Dalby–Cecil Plains Road is a continuous road route in the Western Downs and

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 ...

regions of

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 , established_ ...

, Australia. The road is signed as State Route 82. Dalby–Cecil Plains Road (number 325) is a state-controlled regional road.

Route Description

The Dalby–Cecil Plains Road commences at an intersection with the

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 715 km in length. It takes its name from the Warrego River, which is the endpoint ...

(A2) in . It runs south through and before turning south-west into . It ends at an intersection with

Toowoomba–Cecil Plains Road Toowoomba–Cecil Plains Road is a continuous road route in the Toowoomba region of Queensland, Australia. Most of the road is not signed with any route number, but a short section near is part of State Route 82. Toowoomba–Cecil Plains Roa ...

, which runs east as State Route 82, and Taylor Street, which runs west to become

Millmerran–Cecil Plains Road There are two state-controlled roads linking and in the Toowoomba region of Queensland, Australia. They are Millmerran–Cecil Plains Road, which runs to the west of the Condamine River, and Pampas–Horrane Road, which runs east of the rive ...

. In St Ruth it passes exits to Springvale Road and Jondaryan–St Ruth Road, which combine to provide an alternative route from the Warrego Highway to the

Moonie Highway The Moonie Highway is a state highway of Queensland, Australia. Part of State Route 49, it leaves the Warrego Highway at Dalby and runs for over 290 km until it reaches St George. From there, State Route 49 continues west as the Balonne H ...

. Land use along Dalby–Cecil Plains Road is almost exclusively crop farming. Within Cecil Plains the road follows the

Condamine River The Condamine River, part of the Balonne River, Balonne catchment that is part of the Murray-Darling Basin, drains the northern portion of the Darling Downs, an area of sub-coastal southern Queensland, Australia. The river is approximately 500 k ...

Road condition

Dalby–Cecil Plains Road is fully sealed. The steepest incline on the road is only about 2%.

State Route 82

State Route 82 follows a number of separately named roads from (near ) to . It is not necessarily the best or the shortest or the quickest route between the two terminii. It was proclaimed as a State Route because, at the time, it was the most convenient route for many users. It is also an example of why motorists in unfamiliar territory should follow a designated route rather than rely on a vehicle navigation system, which may direct them onto less suitable alternative roads. For example, the route from Tingoora to Inglewood suggested by a popular mapping system is quite different to State Route 82. The route follows

Chinchilla–Wondai Road Chinchilla–Wondai Road is a continuous road route in the Western Downs and South Burnett regions of Queensland, Australia. Part of the route is signed as State Route 82. It is a state-controlled part regional and part district road (numbe ...

west from Tingoora to , where it turns south to Jinghi. Here the Chinchilla–Wondai Road turns west, while State Route 82 continues south on Jandowae Connection Road to Jandowae. In Jandowae the road name changes to

Dalby–Jandowae Road Dalby–Jandowae Road is a continuous road route in the Western Downs Region, Western Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The road is signed as State Route 82. Dalby–Jandowae Road (number 421) is a state-controlled regional road. Route ...

, which continues to the Warrego Highway in the west of Dalby. From there it follows the Warrego Highway to the south-east until it reaches Dalby–Cecil Plains Road, where it continues south. At a T-junction in Cecil Plains, State Route 82 turns east on Toowoomba–Cecil Plains Road until it reaches Pampas–Horrane Road, where it turns south. Note that many navigation systems will suggest a turn to the west in Cecil Plains, leading to

. State Route 82 follows Pampas–Horrane Road to , where it meets the

Gore Highway The Gore Highway is a highway running between Toowoomba and Goondiwindi in Queensland, Australia. Together with Goulburn Valley Highway and Newell Highway, it is a part of the National Highway's Melbourne-Brisbane link. It is signed as National ...

at a T-junction. From there it follows the Gore Highway south-west to , where it turns south on the

Millmerran–Inglewood Road Millmerran–Inglewood Road is a continuous road route in the Toowoomba and Goondiwindi regions of Queensland, Australia. The road is signed as State Route 82. Millmerran–Inglewood Road (number 337) is a state-controlled regional road. Ro ...

. This road continues south to Inglewood where it meets the

Cunningham Highway The Cunningham Highway is a national highway located in south-eastern Queensland, Australia. The highway links the Darling Downs region with the urbanised outskirts of via Cunninghams Gap. The Cunningham carries the National Highway 15 shie ...

at a T-junction.

History

The Dalby area was settled in the 1840s, and a township was surveyed in 1853 and founded in 1854. A post office opened in 1855 and a school in 1861. The

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

arrived in 1868, allowing the town to grow as the commercial centre for properties around it. The first roads on the

Darling Downs 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 the major regions of Queensland. The name was general ...

were cut to provide access for wheeled vehicles to the pastoral runs and new settlements. Cecil Plains

pastoral run A pastoral lease, sometimes called a pastoral run, is an arrangement used in both Australia and New Zealand where government-owned Crown land is leased out to graziers for the purpose of livestock grazing on rangelands. Australia Pastoral lea ...

was established in 1842. St Ruth pastoral run, initially part of Cecil Plains, was separated in 1842. In 1877 was resumed from the Cecil Plains pastoral run and from St Ruth, to establish smaller farms. This resumption soon led to closer settlement and a demand for better roads to enable the commercial success of the new farms. A postal

receiving office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional s ...

opened in Cecil Plains in 1890, and the first school in 1898. Over time the areas along the line of road from Cecil Plains to Dalby were settled as farms of various sizes. In 1916, Cecil Plains station was acquired by the Queensland government and subdivided for closer settlement, with some parcels reserved for soldier settlers. The new settlers produced mainly

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

and

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

. A reliable road connection to Dalby, which is the closest larger town, and was the closest railhead until 1919, was needed to provide access to markets and larger items of equipment.

Route Description

Road condition

State Route 82

History

Major intersections

See also

Notes

References