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Chapter 1: Settlement of the Felton District 1840 - 1911. This chapter is focused on the rise and fall of the squatters. Although many squatters succeeded as woolgrowers their hold on the inner Darling Downs was relatively short-lived. Successive State Governments were determined to see the inner Darling Downs made available to small-scale selectors, who would intensify usage of the land. Among the squatters, James Tyson displayed remarkable resilience, holding Felton Station from 1872 until his death in 1898. At the time of his death, Tyson was Australia's first native born millionaire and the connection between his personal story and Felton Station lends gravitas to the early history of the Darling Downs.Chapter 2: Family Life and Farming After the Breakup of Felton Station. Most of the material in Chapter 2 was contributed by Bob Free who has lived all of his 90 years on Mayfield, a property purchased in 1911 by his grandfather when Felton Station was subdivided. The first generation of Darling Downs selectors were dairy farmers. But by the 1940s mechanical innovations made it possible to move into intensive cropping. Chapter 2 includes numerous photos and provides insights and impacts surrounding the arrival of built roads, home-built and mains electricity, State sponsored education and social life. An explanation of how small-scale farmers across the Darling Downs have adjusted over the past 100 years is explored at the conclusion. Chapter 3: Assessment of the Proposed Coal Mining Project. In early 2008, residents of the Felton district were shocked to learn that a mining company was planning to establish a large-scale coal mine in the valley for the purpose of on-site liquid fuel production. Local farmers and the broader community were outraged by this prospect and immediately formed Friends of Felton as a lobby for channeling opposition. Over the four years it took to defeat the mining proposal, members of the Friends of Felton lobby group prepared and submitted numerous documents, making the case against establishing a very large coal mine in a densely settled food bowl. Chapter 3 reproduces just one the documents submitted to the Queensland Government.… (more)