Ballandean, Queensland

Ballandean
Queensland

Ballandean railway station with the big dinosaur, 2015
Ballandean
Coordinates 28°48′04″S 151°50′35″E / 28.801°S 151.843°E / -28.801; 151.843Coordinates: 28°48′04″S 151°50′35″E / 28.801°S 151.843°E / -28.801; 151.843
Population 467 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 4382
Location
LGA(s) Southern Downs Region
State electorate(s) Southern Downs
Federal Division(s) Maranoa
Localities around Ballandean:
Nundubbermere Somme Fletcher Eukey
Sundown Ballandean Lyra Wyberba
New South Wales New South Wales Wallangarra

Ballandean is a small town and locality in the Granite Belt Region of the Southern Downs, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] At the 2011 Australian Census the town recorded a population of 467.[1] The town has a number of nearby vineyards which attracted tourists to the area.[4]

Geography

The Severn River marks part of the northern boundary. Kelvin Grove Creek, Washpool Creek, Accommodation Creek and Smiths Creek all flow through Ballandean into the Severn River.[5]

The New England Highway passes through Ballandean from north to south in the north-east of Ballandean in close parallel to the Southern railway line. The Ballandean railway station is in this area and the urban development surrounds the railway station. The station is now closed as there are no passenger services on this line. The rest of the locality is predominantly farmland.[5]

History

General store at Ballandean, ca. 1920

The name Ballandean derives from the name of a pastoral run, belonging to Henry Hayter Nicol in 1841, believed to be linked to his childhood association with Ballindean House, near Inchture, Perthshire, Scotland.[3]

The town was surveyed and officially named in 1872.[4] Thomas Fletcher built the Britannia Inn in the same year which attracted other businesses to the area. Fletcher went on to establish the first commercial orchard on the Granite Belt. Ballandean Post Office opened on 1 January 1873.[6]

Ballandean State School opened on 18 January 1909 under head teacher Frances Emily Wallace.[7][8]

Heritage listings

Ballandean Homestead, 2015

Ballandean has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Attractions

The man-made Ballandean Pyramid was constructed by Ken Stubberfield as a way to dispose of excess granite on his farm and is an unusual sight in Queensland.[10]

The Balladean railway station is a well-known landmark on the New England Highway due to the big dinosaur in front of it, nicknamed the Fruitisforus (Fruit-is-for-us). The dinosaur was originally constructed for a float in the 1998 Apple and Grape Festival. After the festival, the community placed it in front of the railway station to get passing traffic to stop and buy fruit for a community fundraiser. It proved so popular that it was reinforced with fibregrass and painted and made a permanent roadside feature. It is 6.7 metres (22 ft) long and 2.1 metres (6 ft 11 in) high.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Ballandean (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  2. ↑ "Ballandean (town) (entry 1375)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Ballandean (locality) (entry 45907)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) (2000). Heritage Trails of the Great South East. State of Queensland. p. 121. ISBN 0-7345-1008-X.
  5. 1 2 "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  6. ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  8. ↑ "Agency ID4810, Ballandean State School". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  9. ↑ "Ballandean Homestead (entry 600832)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  10. ↑ Werkmeister, Sarah. "Ballandean Pyramid". Four Thousand. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  11. ↑ "Landmark Legends of Stanthorpe". Granite Belt Wine Country. Retrieved 11 June 2015.

External links

Media related to Ballandean, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

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