Crows Nest, Queensland

Crows Nest is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] The town is located in the Darling Downs 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. In the 2016 census, Crows Nest had a population of 2160 people.[1]

Crows Nest
Queensland
Former Council chambers, now an art gallery
Crows Nest
Coordinates27.2658°S 152.0580°E / -27.2658; 152.0580
Population2,160 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density22.48/km2 (58.21/sq mi)
Established1876
Postcode(s)4355
Area96.1 km2 (37.1 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
  • 43 km (27 mi) N of Toowoomba
  • 158 km (98 mi) W of Brisbane
LGA(s)Toowoomba Region
CountyCavendish
ParishCrows Nest
State electorate(s)Condamine
Federal Division(s)Maranoa
Localities around Crows Nest:
Mountain Camp Pierces Creek
Anduramba		 The Bluff
Pinelands Crows Nest Cressbrook Creek
Plainby
Whichello		 Pechey
Grapetree		 Ravensbourne

History

Jarowair (also known as Yarowair, Yarow-wair, Barrunggam, Yarrowair, Yarowwair and Yarrow-weir) is one of the languages of the Toowoomba region. The Jarowair language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Toowoomba Regional Council, particularly Toowoomba north to Crows Nest and west to Oakey. Giabal is the Southern neighbour in Toowoomba City.[4]

Crows Nest, established on Dalla tribal lands, was declared a town in 1876.[5] Crows Nest Post Office opened on 1 July 1878.[6] A branch railway line from Toowoomba, which serviced a number of sawmills and a dairying district, was finished in 1886.[5]

Jimmy Crow statue, Crows Nest Centenary Park

It is claimed by some that the town was named after an Aboriginal man, 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.[7][8]

However, it is also claimed that the name derives from the indigenous name for the area Tookoogandanna, meaning "the home of crows".[9] Some researchers acknowledge there are many possible origins of the name.[8]

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.[5]

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.[11] 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.[12][13] The current library facility opened in 1996 with a major refurbishment in 2014.[14]

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

The Crows Nest branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at 7 Thallon Street.[15]

Notable residents

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Crows Nest (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  2. "Crows Nest - town in Toowoomba Region (entry 8878)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  3. "Crows Nest - locality in Toowoomba Region (entry 47922)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  4. "Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map". State Library of Queensland. 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  5. Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) (2000). Heritage Trails of the Great South East. State of Queensland. p. 51. ISBN 0-7345-1008-X.
  6. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  7. "Crows Nest". Travel. Melbourne: The Age. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 30 March 2008.
  8. 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
  9. "NOMENCLATURE OF QUEENSLAND.—102". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane: National Library of Australia. 27 January 1936. p. 10. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  10. "Crows Nest Post Office (entry 602403)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  11. "Crows Nest facilities". Toowoomba Regional Council. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  12. "Crows Nest". Toowoomba Regional Council. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  13. "Crows Nest John French V.C. Memorial Library". Public Libraries Connect. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  14. "Queensland Public Library Statistical Bulletin" (PDF). Public Libraries Connect. November 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  15. "Branch Locations". Queensland Country Women's Association. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.

Further reading

Media related to Crows Nest, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

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