Upper Flagstone, Queensland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Upper Flagstone Queensland
Upper Flagstone Location in Queensland
Population	191 (2021 census)
• Density	6.409/km2 (16.60/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4344
Area	29.8 km2 (11.5 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
LGA(s)	Lockyer Valley Region
State electorate(s)	Lockyer
Federal Division(s)	Wright
Suburbs around Upper Flagstone: Middle Ridge Silver Ridge Silver Ridge Preston Upper Flagstone Flagstone Creek Preston Rockmount Stockyard

Upper Flagstone is a small country area, also called a locality, in Queensland, Australia. It's part of the Lockyer Valley Region. In 2021, about 191 people lived there.

What is Upper Flagstone Like?

Upper Flagstone is mostly a valley that runs from east to west. A creek called Flagstone Creek flows through it. Most of this valley is still covered in natural plants and trees. You can find the Flagstone Creek Conservation Park in the south-east part of the area. This park helps protect the local environment.

A Bit of History

In 1840, a place called Moreton Bay was changing. It used to be a prison colony but was becoming a free settlement. This settlement later grew into the city of Brisbane. At the same time, people were already settling in an area called the Darling Downs.

Lieutenant Owen Gorman was in charge of the prison colony. He needed to find a way for wagons to travel between Moreton Bay and the Darling Downs. The big problem was the mountains of the Great Dividing Range. There was a path at Cunninghams Gap, but it was too hard for wagons to use.

A convict named John Sterry Baker had escaped from the prison in 1826. He lived with the Goomburra Aboriginal people in the Lockyer Valley area. He learned about a track they used to get to the top of the mountains.

When Baker returned to the prison in 1840, he told Gorman about this track. Gorman and Baker then changed an Irish jaunting car (a type of cart) to see if it could be used as a wagon on the path. On October 17, 1840, Gorman and Baker successfully went up the range with their wagon. They arrived at a place called Eton Vale.

Even though Gorman didn't discover the path, it became known as Gorman's Gap Road. This road went between Upper Flagstone in the west and Flagstone Creek in the east. They marked the path by cutting marks into trees. This road became the very first officially recognized road in Queensland!

Today, Gorman's Gap Road is no longer an official road and is overgrown. However, you can still follow parts of it. There are three special monuments along the route. One is at each end of the path, and another is at a spot called Camel's Hump. This is where Gorman used his compass to find his way.

Schools Near Upper Flagstone

There are no schools directly in Upper Flagstone. Kids living here usually go to schools in nearby areas.

• For primary school, the closest government schools are:
  • Middle Ridge State School in Middle Ridge (to the north-west)
  • Gabbinbar State School in Centenary Heights (also to the north-west)
  • Flagstone Creek State School in Flagstone Creek (to the east)
• For high school, the closest government school is Centenary Heights State High School in Centenary Heights.