Downs
Darling Downs, Queensland
The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of eleven major regions of Queensland....
have fostered a strong agricultural industry for which Warwick, together with the larger city of 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...
, serve as convenient service centres. Warwick is situated on the Condamine River
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 Cunningham Highway
Cunningham Highway
The Cunningham Highway is a National Highway in Queensland, Australia. It is named after the explorer and botanist Allan Cunningham who followed a route close to where the modern day highway runs.-Route:...
and 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...
pass through the town.
History
The Warwick Green Belt, on the banks of the Condamine river features a Sculpture of TiddalikTiddalik
The tale of Tiddalik the Frog is a legend from Australian Aboriginal mythologyIn the telling of the myth, Tiddalik awoke one morning with an unquenchable thirst, and began to drink until all the fresh water was greedily consumed. Creatures and plant life everywhere began to die due to lack of...
the mythical frog that drank all of the fresh water in a renowned Aboriginal Dreamtime
Dreamtime
In the animist framework of Australian Aboriginal mythology, The Dreaming is a sacred era in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation.-The Dreaming of the Aboriginal times:...
story.
Patrick Leslie
Patrick Leslie
Patrick Leslie was a Scottish Settler in Australia. Leslie and his two brothers were the first to settle on the Darling Downs, and he was the first person to buy land in Warwick.-Early life:...
and his two brothers originally settled in the area as squatters
Squatting (pastoral)
In Australian history, a squatter was one who occupied a large tract of Crown land in order to graze livestock. Initially often having no legal rights to the land, they gained its usage by being the first Europeans in the area....
, naming their run Canning Downs
Canning Downs
Canning Downs was the first residential establishment built by a white person on the Darling Downs in Queensland, Australia. It is located a short drive from the town of Warwick and originally extended south east to Killarney and the McPherson Range...
. In 1847 the NSW government asked Leslie to select a site on his station for a township, which was to be called 'Cannington,' although the name 'Warwick' was eventually settled on. Land
Real property
In English Common Law, real property, real estate, realty, or immovable property is any subset of land that has been legally defined and the improvements to it made by human efforts: any buildings, machinery, wells, dams, ponds, mines, canals, roads, various property rights, and so forth...
sales were held in 1850, and the first allotment was bought by Leslie. The telegraph
Telegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
to Brisbane was operating by 1861. The 1870s were boom years for this new town. In 1871 the railway reached Warwick, a brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
was built in 1873, then a cooperative flour mill and brickworks were completed during 1874.
An event officially known as the Warwick Incident occurred on the 29 November 1917, which would lead to the formation of the Australian Commonwealth Police
Commonwealth Police
The name Commonwealth Police was used by three separate policing organisations in Australia at various times in the 20th century.-Commonwealth Police Force :...
with the first commissioner for Commonwealth Police appointed eight days later. As Prime Minister William Morris Hughes was addressing a crowd at the Warwick railway station, a man in the crowd threw an egg dislodging the Prime Minister's hat. Hughes ordered his arrest but the Queensland State Police
Queensland Police
The Queensland Police Service is the law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto of "Firmness with Courtesy" was changed to "With Honour We Serve"...
allegedly refused to carry out the order.
Newspapers
Newspapers in Warwick include the Warwick Daily News, the Warwick and Southern Downs Weekly and the Southern Free Times.Events
- FEIInternational Federation for Equestrian SportsThe Fédération Équestre Internationale or in English, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, is the international governing body of equestrian sports. It recognizes ten international disciplines...
EventingEventingEventing is an equestrian event comprising dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event has its roots in a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding...
World Cup (May) - Jumpers and Jazz in July Festival (July)
- The “Rose Bowl” PolocrossePolocrossePolocrosse it is a team sport that is played all over the world. It is a combination of polo and lacrosse. It is played outside, on a field , on horseback. Each rider uses a cane stick to which is attached a racquet head with a loose, thread net, in which the ball is carried. The ball is made of...
Carnival (August) - Warwick RodeoRodeoRodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
(October) - Rose Festival (October)
- Warwick Cricket Association Australia Day Cricket Carnival (January)