Dalby, Queensland

Dalby Queensland
Main street of Dalby
Dalby
Coordinates	27°11′S 151°16′E / 27.183°S 151.267°E / -27.183; 151.267Coordinates: 27°11′S 151°16′E / 27.183°S 151.267°E / -27.183; 151.267
Population	12,299 (2011 census)
Postcode(s)	4405
Elevation	343.8 m (1,128 ft)
Location	208 km (129 mi) from Brisbane 86 km (53 mi) from Toowoomba
LGA(s)	Western Downs Region
State electorate(s)	Condamine
Federal Division(s)	Maranoa
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 26.3 °C 79 °F 11.9 °C 53 °F 682.5 mm 26.9 in

Dalby /ˈdɒlbi/ is a town in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, and is approximately 208 kilometres (129 mi) north northwest of the state capital, Brisbane, at the junction of the Warrego, Moonie and Bunya Highways. Dalby is the administrative centre of the Western Downs Region and the centre of Australia's richest grain and cotton growing area. At the 2011 census, Dalby had a population of 12,299.

The name of the town is believed to come from the village of Dalby on the Isle of Man and reflects immigration from the Isle of Man in the mid-19th century. The name was apparently chosen by Captain Samuel Perry when he surveyed the settlement in 1853.

Dalby was linked by rail to Ipswich on 20 April 1868.

Dalby was founded in the early 1840s at a place known locally as "The Crossing" on Myall Creek, a tributary of the Condamine River. The first settler was Henry Dennis, who explored the region and chose land for himself and others in the locality. Today an obelisk in Edward Street denotes the location where Dennis camped. A small settlement was founded to assist travellers heading north to nearby Jimbour Station. The explorer Ludwig Leichhardt visited the area in 1844, on his way to Port Essington.

In February 1853, the New South Wales government sent the Deputy Surveyor General Captain Samuel Perry to the area to survey a township. In August of the following year, Mr Charles Douglas Eastaughffe arrived with a document under the Seal of the NSW Government officially proclaiming 'Dalby' a township. Mr Eastaughffe was later appointed Chief Constable and remained in Dalby until his retirement. Myall Creek Post Office also opened in 1854 in Roche's store, with Mr Simpson as the first postmaster. It was renamed Dalby in 1855.