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 Darli ...

region of South East

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, 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 ...

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 ex ...

and the Shire of Laidley. It has an estimated operating budget of A$35m.

History

StateLibQld 2 75963 Forest Hill railway station, 1914

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 exi ...

. 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 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length&nb ...

, 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 a ...

, 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.

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 *

* 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 ...

* Lawes * Lower Tenthill * Ma Ma Creek *

Murphys Creek Murphys Creek is a rural town and locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Murphys Creek had a population of 629 people. Geography The locality is located at the foot of the Great Dividing Range. ...

* 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, fo ...

* Woodlands Laidley area: * Laidley *

Blenheim Blenheim ( ) is the English name of Blindheim, a village in Bavaria, Germany, which was the site of the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. Almost all places and other things called Blenheim are named directly or indirectly in honour of the battle. Places ...

* 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 capit ...

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 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 List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

* 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 Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

* Ringwood * Rockmount * Rockside * Seventeen Mile * Silver Ridge * Spring Creek *

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 eth ...

* 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 2008 establishments in Australia