Population 416 (2011 census) Leyburn Old Talgai
Pratten Local time Friday 4:16 AM Federal division Division of Maranoa | Postcode(s) 4365 Postal code 4365 Lga Southern Downs Region | |
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Location 204 km (127 mi) WSW of Brisbane
68 km (42 mi) SW of Toowoomba
60 km (37 mi) NW of Warwick State electorate(s) Condamine
Southern Downs Weather 19°C, Wind SE at 5 km/h, 86% Humidity | ||
Leyburn (pronounced Leeburn) is a town in the Southern Downs Region and a locality split between the South Downs Region and the Toowoomba Region in Queensland, Australia. In the 2011 census, Leyburn had a population of 416 people.
Contents
Map of Leyburn QLD 4365, Australia
History
Leyburn was named in the 1840s by William Gray, Snr., who came to the area by bullock dray from Pitt Town on the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales. The first name for the locality was Canal Creek; the name was changed to Leyburn by Henry and Jane Kirby, Gray's son-in-law and daughter, and derives from the market town of Leyburn in the English county of Yorkshire. The site for the town was surveyed in November 1852. Henry Kirby and another man named Collins applied in 1854 for the licence of the Travellers' Home Inn at Leyburn.
The post office at Leyburn opened on 1 January 1861.
The Rosenthal Division was established in 1889 and became the Shire of Rosenthal in 1903. Although Leyburn was the largest town within this local government area, it was not chosen as the administrative centre as Leyburn did not have a railway connection in 1889. Instead, offices were established in Warwick outside of the district.
An airfield with a 7,000 foot runway was constructed by April 1943 for the use of the United States Army Air Force. The airfield was eventually used by 21 Squadron, 23 Squadron and 99 Squadron. and was eventually abandoned by the RAAF in December 1945. The abandoned airfield became the site of the 1949 Australian Grand Prix, the first time the Australian Grand Prix was held in Queensland. At the 2006 census, Leyburn and the surrounding area had a population of 348.
Leyburn State School opened in 1862 and caters for students from Prep to Year six.
Events
In 1996 the Leyburn Sprints was established. Celebrating the 1949 Australian Grand Prix, historic racing cars and cars of special interest compete in numerous classes to compete in a short 1.0 kilometre (0.62 mi) course through the town. The event has become the town's biggest attraction.
Heritage listings
Leyburn has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Notable residents
Australian rugby league player Shane Webcke grew up in Leyburn.