Plainland is a rural

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 locality is a geographic subdivis ...

and development centre in the

Lockyer Valley Region The Lockyer Valley Region is a local government area in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, between the cities of Ipswich and Toowoomba. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Gatton and the Shire of Laidl ...

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 , established_ ...

, Australia. In the , Plainland had a population of 1,930 people - an increase of 21% from the 2016 census.

Geography

Plainland is 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 ...

, located west of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, the state capital, along the

Warrego Highway The Warrego Highway is located in southern Queensland, Australia. It connects coastal centres to the south western areas of the state, and is approximately 715 km in length. It takes its name from the Warrego River, which is the endpoint ...

History

Plainland was settled by a dozen

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

families in 1878. The families were mostly from West

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

. The community constructed a

Lutheran church Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

in 1884 which was replaced in 1897. About 60 families, mainly of German origin were living in the area in 1911—serviced by three blacksmiths, the Plainland Hotel, a state school and a general store. Plainland State School opened circa 1886. It closed on 1966. Plainland Post Office opened by 1899 (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 1887) and closed in 1966. The area experienced a general decline in population throughout the mid-20th century until the 1990s when significant development began. Faith Lutheran College opened on 1999. At the Plainland had a population of 1,672 people. In the , Plainland had a population of 1,596 people. In the late 2010s. the area experienced a boom in development with projects such as Plainland Crossing and Meadows at Plainland, expanding the availability of

rural residential A hobby farm (also called a lifestyle block in New Zealand, or acreage living or rural residential in Australia) is a smallholding or small farm that is maintained without expectation of being a primary source of income. Some are held merely to ...

properties. Sophia College opened in 2021 with Year 7 enrolments. A variety of new civic services such as schools, services, and large-chain shopping options have also been developed or announced. The town has also been identified as a growth hub, and the preferred location for a new regional hospital to provide emergency and maternity services to the Lockyer Valley.

Events

farmers' market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or o ...

is held adjacent to the hotel on Sundays.

Education

Faith Lutheran College is a private secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at 5 Faith Avenue (), operated by Lutheran Education Queensland. In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 719 students with 56 teachers (53.95 full-time equivalent) and 63 non-teaching staff (48.95 full-time equivalent). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 711 students with 59 teachers (57 full-time equivalent) and 63 non-teaching staff (43 full-time equivalent). Sophia College is a Catholic secondary school for boys and girls on the south-west corner of Otto Road and Gehrke Road ().

References

External links

* {{Lockyer Valley Region Lockyer Valley Region Localities in Queensland