Southbrook

Southbrook, a rural town on the Darling Downs, is on the Gore Highway 10 km north-east of Pittsworth. Toowoomba is 25 km to the north-east.

The area was under a pastoral run until closer-settlement schemes in the 1880s brought much of the land under dairying and cropping.

Situated on the Toowoomba to Pittsworth railway line (1887), Southbrook was within easy reach of provincial and metropolitan markets for its farm produce. Settlement was relatively dense, supplying two cheese factories according to the post office directory (1902). There were also a store and the Southbrook Hotel. Southbrook primary school was opened in 1910.

The town and district populations were recorded at around 110 and 350 during and after World War II, indicating the density of local farm holdings. The 1949 post office directory recorded two garages and a branch of the Queensland National Bank, and two cheese factories continued to operate. The Southbrook Co-op had begun cheese-making in 1908 and continued until the 1970s. There were also Anglican, Presbyterian and Catholic churches.

In 1975 several small schools closed and Southbrook became the district's central school. In another 30 years Southbrook emerged as a potential dormitory town for Toowoomba and Pittsworth, aided by the prospect of reticulated town water. The basic infrastructure of hotel, general store and hall awaited the new residents.

Southbrook's census populations have been: