Our Town Called Laidley- Laidley History

A camp on the road west

Laidley began as a stopping place. The site of the Pioneer Village was the teamsters’ first overnight camp after crossing the Little Liverpool Range from Bigge’s Camp in Grandchester, where the flat sandstone bottom of Narda Lagoon provided a safe crossing for horses and drays. Laidley was a vital waypoint for travellers and settlers moving between Ipswich and Drayton (Toowoomba), providing supplies and a place for weary pioneers to rest and resupply. Laidley became an official Post Office in the 1840s, which helped cement its role as a key settlement along this important route.

Local government

Laidley’s governance history dates back to its time under the Divisional Board of Tarampa. In 1888 a portion of Laidley was separated from Tarampa, leading to the creation of a new division. When the divisional system was abolished in 1902, the modern system of cities, towns and shires was introduced, shaping the region’s administration for years to come. The Laidley Shire Council chamber, used for local government administration from 1909 to 1956, now stands at the Village as the Original Laidley Shire Council Building.

In 1934 the Duke of Gloucester officially opened the Laidley Show during his Royal Tour. The Royal Plaque Coat of Arms mounted on the front of his train is displayed in the Village office.

Early Laidley and the Railway

Early Laidley Settlement was originally built near the Laidley Pioneer Village. With the arrival of the railway in 1866, 2.4 kilometres to the north, businesses and residents gradually moved to what is now the town of Laidley.

Farming districts

At the turn of the 20th century dairying emerged as one of Queensland’s most vital industries, playing an integral role in the development of Laidley and its surrounding districts. Blenheim was once the major dairying district of the Laidley Shire, and the Village’s dairy buildings pay tribute to the farmers of Blenheim and the wider shire. To the south, timber-getters hauled hoop pine and cedar from Mt Mistake to a sawmill near Townson — the work of the Village’s 1928 LINN logging truck.

Murals around the Village

Several murals at the Village tell local stories. An Aboriginal art mural by KJN Artworks, created to commemorate the Australia Day celebrations of 2023, depicts Narda Lagoon. Resident artist Barb Ryan painted most of the murals around the grounds, including one on the tractor shed showing Irene Lee on the veranda of the Village’s slab hut, where she was born. A mural painted by Jen Mostert in 2014 depicts soldiers of the Australian Light Horse tending their horses after the Gallipoli landing of 1915.

The Post Office Store recalls Laidley’s role as a waypoint between Ipswich and Toowoomba.