Lands administrative divisions of Queensland facts for kids
Imagine Queensland is like a giant puzzle! To keep track of all the land, people created special areas called lands administrative divisions. These divisions help the government manage who owns what land and where it is.
Queensland has 322 main areas called counties, and inside those, there are 5,319 smaller areas called parishes. Think of counties as big neighborhoods and parishes as smaller blocks within those neighborhoods. These divisions are part of a bigger system used across Australia.
A long time ago, in the 1800s, Queensland only had 109 counties. But in 1897, a new law changed things, and many of these counties were split into smaller ones, making 319. The counties we use today were officially named and given their borders on March 7, 1901.
In 2006, the government thought about stopping the use of counties and parishes. By November 30, 2015, they no longer used them for new land records. However, the Museum of Lands, Mapping and Surveying still keeps records of them. This helps us understand how land was organized in the past.
How Queensland Was Divided
Queensland's land was first divided into large "districts" in the mid-1800s. These districts are still important today and form the biggest parts of Queensland's land system.
Here are some of the main land districts:
- Burke (named after famous explorers Burke and Wills)
- Cook
- Darling Downs
- Leichhardt
- Maranoa
- Mitchell
- Moreton
- North Gregory
- North Kennedy
- Port Curtis
- South Gregory
- South Kennedy
- Warrego
- Wide Bay/Burnett
Counties Then and Now
Before 1901, Queensland had 109 counties. These were the original big land areas. After 1901, many of these original counties were divided into smaller ones, creating the 322 counties we have now.
Even though many new counties were added, the original counties still exist. They are usually found around the biggest towns in their areas, but they are much smaller than they used to be.
For example, the old county of Beaconsfield was centered around Cloncurry. Today, Cloncurry is still in Beaconsfield, but the county is much smaller. New counties like Argylla, Sellwyn, and Alison now surround it.
A Look at Some Counties by District
Queensland's many counties are grouped within its larger districts. Here are a few examples to show you how they are organized, along with some of the major towns you might know:
Moreton, Darling Downs and Wide Bay/Burnett Districts
| County | District | Major towns |
|---|---|---|
| Aubigny | Darling Downs | Toowoomba, Dalby |
| Canning | Moreton | Caboolture, Sunshine Coast |
| Churchill | Moreton | Gatton |
| Cook | Wide Bay/Burnett | Bundaberg |
| March | Wide Bay/Burnett | Gympie, Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Noosa |
| Stanley | Moreton | Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, Redcliffe |
| Ward | Moreton | Gold Coast |
Burke District
The Burke District has many counties, including:
- Albion
- Allison
- Argylla
- Beaconsfield (which includes Cloncurry)
- Norman (which includes Normanton)
- Rochedale (which includes Mount Isa)
- Selwyn
- Wellesley (which covers the Wellesley Islands)
Cook District
The Cook District is home to counties like:
- Banks (including Cooktown)
- Gilbert (including Georgetown)
- Nares (including Cairns)
- Torres (which covers the Torres Strait Islands)
- Weipa
Leichhardt District
Counties in the Leichhardt District include:
- Aberdeen
- Bauhinia
- Cairns
- Clermont
- Dawson
Maranoa District
The Maranoa District has counties such as:
- Belmore
- Waldegrave (including Roma)
Mitchell District
In the Mitchell District, you'll find counties like:
- Barcoo
- Mitchell
- Portland (including Longreach)
- Rodney (including Barcaldine and Aramac)
North Gregory District
The North Gregory District includes counties such as:
- Amaroo
- Ayrshire (including Winton)
- Georgina
- Wills
North Kennedy District
Counties in the North Kennedy District are:
- Cardwell (including Hinchinbrook Island)
- Davenport (including Charters Towers)
- Elphinstone (including Townsville)
- Herbert (including Bowen and the Whitsunday Islands)
Port Curtis District
The Port Curtis District has counties like:
- Clinton (including Gladstone)
- Livingstone (including Rockhampton)
South Gregory District
In the South Gregory District, you'll find counties such as:
- Abbotsford
- Cooper
- Rosebery (including Birdsville)
South Kennedy District
The South Kennedy District includes counties like:
- Albany
- Carlisle (including Mackay)
Warrego District
The Warrego District has counties such as:
- Orrery (including Charleville)
- Wellington (including Cunnamulla)
