Dalby, Queensland


Dalby is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the, the locality of Dalby had a population of 12,758 people.
It is on the Darling Downs and is the administrative centre for the Western Downs Region.

Geography

Dalby is approximately west of Toowoomba, west northwest of the state capital, Brisbane, east southeast of Roma and east southeast of Charleville at the junction of the Warrego, Moonie and Bunya Highways. State Route 82 also passes through Dalby. It enters from the north as Dalby–Jandowae Road and exits to the south as Dalby–Cecil Plains Road. Dalby–Cooyar Road exits to the east.
Dalby is the centre of Australia's richest grain and cotton growing area.
Mocattas Corner is a neighbourhood on the eastern boundary of the locality with Irvingdale. It takes its name from the former Mocattas Corner railway station, which in turn was named after George Gershon Mocatta, a pastoralist who took up the Cumkillenbar pastoral run in August 1849.

Transport

Western railway line

The Western railway line passes through Dalby with a number of railway stations serving the locality:
The Glenmorgan railway line branches from the Western railway line just west of the Dalby railway station with the following railway stations within the locality of Dalby":
The now-closed Bell Branch railway line also branched from the Western railway line with the following railway stations within the locality of Dalby:
  • Bonyumba railway station
  • Sanatorium railway station, serving the Dalby Sanatorium
  • Mocattas Corner railway station

    Airports

is an airport.
There is a heliport at Dalby Hospital.

History

is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Baranggum people. The Baranggum language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Western Downs Regional Council, particularly Dalby, Tara, Jandowae and west towards Chinchilla.
Dalby was founded in the early 1840s at a place known locally as "The Crossing" on Myall Creek, a tributary of the Condamine River. The first settler was Henry Dennis, who explored the region and chose land for himself and others in the locality. Today an obelisk in Edward Street denotes the location where Dennis camped.
A small settlement was founded to assist travellers heading north to nearby Jimbour Station. The explorer Ludwig Leichhardt visited the area in 1844, on his way to Port Essington.
In February 1853, the New South Wales government sent the Deputy Surveyor General Captain Samuel Perry to the area to survey a township. In August of the following year, Charles Douglas Eastaughffe arrived with a document under the Seal of the NSW Government officially proclaiming 'Dalby' a township. Eastaughffe was later appointed Chief Constable and remained in Dalby until his retirement.
The name of the town is believed to come from the village of Dalby on the Isle of Man and reflects immigration from the Isle of Man in the mid-19th century. The name was apparently chosen by Captain Samuel Perry when he surveyed the settlement in 1853.
Myall Creek Post Office also opened in 1854 in Roche's store, with Mr. Simpson as the first postmaster. It was renamed Dalby in 1855.
In 1859, Dalby became part of the new Colony of Queensland.
Dalby State School opened on 1 June 1861. In 1869, the school split into Dalby Boys State School Dalby Girls State School. In 1885, the girls' school became Dalby Girls & Infants State School. In 1893, the two schools were combined as Dalby State School. In 1914, the school expanded to include a secondary school, which closed in 1954, due to the establishment of a separate secondary school, Dalby State High School.
In August 1863, Dalby was officially proclaimed a municipality, the Borough of Dalby, in the Queensland Government Gazette.
Dalby Non-Vested School opened as a Roman Catholic girls school in 1864 and in 1866 became a non-vested school. Circa 1880, the school either closed or continued without government funding.
On Sunday 5 August 1866, Bishop James Quinn dedicated St Joseph's Catholic Church.
Dalby was linked by the Western railway line to Ipswich on 16 April 1868.
On Sunday 20 June 1869, the first Presbyterian church was opened in Dalby. Reverend George Grimm had conducting regular services since 1865.
St Columba's School was a Catholic primary school which was opened in 1877 by the Sisters of Mercy. In 2008, it merged with St Mary's College to create Our Lady of the Southern Cross College.
From 1873 to 1949, the electoral district of Dalby was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland.
Mocatta's Corner Provisional School opened circa 1887. On 1 January 1909, it became Mocatta's Corner State School. It closed in 1925. It was on the south-west corner of the junction of Dalby Cooyar Road and Mocattas Corner Road.
Dalby was believed to have a healthy climate and in October 1900 the Queensland Government opened the Jubilee Sanitorium for consumptive patients. The name Jubilee commemorates the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. In 1904 the Dalby Town Council erected therapeutic thermal baths using artesian water from a local bore for those wishing to improve their health by "taking the waters". In 1938, the council closed the artesian baths as interest in "taking the waters" was declining. Medical opinion became increasingly doubtful of the benefits of bathing in mineral waters, favouring drugs and physiotherapy as better treatments. It closed in January 1938 with its remaining patients transferred to Westwood Sanatorium.
Kincora Provisional School opened in 1908 "via Dalby" and was renamed Moonie River Provisional School circa December 1908. It closed circa 1916.
On 8 December 1912, the Dalby Methodist Church in Condamine Street was officially opened by the Reverend Henry Youngman, the President of the Queensland Methodist Conference. In March 1949 it was announced that a new church would be built with the original church to be moved on the site and be used as a church hall. On 1 October 1949 the foundation stone for the new Dalby Methodist Church was laid by Reverend Henry William Prouse, the President of the Queensland Methodist Conference. Construction commenced in May 1950, but there were delays in obtaining building materials until August 1951. The new church was dedicated on Saturday 8 December 1951 by Reverend Tom Hardy Blackburn. When the Methodist Church amalgamated into the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977, it became the Dalby Uniting Church.
The Dalby War Memorial was unveiled by the Queensland Governor, Matthew Nathan, on 26 July 1922.
The Paragon Cafe was purchased in 1935 by Milton Dimitrios Samios part of the cultural phenomenon of Greek cafes in Queensland. Paragon Cafe employed three men and six women with taking increasing from 90 pounds to 200 pounds within the first year of trading.
The Dalby Olympic Swimming Pool complex was constructed in 1936 and is the earliest identified Olympic standard pool in Queensland constructed outside Brisbane.
Dalby State High School opened on 2 February 1954. Bunya Campus was acquired by Dalby State High School at the start of 2011 and has since provided students who live out of the catchment area the opportunity to attend Dalby State High School and participate in all it has to offer as a boarding student.
St Mary's College was a Catholic secondary school opened on 21 January 1963 by the Christian Brothers. In 2008, it merged with St Columba's School to create Our Lady of the Southern Cross College.
Dalby South State School opened on 29 March 1965.
Dalby Christian School was opened on 1 February 1981 by the Dalby Gospel Chapel.
The Christian Outreach College opened on 28 January 1984. It closed on 18 September 1991.
In 2004, Dalby began treating its water with state-of-the-art reverse osmosis process. The first Reverse Osmosis plant, opened in 2004, was the first in Queensland. The second and larger plant opened in 2011.
In 2006, the opening of Dalby Shoppingworld at the northern end of Cunningham Street has brought new life to the Dalby CBD. The centre includes Woolworths, Big W, Amcal and other specialty shops. As part of nationwide restructuring, Target Country closed its store in January 2021 and was replaced by K Hub, which opened in February.
Dalby Library opened in 2014.
In 2016, Dalby's population was increasing rapidly with many new estates created and subdivisions made. Some notable new estates include Sunnyside Estate, Heritage Gardens, Callistemon Park and a new estate on the Warrego Highway side of Sandalwood Avenue.

Demographics

In the, the locality of Dalby had a population of 12,719 people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 7.0% of the population. 84.0% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were Philippines 1.9%, New Zealand 1.3%, England 1.1% and South Africa 0.8%. 88.7% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Tagalog at 1.0%. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 26.3%, Anglican 19.6% and No Religion 16.9%.
In the, the locality of Dalby had a population of 12,758 people.

Heritage listings

Dalby has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: