Forest Hill, Queensland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Forest HillQueensland |
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Forest Hill main street
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 Forest Hill
Location in Queensland
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| Population | 935 (2021 census) | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 35.02/km2 (90.7/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1880 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4342 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 26.7 km2 (10.3 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Lockyer Valley Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Lockyer | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Wright | ||||||||||||||
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Forest Hill is a small country town in the Lockyer Valley Region of Queensland, Australia. It's a quiet place where people enjoy rural life. In 2021, about 935 people lived in Forest Hill.
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Where is Forest Hill?
Forest Hill is located in a beautiful part of Queensland. It is about 83 kilometres (52 miles) west of Brisbane, the state capital. The town is also about 53 kilometres (33 miles) east of Toowoomba, a larger city nearby.
Forest Hill used to have its own railway station. This station was part of the main railway line in Queensland. Today, the station is no longer used for trains.
A Look Back in Time
Forest Hill started as a settlement in the 1880s. A man named AJ Boyd bought a large piece of land here. He named it Forest Hill because he saw a map by Allan Cunningham that mentioned "extensive indifferent forest ground" in the area.
At first, there was just a stopping place for trains called Boyd's Siding. This was to help the nearby farms. Later, it became known as Forest Hill. The railway station was very important for the town. In the 1920s, it was the biggest place in Queensland for loading farm produce onto trains!
However, as more people started using trucks to move goods, the railway station became less busy. It closed in 1992. The old waiting room from the station was moved to Anzac Park in Forest Hill, where you can still see it today.
The first Post Office in Forest Hill opened in 1890. The local school, Forest Hill Provisional School, welcomed its first students in 1893. It became a state school in 1899.
Long ago, Forest Hill was a busy town. It had five hotels, a hospital, a bakery, and a butcher shop. It was a very important centre for farming in the region.
The Forest Hill War Memorial was built to remember the brave people from the area who served in World War I. It was officially opened in 1921 by five mothers whose sons had died in the war.
In 2010 and 2011, there were big floods in Queensland. Many people in Forest Hill had to be safely moved by helicopter to the nearby town of Gatton because of the rising water. The community worked together to stay safe.
People of Forest Hill
In 2016, there were 968 people living in Forest Hill. By 2021, the population was 935 people. It's a small, close-knit community.
Important Places
Forest Hill has some special places that are part of its history. These are called "heritage-listed" sites. They include:
- Forest Hill State School, on Church Street
- Forest Hill War Memorial, on Gordon Street
- Lockyer Hotel, on Victoria Street
- The old Queensland National Bank building, on Victoria Street
- Forest Hill Hotel, on William Street
Learning in Forest Hill
Forest Hill State School is the local primary school for kids from Prep to Year 6. It's a government school for both boys and girls. In 2018, about 137 students attended the school.
For high school, students from Forest Hill usually go to nearby towns. The closest high schools are in Laidley or Gatton.
Things to See and Do
You can visit Anzac Park to see the old waiting room from the Forest Hill railway station. It has been carefully restored and moved there.
Local Services
The Forest Hill Post Office is located on Victoria Street. It's not just a post office; it's also a cafe called Cafe 4342 (named after the town's postcode) and a gift shop!
St Joseph's Catholic Church is on Hunt Street, providing a place of worship for the community.
Forest Hill also has its own Fire and Rescue Station on Williams Street, ready to help keep everyone safe. The State Emergency Service (SES) facilities are also nearby on Railway Street.
Even though it's called Forest Hill Cemetery, it's actually located in the neighbouring area of College View.
