Dalby is a large and prosperous rural service centre located in an area of fertile volcanic soil. It is surrounded by fields of wheat, cotton, mung beans, sunflowers, sorghum, millet and barley. Although the area is known as Queensland’s wheat centre – it has the state’s largest grain receival centre – it also produces stud cattle, sheep, pigs and angora goats. The region’s thriving cotton industry spreads from Dalby, south to Goondiwindi and west across to St George. Add to this its importance as a centre for natural gas, coal and power generation and it is easy to understand that it is one of the state’s most important regional industrial, agricultural and manufacturing centres. Dalby has pleasant picnic spots beside the river, an attractive park in the centre of town, wide country town streets (particularly Cunningham Street, the main thoroughfare) and plenty of attractions for visitors. Dalby is located on the Myall Creek 208 kilometres west of Brisbane via Toowoomba and is known as the Hub of the Darling Downs.