Cabarlah

History

In the 1860s to 1883 the area was called Five-Mile Camp. The name Cabarlah was used after Crows Nest railway line (from Toowoomba to Crows Nest) was built. It is thought that the name Cabarlah derived from an Aboriginal expression describing the ring-tailed possum. However, a 1930 newspaper article claims it is a "Native name of the mountains in the neighbourhood". The Queensland Government set aside land for the Geham Cemetery (now the Cabarlah Cemetery) on 11 September 1878. Trustees were appointed on 2 January 1880 with the first burials occurring in 1881. Highfields No 2 State School opened on 27 March 1871. In 1875 it was renamed Geham State School in 1875. Borneo Barracks was originally established as a World War I training area. Cabarlah Post Office opened on 1 July 1927 (a receiving office had been open from 1884). Since the Second World War, Cabarlah has also had a significant role as a base for the Australian Army. It was home to elements of the 7th Brigade early in the war. Later in the war it became a hub for signals and other training. Cabarlah is now home to the 7th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare) and other Australian Defence Force signals facilities. St Martin's Anglican Church was opened at the Cabarlah Barracks in 1959 but closed circa 1961. The Cabarlah Community School opened in Wirraglen Road, Highfields, on 23 January 2006.

Geography

Cabarlah is approximately north of the Toowoomba city centre and has an area of approximately . It is situated on the Great Dividing Range with views to the east of the Lockyer Valley through to Brisbane and to the west across the Darling Downs. Traditionally the area has been used for farming however in recent years the expansion of the Toowoomba Regional Council has led to acreage and other residential development. Geengee is a neighbourhood in the west of the locality (). It is based around the former Geengee railway station which operated from 1886 to 1961 on the now-closed Crows Nest railway line. The name Geengee is an Aboriginal word meaning green vegetation along a creek.

Most-observed species

• Lewin's Honeyeater

  Meliphaga lewinii (Swainson, 1837) · Aves
  2,856
• Noisy Miner

  Manorina melanocephala (Latham, 1801) · Aves
  2,700
• Torresian Crow

  Corvus orru Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  2,662
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  2,530
• Pied Currawong

  Strepera graculina (Shaw, 1790) · Aves
  2,377
• Eastern Whipbird

  Psophodes olivaceus (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  2,370
• Gray Fantail

  Rhipidura albiscapa Gould, 1840 · Aves
  2,169
• Rainbow Lorikeet

  Trichoglossus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1771) · Aves
  2,136