Lockyer Valley, Queensland

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The Lockyer Valley is area of rich farmlands that lies to the west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and east of Toowoomba. The Lockyer Valley is rated among the top ten most fertile farming areas in the world. The intensively cultivated area grows the most diverse range of commercial fruit and vegetables of any area in Australia and is often referred to as "South East Queensland’s Salad Bowl".

The valley is enclosed on either side by the Great Dividing Range and covers Gatton Shire and Laidley Shire as well as some parts of the Shire of Esk. The largest town in the Lockyer Valley is Gatton. Other centres include Laidley, Forest Hill, Grantham, Helidon and Withcott.

The valley is experiencing increasing urbanisation at both its eastern and western extremities. As commuters move into the area, its towns are becoming dormitory suburbs and satellite towns of the Brisbane-Ipswich conurbation in the east and Toowoomba in the west. Urban planning measures have been implemented to preserve the good quality agricultural land and rural feel of the valley. Such measures largely confine future development to non-arable land on the slopes of the hills.

Lockyer Creek drains the valley and forms a tributary of the Brisbane River that eventually empties into Moreton Bay. Some farmers have instigated the use of laser meaurements to ensure irrigation systems are optimally configured and yields are high. The valley has a number of small dams that serve local storage needs.

Early settlers arrived in the area during the 1870s while a small timber industry grew at about the same time.