Leyburn, Queensland
| Leyburn Queensland | |
|---|---|
  Leyburn | |
| Coordinates | 28°01′S 151°34′E / 28.017°S 151.567°ECoordinates: 28°01′S 151°34′E / 28.017°S 151.567°E |
| Population | 348 (2006)[1] |
| Postcode(s) | 4365 |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | Southern Downs Region |
| Federal Division(s) | Maranoa |
Leyburn (pronounced Leeburn) is a town in the Southern Downs region of Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Leyburn and the surrounding area had a population of 348.[1]
History
Leyburn was named in the 1840s by William Gray, Snr., who came to the area by bullock dray from Pitt Town on the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales.[2] The first name for the locality was Canal Creek; the name was changed to Leyburn by Henry and Jane Kirby, Gray's son-in-law and daughter, and derives from the market town of Leyburn in the English county of Yorkshire.[2] The site for the town was surveyed in November 1852. Henry Kirby and another man named Collins applied in 1854 for the licence of the Travellers' Home Inn at Leyburn.[2]
The post office at Leyburn opened on 1 January 1861.[3]
An airfield with a 7,000 foot runway was constructed by April 1943 for the use of the United States Army Air Force.[4] The airfield was eventually used by 21 Squadron, 23 Squadron and 99 Squadron.[4] and was eventually abandoned by the RAAF in December 1945.[4] The abandoned airfield became the site of the 1949 Australian Grand Prix, the first time the Australian Grand Prix was held in Queensland.
In 1996 the Leyburn Sprints was established.[5] Celebrating the 1949 Grand Prix, historic racing cars and cars of special interest compete in numerous classes to compete in a short 1.0 kilometre course through the town. The event has become the town's biggest attraction.[6]
Heritage listings
Leyburn has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Leyburn (Warwick Shire) (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 From series of articles published under the title Queensland place names and obelisks by Sydney May (formerly Honorary Secretary of the Queensland Place Names Committee) in Local Government, June 1957 - November 1964
- ↑ Porter, Harry S. (1954) Queensland Numeral Cancellations, p. 13. Melbourne: The Hawthorn Press
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Dunn, Peter. "LEYBURN AIRFIELD, LEYBURN, QLD, AUSTRALIA ALSO KNOWN AS STRATHANE INITIALLY DURING WW2". www.ozatwar.com. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ "St Augustines Anglican Church, Leyburn (entry 15603)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
- ↑ "Leyburn State School (entry 15602)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
External links
Media related to Leyburn, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons
- SMH Travel - Retrieved 20 March 2008
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