Harlaxton, Queensland

Harlaxton Toowoomba, Queensland
View eastwards from Gilmour Court, 2014
Coordinates	27°31′52″S 151°57′18″E / 27.531°S 151.955°ECoordinates: 27°31′52″S 151°57′18″E / 27.531°S 151.955°E
Population	2,689 (2011 census)[1]
• Density	549/km^2 (1,421/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4350
Area	4.9 km^2 (1.9 sq mi)
Location	4 km (2 mi) N of Toowoomba
LGA(s)	Toowoomba Region
State electorate(s)	Toowoomba North
Federal Division(s)	Groom
Suburbs around Harlaxton: Cranley Mount Kynoch Ballard Rockville Harlaxton Mount Lofty Newtown North Toowoomba Mount Lofty

Harlaxton is a suburb of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, located 4 kilometres (2 mi) north of the city centre.^[2] At the 2011 Australian Census the suburb recorded a population of 2,689.^[1]

The name originates from Harlaxton House, probably named for Harlaxton in Lincolnshire, England, and built in 1869 in what is now Munro Street as the residence of Francis Thomas Gregory. Gregory was an explorer in Western Australia, before moving to Queensland in 1862, serving as Commissioner of Crown Lands and an appointed Member of the Legislative Council from 1874 until his death in 1888. The home was later used as the summer residence for Lord Lamington who served as Governor of Queensland from 1896 until 1901. A railway station was built for his use at the site.^[3][4] The house is in a deteriorating condition, partly due to blasts from the neighbouring quarries.^[5]

Heritage listings

Harlaxton has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• 6 Munro Street: Harlaxton House^[4]

Education

Harlaxton is home to Downlands College, a Catholic co-educational boarding school established in 1931, and Harlaxton State School, opened in 1901.

Features and facilities

Harlaxton has a history as an industrial centre. Apart from the quarries, the suburb is home to the Willowburn railway marshalling yard and the original Darling Downs Bacon Company established as a co-operative in 1911 (later KR Castlemaine).

Harlaxton is also home to the Toowoomba Cricket Club and the Toowoomba Bears rugby union club, as well as the Willowburn Sports Club (soccer).

Demographics

Harlaxton is the most socio-economically disadvantaged suburb in Toowoomba; at the 2006 census, residents had a median individual income of $366, compared with $448 for the Toowoomba statistical district, and a median family income of $881 compared to $1,116.^[6] The suburb had a SEIFA score of 903, placing it below all other suburbs in the district.^[7]

Politics

In the 2004 federal election and again in the 2010 election, the booth at Harlaxton North was the only booth in the Division of Groom to record a Labor two-party preferred majority.^[8]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Harlaxton (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
2. "Harlaxton (entry 47964)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
3. "Harlaxton (railway station) (entry 15397)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
4. "Harlaxton House (entry 600839)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
5. Burley, Lacey (18 September 2008). "Complaints alert EPA to state of Harlaxton House". Toowoomba Chronicle. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
6. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Toowoomba (QLD) (Statistical District)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
7. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 March 2009). "2033.0.55.001 – Census of Population and Housing: Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia – Data only, 2006". Retrieved 5 June 2011.
8. Australian Electoral Commission (9 September 2010). "Qld Division – Groom – Two Candidate Preferred by Polling Place (2010)". Retrieved 5 June 2011.
   * Australian Electoral Commission (9 November 2005). "Qld Division – Groom – Two Candidate Preferred by Polling Place (2004)". Retrieved 5 June 2011.

External links

• Queensland Places: Harlaxton