The Criterion Hotel in Palmerin Street

Warwick
The major commercial centre in the Darling Downs.
Located 162 km southwest of Brisbane and 480 m above sea level, Warwick is a thriving and attractive town which can claim to be the first important settlement in inland Queensland.

In 1840, after the lands of the Darling Downs had been opened up. Although the Darling Downs were discovered and explored by Europeans as early as the 1820s (Allan Cunningham passed through the area in 1823) it wasn't until the 1840s that the New South Wales Government (Queensland did not become a separate colony until 1859) relented and allowed squatters and pastoralists to move onto the rich and fertile plains.

In 1842 Governor Gipps declared that 'all settlers and other free persons shall be at liberty to proceed to the Darling Downs in like manner as to any other part of the Colony.'

The Warwick area was first settled by the Leslie brothers (Patrick and George) who established the Canning Downs run in 1840 and built a home in 1846. Inevitably the station became an important centre for the region with a blacksmith, a store and accommodation and eating facilities.

In 1847 the New South Wales government gave Patrick Leslie permission to select a site for a town on his Canning Downs station. It was to be known as Canningtown, the local Aborigines knew the area as Gooragooby, but the name Warwick was chosen. The town was duly surveyed in 1849 and land was first sold in 1850. This was to be the site of modern day Warwick and it grew to become a municipality in 1861 and to become a city (the second largest on the Darling Downs) in 1936.

The development of the town was rapid. A store was established in 1848 before the town was even surveyed and by 1862 a state school had been completed. Cobb & Co started running a coach to the township in 1865 and by 1871 the railway from Ipswich had reached the town.

The arrival of the railway resulted in a boom in local industry. For a short time Warwick was the end of the line and this led to the establishment of a brewery (1873), a cooperative flour mill (1874), and a brick works (1874).

The town's heritage buildings are impressive. The tasteful use of sandstone and the extensive construction which was undertaken as the town grew in the 1880s and 1890s has left a large number of buildings which are noted for their graciousness and splendour.

Fame came to the town in 1917 when The Little Digger 'Billy' Hughes visited the town to press his case for conscription. The townsfolk, as the majority of Australia, were against conscription and one person demonstrated their opposition by hurling a well aimed egg at the Prime Minister. Hughes demanded that the egg thrower be arrested by the local policeman protested that as no Queensland law had been broken he could not arrest the offender. It is claimed that this incident and the intractibility of the policeman led directly to the establishment of the Commonwealth Police Force. In this same year the elegant Criterion Hotel (its latticework and bar are particularly distinctive) on Palmerin Street was built.

Today the city is somewhat more sedate. In recent times it has promoted itself as the 'Rose and Rodeo City' because of the fame of the Warwick Rodeo which is held each October. Warwick is the headquarters of the Australian Rough Riders Association and it proudly boasts that George Leslie held the first rodeo on Canning Downs back in the 1860s. This is a somewhat dubious claim as feats of horsemanship were common throughout the country and to suggest that Canning Downs was in someways unique is to ignore the contests which were common throughout the colony. October is also the month when the city has its Rose Festival.

Things to see:  

The Post Office
The Post Office (1891) in Palmerin Street is a huge two storey building with Saracenic arches on the first floor, a large cupola and Tuscan columns on the ground floor. It was built from locally quarried sandstone.

The Town Hall
The Town Hall (1888) in Palmerin Street was also constructed from local sandstone. It can lay claim to being one of the oldest local authority buildings in Queensland and is distinguished by a large and elegant clock tower. When it was completed the local newspaper, the Warwick Argus, wrote 'The comely edifice has been completed and a monument to the shrewdness and foresight of those aldermen who saw further that the 'morrow now stands where once a humpy reared its unpretentious head.'

Over the years the building has played host to a variety of unusual and interesting entertainments. In 1900 the Mayor stood on the balcony and called for cheers for Colonel Baden Powell to celebrate the news of the relief of Mafeking. In 1908 a Biograph company showed simple movies in the hall. Peter Dawson performed in the hall in 1914 and in 1952 Sister Kenny was the celebrated guest at the Anzac Day celebrations.

Other Prominent Buildings
Other buildings of importance in Palmerin Street include St Marys Church (1864) a sandstone Gothic Revival building distinguished by its lancet windows and large rose window on the eastern side and the Criterion Hotel (1917) which retains much of its early charm.

Nearby in Fitzroy Street are the old Court House (1885), the Police Station (1890) and the Warwick East State School (1862) which is one of the oldest schools in the state and one of the few school buildings in Australia which dates back to the 1860s.

Among the city's other impressive and interesting buildings are St Marks Church in Albion Street which was completed in 1868 although the belfry is more recent and 'Pringle Cottage' (1869) at 81 Dragon Street which was built by John McCulloch, a Scottish builder, in the style of Scottish cottages of the time. It was a school for many years and has recently become part of the Warwick and District Historical Society Museum. The Pringle Cottage complex also includes an old General Store and a shepherd's hut. The museum has an interesting collection of memorabilia from the local area.

Also of interest are the National Hotel (1890) in Grafton Street. Of particular note is the superb verandah with its cast iron columns and balustrades. The Masonic Hall (1886) in Guy Street is a remarkably ostentatious hall with a Classic facade and Doric columns.

The famous John Robert Howe, better known as Jackie Howe, was born on Canning Downs on 26 July 1861. Howe went on to become the country's most famous shearer and is remembered by a statue in the main street of Blackall.

Jackie Howe Memorial
In 1983 Warwick remembered this famous son by establishing a Jackie Howe Memorial at the Jackie Howe Rest Area on the corner of Glengallan Road and the Cunningham Highway. It is notable for the large shears at the top.

The plaque on the memorial recalls: 'He learned the art of blade shearing in the woolsheds of this district before moving to Central Queensland in the 1800s.

'At Alice Downs, Blackall, on 10 October 1892 he shore a total of 321 sheep in a standard working day of eight hours and thereby established a record that was never equalled by blade shearers.

'By adopting a sleeveless shirt which facilitated the action of the blade shearer he gave his name to its modern counterpart: the Jackie Howe singlet.

	Tourist Information
	Warwick Tourist Information Centre 49 Albion St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 3122 Facsimile: (07) 4661 1957
	Motels
	Buckaroo Motor Inn 86 Wood St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 3755 Rating: ***
	Centre Point Motor Inn 32 Albion St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 3488 Rating: ***
	City View Motel Cunningham Hwy Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 5000 Rating: ***
	Coachman's Inn Warwick 91 Wood St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4660 2100 Facsimile: (07) 4661 1625 Email: reservations@coachmans.com.au Rating: ****
	Jackie Howe Motel Palmerin St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 2111 Rating: **
	McNevins Gunyah Motel New England Hwy Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 5588 Rating: ****
	Restaurants
	Rupert's Bar & Grill (Coachman's Inn) 91 Wood St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4660 2100 Facsimile: (07) 4661 1625
	Motels
	Village Motor Inn 57 Victoria St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1699 Rating: ***
	Warwick Motor Inn 17 Albion St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1533 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	Club Hotel 55 Palmerin St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1056
	Criterion Hotel Palmerin St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1042
	Darling Downs Hotel Allan Siding Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 3413
	Grand Hotel Grafton St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1148
	Horse & Jockey Hotel/Motel Palmerin St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 2722 Rating: **
	Langham Hotel Palmerin St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1911
	Mayfair Hotel/Motel Palmerin St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 2244
	National Hotel Grafton St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1146
	Palace Hotel 163 Palmerin St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1022
	Parkview Hotel 38 Palmerin St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1372
	Sovereign Hotel Guy St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1348
	Stockyard Hotel Percy St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1051
	Universal Hotel 56 Grafton St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1770
	Warwick Hotel 20 Palmerin St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1184
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Talgai Homestead Guesthouse 6 km west of Allora, via Warwick QLD 4362 Telephone: (07) 4666 3444 Email: enquiries@talgaihomestead.com Rating: ****
	Caravan Parks
	Oasis Caravan Park New England Hwy Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 2874 Rating: **
	Rose City Caravan Park New England Hwy Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1662 Rating: *
	Warwick Caravan Park Palmer Ave Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 3632 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	DJ¹s Family Restaurant 45 Wood St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 3777
	Horse & Jockey Hotel Motel Restaurant Palmerin St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 2722
	Jackie Howe Motel Palmerin St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 2111
	Jennie¹s Kitchen 125 Palmerin St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 5238
	McNevins Gunyah Motel Restaurant New England Hwy Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 5588
	Peppercorn Restaurant Wentworth St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 3888
	The Dome Deli Albion St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 3706
	Village Motor Inn Restaurant 57 Victoria St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1699
	Warwick Motor Inn Restaurant 17 Albion St Warwick QLD 4370 Telephone: (07) 4661 1533