The beginnings of the Wandoan township can be traced back to 1849 when 'Juandah' Station was established at this location after 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.
After the Hornet Bank massacre in October 1857, one of the many reprisals against Aboriginal people in the area included the Juandah massacre. Frederick Walker wrote to the Colonial Secretary of Queensland describing how after a number of aboriginals were declared innocent of involvement at Hornet Bank by a bench of magistrates at Juandah, local whites proceeded to murder them. Some were shot on the verandah of the magistrate's residence and others in the kitchen. Two aboriginals were kept alive in order to bury the corpses and once this was done, one of them was shot and the other was spared as "possibly the supply of cartridges was running short".[4]
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.
Juandah Provisional School opened on 30 October 1911. It became a State School on 1 March 1916. Due to low student numbers, it closed in 1922 but reopened in 1923. In 1924, it was renamed Wandoan State School in 1924. A secondary department was added in 1961.[5][6][7]
The Wandoan War Memorial is in front of the Community Culture Centre on Henderson Street and commemorates Australians who served in all wars. There are plaques for individual wars on the wall behind the memorial. The monument was dedicated on 25 April (Anzac Day) 1993.[11][12]
The town's economy is traditionally based on agriculture, including wheat, sorgum and cattle. The townscale is visually dominated by the grain silos near the railway station. However, mining for coal and gas are growing industries, increasing the population and facilities in Wandoan.[9]
Visitor information centre and windmill, Wandoan, 2014
The following are features of interest in Wandoan:[17]
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.
Wandoan Unlicensed Airport is 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) away.
The Wandoan Information Centre on Royd Street provides information for visitors. It is housed in a former railway station building and is easily spotted by the large windmill beside it.[18]
Wandoan State School is a government co-educational primary and secondary (P-10) school at 49 North Street. In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 86 students with 13 teachers (12 full-time equivalent) and 10 non-teaching staff (7 full-time equivalent).[19]
^The State of Queensland (Department of Public Works) (2006). "Wandoan State School". Queensland State Archives. Archived from the original on 1 September 2007. Retrieved 20 February 2007.
^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 26 September 2007. Retrieved 20 February 2007.
^Tourism Queensland (2006). "Wandoan Climate". Queensland holidays. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 20 February 2007.
^Koch, Dan (11 May 2010). "Darren Lockyer". Alpha. Australia: News Magazines. Retrieved 13 July 2010. [dead link]
^"WILD TOBY Versus THE WORLD". The Mail (Adelaide). Vol. 41, no. 2, 064. South Australia. 22 December 1951. p. 4 (SUNDAY MAGAZINE). Retrieved 25 April 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
Baker, Joycelyn (2011), Wandoan State School : A Century of Primary Education, Wandoan State School Parents & Citizens Association, ISBN978-0-646-56349-7
Baker, Joycelyn (2011), Wandoan State School : A Centenary of Teachers, Wandoan State School Parents & Citizens Association, ISBN978-0-646-56350-3
Clothier White, Joan (2010), Brigalow billy cans and bottle trees : a bush upbringing in the Grosmont-Taroom-Wandoan area, a memoir, J. Clothier White, ISBN978-0-646-53305-6
