Ballard is a rural

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...

in the

Lockyer Valley Region The Lockyer Valley Region is a local government area in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, between the cities of Ipswich and Toowoomba. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Gatton and the Shire of Lai ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. In the , Ballard had a population of 151 people.

Geography

Ballard is located east from the

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 ...

city centre.

History

The locality, historically known as ''Ballaroo'', is named for Robert Ballard, a railway engineer for Peto, Brassey and Betts who oversaw the construction of the main range section of the Ipswich–Toowoomba railway. In December 1885, "The Highfields Estate" made up of 147 allotments was advertised for sale by Arthur Martin & Co. Despite the use of the Highfields name, the estate is not within present day Highfields but is predominantly within present day Ballard with small areas in Blue Mountain Heights and Murphys Creek. A map advertising the land sale illustrates the location of the estate in proximity to the "S & W Railway line" and the Highfields railway station (now known as

Spring Bluff railway station Main Range Railway is a heritage-listed railway from the end of Murphys Creek railway station, Murphys Creek to the Ruthven Street overbridge, Harlaxton, Queensland, Australia. It forms part of the Main Line railway and was built from 1865 ...

) and shows town allotments in the area of the intersection of Valley View Road and Hanleys Road (). The map describes the estate as the "Sanatorium and Garden of Queensland". At the , the locality of Ballard had a population of 355 people. In the , the locality of Ballard had a population of 151 people.

Heritage listings

Ballard has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * north of Toowoomba:

Swansons Rail Bridge Swansons Rail Bridge is a heritage-listed railway bridge at north of Toowoomba at Ballard, Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia on the Main Line railway. It was designed by William Pagan and built from 1899 to 1900 by day labour. It ...

References

External links

{{Lockyer Valley Region Lockyer Valley Region Localities in Queensland