Crows Nest, Queensland

Crows Nest
Queensland

Former Council chambers, now an art gallery
Crows Nest
Coordinates 27°16′S 152°03′E / 27.267°S 152.050°E / -27.267; 152.050Coordinates: 27°16′S 152°03′E / 27.267°S 152.050°E / -27.267; 152.050
Population 1,596 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 4355
Location
LGA(s) Toowoomba Region
County Cavendish
Parish Crows Nest
State electorate(s) Nanango
Federal Division(s) Maranoa

Crows Nest is a town in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The town is located on the New England Highway, 158 kilometres (98 mi) from the state capital, Brisbane and 43 kilometres (27 mi) from the nearby city of Toowoomba. It is within the Toowoomba Region local government area. At the 2011 census, Crows Nest had a population of 1,596.[1]

History

Crows Nest was declared a town in 1876.[2] Crows Nest Post Office opened on 1 July 1878.[3] A branch railway line from Toowoomba, which serviced a number of sawmills and a dairying district, was finished in 1886.[2]

Jim Crow statue Crows Nest Centenary Park

It is claimed by some that the town was named after an Aborigine, Jimmy Crow, who gave directions to early European settlers. He lived in a big hollow tree near the police station, which became known as Crows Nest. It became a popular overnight camp for the bullock teams hauling timber, which in turn attracted farmers and settlers. A 6-foot 6-inch high statue of Jimmy Crow was unveiled in the Centenary Park at Crows Nest on 12 July 1969 by Minister for Labour and Tourism, John Herbert. The statue was sculpted by Fred Gardiner of the Tia Art Gallery. The statue was cut from a single block of Helidon freestone and weighs over one ton. An 18-foot high hollow tree stump was also moved to Centenary Park and a fig tree was planted on top so the roots could be trained around it to form a living hollow tree. It is believed to be the only memorial in Australia to an Aboriginal person after whom a town was named.[4][5]

However, it is also claimed that the name derives from the indigenous name for the area Tookoogandanna, meaning "the home of crows".[6] Some researchers acknowledge there are many possible origins of the name.[5]

Jimmy Crow Statue information

In 1913, the Shire of Crows Nest was formed with the town becoming the administrative centre for the new local government area. The shire expanded in 1949 and was merged into the Toowoomba Region local government area in 2008. In the 1950s and 60s the town's population declined, together with the local industries.[2]

Heritage listings

Crows Nest has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Amenities

Town facilities include a large pavilion for sports activities and other functions, showgrounds and a 25 m heated swimming pool.[8] 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) east of the town is the Crows Nest National Park.

The John French V.C. Memorial Library is open Monday to Saturday; the name commemorating Jack French, a local man who was killed in World War II and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his valour in the face of the enemy. The library is located on the corner of William Street and the New England Highway and is operated by the Toowoomba Regional Council.[9]

Crows Nest Regional Art Gallery is located in the same building as the Crows Nest Library, and is also used to showcase local talent.

Notable residents

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Crows Nest (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) (2000). Heritage Trails of the Great South East. State of Queensland. p. 51. ISBN 0-7345-1008-X.
  3. ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Crows Nest". Travel. Melbourne: The Age. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 30 March 2008.
  5. 1 2 Crow's Nest & District Tourist & Progress Association (1988), From tall timbers : a folk history of Crow's Nest Shire, 1988, Crow's Nest & District Tourist & Progress Association Inc, ISBN 978-0-7316-3402-6
  6. ↑ "NOMENCLATURE OF QUEENSLAND.—102.". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane: National Library of Australia. 27 January 1936. p. 10. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "Crows Nest Post Office (entry 602403)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  8. ↑ "Crows Nest facilities". Toowoomba Regional Council. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  9. ↑ "Crows Nest". Toowoomba Regional Council. Retrieved 24 October 2014.

Further reading

Media related to Crows Nest, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

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