Laidley, Queensland

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Laidley is a town (pop. 3,500) and the administrative centre of the Laidley Shire Council Local Government Area situated in the Lockyer Valley of South East Queensland, Australia. The township lies 83 km west of Brisbane, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of 694 km² with a population of approximately 13,500.

The local industry is dominated by agriculture. Laidley has long regarded itself as "Queensland's Country Garden". Fruit and vegetable production features prominently, with the majority of beetroot grown in Australia coming from the Laidley district.

Laidley is one of the fastest growing rural shires in Australia. Being only an hour's drive from Brisbane, Laidley is becoming home to an increasing number of commuters. The character of the Shire is changing from predominantly rural to a more closely settled rural residential environment.

Allan Cunningham first explored the area in 1829. Cunningham named it Laidley's Plain after the Deputy Commissary General of the colony of New South Wales.