City of Toowoomba

This article is about a former local government area. For the urban locality of Toowoomba, see Toowoomba (city).

For the new local government area, see Toowoomba Region.

City of Toowoomba Queensland
City CBD Looking South
Population:	90,466(2006 census)[1]
Established:	1860
Area:	116.5 km² (45.0 sq mi)
Council Seat:	Toowoomba
Region:	Darling Downs, South East Queensland
Website: http://www.toowoomba.qld.gov.au/
LGAs around City of Toowoomba: Rosalie Crows Nest Gatton Jondaryan City of Toowoomba Gatton Jondaryan Cambooya Gatton

The City of Toowoomba was a Local Government Area located in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, encompassing the centre and inner suburbs of the regional city of Toowoomba. The city covered an area of 116.5 square kilometres (45.0 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity in various forms from 1860 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the surrounding area to form the Toowoomba Region.

History

The Toowoomba Municipality was proclaimed on 19 November 1860 under the Municipalities Act 1858,^[2] a piece of New South Wales legislation inherited by Queensland when it became a separate colony in 1859. William Henry Groom, sometimes described as the "father of Toowoomba", was elected its first mayor. It achieved a measure of autonomy in 1878 with the enactment of the Local Government Act. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Toowoomba became a town council on 31 March 1903. On 29 October 1904, Toowoomba was proclaimed a City.^[3]

Toowoomba absorbed parts of the Shire of Middle Ridge and Town of Newtown on 23 February 1917, and on 19 March 1949, following a major reorganisation of local government in South East Queensland,^[4] Toowoomba grew its area to include parts of the Highfields and Drayton Shires.

In 2005 Toowoomba City Councillor Lyle Shelton called for Toowoomba's boundaries to be expanded to encompass the area some refer to as "Greater Toowoomba", reflecting Toowoomba's suburban spread beyond the city boundaries.

In 2006 the Mayor proposed a controversial plan to recycle sewage into Cooby Dam which is used for drinking water. The federal government agreed to provide partial funding subject to a number of conditions including a requirement to hold a referendum on the issue. On 29 July 2006, Toowoomba voted against the recycled sewage project with the 'No' vote winning by 62% to 38%.

On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the City of Toowoomba merged with the Shires of Cambooya, Clifton, Crows Nest, Jondaryan, Millmerran, Pittsworth and Shire of Rosalie to form the Toowoomba Region. The former mayor of the Shire of Jondaryan won the mayoralty of the new entity.

Suburbs

• Centenary Heights
• Cranley
• Darling Heights
• Drayton
• East Toowoomba
• Glenvale (split with Shire of Jondaryan)
• Harlaxton
• Harristown
• Highfields
• Kearneys Spring
• Middle Ridge
• Mount Kynoch
• Mount Lofty
• Newtown
• North Toowoomba
• Prince Henry Heights
• Rangeville
• Redwood
• Rockville
• South Toowoomba
• Toowoomba
• Wilsonton

Population

Year	Population
1954	43,149
1961	50,134
1966	55,799
1971	59,524
1976	66,436
1981	66,698
1986	73,390
1991	81,043
1996	83,633
2001	86,642
2006	90,466

Mayors

• List of Mayors of Toowoomba

References

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Toowoomba (C) (Local Government Area)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=LGA36900&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 2008-03-18. 
2. ^ 22 Vic No. 13 (Imp), assented 27 October 1858
3. ^ Queensland Government Gazette, Vol. LXXXIII, 29 October 1904, p.878.
4. ^ Harris, C.P. (1978). Local government and regionalism in Queensland. Australian National University. p. 27. ISBN 0708113559.