First Nations
Prior to the arrival of British settlers, the Kambuwal First Nations people lived in a vast area of 9,600 square kilometres, from Bonshaw, Inglewood, Millmerran, Leyburn, east of Stanthorpe, the western slopes of the Great Dividing ranges, and Tenterfield.
The Kambuwal people were surrounded by other peoples including the Jukambul, Ngarabal, Kwiambal, Bigambul, Giabel, Keinjen, and Kitabal. Crossing the borders of tribal lands, without permission, could lead to punishment.
The Wallangarra-Girraween area was an important meeting place. Family groups came together for marriages, trade, gift exchange and ceremonial gatherings. The woodlands and waterholes of the Severn River offered a plentiful food supply.
Some estimates put the number of Kambuwal people at around 1,500 at the time of the British led invasion. These numbers rapidly declined, as occurred in other tribes as well. In the 1850s for instance, at the Golden Fleece Tavern, which was located where the township of Stanthorpe is now, there were reports of regular encampments of about 300 Kambuwal people on Quart Pot Creek. By the time of tin discovery and the formation of Stanthorpe in 1872, this was no longer the case.
To read more about the first interactions between the First Nations people and the British, click here. It’s a fascinating read.
Colonial History
As indicated in the previous link, the first non-indigenous person to explore the area was Allan Cunningham who passed through the area in 1827. The Stanthorpe district was first settled in the 1850s. Grapes were first grown in the area in the 1860s, promoted by Father Jerome Davadi, a local priest of Italian descent.
The discovery of tin on the Quart Pot Creek in 1871 brought an influx of miners. Leases were taken out in 1872. A settlement at Stanthorpe started in 1872 with a postal service and telegraph office opened that year. A local school was built in 1874. However, by 1876 the price of tin had collapsed.
The railway arrived in the town in 1881, and the Post Office was opened in 1901.
After World War I soldier settlements were established to the north of the town. In 1920 the branch or spur railway line was completed from Cottonvale to Amiens to enable the Soldier Settlers to send their fruit to the Brisbane markets.
During World War II Italian POWs were sent to the area to work on the farms.
By the 1990s the town had a 15% non-Australian born population of which 65% were of Italian descent. By 2000 there were nearly 40 wineries in the district.
Today, Stanthorpe is an attractive rural service centre set in the middle of a rich, mixed farming area where rural activities range from vineyards, wineries and orchards to sheep and cattle grazing. Stanthorpe is unusually cool for Queensland. In winter the night time temperatures in the town often fall below zero – the average minimum temperature for July is 0.3°C. On 23 June, 1961 the temperature reached a record low for Queensland – at minus 10.6°C. Today the district is known for its cold climate apples, grapes and stone fruit as well as sheep and cattle grazing.
By 2011 there were over 5,000 people living in the town.