This regional local government is an hour west of Brisbane and is the fastest growing local government area in south east Queensland. It has strong agricultural, environmental, heritage and tourism values and contains important vegetation and forest, areas of high scenic and landscape amenity. Significantly, the key water catchments for southeast Queensland are also located in the Somerset region. The Somerset region has an area of 5382 sq km and includes five major townships, Esk, Fernvale, Kilcoy, Lowood and Toogoolawah. The region is home to approximately 25,000 people and is expected to grow to an estimated 34,500 by 2031.