Somerset Regional Council

Somerset Regional Council was formed in 2008 by the amalgamation of Esk and Kilcoy Shires. It was named after the Somerset Dam on the Stanley River, itself named after Henry P. Somerset (1852-1936). Born in South Africa, Somerset arrived in Queensland in 1871. In 1888 he acquired 20,000 acres near Mount Stanley, near the headwaters of the Brisbane River. He was a member of the Esk Shire Council and the MLA for Stanley, 1904-20. Somerset Dam's construction began in 1933.