Wandoan, Queensland
| Wandoan Queensland | |
|---|---|
  Wandoan | |
| Coordinates | 26°8′S 149°57′E / 26.133°S 149.950°ECoordinates: 26°8′S 149°57′E / 26.133°S 149.950°E |
| Population | 386 (2006)[1] |
| Postcode(s) | 4419 |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | Western Downs Region |
| State electorate(s) | Callide |
| Federal Division(s) | Flynn |
Wandoan /ˈwɒndoʊ.ən/ is a small town in Queensland, Australia, located on the Leichhardt Highway about halfway between Taroom and Miles. It is part of the Western Downs Region local government area, within which it is the centre for the local cattle industries. At the 2006 census, Wandoan had a population of 386.[1]
History
The beginnings of the Wandoan township can be traced back to 1853 when 'Juandah' Station was established at this location in 1849. When Herbert Salway and Percival Sydney Francis Stephen first tendered for a huge area of land: Juandah of 23,000 acres (9,300 ha) and two other runs Coringa of 21,000 acres (8,500 ha) and Cherwondah of 19,200 acres (7,800 ha). This area, defined in accordance with the 1847 Orders-in-Council, falls far short of the actual size of the holding, which has been estimated at 449 square miles (1,160 km2)—five and a half times as much. The aggregation of these three runs became known as Juandah and records show Percival Stephen was living on Juandah before August 1849. A wayside hotel was built there in the 1890s, and by the end of the nineteenth century the hotel was well established and a township was formed. It was named Wandoan in 1926. Wandan was established because of a railway.
Wandoan today
Tourism
The following are features of interest in Wandoan:[2]
- the local Heritage Trail leads to 23 points of interest, including the Juandah site and the Waterloo Plains Environmental Park with its lakes, picnic areas and water birds
- the 'Wandoan Windmill' at the town entrance on the Highway across from a colourful mural painted on the town's main water tank.
- a mural depicting local history in the Community Cultural Centre on a huge piece of local sandstone.
- the Wandoan Races: horse racing meetings held once or twice every year.
- Wandoan Unlicensed Airport is 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) away.
The Wandoan Information Centre on Royd Street provides information for visitors.
School
Juandah Provisional School opened on 30 October 1911. It became a State School on 1 March 1916 and was renamed Wandoan State School in 1924.[3]
Services
Wandoan has the following services:[4]
- Ambulance Service, Doctor, Out Patients Clinic, Veterinary Surgeon
- Fire Brigade, Police Station
- Tank Water, Town Water, TV Reception - V.A.S.T only, Normal Alternating Current (AC) Power
- Railway Station (closed, no longer used), Coach Bus Service (three services per week), Full Vehicle Service
- Chemist, Hotel/Motel, Official Post Office, Mail Collected Daily
Climate
The temperature varies between 21 °C (70 °F) – 34 °C (93 °F) in summer and 5 °C (41 °F) – 22 °C (72 °F) in winter.[5]
Notable people
- Darren Lockyer, Australia, Queensland and Brisbane rugby league captain grew up in Wandoan.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Wandoan (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ↑ Tourism Queensland (2006). "Wandoan - Places to visit". Queensland holidays. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
- ↑ The State of Queensland (Department of Public Works) (2006). "Wandoan State School". Queensland State Archives. Archived from the original on 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
- ↑ The State of Queensland (Department of Education) (2007). "Schools Directory - Business Centre - Services". Queensland Government Department of Education, Training and the Arts. Archived from the original on 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
- ↑ Tourism Queensland (2006). "Wandoan Climate". Queensland holidays. Archived from the original on 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
- ↑ Koch, Dan (2010-05-11). "Darren Lockyer". Alpha (Australia: News Magazines). Retrieved 2010-07-13.
External links
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