Charlton is the land of possibility

LOCATED about 13 kilometres from the Toowoomba CBD, Charlton has traditionally been a farming district, focusing predominantly on dairy farming.

The 2016 Census recorded just 120 residents in the area, with a median age of 43 years, which makes Charlton a small and close-knit community.

The data showed 43 private homes in the area, each housing just under three people, on average, and raking in a median household income of $1375 per week.

In recent years, the dairy farms have mostly been converted to grazing and cropping holdings, and the area has seen significant development in infrastructure, particularly relating to the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing.

The interchange at Charlton provides a link between western Queensland and east coast.

Although Charlton has little to offer by way of shopping precincts, it does have a couple of small shops and service stations, stocked with the basic necessities.

The Wilsonton Shopping Centre on Bridge Street is less than 15 minutes away, and has everything from a police station to a Woolworths, Coles, BWS, post office, hairdresser, and various take-out options.

Charlton offers residents a rural lifestyle in a prime location, on the fringes of town, with enough space to create a farming enterprise.

Residents of Charlton have easy access to interesting sporting hobbies, like clay target shooting and archery, as well as motor racing.

In 1975, after racing at the Toowoomba Showgrounds for almost a decade, the Downs Speedway Club purchased land in and relocated to Charlton.

Over the years since then, the Club has hosted over 30 Queensland Championships and over 13 Australian Championships for Sprintcars, Modified Productions, Super Sedans, Speedcars, Compacts, Solos, and Litre Sprintcars, at the Hi-Tec Oils Speedway just off the Warrego Highway.

With the official opening of a $750,000 QFES training facility in Charlton, the region’s firefighters will be better prepared to respond to all emergencies.

The facility is part of a major $11 million funding injection into the region, which will see further development over the next couple of decades.

Toowoomba is a major regional centre in south-east Queensland and the Toowoomba Regional Council plans to develop the area into a sporting hub, intended to service local and regional sporting needs and to attract major sporting and cultural events.