History and Heritage

If you are fascinated by South East Queensland's rich pioneering and pastoral heritage, the Southern Downs is a treasure trove.

Highlights include Glengallan Homestead, now restored, the impressive sandstone building, midway between Allora and Warwick, examples the early pastoral history of the Darling Downs.

From Glengallan, head to Warwick to visit Pringle Cottage, a private school at the turn of the 19th century, run by Mrs Pringle and her daughter. Today it houses the town’s historical museum.

Abbey of the Roses, a former convent, is also worthy of a stop.  Warwick also contains a collection of the State's most magnificent sandstone buildings.

Clifton was the home to many well-known identities, including Steele Rudd who wrote three of his Dad 'n' Dave stories while in Nobby. Nobby's Sister Kenny, who pioneered ground-breaking polio treatments, is recognised in the Sister Kenny Memorial. The Clifton Historical Museum also contains an excellent collection.

The Stanthorpe Heritage Museum accommodates buildings and items offering a nostalgic glance back at Stanthorpe's pioneering heyday. Follow the Stanthorpe to Texas Trail and you'll come across the Rabbit Freezer Works, built to take advantage of the demand from England for rabbits, it was the economic mainstay during the depression. Hints of the past are the tobacco-drying sheds and the old Silverspur mine.

Today Inglewood is fast becoming known for its olive industry and primary produce, transforming what was once a tobacco and timber town.

For more on the region's History and Heritage, get a copy of the Southern Downs & Granite Belt Heritage and Historic Building Trails guide from the Warwick or Stanthorpe Information Centre.