The Lockyer Valley Region is a
local government area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...
in the
West Moreton
West Moreton is a region of the Australian state of Queensland, consisting of the entire rural western portion of South East Queensland. It sits inland from both the Brisbane metropolitan area and the Gold Coast and to the east of the Darling Do ...
region of
South East
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
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, between the cities of
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
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 ...
. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the
Shire of Gatton
The Shire of Gatton 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. The shire covered an area of , and exist ...
and the
Shire of Laidley
The Shire of Laidley was a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the Lockyer Valley, Queensland, Lockyer Valley region between the cities of Toowoomba, Queensland, Toowoomba and Ipswich, Queensland, Ipswich, and about ...
. It has an estimated operating budget of A$35m.
History
Prior to European settlement, the Lockyer Valley area was home to the
Kitabul Aboriginal people.
Tarampa Division, as it was then known, was created on 15 January 1880 under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'', with its first board meeting being held on 20 February 1880. On 25 April 1888, the Laidley district broke away and separately incorporated as the
Laidley Division, and later on 25 January 1890, the
Forest Hill area moved from Tarampa to Laidley. On 1 July 1902, the town of
Laidley was created as a separate municipality with its own Borough Council.
With the passage of the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', the borough and divisions became a town and shires respectively on 31 March 1903. The town council was dissolved on 8 February 1917, and Laidley absorbed part of the
Shire of Rosewood
The Shire of Rosewood is a former local government area in the south-east of Queensland, Australia.
History
On 11 November 1879, the Walloon Division was created as one of 74 divisions within Queensland under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'' ...
.
On 3 September 1938, Tarampa was renamed the Shire of Gatton. On 19 March 1949 it grew to incorporate part of the former Shires of
Drayton and
Highfields, while losing some of its original area to the
City of Toowoomba
The City of Toowoomba was a local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, encompassing the centre and inner suburbs of the regional city of Toowoomba. The City covered an area of , and existed as a local governmen ...
and
Shire of Crows Nest
The Shire of Crows Nest was a local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, immediately northeast of the regional city of Toowoomba. The shire, administered from the town of Crows Nest, covered an area of , and ex ...
.
In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that Gatton and Laidley amalgamate, uniting the major farming, cropping and horticultural production area of South East Queensland under one local authority. While both councils opposed the amalgamation, they identified each other as preferred partners if it had to go ahead. On 15 March 2008, the two Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect six councillors and a mayor to the Lockyer Valley Regional Council.
After the deadly
2010–11 Queensland floods, which destroyed the town of
Grantham
Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...
, the council responded quickly to relocate the town to non-flood prone land.
The council purchased freehold land adjoining the existing town for the voluntary resettlement of eligible residents.
To speed the recovery process normal land use planning procedures were dropped although there was a public consultation period. Support from the state government was muted, partly because the new urban development was contrary to the
South East Queensland Regional Plan
The South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031 (SEQRP 2009) is a statutory plan designed to guide regional growth and development in South East Queensland, Australia. It was established under the ''Integrated Planning Act 1997'', which has now ...
.
Wards
The council remains undivided and its elected body consists of six councillors and a mayor, elected for a four-year term.
Towns and localities
The Lockyer Valley Region includes the following settlements:
Gatton area:
*
Gatton
*
Adare
*
Blanchview
*
College View
*
Fordsdale
*
Grantham
Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...
*
Helidon
*
Iredale
*
Junction View
*
Lake Clarendon
The Lake Clarendon Dam is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam with an un-gated spillway located off-stream in the locality of Lake Clarendon in the Lockyer Valley Region, South East Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for i ...
*
Lawes
*
Lower Tenthill
*
Ma Ma Creek
*
Murphys Creek
*
Placid Hills
*
Ropeley
*
Thornton
*
Upper Tenthill
*
Veradilla
*
Winwill
*
Withcott
Withcott is a rural town and locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Withcott had a population of 1844 people.
Geography
Withcott is in the Lockyer Valley. The town is located on the Toowoomba Connection Road, form ...
*
Woodlands Woodlands may back refer to:
* Woodland, a low-density forest
Geography
Australia
* Woodlands, New South Wales
* Woodlands, Ashgrove, Queensland, a heritage-listed house associated with John Henry Pepper
* Woodlands, Marburg, Queensland, a her ...
Laidley area:
*
Laidley
*
Blenheim
*
Forest Hill
*
Glenore Grove
*
Regency Downs
*
Hatton Vale
Hatton Vale is a rural locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Hatton Vale had a population of 1,521 people.
Geography
Hatton Vale is in South East Queensland and on the Warrego Highway, west of the state capital ...
*
Kentville
Kentville is an incorporated town in Nova Scotia. It is the most populous town in the Annapolis Valley. As of 2021, the town's population was 6,630. Its census agglomeration is 26,929.
History
Kentville owes its location to the Cornwallis River ...
*
Laidley Heights
*
Lockrose
*
Mulgowie
*
Plainland
Plainland is a rural locality and development centre in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Plainland had a population of 1,930 people - an increase of 21% from the 2016 census.
Geography
Plainland is in the Lockyer Valle ...
Other areas:
*
Ballard
*
Black Duck Creek
*
Brightview1
*
Buaraba South
*
Caffey
*
Carpendale
*
Churchable
*
Crowley Vale
*
Derrymore
*
East Haldon
*
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
*
Fifteen Mile
*
Flagstone Creek
Flagstone Creek is a rural locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Flagstone Creek had a population of 220 people.
Geography
''Flagstone Creek'' (the watercourse) flows through from west to north-east.
Histor ...
*
Glen Cairn
Glen Cairn is a neighbourhood in Kanata South Ward in the west end of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is also the name of a public school in the area. Prior to amalgamation in 2001, it was located in the City of Kanata. It is located in South Kanat ...
*
Helidon Spa
*
Ingoldsby
Ingoldsby is a small village in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated south-east from the market town of Grantham, south of the county town of Lincoln, and east of the City of Nottingham. The village contains ...
*
Kensington Grove
*
Laidley Creek West
*
Laidley North
*
Laidley South
*
Lefthand Branch
*
Lilydale
*
Lockyer
*
Lockyer Waters
*
Lynford
Lynford is a village and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk. The parish covers an area of , and the 2001 Census recorded a population of 157 in 81 households. Lynford lies north east of Brandon and between Mundford, to the nort ...
*
Morton Vale
*
Mount Berryman
*
Mount Sylvia
*
Mount Whitestone
*
Postmans Ridge
*
Preston
*
Ringwood
*
Rockmount
*
Rockside
*
Seventeen Mile
*
Silver Ridge
*
Spring Creek
A spring creek is a type of free flowing river whose name derives from its origin: an underground spring or set of springs which produces sufficient water to consistently feed a unique river. The water flowing in a spring creek may additionally b ...
*
Stockyard
Stockyard or Stockyards may refer to:
Places
* Stockyard, Queensland, Australia, locality in the Shire of Livingstone
*Stockyard Landing, original name of Arabi, Louisiana
*Stockyards, California, former town
*Stockyards, nickname for the northw ...
*
Summerholm
*
Townson
*
Upper Flagstone
Upper Flagstone is a rural locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Upper Flagstone had a population of 171 people.
Geography
The locality is dominated by an east/west valley containing Flagstone Creek. The valley ...
*
Upper Lockyer
*
Vinegar Hill
Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to ...
*
West Haldon
*
White Mountain
*
Woodbine
1 - split with
Somerset Region
The Somerset Region is a local government area located in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, about northwest of Brisbane and centred on the town of Esk. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Esk and t ...
Population
Prior to 2008, the populations given relate to the previous component entities. The 2011 census marks the first for the region to be recorded as a single area.
Mayors
Steve Jones, former mayor of Gatton, was elected as first mayor of the Lockyer Valley Region.
* 2008–2016: Steve Jones,
died in office on 20 February 2016
* 2016–present: Tanya Lee-Ann Milligan
Libraries
The Lockyer Valley Region Council provide public libraries in
Gatton and
Laidley.
Sister City Relations
*
Ageo
260px, Ageo Maruyama Park
is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 229,517 in 103,709 households and a population density of 5000 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Ag ...
, Japan, since July 2014
References
External links
{{coord, 27, 33, 31.8, S, 152, 16, 41.4, E, type:adm2nd_region:AU-QLD, display=title
Lockyer Valley
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, and the intensively cultiv ...
2008 establishments in Australia