Lowood is a rural town and

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

Somerset Region The Somerset Region is a local government area located in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, northwest of the City of Brisbane. The region is centred on the town of Esk, which also serves as the council seat. Somer ...

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 , the locality of Lowood had a population of 4,082 people.

Geography

The town is on the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...

, west of the state capital,

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 ...

, and north of

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

. Due to its proximity to Brisbane and Ipswich, Lowood is becoming an area for hobby farmers and residential commuters.

History

Lowood railway station () was established as the first terminus of the Brisbane Valley branch railway in 1884 and the town grew from the subdivision around the new railway station. The name ''Lowood'' is derived from the "low woods" of

brigalow ''Acacia harpophylla'', commonly known as brigalow, brigalow spearwood or orkor, is an endemic tree of Australia. The Aboriginal Australian group the Gamilaraay peoples know the tree as Barranbaa or Burrii. It is found in central and coasta ...

in the Lowood area, as opposed to the taller trees elsewhere in the Brisbane Valley. The name ''Lowood'' replaced local names of ''The Scrub'' and ''Cairnhill''. Lowood Post Office opened on 15 October 1888 (a

receiving office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

had been open from 1884). Cairnhill Provisional School opened on 29 June 1881. On 1 April 1889 it become Lowood State School. On 29 January 1963 a secondary department was opened, which closed in 1983 when Lowood State High School opened. In 1919, 27 building sites in Morningside Estate were advertised for auction by Kavanagh & Smith Auctioneers. The auction was for resubs 1 to 27 of sub 5 of resub 1 of subs 1A & 3 of resub 2 of sub A of portion 319 (Tarampa). A map produced to advertise the auction shows Morningside Estate is on Peace Street and is close to Lowood Railway Station, the hospital and the state school. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, an airfield called Lowood, which was actually located at Mount Tarampa, was the site of a military airfield operated by the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

. No. 71 Squadron operated from the airfield during 1943, conducting coastal patrol and naval convoy escort missions. After the war, the airfield was converted into a motor-racing circuit, the Lowood Airfield Circuit, and operated for 20 years, the highlight hosting the 1960 Australian Grand Prix. The airfield no longer exists, but a small memorial marks its previous location. Lowood State High School opened on 24 January 1983 replacing the secondary department attached to Lowood State School in 1963. The Lowood public library opened in 2000.

Demographics

In the , the town of Lowood had a population of 1,010 people. In the , the locality of Lowood had a population of 3,336 people. In the , the locality of Lowood had a population of 4,159 people. In the , the locality of Lowood had a population of 4,082 people.

Heritage listings

Lowood has a number of

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and human-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In ma ...

sites, including: * 12 Railway Street : former Royal Bank of Queensland, built sometime between 1901 and 1917, the former bank is now a dental surgery.

Education

Lowood State School is a government primary (Early Childhood to Year 6) school for boys and girls at 32 Peace Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 279 students with 24 teachers (23 full-time equivalent) and 17 non-teaching staff (13 full-time equivalent). It includes a

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

program. Lowood State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 28 Prospect Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 747 students with 68 teachers (67 full-time equivalent) and 39 non-teaching staff (29 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.

Transport

Following the withdrawal of the railmotor service to Toogoolawah in 1989, a substitute bus service to Ipswich was introduced by

Queensland Rail Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Queensland Rail is owned by the Queensland Government, and operates both Commuter rail, suburban and Regional rail, interurban rail services in South East Queensland, as well ...

(QR). Two services are in the morning and return services are in the late afternoon. Time tables are available from QR.

Amenities

The

Somerset Regional Council The Somerset Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, northwest of the City of Brisbane. The region is centred on the town of Esk, Queensland, Esk, ...

operates a public library at the corner of Michel and Main Streets (). The Lowood branch of the

Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...

meets at 106 Main Street (). The Fernvale Lowood Uniting Church is at 1503 Brisbane Valley Highway in Fernvale.

Attractions

Nearby Lake Wivenhoe is a popular place for activities such as boating and fishing.

References

External links

* * * *
Lowood District Community Website TravelmateLowood Tourism Association
{{authority control Towns in Queensland Suburbs of Somerset Region 1872 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1872 Queensland in World War II Localities in Queensland