Brookstead

History

The name Brookstead is derived from brook indicating creek/watercourse, and stede (Dutch) or stadt (German) indicating place, together meaning a creek-side camping place. Following ongoing problems with the school grounds being waterlogged after heavy rains, in 1951 the school building was relocated to its present site with an adjacent teacher's residence built in 1958. In 1964, the school was enlarged and modernised. The foundation stone ceremony for St Matthew's Anglican Church was held on Sunday 26 August 1923 with Archdeacon Osborne officiating. The church was opened and dedicated by the Venerable Alfred Davies on 30 March 1924. Its closure circa 2014 was approved by Bishop Cameron Venables.

Geography

The town is located in the south-west of the locality. The North Branch of the Condamine River forms the western boundary of the locality. The land is flat freehold farmland (approx 400 metres above sea level) and is used to grow crops, such as sorgum, corn and wheat. St Ronans is a neighbourhood in the west of the locality (). The Gore Highway traverses the locality from the south-east to the south-west slightly bypassing the town. At the bypass is the junction with the Brookstead Norworth Road which exits the locality through the north-west. The Millmerran railway line also traverses from the south-east to the south-west through the locality, passing through the town, which is serviced by the Brookstead railway station ().

Most-observed species

• koala

  Phascolarctos cinereus (Goldfuss, 1817) · Mammalia
  260
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  245
• Torresian Crow

  Corvus orru Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  230
• Crested Pigeon

  Ocyphaps lophotes (Temminck, 1822) · Aves
  227
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  218
• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  212
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  200
• Noisy Miner

  Manorina melanocephala (Latham, 1801) · Aves
  199