Murphy's Creek, Queensland

Spring Bluff is a beautiful historic Railway Station. It is possible to get there via Toowoomba from the New England Highway or via the Warrego Highway through Murphy's Creek. The tip is why not to try the full circuit, as the road trek through lush bushland, following the path of the creek. After all, the climb to Spring Bluff from the Murphy's Creek Road is only about 600 metres. However, be careful as it is quite steep after the road crosses Kirsot Bridge.

Along the way it is worth stopping at the historic tiny town of Murphy's Creek. Today Murphy’s Creek is little more than a general store, coffee shop, and a historic cottage called Jeffery's Cottage. By the cottage, there are picnic tables that make the idea of picnicking in this quiet rural setting easy.

Although it is hard to imagine, around 100 years ago Murphy's Creek was a thriving business centre with tannery and bookmaker, blacksmith, bacon factory, wool scour, brickyards, pit sawmill, stone quarries, two stores, a butcher, two hotels and a bakery, a police station, court house and three churches. There were over a hundred children in the school. First called Fingal, the settlement grew when the railway line pushed up the range to Toowoomba.

The nearby creek gave its name to the town just as Peter Murphy had given his name to the creek when he built his station nearby in 1841.