The Slab Hut, Laidley Pioneer Village

Laidley
Quiet rural-commuter township to the west of Brisbane.
Laidley lies 83 km west of Brisbane and 108 m above sea level. It is a sleepy little township calling itself the 'Country Garden of Queensland' because the rich soils surrounding the town support mixed farming, vegetable growing for the Brisbane markets, dairying and cotton. In recent times it has been by-passed a few kilometres to the north by the Warrego Highway from Brisbane to Toowoomba.

The first European to explore the Laidley area was Allan Cunningham who, travelling through the area in 1829, named it after the New South Wales deputy-commissary-general James Laidley.

The area was settled in the 1840s by J. P. Robinson who called his property Laidley Plains Station. By 1879 it had been officially proclaimed although it wasn't until 1902 that the Laidley borough was officially announced.

The town wanders through the countryside and is notable for a statue of a Clydesdale in the main street (symbol of the contribution made to the town by the animal), the Das Neumann house and an interesting pioneer village museum.

Things to see:  

Clydesdale Statue
The Clydesdale Statue gives notice that once a year the Laidley Heavy Horse Field Day Association holds a Show and Field Day. Animals come considerable distances to compete in the show.

Das Neumann Haus
The Das Neumann Haus, easily located just off the main street on the corner of William and Patrick Streets, is one of those fascinating idiosyncratic buildings which can make an ordinary town seen quite special. It was built by Herman Neumann, a local carpenter and cabinet maker, and for many years was used as the family residence as well as a furniture showroom. It was handed over to the local council in 1983.

Laidley Historical Society Museum
Laidley has an excellent pioneer village with a superbly preserved slab hut as well as a an old gaol, general store, butchers shop and a number of other interesting buildings.

The pioneer village is located where the old road through to Toowoomba used to go. It is fascinating, looking at the town which has now been by-passed by the Brisbane to Toowoomba road, to think that after 1865 it was the first stopping place for passengers who had caught the train from Ipswich to Grandchester and who were heading further west to Toowoomba, the Darling Downs and beyond.

The Laidley Historical Society Museum is open Sundays 2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. or by appointment and is located to the south of the town on an old paddock which used to be a resting paddock for the Cobb & Co horses.

	Tourist Information
	Laidley Shire Council Tourism Information Centre Cnr Patrick & William Sts Laidley QLD 4341 Telephone: (07) 5465 3241
	Hotels
	Exchange Hotel 134 Patrick St Laidley QLD 4341 Telephone: (07) 5465 1107 Facsimile: (07) 545 2143
	Hotel Laidley 104 Patrick St Laidley QLD 4341 Telephone: (07) 5465 1103
	Queensland National Hotel Patrick St Laidley QLD 4341 Telephone: (07) 5465 1512
	Railway Hotel 154 Patrick St Laidley QLD 4341 Telephone: (07) 54 65 1106
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Denbigh Farm Bed & Breakfast Farmstay Mulgowie Rd Thornton Laidley QLD 4341 Telephone: (07) 5466 7190 Rating: ***
	Twelve Oaks Bed & Breakfast 39 Donaldson Rd Plainland Laidley QLD 4341 Telephone: (07) 5465 6332 or (07) 5465 3241 Rating: ***
	Caravan Parks
	Laidley Caravan Park Campbell St Laidley QLD 4341 Telephone: (07) 5465 3506 Rating: **