The History Of Gowrie Creek Catchment

The History of Gowrie Creek Catchment The name Gowrie Creek is derived from the Gowrie station, the property through which the creek flowed. The first township in the area was Drayton, it had been occupied since 1842. Settlement in what is now Toowoomba did not begin until 1850. Originally East and West Creeks had been swamps and due to the fertile soil and shallow aquifers Robert Bagot laid out a series of two acre suburban lots. As a result of the influx of humans and livestock the once pristine catchment quickly became a “noxious, evil smelling morass” (European History). In the early 1960’s the swamp at Margaret St had grown to over 160 metres wide and all thoughts of bridging it were abandoned, indeed only one crossing existed at James St, which led to it becoming the main street in the town. Development to Ruthven St only occurred as a result of the railway line which was built in 1867 (http://www.toowoomba.qld.gov.au). Industry first appeared in Toowoomba along Black Gully shortly after the first settlement of the area. However, sewerage and litter was pumped directly in to the creek quickly leading to unbelievable pollution. Toowoomba’s first water reservoir was sourced from West Creek near Stephen St. This supply was augmented by spring water at Kearney’s Spring and a, still operational, well on South St. Incredibly, Toowoomba continued to rely solely on these resources until the construction of Cooby Creek Dam in 1940 (European History). East Creek was also very popular as a swimming creek. At least three public paths were created at different times along the creek. The last of these swimming baths was built on what is now Vera Lacaze Park; it was used from 1894 till the 1960’s when it was finally replaced by Milne Bay Pool.