Ballandean, Queensland
| Ballandean Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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 Ballandean railway station with the big dinosaur, 2015 | |||||||||||||||
  Ballandean | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 28°48′04″S 151°50′35″E / 28.801°S 151.843°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 338 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 1.6934/km2 (4.386/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4382 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 199.6 km2 (77.1 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Southern Downs Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Southern Downs | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Maranoa | ||||||||||||||
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Ballandean is a small town and locality in the Granite Belt Region of the Southern Downs, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] It is on the Queensland border with New South Wales.[4] At the 2016 census the town recorded a population of 338.[1] The town has a number of nearby vineyards which attracted tourists to the area.[5]
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.[6]
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.[6]
The northern part of Ballandean is also known as Apple Vale.[7]
History
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.[5] 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.[8]
Land in Ballandean was open for selection on 17 April 1877; 98 square miles (250 km2) were available.[9]
Ballandean State School opened on 18 January 1909 under head teacher Frances Emily Wallace.[10][11]
Heritage listings
Ballandean has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south-west of Ballandean: Ballandean Homestead[12]
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.[13]
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.[14]
References
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Ballandean (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- ^ "Ballandean (town) (entry 1375)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Ballandean (locality) (entry 45907)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ a b Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) (2000). Heritage Trails of the Great South East. State of Queensland. p. 121. ISBN 0-7345-1008-X.
- ^ a b "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
- ^ "Apple Vale – unbounded locality in Southern Downs Region (entry 695)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- ^ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ "Proclamations under the New Land Acts". The Brisbane Courier. Queensland, Australia. 2 March 1877. p. 3. Retrieved 19 February 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
- ^ "Agency ID 4810, Ballandean State School". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ "Ballandean Homestead (entry 600832)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ Werkmeister, Sarah. "Ballandean Pyramid". Four Thousand. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ "Landmark Legends of Stanthorpe". Granite Belt Wine Country. Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
External links
Media related to Ballandean, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons