Welcome to the Southern Downs Region. With clean, crisp country air, a low crime rate and a wide range of community facilities, our communities of Warwick and Stanthorpe, and the delightful villages throughout the region, offer a terrific lifestyle. We are renowned for producing some of Australia’s best agricultural produce, but also offer an ideal environment in which to live or develop business and industry opportunities. A great range of civic and commercial services are delivered against a backdrop of genuine country town friendliness and charm. Our residents value space, open air and a safe peaceful lifestyle, but nevertheless have adopted the best of modern living. Strategically-located in the high growth region of Southern Queensland, the area offers an appealing mix of country and city living within two hours’ drive of the state capital, Brisbane. The district’s economy has grown from a strong historical reliance on primary industries to a balanced 21st Century economy which is centred on the major regional service town of Warwick, while Stanthorpe’s spectacular landscapes and cool invigorating climate ensure that it too stands out as an invitingly unique area of Queensland. The current population of the region is 32,600 with 12,500 people living in the city of Warwick, 5,500 in the town of Stanthorpe, and 14,600 in surrounding villages. The statistical projections predict a population growth of around 2 per cent. The Southern Downs is noted for its mild summers and chilly winters with elevations ranging from 450 metres to 900 metres being the dominant control of temperatures for both seasons. The Murray Darling river system has its beginning here with mountain spring fed streams becoming the Condamine River and also the Severn River, which is the headwaters of the Border Rivers system.
