The modern history of Toowoomba begins in the 19th century. Europeans began exploring and settling in the area from 1816 on-wards. By the end of the 1840s the rich lands around Toowoomba were being used for agriculture. 12 suburban allotments at Drayton were surveyed in 1849.[1] Small commercial settlements were growing with schools and churches also being built. The first council election took place in 1861 and the telegraph connection to Brisbane was established in 1862. Between 1868 and 1886, several new railway lines from Toowoomba were opened. Throughout the 21st century the city prospered with new hospitals, large industrial buildings and education facilities established. Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport was opened in 2014.
How the name Toowoomba was derived is still a point of argument. There are several theories, including:[citation needed]
that it derived from the aboriginal word for swamp which is Tawampa as the Aboriginal peoples had no "s" in their language sound system.
that the aboriginal interpretation for "reeds in the swamp" Woomba Woomba was used as the original source
that the word Toowoomba was taken from the aboriginal term for a native melon "Toowoom" or "Choowoom" which grew plentifully in the township.
1800-1820
IN 1816 English botanist and explorer Allan Cunningham arrived in Australia from Brazil where he had been collecting botanical specimens for Joseph Banks. He was the first European to visit the land known as Toowoomba today.[2]
1820-1840
In June 1827, Cunningham was rewarded for his many explorations when he discovered 4 million acres (16,000km²) of rich farming and grazing land bordered on the east by the Great Dividing Range and situated 100 miles (160km) west of the settlement of Moreton Bay (later became Brisbane). Cunningham named his find Darling Downs after Ralph Darling (later Sir Ralph), then Governor of New South Wales.[citation needed]
It was not until 13 years later when George and Patrick Leslie established Toolburra Station 56 miles (90km) south-west of Toowoomba that the first settlers arrived on the Downs. Other settlers such as Thomas Alford quickly followed and a few tradesmen and businessmen settled and established a township of bark-slab shops called The Springs which was soon renamed Drayton.[citation needed]
1840-1860
Darling Street Drayton, ~1856
Towards the end of the 1840s，Drayton had grown to the point where it had its own newspaper shop, general store, trading post and the Royal Bull's Head Inn which was built by William Horton and still stands today. Horton is regarded as the real founder of Toowoomba, although he was not the first European to live there.[citation needed]
Early in 1849 Horton sent two of his men, William Gurney and William Shuttlewood, a former convict, to cut away reeds in a marshy swampland area a few miles away that nobody from Drayton ever visited. When Gurney and Shuttlewood, a future Borough Alderman, arrived they were surprised to find a pitched tent among the reeds. The tent's owner was bush worker Josiah Dent who was the first man to live in "The Swamp". This extraordinary news was the main talking point in Drayton for weeks and people became interested in developing The Swamp as useful farming land. Plans were drawn for 12 to 20 acre (49,000 to 81,000 m²) farms in the swamp (later to be drained and become the foundation for the establishment of Toowoomba) in the hope of attracting more people to the area to support the land and build up the town. Two years later people began purchasing the land but not new settlers. The new farm holdings attracted buyers from Drayton.[citation needed]
In 1850 land was selling at £4 an acre (£988/km²). Drovers and wagon masters spread the news of the new settlement at Toowoomba. By 1858 Toowoomba was growing fast. It had a population of 700, three hotels and many stores. Land now £150 an acre (£37,000/km²).[citation needed]
1851 saw the establishment of a National School at Drayton, which later became Drayton State School. On 29 August 1852 the town's only churchman, the Rev. Benjamin Glennie who had lived in Drayton since 1848, christened both children at the Alford home. It was the first Church of England service held in Toowoomba and the first day the word "Toowoomba" was written on a public document.[citation needed]
In 1853 the Queensland Government granted 2 acres (0.81ha) of Crown land for a Presbyterian church, school and manse on the south-west corner of James Street and Hume Street (27°34′10″S151°57′22″E / 27.5695°S 151.9560°E / -27.5695; 151.9560 (Cairn marking first Presbyterian church in Toowoomba)), now in East Toowooomba.[3] In May 1858 tenders were called to erect a raised timber church of 20 by 30 feet (6.1 by 9.1m).[4] By September 1858 construction had commenced but halted due to insufficient funds to complete the building.[5] In March 1859 the Presbyterian minister at Ipswich, William Lambie Nelson, visited Toowoomba, spending a week successfully collecting funds to finish the church.[6] The church building was finally completed on 11 September 1859 and was used by visiting ministers. It was not until 1863 that the congregation of St Stephen's was officially established when Nelson decided to purchase a farm in Toowoomba (now Gabbinbar) and became the Presbyterian minister at Toowoomba, preaching the first service on 6 December 1863.[7][8]
On 30 June 1860 a petition of 100 names was sent to the Queensland Governor requesting that Toowoomba be declared a Municipality. Governor George Bowen granted their wish and a new municipality was proclaimed on 24 November 1860. The first town council election took place on 4 January 1861 and William Henry Groom, who had led Toowoomba people in their petition for recognition, polled the most votes. On 12 August 1862 Alderman Groom was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly as Member for Drayton and Toowoomba.[citation needed]
Also in August 1862, telegraphic communication was opened between Toowoomba and Brisbane.[citation needed]
In 1864 Toowoomba Gaol was opened. After closure in 1900, it became the site of the Austral Hall (1904), a woman's reformatory and laundry (1883-4), Rutlands Guest House, and various other modern sites, including a motel, a restaurant and a town house block.[citation needed]
In April, 1867 Toowoomba's rail link with Ipswich was opened.[9]
In 1870 Alderman Spiro replaced William Henry Groom as Mayor. In 1873 Council was granted control of the swamp area and offered a prize of £100 for the best method of draining it.[citation needed]
The Toowoomba Gas and Coke Company was floated in 1875 and the Council pledged to erect street lamps to assist with the establishment of the fledgling company. Due to its financial situation Council leased part of the swamp to town brickmakers.[citation needed]
In 1892 the Under Secretary of Public Land proclaimed Toowoomba and the surrounding areas as a township.
By 1898, the existing Town Hall was inadequate for the demands of a growing community. In July, Council agreed that new municipal buildings and a Town Hall should be constructed on the site of the School of Arts which had been destroyed by fire earlier that year, pending the sale of the old Town Hall for £2,000 to the Roman Catholic Church.
1900-1920
Council offered a prize of 25 guineas for the best design.[clarification needed] Architect Willoughby Powell's design was awarded first prize and the contract to erect the building at a cost of £10,000 went to Alexander Mayes who later was elected Mayor. The new building was opened in 1900 and still stands in Ruthven Street today. A refurbishment program was completed in 1996 at a cost of $3.4 million and Council meetings are once again held there.
The Trevethan, a single cylinder automobile was built in Toowoomba.[10]
At noon on 20 October 1904 Toowoomba's status of a township was changed to a city and every bell and horn was sounded for half a minute to celebrate the event.
A suburban rail motor service commenced in May, 1917, running to Wyreema, 10 miles (16km) away. It was extended to Cambooya and to Willowburn in 1918. They ceased around 1923.[11]
World War II saw an influx of American and Australian troops who took over the parks and major buildings for recreational, hospital and training purposes.[citation needed]
Since the 1950s, Toowoomba has added the provision of tertiary services, military installations, public service departments to its traditional role as a commercial, agricultural and educational centre.[citation needed]
A tertiary education centre, the QITDD, was established in Toowoomba in 1967. It became an autonomous college of advanced education, the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (DDIAE) in 1971; a university college (UCSQ) in 1990 and subsequently the University of Southern Queensland (USQ).[citation needed]
In the ensuring years the first highrises in Toowoomba are built reflecting the population and economical growth of the City.[citation needed]
In January 2011, the city was severely affected by flash floods. Parts of the central business district along Gowrie Creek were particular hit and several people lost their lives.[citation needed]
In 2013, local construction company, Wagners, build Australia's first privately built jet-capable airport, and the first one in the city's history; Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport.[citation needed]
In 2014 the Federal Government announce the long-awaited Toowoomba Second Range Crossing, the largest regional infrastructure project in Queensland's history.[12]
Toowoomba is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is 125 km (78 mi) west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 census was 142,163, having grown at an average annual rate of 1.45% over the previous two decades. Toowoomba is the second-most-populous inland city in the country after the nation's capital of Canberra, and hence the largest city on the Darling Downs. It is the third largest regional centre in Queensland, often referred to as the capital of the Darling Downs.
Dalby is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Dalby had a population of 12,719 people.
Oakey is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. The Museum of Army Aviation is located at Oakey Airport.
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 applied to an area approximating to that of the Condamine River catchment upstream of Condamine township but is now applied to a wider region comprising the Southern Downs, Western Downs, Toowoomba and Goondiwindi local authority areas. The name Darling Downs was given in 1827 by Allan Cunningham, the first European explorer to reach the area and recognises the then Governor of New South Wales, Ralph Darling.
The Gore Highway is a highway running between Toowoomba and Goondiwindi in Queensland, Australia. Together with Goulburn Valley Highway and Newell Highway, it is a part of the National Highway's Melbourne-Brisbane link. It is signed as National Highway A39.
Drayton is a rural locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Drayton had a population of 1,710 people.
Meringandan is a rural locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Meringandan had a population of 487 people.
Pittsworth is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Pittsworth had a population of 3,294 people.
Drayton State School is a heritage-listed state school at 71–89 Brisbane Street, Drayton, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by the Department of Public Works (Queensland) and built in 1912. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 28 February 2020.
Allora is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Allora had a population of 1,223 people.
Cambooya is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census the locality of Cambooya had a population of 1,584 people.
Wellcamp is a rural locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Wellcamp had a population of 295 people.
Westbrook is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Westbrook had a population of 3,885 people.
The Reverend Benjamin Glennie was a pioneer Anglican clergyman in the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia.
St Matthew's Anglican Church is a heritage-listed church at Beatrice Street, Drayton, once a town but now a suburb of Toowoomba in Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by James Marks and built from 1886 to 1887 by Seath, Hobart and Watson. It is also known as St Matthew's Church of England and is the second church of that name in Drayton. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
St John's Anglican Church is a heritage-listed church at 153 Cunningham Street, Dalby, Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the third church of that name on the site and was designed by Henry James (Harry) Marks and built in the 1920s. It is also known as St John's Church of England. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 14 August 2008.
Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at the corner of South Street and Anzac Avenue, Harristown, Queensland, Australia. It was surveyed in May 1850, and is one of the earliest surviving cemeteries in Queensland. The cemetery is large, containing over 45,000 burials. It has been run by the City of Toowoomba, and its successor the Toowoomba Regional Council, since 1974; previously it was run by government-appointed trustees. Many prominent people associated with the Darling Downs are buried in the cemetery, and all sections of the cemetery remain in use. Notable Toowoomba stonemasons R. C. Ziegler & Son, Henry Bailey, Walter Bruce, John H. Wagner and the Bruce Brothers are all associated with monuments within the cemetery.
68 Stephen Street is a heritage-listed cottage in South Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the earliest surviving dwellings in Toowoomba, the land having been part of one of the first subdivisions when the town was developed. It was built by the mid-1860s for Charles Taylor, who was described in his will as a "well-sinker", and was constructed using laterite, an uncommon material in Toowoomba buildings.
Wesley Uniting Church is a heritage-listed former church at 54 Neil Street, Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Willoughby Powell and built from 1877 to 1924. It is also known as Wesleyan Methodist Church. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 10 May 1997.
Wellcamp State School is a heritage-listed state school at 609 Drayton-Wellcamp Road, Wellcamp, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. Block A was designed by Department of Public Works (Queensland) and built in 1911, while Block L was building in 1918. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 27 March 2020.
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