Caboolture Wikipedia Entry

Caboolture, Queensland

Caboolture (27°04′S 152°58′E) is the administrative centre of the Caboolture Shire LGA in South East Queensland, Australia. Caboolture is located approximately 45 km north of the state capital Brisbane. Caboolture has a rich, yet quiet history. Due to its proximity to Brisbane, Caboolture was one of the first areas of the state opened up to European settlement. It hosts the Urban Country Music Festival each year, a ute muster and country music festival headlined by Lee Kernaghan.

Indigenous population
The Caboolture area is the traditional home of the Kabi Aboriginal people. The name "Kabultur" is derived from Kabi words meaning "Place of the Carpet Snake". The Kabi people harvested bush food, fresh water mussels, oysters, fish and some game animals, moving around the land to take best advantage of seasonally available produce.
Each year in March, the Kabi people would hold Bunya Festivals to feast on the plentiful and nutritious annual nuts of the Bunya Pine. These huge trees provided a food source which could sustain large numbers of people. Neighbouring clans were invited to the festivals, where singing, dancing story-telling, trading and arranging of marriages took place.

Agricultural development
Timber was the principal industry of the area until the 1860s. The valuable red cedar, now very rare in the Shire, provided a good income for the timber getters. The massive logs were rafted down the Caboolture River to Deception Bay, from where they were taken by steamer to Brisbane. Settlers also made good use of the valuable timber, using it wherever possible for houses, barns and even fence posts.
The first crown land sold in the area was auctioned in 1864 for one pound Sterling an acre. Soon, the area had a thriving agricultural industry. The first major crop was sugar cane, and soon wheat, maize and Indian corn were being grown on the river flats. Vegetables were grown for local consumption. After an early unsuccessful foray with a wool industry, damp-susceptible sheep were abandoned in favour of more hardy cattle.

Mining
Settlement in Caboolture was accelerated with the discovery of gold at Gympie. In 1868, the town was used as a stop-over point by the Cobb and Co coach service connecting Brisbane, Gympie and Maryborough. This function continued with the rail link established in 1888.

Local government
Local government came to the area on November 11, 1879 with the establishment of the Caboolture Divisional Board. In addition to present-day Caboolture, the Board was responsible for the areas now controlled by Redcliffe, Caloundra, Pine Rivers, Kilcoy and Maroochy Councils.
In 1902, under the Local Authorities Act, the body's name was changed to Caboolture Shire Council and achieved statutory recognition. The current Mayor of Caboolture Shire is Cr Joy Leishman who was elected at the last election in 2004.

Today, as many of Queensland's smaller towns decline, Caboolture is experiencing rapid growth. While agriculture retains its importance, the Shire is becoming increasingly urbanised. Several thousand new residents move to the Shire every year, taking advantage of an abundance of affordable real estate and a relaxed lifestyle.

(Well said!)