Cecil Plains on the Darling Downs

Cecil Plains is a farming town on the Darling Downs, Queensland, with a population of about 410 people.

European settlement began in 1842, when Henry Stuart Russell claimed land around the Condamine River to establish Cecil Plains station. The site of the station homestead was to become the site of the town. Ludwig Leichhardt used the homestead as a base for two expeditions into the surrounding region in 1844 and 1847. The station originally grazed cattle but later moved to wool production.

The town takes its name from the pastoral station, which in turn was named after Russell’s mother Cecil Charlotte Russell.

Empty House in Cecil Plains

Cecil Plains Railway Station

Cecil Plains is a farming town

In 1877, 8,300 acres of land was resumed from the Cecil Plains pastoral run to establish smaller farms.

A School opened in 1898. It closed briefly in 1910 and 1912 and then again in 1917 to 1919. It became Cecil Plains State School in 1922.

In 1916, Cecil Plains station was acquired by the Queensland government and subdivided for closer settlement, with some parcels reserved for soldier settlers. The railway arrived in 1919, a post office opened 1921 to replace the old receiving station and a Police Station Opened in 1934. The first Pub did not open until 1934 due to the continued opposition of many locals.

The main crop in the district these days is cotton.