The Shire of Highfields is a former local government area on the Darling Downs in Queensland, Australia. It existed between 1879 and 1949.
On 11 November 1879, the Highfields Division was created as one of 74 divisions within Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 with a population of 1998. [1] [2] It was divided into three sub-divisions with estimated populations of 480, 891 and 627 for Sub-divisions 1, 2 and 3 respectively, a total of 1989. [3]
On 18 January 1884, there was an adjustment of boundaries between Highfields Division's subdivisions Nos. 1 and 2 and Esk Division. [4] [5]
In 1886, the Highfields Division was extended to incorporate the areas of Perseverance, Ravensbourne, Crows Nest, Djuan, Emu Creek, and Cooyar. [3]
With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, the Highfields Division became the Shire of Highfields on 31 March 1903.
In 1910–11, there was considerable pressure to persuade the shire council to relocate their office from Cabarlah to Crows Nest. [6] [7] [8] But the shire council did not wish to put the issue to a referendum. [9] This led to further agitation to create a new shire with Crows Nest at its centre. [10]
On 25 January 1913, part of the Shire of Highfields was excised to create the Shire of Crows Nest. [11]
On 19 March 1949, the Shire of Highfields was abolished and split between the Shire of Crows Nest and the Shire of Gatton. [2] [12] [13] [14]
The following men were the chairmen of the Highfields Divisional Board and the Highfields Shire Council. [3]
The Shire of Crows Nest was a local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, immediately northeast of the regional city of Toowoomba. The shire, administered from the town of Crows Nest, covered an area of 1,629.9 square kilometres (629.3 sq mi), 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. 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.
The Shire of Jondaryan was a local government area located in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, immediately west of the regional city of Toowoomba. The shire, administered from the town of Oakey, covered an area of 1,910.0 square kilometres (737.5 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1890 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the Toowoomba area to form the Toowoomba Region. Its growth in later years has been fuelled by the expansion of Toowoomba and suburbs such as Glenvale and Westbrook.
The Shire of Gayndah was a local government area located in the northern catchment of the Burnett River, Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of 2,709.3 square kilometres (1,046.1 sq mi), and existed as a local government area from 1866 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other shires to form the North Burnett Region.
The Shire of Nanango was a local government area located in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of the capital, Brisbane. The Shire covered an area of 1,738.4 square kilometres (671.2 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the South Burnett area to become the South Burnett Regional Council.
The Shire of Cloncurry is a local government area in North West Queensland, Australia. It covers an area of 47,971 square kilometres (18,521.7 sq mi), and has existed as a local government entity since 1884. The major town and administrative centre of the shire is Cloncurry.
The Shire of Carpentaria is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia on the Gulf of Carpentaria, for which it is named.
The Shire of Tiaro was a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, between the regional cities of Gympie and Hervey Bay about 220 kilometres (137 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane. The shire covered an area of 2,185.3 square kilometres (843.7 sq mi), and existed as a local government area from 1879 until 2008, when it was dissolved and split between two new local government areas, the Gympie Region and the Fraser Coast Region.
The Shire of Boonah was a local government area in South East Queensland, Australia, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) southwest of Brisbane. The shire covered an area of 1,921.6 square kilometres (741.9 sq mi), and existed from 1880 until its merger with parts of the Shire of Beaudesert and City of Ipswich to form the Scenic Rim Region on 15 March 2008.
The Shire of Esk was a local government area in South East Queensland, Australia, located about 90 kilometres (56 mi) west - northwest of Brisbane. It stretched from the Lockyer Valley north and west to the Great Dividing Range and up the valley of the Brisbane River. Esk covered an area of 3,936.2 square kilometres (1,519.8 sq mi), and existed from 1879 until its merger with the Shire of Kilcoy to form the Somerset Region on 15 March 2008.
The Shire of Gatton was a local government area located in the Lockyer Valley region between the cities of Toowoomba and Ipswich, and about 90 kilometres (56 mi) west of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of 1,571.8 square kilometres (606.9 sq mi), and existed from 1880 until its merger with the Shire of Laidley to form the Lockyer Valley Region on 15 March 2008.
The Shire of Cardwell was a local government area of Queensland. It was located on the Coral Sea coast about halfway between the cities of Cairns and Townsville. The shire, administered from the town of Tully, covered an area of 3,062.2 square kilometres (1,182.3 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1884 until 2008, when it amalgamated with the Shire of Johnstone to form the Cassowary Coast Region.
The Shire of Beaudesert was a local government area located in South East Queensland, Australia, stretching from the New South Wales border, along the Gold Coast hinterland to the urban fringes of the cities of Brisbane and Ipswich. The Shire covered an area of 2,854.3 square kilometres (1,102.1 sq mi), and existed from 1879 until its abolition on 15 March 2008, following which it was split between Logan City and the new Scenic Rim 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 Laidley. Steve Jones, former mayor of Gatton, was elected as first mayor of the Lockyer Valley Region.
The Shire of Moreton was a local government area in South East Queensland, Australia, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) southwest of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. It represented an area surrounding but not including Ipswich, and existed from 1917 until 1995, when it merged into the City of Ipswich, City of Brisbane, and Shire of Esk.
The Shire of Coomera was a local government area in South East Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from Coomera, existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 1949.
The Shire of Nerang was a local government area in South East Queensland, Australia. The shire existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 1949.
The Shire of Drayton was a local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, west of Toowoomba. It existed between 1887 and 1949.
The Shire of Purga is a former local government area in the south-east of Queensland, Australia.
The Shire of Mutdapilly is a former local government area in the south-east of Queensland, Australia. The name comes from the Mutdapilly locality, but the locality was never the administrative centre of the shire.
The Shire of Widgee is a former local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett area of Queensland, Australia. It was located in the rural areas around the town of Gympie but did not include the town itself, which was always in a separate local government area. The administrative offices of the Shire of Widgee were located in Gympie.