Upper Flagstone 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 Laidl ...

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. 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 remains mostly covered in natural vegetation. Flagstone Creek Conservation Park is in the south-east of the locality ().

History

In 1840, the penal colony at

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

was being prepared to be turned into a free settlement (which ultimately became the city of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

). As there was settlement already occurring 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 generall ...

, there was a need for Lieutenant

Owen Gorman Owen may refer to: Origin: The name Owen is of Irish and Welsh origin. Its meanings range from noble, youthful, and well-born. Gender: Owen is historically the masculine form of the name. Popular feminine variations include Eowyn and Owena. ...

, the last commandant of the penal colony, to find a wagon route between the two locations, but the obstacle was the mountains of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

. There was a route already known at

Cunninghams Gap Cunninghams Gap is a pass over the Great Dividing Range between the Darling Downs and the Fassifern Valley in Queensland, Australia. The Gap is the major route over the Main Range National Park, Main Range along the Great Dividing Range, between ...

but it was not able to be used by a wagon. A convict John Sterry Baker had escaped from the penal colony in 1826 and had lived among the

Goomburra Goomburra is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Goomburra had a population of 259 people. Inverramsay is a neighbourhood in Goomburra (). Geography Goomburra is on the Darli ...

Aboriginal people in the

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 ...

area and walked with them on a track to the top of the range. Having returned to the penal colony in 1840, Baker told Gorman of the track up the range and modified an

Irish jaunting car A jaunting car is a light two-wheeled carriage for a single horse, with a seat in front for the driver. In its most common form with seats for two or four persons placed back to back, with the foot-boards projecting over the wheels and the typical ...

to test as a wagon on the route. Together Gorman and Baker ascended the range with their wagon on 17 October 1840 arriving at

Eton Vale The Eton Vale Homestead Ruins are a heritage-listed site on the New England Highway, Cambooya, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. The former homestead was built from onwards by Arthur Hodgson, and was destroyed by fire in 1912. The site ...

. Despite the fact that Gorman did not discover the route, it nonetheless became known as Gorman's Gap Road. The route which runs between

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 ...

in the west and

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 ...

in the east was marked by blazing a line of trees. It became the first gazetted road in Queensland. Today, the road no longer officially exists and is overgrown but can still be followed. There are three monuments along the route, one at each end and the other along the route at Camel's Hump where Gorman took his compass bearing. In the , Flagstone was included within the count for neighbouring Preston which had a population of 763 people. In the Upper Flagstone had a population of 171 people.

Education

There are no schools in Upper Flagstone. The nearest government primary schools are Middle Ridge State School in neighbouring Middle Ridge to the north-west, Gabbinbar State School in

Centenary Heights Centenary Heights is a residential locality of Toowoomba in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Centenary Heights had a population of 6,063 people. Geography Centenary Heights is located from the central business district. Hi ...

to the north-west, and Flagstone Creek State School in neighbouring

to the east. The nearest government secondary school is

Centenary Heights State High School , motto_translation = Through Hard Work to the Top , established = 13 February 1968 , principal = Darren Cook , founder = Bob Dansie , president = Wayne Heading , enrolme ...

in Centenary Heights.

References

{{Lockyer Valley Region Lockyer Valley Region Localities in Queensland