The City of Toowoomba was 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

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 ...

region 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 , establishe ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, encompassing the centre and inner suburbs of the regional city of

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 ...

. The City covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity in various forms from 1860 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the surrounding area to form the

Toowoomba Region The Toowoomba Region is a local government area located in the Darling Downs part of Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by several previous local government areas with histories extending back to the early 1900s and bey ...

History

The

Borough of Toowoomba A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

was proclaimed on 19 November 1860 under the ''Municipalities Act 1858'', a piece of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

legislation inherited by Queensland when it became a separate colony in 1859.

William Henry Groom William Henry Groom (9 March 1833 – 8 August 1901) was an Australian publican, newspaper proprietor, and politician who served as a member of the Parliament of Queensland from 1862 to 1901 and of the Parliament of Australia in 1901. Early li ...

, sometimes described as the "father of Toowoomba", was elected its first mayor. It achieved a measure of autonomy in 1878 with the enactment of the ''Local Government Act''. With the passage of the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', Toowoomba Municipality became the

Town of Toowoomba A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

on 31 March 1903. On 29 October 1904, Toowoomba was proclaimed the City of Toowoomba. Toowoomba absorbed parts of the

Shire of Middle Ridge The Shire of Middle Ridge was a local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, south of Toowoomba, Queensland, centred on Middle Ridge (now a suburb of Toowoomba). It existed from 1880 to 1917. History The Shire of ...

and Town of Newtown on 23 February 1917. On 19 March 1949, following a major reorganisation of local government in

South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. Th ...

, Toowoomba grew its area to include parts of the Shires of Highfields and Drayton. In 2006 the Mayor

Dianne Thorley Dianne "Di" Thorley (born 1 December 1949 in Stanthorpe, Queensland) is an Australian politician and a former mayor of Toowoomba, Queensland. Biography Thorley trained as a nurse in Brisbane and later took up a nursing position at Stanthorpe H ...

proposed a controversial plan to recycle sewage into

Cooby Dam The Cooby Dam is a rockfill embankment dam with an ungated spillway across the Cooby Creek, a tributary of Condamine River, at Groomsville in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for potable water s ...

which is used for drinking water. The federal government agreed to provide partial funding subject to a number of conditions including a requirement to hold a referendum on the issue. On 29 July 2006, Toowoomba voted against the recycled sewage project with the 'No' vote winning by 62% to 38%. On 15 March 2008, under the ''Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007'' passed by the

Parliament of Queensland The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral s ...

on 10 August 2007, the City of Toowoomba merged with the Shires of Cambooya,

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People * Clifton (surname) * Clifton (given name) Places Australia *Clifton, Queensland, a town ** Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong * Clifton, Western Australia Canada * Clifton, Nova Sc ...

, Crows Nest, Jondaryan,

Millmerran Millmerran , known as Domville between 1 June 1889 and 16 November 1894, is a town and a locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Millmerran had a population of 1,563 people. Geography The town is on th ...

Pittsworth Pittsworth is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Pittsworth had a population of 3,294 people. Geography Pittsworth township is south-west of Brisbane via the Warrego Highway, so ...

and

Shire of Rosalie The Shire of Rosalie was a local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, immediately northwest of the regional city of Toowoomba. The shire, administered from the town of Goombungee, covered an area of , and exi ...

to form the

. The former mayor of the

Shire of Jondaryan The Shire of Jondaryan was a local government area located in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, immediately west of the regional city of Toowoomba. The shire, administered from the town of Oakey, covered an area of , and existed ...

won the mayoralty of the new council.

Suburbs

The City of Toowoomba included the following settlements: * Blue Mountain Heights¹ *

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. ...

Cotswold Hills The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jura ...

² * Cranley * Darling Heights * Drayton *

East Toowoomba East Toowoomba is a residential locality in Toowoomba in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , East Toowoomba had a population of 5,244 people. Geography East Toowoomba is by road from the Toowoomba central business district ...

* Glenvale² * Harlaxton * Harristown * Highfields¹ * Kearneys Spring * Middle Ridge * Mount Kynoch *

Mount Lofty Mount Lofty (, elevation AHD) is the highest point in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges. It is located about east of the Adelaide city centre, within the Cleland National Park in the Adelaide Hills area of South Australia. The mountain's s ...

* Newtown *

North Toowoomba North Toowoomba is an urban Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in Toowoomba in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , North Toowoomba had a population of 2,953 people. Geography North Toowoomba is located directly north ...

* Prince Henry Heights * Rangeville *

Redwood Sequoioideae, popularly known as redwoods, is a subfamily of coniferous trees within the family Cupressaceae. It includes the largest and tallest trees in the world. Description The three redwood subfamily genera are '' Sequoia'' from coasta ...

* Rockville * South Toowoomba * Toowoomba City * Torrington² *

Wilsonton Wilsonton is an urban 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 ...

* Wilsonton Heights ¹ - split with the former

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 exi ...

² - split with the former

Population

Mayors

List of mayors of Toowoomba This is a list of mayors of the City of Toowoomba and the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In March 2008 the City of Toowoomba was amalgamated with the Shires of Shire of Crows Nest, Crows Nest, Shire of Rosalie, Rosalie, Shire of Jond ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toowoomba, City of Darling Downs Toowoomba, City of Former local government areas of Queensland 1860 establishments in Australia 2008 disestablishments in Australia Populated places disestablished in 2008