Taroom

Taroom is a town in the Shire of Banana a and locality split between the Shire of Banana and the Western Downs Region in Queensland, Australia. At the, Taroom had a population of 873 people.GeographyThe town is located on the Dawson River and the Leichhardt Highway, 380km north west of the state capital, Brisbane, 261km from Rockhampton and 302km from Toowoomba.HistoryPrussian explorer Ludwig Leichhardt passed through the district in 1844, carving his initials and date on a coolibah tree that now stands in the centre of town. Leichhardt's carving is no longer visible following an alleged attempt to remove bark growing over the initials that removed the initials as well. Reporting the rich soils in the area, settlers began taking up land in 1845 and by 1850 a town had been established at a popular camping spot near the Dawson River.Originally named Bonners Knob the town was renamed Taroom, possibly after the nearby Taroom cattle station, on completion of the first post office in 1856. The name Taroom is said to be an aboriginal Waka word tarum meaning wild lime.