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6 June- Allan Cunningham discovered the Darling Downs.
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Patrick Leslie arrived in Australia
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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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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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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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John Campbell of Westbrook Station produced a magnificent crop of wheat.
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Arthur Hodgen and Gilbert Elliot grew wheat at Etonvale
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William Handcock set up a store at “ The Springs”
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1 May- William Horton became the licensee of the Bull Head’s Inn.
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A bridle track along the Mt Lofty foothills came into use.
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J.C. Burnett’s surveyed twelve 27 to 40 acre (11-16 hectare) farmlets to be known as the Drayton Agricultural reserve.
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William Shuttlewood and William Gurney met Josiah Dent who was living at “The Swamp”.
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he 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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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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Surveyors J.C. Burnett and Moriarity continued the 1851 survey at the Drayton Agricultural Reserve; that is allotments 13 to 59 the land west and north of West Swamp and east and north of East Swamp. Allotments 50-59 between the swamps fixed the southern boundary of “The Swamp” at Long Street.
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The first oat crop for the area was grown at the south-west corner of Perth and Ruthven Streets.
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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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1 January- a 2 pence ( 2 cent) toll was introduced on the Toll Bar Road.
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The first group of German immigrants arrived on the Downs.
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The first wheat was grown at “The Swamp” on the east side of Ruthven Street near Donation Lane.
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1 Jan- The naming of toowoomba was celebrated by the people of Drayton and Toowoomba.
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A post office was opened in James St, a short distance from the north-east corner of the Neil St intersection.
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Separation Day- Queensland was named after Queen Victoria, Queen of England. Sir George Ferguson Bowen became the first Governor of Queensland.
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24 Nov- The proclamation making Toowoomba municipality and empowering its citizens to elect a mayor and aldermen was published. It was gazetted on 1 December, 1860. The municipality occupied all the land that had been surveyed at “The Swamp”, although much of it was surveyed as suburban to Drayton.
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26 July- John Robert “Jackie” Howe was born on Canning Downs near Warwick.
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12 April- The first train reached Toowoomba from Ipswich, taking 6 hours to complete the journey.
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30 April- The railway to Toowoomba was opened.
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The Royal Bull’s Head Inn became a private residence.
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20 October- Toowoomba declared a city.
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1 Jan- Joseph Booth’s first Road Passenger and Mail Transport was established between Drayton and Ipswich.