Allora, Queensland

Allora Queensland
Main street
Allora Location in Queensland
Coordinates	28°02′S 151°59′E / 28.033°S 151.983°ECoordinates: 28°02′S 151°59′E / 28.033°S 151.983°E
Population	889 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s)	4362
Location	158 km (98 mi) SW of Brisbane 59 km (37 mi) S of Toowoomba 25 km (16 mi) N of Warwick
LGA(s)	Southern Downs Region
State electorate(s)	Southern Downs
Federal Division(s)	Maranoa

Allora is a town and locality in south-eastern Queensland, Australia, on the Darling Downs 158 kilometres (98 mi) south-west of the state capital, Brisbane. The town is in the Southern Downs Region.^[2][3] The township is located on the New England Highway between Warwick and Toowoomba. At the 2011 census, Allora had a population of 889.^[1]

History

Glengallan House, near Allora, circa 1875

The region surrounding this small farming community was first explored by Europeans in the 1840s; the town was surveyed in 1859. Its name is believed to derive from an Aboriginal word "gnarrallah", meaning waterhole or swampy place.^[2]

Following European settlement, the history of the area is entwined with two famous pastoral homesteads in the vicinity of Allora: Glengallan and Talgai . Both properties ran sheep.

The original "Talgai" run was taken up by E. E. Dalrymple in 1840. The creek that runs through Allora is named in his honour. Built in 1868 for the Clark family, Talgai Homestead stood on 300,000 acres (1,200 km²). The homestead is built of sandstone and covers sixty squares. It is now a bed and breakfast.

Allora Post Office opened on 31 March 1863.^[4]

The Allora State School opened on 1 May 1867. On 31 December 2008, it was renamed Allora P-10 State School.^[5]

From the 1870s, red cedar, pine and beech logged from the Goomburra valley were milled at Allora.

From 1869, Allora had its own local government (initially Borough of Allora, from 1903 Town of Allora). In 1915, it was merged with the surrounding Shire of Clifton to create the Shire of Allora, which was administered from the Shire's offices at 78 Herbert Street in Allora. In 1994, the Shire of Allora was amalgamated into the Shire of Warwick.

Methodist Church, 1932

The Methodist Church opened in 1896.

The Allora Boer War Memorial was unveiled on 19 October 1904 by Colonel Henry Chauvel.^[6]

Allora Great War memorial, 2010

The Allora Shire Soldiers Memorial was unveiled on 11 November 1921 by General J.C. Robertson and the mothers of those who died.^[7]

Talgai skull

In 1886 the first fossil evidence of early human occupation in the area, the Talgai skull, was found on Talgai Homestead, embedded in the wall of Dalrymple Creek. Radiocarbon dating suggests the Talgai skull is between 9,000 and 11,000 years old.^[8] It is believed to be the skull of a boy of approximately 15 years of age who had been killed by a massive blow to the side of the head.^[9]

Heritage listings and local attractions

Local attractions include the Goomburra Forest Reserve, part of which was World Heritage listed in 1994 by UNESCO.

The Talgai skull is located in the Shellshear Museum, Department of Anatomy, Sydney University. A replica is found in the Allora Museum.

The old bank building in Herbert Street building is known locally as the "Mary Poppins house", after resident P. L. Travers' most famous work.^[10]

Allora has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Allora-Clifton Road: Allora Cemetery^[11]
• 1 Church Street: St Davids Anglican Church^[12]
• Dalrymple Creek Road: Talgai Homestead^[13]
• Warwick Street: Boer War Memorial^[14]

Notable residents

• P. L. Travers, author of Mary Poppins
• Wayne Bennett, Premiership winning rugby league coach in the NRL
• Matthew Denny, IAAF Athletics 2013 World Youth Championships gold medalist Discus Throw

Gallery

• 

  Museum

• 

  Church bell tower memorial to L/Cpl. John McDowell, AIF.^[1]

• 

  Allora main street shops

1. ^ "John McDowell – Discovering Anzacs". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved October 10, 2014.

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Allora (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
2. "Allora (entry 416)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
3. "Allora (entry 47644)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
4. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
5. "A". Opening and closing dates of Queensland schools. Queensland Government. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
6. "Boer War Memorial". Monument Australia. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
7. "Allora Shire Soldiers Memorial". Monument Australia. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
8. Allen, Jim. "The Curious History of the Talgai Skull". Bulletin of the History of Archaeology. Ubiquity Press. ISSN 2047-6930. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
9. "Talgai Skull". austhrutime.com. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
10. "University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Allora". Queensland Places. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
11. "Allora Cemetery (entry 602153)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
12. "St Davids Anglican Church (entry 602061)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
13. "Talgai Homestead (entry 600006)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
14. "Boer War Memorial and Park (entry 600005)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 13 July 2013.

External links

• Town & travel information from the Sydney Morning Herald
• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Allora