Fordsdale is a rural

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

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 , Fordsdale had a population of 50 people.

Geography

The terrain in the area is rugged. Lower areas along the creeks have been farmed while the steep and elevated parts remain vegetated. Silky Oak Creek joins Ma Ma Creek, a tributary of

Lockyer Creek The Lockyer Creek is a creek in South East Queensland, Australia. A tributary of the Brisbane River, the creek is a major drainage system in the Lockyer Valley. Rising on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, the creek flows generally ...

at Fordsdale. Dwyers Scrub Regional Park has been established in the west. The

Gatton–Clifton Road Gatton–Clifton Road is a continuous road route in the Lockyer Valley and Toowoomba regions of Queensland, Australia. Most of the road is signed as State Route 80. Gatton–Clifton Road (number 313) is a state-controlled road, part regiona ...

runs through from north-east to south.

History

The locality is said to be named after William Thomas Ford, a farmer of Mount Whitestone, who carried the mail from

Grantham Grantham () is a market town and civil parish 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 (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies south of Lincoln, England ...

to Mount Whitestone run from 1896. Ma Ma Creek Upper Provisional School opened on 8 July 1895 with Mr H. C. Tronc as headmaster. In 1906, it was renamed Fordsdale Provisional School. On 1 January 1909, it became Fordsdale State School. In April 1929, it was closed but reopened in 1931. It was at 1902 Gatton Clifton Road (). Fordsdale School of Arts was officially opened on 27 May 1932 by Councillor Byrne, chairman of the Tarampa Shire Council. In 1933, the school closed again. It reopened in 1937 with Miss E. G. M. Allen as head teacher with classes being held in the School of Arts as it was thought to be a more central location. As attendance at the new location was successfully maintained, it was decided to build a new school building on a site near the hall donated by Mr W. Bynon. The new school was officially opened on Saturday 3 June 1939 by the Leader of the Opposition,

Ted Maher Theodore Maher (born June 9, 1958) is a former Special Forces (United States Army), Green Beret turned registered nurse who was convicted of arson in a 1999 fire that killed Edmond Safra and another nurse, Vivian Torrente, at Safra's Monaco pent ...

. The school closed in 1967. It was at approx 2085 Gatton Clifton Road ().

Demographics

At the , Fordsdale and surrounds recorded a population 211. In the , Fordsdale had a population of 52 people. In the , Fordsdale had a population of 50 people.

Education

There are no schools in Fordsdale. The nearest primary school is Mount Whitestone State School in neighbouring Mount Whitestone to the north-east. The nearest secondary schools are Lockyer District State High School in Gatton to the north-east and

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 north-west.

Amenities

Fordsdale School of Arts Hall is at 2085 Gatton Clifton Road ().

References

External links

{{Lockyer Valley Region Lockyer Valley Region Localities in Queensland