Miles is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Miles had a population of 1,746 people. Geography The town is on the Warrego Highway, west of Brisbane, the state capital, 211 kilometres (131 mi) west of Toowoomba, 127 kilometres (79 mi) west of Dalby and 48 kilometres (29 mi) west of Chinchilla. It is situated east of Roma, 221 kilometres (137 mi) east of Mitchell, 306 kilometres (190 mi) east of Morven and east of Charleville. History Formerly known as Dogwood Crossing, the town is situated on Dogwood Creek, named by German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt in 1844. The town was renamed Miles in honour of the Queensland Colonial Secretary, William Miles. Miles Post Office opened on 3 January 1878. Miles Provisional School opened on 31 May 1880, becoming Miles State School on 18 January 1886. Holy Cross School opened in 1926. It closed on 15 December 1989. The Miles War Memorial and Wall of Remembrance was erected by the former Murilla Shire Council and dedicated on 25 April 1967. Miles State High School opened on 30 January 1979. Miles Library facility opened in 2002. it houses a high-speed ISDN Internet Connection (powered through the National Broadband Network) with Brisbane through the State Library of Queensland In the , Miles had a population of 1,170. In the , the locality of Miles had a population of 1,746 people. Economy The economy of Miles is based mainly on agriculture and cropping, producing wheat, sorghum, barley and cotton. Timber production is another area of economic activity and in common with much of Western Queensland, cattle and sheep grazing, including feedlots is widespread. A mining industry utilising rich deposits of bentonite clay is developing. In addition, there are the following developing industries: Coal seam gas coal mining electricity generation Education Miles State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls at Constance Street (). In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 223 students with 18 teachers (16 full-time equivalent) with 12 non-teaching staff (9 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 214 students with 19 teachers (17 full-time equivalent) and 14 non-teaching staff (9 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program. Miles State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at Pine Street (). In 2016, the school had