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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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4 June- Leslie’s main party arrived at Leslie’s crossing on the Condamine River about 8km below what became Toolburra Station.
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21 June Patrick and George or Walter Leslie with Peter Murphy rode to Gowrie though Cunningham’s Gap, halting at the Bremer River and eventually returning to the Downs because of fear of arrest.
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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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Joe Archer, the bullocky, and Gilbert Elliot, found that the Cunningham’s Gap road was far too steep for drays.
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17 Oct- Lieutenant Gorman’s party passed through Gorman’s Gap.
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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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1 May- William Horton became the licensee of the Bull Head’s Inn.
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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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1 Jan- The naming of “Toowoomba” was celebrated by the people of Drayton and Toowoomba.
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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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W.H. Groom was elected the first mayor of Toowoomba.
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The first train reached Toowoomba from Ipswich, taking 6 hours to complete the journey.
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The Margaret Street post office was opened. The building cost 5000 pounds ($10 000); the clock cost 250 pounds ($500)
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Jackie Howe, at Isis Downs Station, Blackall, shore 321 sheep in 8 hours 40 minutes. He established a record never to be equalled by blade shearers. At Barcaldine Downs, using machines for the first time, Jackie Howe shore 370 sheep in eight hours. Even with the introduction of mechanical shears, Jackie’s record stood for 58 years. In 1950 Ted Rieck shore 326 sheep on a Julia Creek property. Jackie Howe who was born in Warwick became immortalised through the low-necked sleeveless, flannel single
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20 October- Toowoomba declared a city.
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September- The Royal Bull’s Head Inn was acquired by the National Trust of QLD.
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11 June- Cunningham’s Gap road was opened.