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History

Toowoomba was 'discovered' in June 1827 by English explorer and botanist Allan Cunningham as an area of land suitable for farming and grazing. In 1840, George and Patrick Leslie established the Toolburra Station south-west of Toowoomba and this prompted a number of early settlers to arrive on the Darling Downs and establish a township. The township was originally called 'The Springs' however was renamed Drayton soon after. During the 1840s Drayton grew quickly and by 1850, the centre had a general store, trading post, newspaper and a population of 700.

Development began in Toowoomba on James Street which carried traffic from the Toll Bar to Drayton. Toowoomba and the surrounding area was declared a municipality on 24 November 1860. Town Council elections took place on 4 January 1861 and William Groom was elected.

A railway line linking Ipswich to Toowoomba was completed in 1867, and extended to the south and west later, which pushed the development of the town to the train station north of James Street. Toowoomba was declared a township in 1892, and in October 1904 it was declared a city. Drayton became a suburb of Toowoomba in 1949.

Meaning of Toowoomba

There are a few theories about the origin of the word 'Toowoomba'. The name may have come about from a number of aboriginal words which relate to the original swamp land which Toowoomba was built on. Apparently, the aboriginal word 'tchwampa' means 'the swamp', 'choowoom' was a native melon which grew on the banks, and 'woomba woomba' meaning 'reeds in the swamp'. We don't know the precise origin of the word 'Toowoomba' however it would be safe to say that it was inspired by the swamp land that we live on.

Traditional Owners

In February 2008, the Jagera, Yuggera and Ugarapul people's were acknowledged as the traditional owners of the land to the south east of Toowoomba by the Toowoomba City Council. The parcel of land includes Tabletop Mountain, which was traditionally called One Tree Hill, and stretches east into Ipswich.

According to the information provided on the National Native Title Tribunal website no other native title claims or applications have been made regarding the area of Toowoomba itself.