Laidley
Postcode: 4341
Laidley is a town (pop. 3,500) and the administrative centre of the Laidley Shire Council Local Government Area situated in the Lockyer Valley of South East Queensland, Australia. The township lies 83 km west of Brisbane, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of 694 km² with a population of approximately 13,500.
The local industry is dominated by agriculture. Laidley has long regarded itself as “Queensland’s Country Garden”. Fruit and vegetable production features prominently, with the majority of beetroot grown in Australia coming from the Laidley district.
Laidley is one of the fastest growing rural shires in Australia. Being only an hour’s drive from Brisbane, Laidley is becoming home to an increasing number of commuters. The character of the Shire is changing from predominantly rural to a more closely settled rural residential environment.
Long before white settlement, the area around Laidley was occupied by the Kitabul tribe of Aborigines. The Kitabul were one of six tribes known as the Birren people who had a share in the area west of the Darling Downs.
The area today known as Laidley Shire, was first explored by Allen Cunningham in 1829. He named it Laidley’s Plain after the Deputy Commissary General of the colony of New South Wales. In his 1829 report to Governor Darling, Cunningham wrote – “This fine patch of timbered land, which I have named Laidley’s Plain would produce very heavy crops of maize and other grain, and is naturally clothed with abundance of excellent pasture.”
Today, Laidley Shire continues to experience strong growth and is changing from predominantly rural to a more closely settled rural residential environment.