Flagstone Creek is a rural
locality
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in the
Lockyer Valley Region
The Lockyer Valley Region is a local government area (LGA) in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia. The region is located between the cities of Ipswich and Toowoomba, and is bordered by the Somerset and Southern Downs ...
,
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia.
In the , Flagstone Creek had a population of 256 people.
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Geography
''Flagstone Creek'' (the watercourse) flows through from west to north-east.
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 List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
). 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 generally ...
, there was a need for Lieutenant Owen Gorman, 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. It runs roughl ...
. There was a route already known at Cunninghams Gap
Cunningham's 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 along the Great Dividing Range, between Warwick and Brisbane. ...
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 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 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, Queensland, Cambooya, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. The former homestead was built from onwards by Arthur Hodgson, and was destroyed by f ...
. 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 in the west and Flagstone Creek 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.
Flagstone Creek Provisional School opened on 18 January 1886, becoming Flagstone State School in 1904.[Gatton Shire Cultural Heritage Study Volume 3: Murphy’s Creek, Ma Ma Creek, Flagstone Creek, Stockyard Creek, pp. 666-667, includes photo]
Demographics
In the , Flagstone Creek had a population of 213 people.
Heritage listings
Sites of cultural heritage identified in Flagstone Creek include:
* Stockyard Creek Community Hall, 111 Stockyard Creek Road[Gatton Shire Cultural Heritage Study Volume 3: Murphy’s Creek, Ma Ma Creek, Flagstone Creek, Stockyard Creek, pp. 654-655, includes photo]
* former Mount Campbell State School, 68 Mount Campbell Creek Road
* Rosedale (house), 1081 Flagstone Creek Road
* House, 849 Flagstone Creek Road
* Flagstone Creek State School and residence, 56 Flagstone School Road:
*Uniting Church (Lockyer Parish), 55 Flagstone School Road
Education
Flagstone Creek State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 56 Flagstone School Road ().Centenary Heights State High School
Centenary Heights State High School is a State High School located in the suburb of Centenary Heights in Toowoomba, Queensland, with an enrolment of around 1700 students (2020) and was one of Queensland's leading high schools with 11 OP's 1 ...
in Centenary Heights in Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...
to the west.
Amenities
Stockyard Creek Community Hall is at 111 Stockyard Creek Road ().
References
Sources
*
Further reading
* — incorporating Rockmount State School (1899-1964), Mt. Campbell State School (1891-1960) Carpendale State School (1924- )
*
{{Lockyer Valley Region
Lockyer Valley Region
Localities in Queensland