Pittsworth and Cecil Plains Excursion

Situated on basalt upland section of the Darling Downs, Pittsworth owes its existence to that great explorer and botanist Allan Cunningham who in early June 1827 discovered and named the area around Warwick and to the north, the Darling Downs. It was not until 1840 that the Leslie Brothers arrived on the Darling Downs with stock for pastoral settlement and on the second arrival camped on the banks of the Condamine River close to which is now Leslie Crossing.

And onwards 54km west to Cecil Plains, now the home of one of the largest cotton gins in the southern hemisphere. 

European settlement in the area 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. The station originally grazed cattle but later moved to wool production.

In 1916, Cecil Plains station was acquired by the Queensland government and subdivided for closer settlement, with some parcels reserved for soldier settlers. The new settlers produced mainly wheat and dairy. The local pub is called the Victory Hotel, as a result of a successful vote in 1938 to establish a drinking establishment in the town. From the 1960s cotton became the main crop grown in the area.