Purga

Derived from the Aboriginal word ‘Purpur’ meaning ‘a meeting place’ or ‘bora’ ground.

One of the early roads to the Darling Downs passed through this area. The road started in Ipswich, then went over the One Mile river crossing, past Rockton Road (now called Mt Flinders Road) where the Beehive Inn catered for travellers, then on through Peak Crossing, past Balbi’s Inn near present-day Lake Moogerah and up Spicer’s Peak Road.

In 1848, William Wilson took up Mt Flinders Run of 40,000 acres and grazed sheep and later cattle. He grew an experimental sample of cotton in 1847 which Rev John Dunmore Lang submitted to mills in England.

The Purga Creek State School, located at 68 Purga School Road, was opened on 1st September 1871 and was renamed Purga State School c.1945.  It was closed in 1967. 

Deebing Creek Provisional School was opened on 21st January 1895.  In 1924 it was renamed Purga Aboriginal State School, as it was within the Purga Mission site.  It closed c.1948.

Fassifern Valley residents petitioned the Queensland Government to construct a railway line to the district, with the first section of the Dugandan railway opening on 10th July 1882.  The first section reached Harrisville, this was extended in 1887 when the line reached Dugandan, on the 12th of that month.  The branch line, considered to be the first branch line in Queensland, closed in 1964.  Purga was serviced by three stations: Loamside, Hampstead, and Purga railway stations.  

Deebing Creek Mission was established in 1892 and was later relocated a short distance to Purga.