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Patrick Leslie arrived in Australia
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Death of Allan Cunningham
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20 March- Patrick Leslie arrived at the junction of Sandy Creek (later named) and the Condamine River.
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2 July- The first head station was established by the Leslie brothers at Toolburra This was the first permanent pastoral settlement in present day QLD
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Sept- Arthur Hodgson and Gilbert Elliot made contact with the NSW government at Moreton Bay via a track through Cunningham’s Gap. They had ridden from their station, Etonvale (at Mt Rubieslaw)
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7 Oct- Lieutenant Gorman, Commandant of the Moreton Bay Settlement, left the settlement to visit the Darling Downs, led by John Sterry Baker
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17 Oct- Lieutenant Gorman’s party passed through Gorman’s Gap.
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October- Joe Archer, the bullocky, and Gilbert Elliot, found that the Cunningham’s Gap road was far too steep for drays.
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19 Oct- Lieutenant Gorman reached Etonvale Station
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19 Nov- First shearing at Etonvale Station
- Westbrook Station was settled by John (Tinker) Campbell -
Thomas Alford came to the Darling Downs and established a store on the Leyburn Road leading west. Arthur Hodgson later assisted his move to establish his store at “The Springs”.
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Stephen Mehan set up a store at “ The Springs”
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John Campbell of Westbrook Station produced a magnificent crop of wheat.
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There were 26 stations on the downs.
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Arthur Hodgen and Gilbert Elliot grew wheat at Etonvale
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A bridle track along the Mt Lofty foothills came into use.
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1 May- William Horton became the licensee of the Bull Head’s Inn.
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December- J.C. Burnett surveyed the existing settlement at “The Springs’ (Drayton).
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The first land sales were held at Drayton and Warwick.
An acute water shortage in the Drayton area caused further settlement at the “ Swamp” -
Gold rush fever discovered the discovery of gold in NSW new Bathurst by Edward Hargreaves.
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Census of the Downs showed 564 men, 24 women. 55% of the Darling Downs’ population had been transported as convicts. This is easy to understand as all Pastoralists used convicts or “ticket of leave” labour.
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6 Sept- Drayton School was opened and it became the first National school in the area.
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Thomas Alford moved to the Drayton Swamp agricultural Area using the name “Toowoomba” for his house and store.
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The first hotel was erected in the “Drayton Agricultural Reserve”. The hotel, originally called “ The Seperation” ( reflecting the owner’s spelling limitations) was later named “The Royal” (Snell St) and was used in the1860’s as a meeting place of the first municipal council.
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6 September- The North State School was opened.
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William Handcock set up a store at “ The Springs”
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What was to be called the Toll Bar Road superseded the Flagstone Creek road.
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The original Bull’s Head Inn was built
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The first oat crop for the area was grown at the south-west corner of Perth and Ruthven Streets.