LAURA Laura is the next town encounted when heading to Gladstone. A nice heritage town this is. The wide avenue main street gives Laura character and the number of heritage buildings makes the stroll or stopover quite interesting. CJ Dennis, the famous Australian poet spent his early days at Laura and was a boyhood home of poet C.J. Dennis, whose first poem was published in the Laura Standard newspaper.The statue is quite an imposing and visual recognition. Laura is also famous as the home of Golden North Ice-cream which has been manufactured in the town since 1923 (the factory being the biggest employer in the District), Laura is administered by the Northern Areas Council, and is in the state electoral district of Stuart and the federal Division of Grey. The Laura Community Development and Tourism Association Incorporated liaises with the Northern Areas Council in preserving the amenity of the rural centre, with the support of many volunteers in community projects. The Laura Churches are all century plus classic church buildings, but spread all over the town. The Catholic is out of town. The Laura Hotel is at the northern approach to the township. The Laura War Memorial is located at the southern fringe. There is no museum but many old heritage buildings. A stopover at Laura would not disappoint. Heritage diary