The Shire of Crows Nest was a local government area in 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 ...

region of

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, immediately northeast of the regional city of

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 ...

. The shire, administered from the town of Crows Nest, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1913 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the Toowoomba area to form the

Toowoomba Region The Toowoomba Region is a local government area located in the Darling Downs part of Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by several previous local government areas with histories extending back to the early 1900s and bey ...

. Its growth in later years has been fuelled by the expansion of Toowoomba, particularly the suburbs of Highfields and Blue Mountain Heights which, with a combined population of 7,333 in 2006, were home to over half the shire's population.

History

Crows Nest was named after an

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 ...

man called Jimmy Crow, who lived in a hollow tree near the present council swimming pool. Timber hauling bullock teams would stop in this area overnight and Jimmy Crow used to give them directions. There is a 6 ft statue of Jimmy Crow in Centenary Park, Crows Nest to honour this legend. The first local government in the area was the Highfields Division, which was incorporated on 11 November 1879 under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879''. With the passage of the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', Highfields Division became the Shire of Highfields on 31 March 1903. On 25 January 1913, the Shire of Crows Nest was excised from the Shire of Highfields, initially over a somewhat smaller area. When the Shires of Highfields and

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 ...

were abolished on 19 March 1949, part of each was included within the Shire of Crows Nest. The council had two divisions each of which returned four councillors, and a separately elected chairman (mayor from 1993). On 15 March 2008, under the ''Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007'' passed by the

Parliament of Queensland The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral ...

on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Crows Nest merged with the City of Toowoomba and the Shires of Cambooya, Clifton,

Jondaryan Jondaryan is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Jondaryan had a population of 385 people. Geography The Western railway line passes through the locality. The now-closed Jondaryan ...

Millmerran Millmerran , known as Domville between 1 June 1889 and 16 November 1894, is a town and a locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Millmerran had a population of 1,563 people. Geography The town is on the ...

, Pittsworth and Rosalie to form the

Towns and localities

The Shire of Crows Nest includes the following settlements: * Crows Nest * Birnam¹ * Blue Mountain Heights¹ * Cabarlah *

Cawdor Cawdor ( gd, Caladair) is a village and parish in the Highland council area, Scotland. The village is south-southwest of Nairn and east of Inverness. The village is in the Historic County of Nairnshire. History The village is the location o ...

* Djuan * Geham * Haden * Hampton * Highfields¹ * Meringandan * Pechey * Ravensbourne * Spring Bluff¹ ¹ – split with the former City of Toowoomba

Chairmen

The following were the chairmen of the Crows Nest Shire Council. The use of the title ''mayor'' was only introduced in 1993.

Population

# The estimated 1947 population of the post-1949 area was 4,036.''Queensland Year Book'', No.11 (1950), p.47.

Notable residents

* John French VC (1914–1942) * Ben Walker Rugby League Player * Chris Walker Rugby League Player * Shane Walker Rugby League Player

Schools

* Amaroo Environmental Education Centre * Crows Nest Special Education Unit * Crows Nest State High School * Crows Nest State Primary School * Geham State Primary School * Haden State Primary School * Highfields State Primary School * Mary MacKillop Catholic Primary School * Meringandan State Primary School * St Peters (Ironbark) Lutheran College * Toowoomba Christian College

References

External links

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Crows Nest Shire

Crows Nest Photographic Memory
The Photographic Memories competition held in Crows Nest Shire, Queensland. From the State Library of Queensland 'Queensland Stories' collection. {{DEFAULTSORT:Crows Nest Shire Former local government areas of Queensland Darling Downs Toowoomba 2008 disestablishments in Australia Populated places disestablished in 2008