The Lockyer Valley Region is a local government area in the West Moreton 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 , established_ ...

, 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 r ...

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 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 Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

people.

Tarampa Division #REDIRECT 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 cove ...

, 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 #REDIRECT Shire of Laidley The Shire of Laidley 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 co ...

, and later on 25 January 1890, the

Forest Hill Forest Hill or Forrest Hill may refer to: Places Australia * Forest Hill, New South Wales, a suburb of Wagga Wagga * Forrest Hill, New South Wales, a suburb of Albury * Forest Hill, Queensland * Forest Hill, Victoria ** Forest Hill Chase Sh ...

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. 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 Drayton may refer to: People * Drayton (surname) Legal cases * ''United States v. Drayton'', 536 U.S. 194 (2002) Places Australia *Drayton, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region *Shire of Drayton, a former local government area in Queen ...

and Highfields, while losing some of its original area to the City of Toowoomba and Shire of Crows Nest. 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, which destroyed the town of Grantham, 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 * Grantham * Helidon * Iredale * Junction View * Lake Clarendon * 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. H ...

* Placid Hills * Ropeley * Thornton * Upper Tenthill * Veradilla * Winwill * Withcott * Woodlands Laidley area: * Laidley * Blenheim *

* Glenore Grove * Regency Downs * Hatton Vale * Kentville *

Laidley Heights Laidley Heights is a rural/residential locality on the outskirts of the town of Laidley in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Laidley Heights had a population of 1,263 people. Geography The land use is a mix of larg ...

* 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 transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

* Fifteen Mile * Flagstone Creek * Glen Cairn * Helidon Spa * Ingoldsby *

Kensington Grove Kensington Grove is a rural/residential locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Kensington Grove had a population of 1,717 people. References Lockyer Valley Region Localities in Queensland {{SouthE ...

* Laidley Creek West * Laidley North * Laidley South * Lefthand Branch * Lilydale * Lockyer * Lockyer Waters * Lynford * Morton Vale * Mount Berryman *

Mount Sylvia Xueshan, formerly known as and by other names, is a mountain in the Heping District of Taichung, Taiwan. It is the 2nd-highest mountain in Taiwan and in East Asia, at above sea level. It is located in the Shei-Pa National Park and is visib ...

* 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 * Summerholm * Townson * Upper Flagstone * Upper Lockyer * Vinegar Hill * West Haldon * White Mountain * Woodbine ¹ - split with Somerset Region

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, 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