ZOOS SANCTUARIES AQUARIUMS AND WILDLIFE PARKS CLIFTON

Queensland's first known WWI memorial doesn't stand in a public park or at a street intersection, it's in a small Darling Downs' cemetery. And unlike the others, it is in memory of one man. Residents from the farming district of Nobby wanted to honour 20-year-old stockman Private Victor Denton who enlisted with the 2nd Light Horse Regiment just weeks after Australia announced it was at war in 1914. He died of battle wounds in June 1915 on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey and was buried there. This memorial stands as a sign of the spontaneous highly visible grief that gripped the community and the nation. The memorial is located within the Denton family plot, alongside the grave of Victor's parents, in Nobby Cemetery. Toowoomba monumental masons Bruce Brothers created the concrete and stone memorial, the broken column symbolising a life cut short. It was unveiled November 1915 during a recruitment march from Warwick to Brisbane, by a group labelled the 'Dungarees'. The march's participants drew large crowds in every town.

Visit the memorial of Sister Elizabeth Kenny, Clifton's local hero! Sister Kenny lived in Nobby and received world recognition for her revolutionary treatment of polio victims in the early to mid twentieth century. This memorial chronicles her life and gives an account of the battles she had with the medical establishment of the day. She is buried in the peaceful Nobby cemetery, overlooking the wide, rolling hills, and is also commemorated by a local memorial park.

The Clifton Historical Museum is a worthy tribute to the district's pioneering past. Housed in the old butter factory, you can take a step back in time and visit a 1930s dining room, a pioneer bedroom, an early hospital ward, kitchen and children's room. The Heritage room allows access to original records of local businesses and schools. Read the memoirs of long-time residents, browse through the photographic collection, or look for your forebears on the database. An extensive range of early agricultural tools and machinery will evoke memories of yesteryear. Old movie memorabilia, communication, history, musical pieces; there's something for everyone, discover it for yourself.

Nobby is an historic little nook in Southern Queensland Country, just half an hour's drive south of Toowoomba. Learning about one-time famous residents like author Steele Rudd and Sister Elizabeth Kenny who pioneered the treatment of polio, make visiting Nobby a unexpected pleasure. Steele Rudd (real name Hoey Davis), the author of Dad and Dave, is remembered by the old-timers of the town and also by those who may recall the golden days of radio, where the Rudd stories ran for many years. Rudd's Pub in Tooth Street is dedicated to Steele Rudd and there are still plenty of local characters to yarn to around the bar today. Plan your visit for lunchtime. The food here is great with juicy steaks as big as the plate! The pub walls are adorned with extensive displays of historic memorabilia and photographs of the area's pioneering past. Then there's Sister Elizabeth Kenny, the 'saint' who worked with polio treatments prior and the development of a vaccine. Near the hotel, there's a memorial dedicated to this lady. That's just a part of the history, with much more told simply by taking a stroll along the town's main street which is dotted with shopfronts from another era. Take a picnic to the local park which also offers barbecue facilities....

You'll learn some fascinating history on a visit to the memorial of Sister Elizabeth Kenny (born 20 September 1880, died 30 November 1952). Sister Kenny had a significant world-wide impact on the treatment of polio (Infantile Paralysis), one of the world`s most devastating diseases. Sister Kenny lived in Nobby and received world recognition for her revolutionary treatment of polio victims in the early to mid twentieth century. She challenged the then current medical practice of immobilising muscles affected by polio and proved that exercising them aided in patient recovery. This memorial chronicles her life and gives an account of the battles she had with the male-dominated medical establishment of the day. She is buried in the peaceful Nobby cemetery which overlooks the wide, rolling hills, and her life is also commemorated by a local memorial park. ...

If you think of a quintessential country town streetscape you’ve got Clifton in mind. Dating back to 1875, this classic little town halfway between Toowoomba and Warwick has been used in a number of Australian movies including The Thornbirds. To truly experience the town, the Clifton Heritage Walking Trail is a must. The self guided tour commences from the railway station and finishes at the cemetery, incorporating 43 sites. Immerse yourself in the area’s pioneering past at the Clifton and District Historical Museum in the old Butter Factory Building. You’ll see a 1930s dining room, a pioneer bedroom, an early hospital ward, kitchen and children’s room. A short drive north of Clifton is Nobby and the well-known Rudd’s Pub. The pub is dedicated to author Steele Rudd, who found inspiration among his drinking partners for the stories in On Our Selection and is a great place to stop for a meal with the pub walls adorned with an extensive display of historic memorabilia and photographs of the area’s pioneering past. A short stroll from the pub is a memorial to Sister Kenny, a tenacious one-time resident of Nobby known for her revolutionary treatment of polio. Just out of town at Pilton, Darling Downs Zoo is home to animals from all over including white lions, meerkats and giraffes!...