South East Queensland Country - Brass Monkey Season - Old World Charm

Highlights of a drive through the Southern Downs include the Glengallan Homestead. Now restored, it embodies the history of the Allora region since the late 19th Century. A major draw card on the Heritage Building Trail, Glengallan divulges a fascinating insight into the workings of a pastoral station.

From Allora head towards the Warwick City Trail. Pringle Cottage is a two-story sandstone building built between 1871 and 1874. At the turn of the nineteenth century, Pringle Cottage housed a private school run by a Mrs. Pringle and her daughter. Today the cottage is open to visitors interested in its historical value. Warwick also contains a collection of the State’s most preserved and magnificent sandstone buildings, all of which can be found on the Warwick City Walk Trail.

The Clifton Shire was the home to many well-known identities, including Steele Rudd who wrote three of his Dad n Dave stories while in Nobby. Nobby’s famous daughter, Sister Kenny, who pioneered simple yet ground breaking polio treatments is recognized in the Sister Kenny Memorial building located in the main street of Nobby. The Clifton Historical Museum, housed in the former Butter Factory, also contains an excellent collection of preserved agricultural and housing implements used by pioneer settlers.

The name Stanthorpe comes from Stannum, meaning ‘tin’, and Thorpe, meaning ‘village’. In the 1870’s, tin was discovered at Quart Pot Creek and miners flocked to the area to make their fortunes, giving birth to the settlement of Stanthorpe. But the mining boom was short lived. Grazing became the main industry in the area until the fruit-growing industry developed after World War 1 - and then, in the 1960s and 1970s, wineries were successfully established. The Stanthorpe Heritage Museum accommodates buildings and items offering a nostalgic glance back at Stanthorpe’s pioneering hey day.

Follow the Stanthorpe to Texas Trail and you’ll come across the Riverside Freezing Works and Rabbit Factory. Built in 1930 to take advantage of the demand from England for rabbits and rabbit skin, the rabbit industry was the economic mainstay of Texas during the depression. Hints of the past are the tobacco-drying sheds scattered about the landscape and the old Silverspur mine, which ceased operation in 1913. The Cunningham Weir now marks the spot where the explorer Allan Cunningham crossed the Dumaresq River in 1827. The local Historical Museum has preserved many of the relics of the early times, and Pecan Park, with its planting of pecan trees donated by the people of Texas, USA, is a living reminder of the links between far-flung communities.

Today Inglewood is fast becoming known for its burgeoning olive industry and primary produce, transforming what was once a tobacco and timber town and adding a touch of diversity to the traditional country-town atmosphere.

Many well known identities have also originated from this region, one being Jackie Howe, born at Canning Downs Station, holds the blade shearing world record of 321 sheep shorn in a standard working day in 1892. Also born on Canning Downs was Charles Chauvel, the founder of cinematography in Australia. The egg-throwing incident involving Prime Minister Billy Hughes, which led to the founding of the Commonwealth Police, happened here in Warwick.

To help you on your discovery of the Southern Downs’ history and heritage, a comprehensive guide to the stories and heritage attractions of the region, the Southern Downs Heritage & Historic Building Trail, is available from either the Warwick or Stanthorpe Visitor Information Centres. This guide is a wonderful resource for a drive uncovering remnants of the past integrated into today’s townships.