Historic agricultural town on the Lockyer Plain west of Brisbane.
Laidley is a quiet township which has promoted itself the 'Country Garden of Queensland' because the rich, dark soils which surround the town and support mixed farming, vegetable growing for the Brisbane markets, dairying and cotton. The town is known for the unusual Das Neumann Haus (now a tea room and visitor centre); for a statue of a Clydesdale located between Das Neumann and the local council; and for the extensive Laidley Pioneer Village Museum.
Location
Laidley is located 84 km west of Brisbane and 108 m above sea level.
^ TOPOrigin of Name
The explorer, Allan Cunningham, travelled through the district in 1829 (he was the first European into the area) and named Laidley's Plain in honour of New South Wales deputy-commissary-general, James Laidley.
^ TOPThings to See and Do
Das Neumann Haus
The obvious starting point for any exploration of Laidley is the Das Neumann Haus, just off the corner of William and Patrick Streets, which is a unique colonial weatherboard building designed and constructed by local carpenter and furniture maker, Hermann Neumann.
The house was originally a family home but Neumann, who made and sold family furniture, turned it into a showroom. He was more than a carpenter building his own violins, making furniture for the local Saint Saviours Anglican Church, and building impressive grandfather clocks. When the Neumanns lived in the house it was known as a cultural hub in the district because Annie Neumann taught piano and violin and a son, Alfred, had a club - the Keep on Aiming Higher Club - where young men gathered to play instruments and talk about literature. It was gifted to the local council in 1980 and today it is a cafe, with excellent apple strudel, and a museum recalling the life of the Neumann family.
Clydesdale Statue
Next to the Das Neumann Haus on the main street is the Clydesdale Statue, a reminder that there was a time when Clydesdales were essential to the economic prosperity of the district. In May the town hosts the Clydesdale & Heavy Horse Field Day which is a reminder of the importance of heavy horses in the history of Australian agriculture.
Laidley Pioneer Village Museum
Located on the corner of Drayton Street and Pioneer Street, the Laidley Pioneer Village Museum has an extensive collection of old buildings from the local area. They include a fully furnished slab hut as well as a an old gaol, general store, butchers shop, post office, working blacksmiths shop. The pioneer village is located on the old road to Toowoomba. It was established in 1972 and, as such, is the first historic village in a state where that form of museum is popular. It is interesting that after 1865 Laidley was the first stopping place for passengers from Grandchester who were heading further west to Toowoomba and beyond. Prior to that it was the overnight camp for the teamsters who had spent the day travelling from Grandchester.
The Pioneer Village Museum is open seven days from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm. It is located to the south of the town on an old paddock which used to be a resting paddock for the Cobb & Co horses. Tel: (07) 5465 2516 for details.
History
* Prior to European settlement the Lockyer Valley around Laidley was home to the Jagara, Kitabul and Birren Aboriginal people.
* The explorer Allan Cunningham travelling through the area in 1829 and named the area after the New South Wales deputy-commissary-general, James Laidley. He wrote of the area: ""The soil appeared of a rich description partaking of a loam, with a decomposition of the Traprocks of the surrounding hills. This fine timbered land, which I have named Laidley's Plain (as a compliment to our present Deputy Commissary-General), would therefore produce very heavy crops of maize and other grain and is naturally clothed with an abundance of excellent pasture."
* In the 1840s the district was settled by J. P. Robinson who called his property of 140,000 acres, Laidley Plains Station.
* In 1860 the first house in the district was built.
* In 1861 Hermann Neumann arrived in Australia from East Prussia.
* The railway line arrived in the district in 1866.
* By 1879 it had been officially proclaimed although it wasn't until 1902 that the Laidley borough was officially announced.
* In 1893 Hermann Neumann moved to Laidley from Ipswich.
* In 1980 the Neumann family gifted Das Neumann Haus to the local community.
^ TOPVisitor Information
Das Neumann House, cnr Patrick and William Street, tel: (07) 5465 3241. It is open seven days from 10.00 am - 3.00 pm.
^ TOPUseful Websites
There is a useful local website. Check out http://luvyalockyer.com.au/pages/welcome/.
^ TOP
Tell us more about the history of the indigenous people of the area please?
It is notoriously difficult to get genuine and accurate information about Aboriginal people in rural areas. I wrote a book, Blood on the Wattle, about the massacres and maltreatment since 1788 and I constantly came up against walls of silence. There may be some local histories written. I would try the Laidley Pioneer Village. Often local historical societies have a person who is an expert. Best of luck.
Did Laidley have a racecourse and, if so, where was it situated? Thank you.
Can anyone help with this query?
Yes. The racecourse was on the site of what is now the recreational reserve.
Does anyone have information on Windamere House?
Does the museum hold any records of Clydesdale teamsters passing through the area? I am interested in any information of Edward Moran who was an early teamster in the late 1840s onwards.
Word-of-mouth information from past generations suggests that Frank Moran’s paddock (as per the Gatton Murders) was, or was near, where Edward Moran kept fresh heavy horse teams.
Thank you
I wonder about the original Aboriginal People.
I see a query there from 2017, Can you update on that?
If you are interested in the Aboriginal History in the area this is a good starting point:https://www.academia.edu/33862745/REPORT_INDIGENOUS_USE_AND_INDIGENOUS_HISTORY_OF_ROSEWOOD_SCRUB
Hi am researching a family by the name of Arthur and Mary Comino and family who used to have a cafe out there…I am trying to track down pictures of the Cafe and or family during their time there …according to my understanding they held euchre tournaments and cycling club and football meetings in the Cafe…Mary and the girls made pies etc in the 1920s-1930s to help fund a building in Redcliffe …any town photos or history from this period of time would be amazing ….hopeful deb
Can anyone help please with some information on life in the area in the early-mid 1970s. My local library and the State library have been somewhat helpful but I’d be keen to know what farming activity was predominant in the area then, the size of farms, also anything about daily life, what bank/s service the town. Anything at all will be of interest. Many thanks
I’m also interested in the history of the Windermere property which I believe was originally occupied by the Dunn family. I’m wondering why it is not listed as one of the buildings of heritage significance in the Laidley area.