SURAT Surat is a small little heard 0f town near midway between St George and Roma in the central plains of south east Qld. Surat is a very pretty town and friendly community. Surat, though small services a vast area that is rich in wheat and some cotton. The district was first mapped by Surveyor-General Sir Thomas Mitchell in 1846. By the end of the 1849s pastoralists had penetrated the area, and in 1849 Mitchell directed a surveyor, Burrowes, to select a township site on the Balonne River. Burrowes did so and named it after the diamond-polishing city of Surat, after his former place of residence in present day Gujarat Province then known as the Bombay Province, India. Surat has a quite impressive Cobb and Co Museum that all travellers should take some time to visit. Surat has some interesting old buildings that have to the credit of the town have survived. The Surat Hotel is a replacement of an earlier and classic incarnation. The current pub is a tavern. The Surat War Memorial is located near the Balonne River. This quite an impressive acknowledgement. Surat is serviced with all of the main congregational churches. The Anglican being the most impressive. Before leaving Surat be sure to check out the School children’s Aboriginal Gardens. Lots of imagination at work.