Jandowae

Jandowae /ˈdʒændəweɪ/ is a town and a locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3]

Jandowae Queensland
The commercial centre of Jandowae
Jandowae
Coordinates	26.7775°S 151.1108°E / -26.7775; 151.1108
Population	1,246 (2011 census)[1]
• Density	4.3627/km^2 (11.299/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4410
Area	285.6 km^2 (110.3 sq mi)
Location	259 km (161 mi) NW of Brisbane 132 km (82 mi) NW of Toowoomba 49 km (30 mi) N of Dalby 162 km (101 mi) S of Mundubbera
LGA(s)	Western Downs Region
State electorate(s)	Callide
Federal Division(s)	Maranoa
Localities around Jandowae: Jinghi Diamondy Diamondy Tuckerang Jandowae Diamondy Jimbour West Cooranga Cooranga

Geography

The town is 259 kilometres (161 mi) west of the Brisbane. the capital of the state of Queensland.[4] It sits within the Indigenous country of Barunggam, the traditional lands of the Barunggam people.[5]

History

Baranggum (also known as Barrunggam, Barunggam Parrungoom, Murrumgama) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Baranggum people. The Baranggum language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Western Downs Regional Council, particularly Dalby, Tara, Jandowae and west towards Chinchilla.[6]

The first European settlers arrived in the area in the 1860s and the first documented European birth was Henry Bateman in 1866.[7] Henrys descendants still live in the town today. The town was at first called Jindowie, from the local Aboriginal word for a waterhole. Later, a man called John or Jack Dowiae established a camp and rest area for travellers called the John Dowiae camp. This led to some early settlers using the name Jondowiae. With the coming of the railway in 1914, the name was changed again to Jandowae, to avoid confusion with nearby Jondaryan.[8]

The fertile soil allowed the development of agriculture and combined with a flourishing timber industry saw the expansion of industry and commerce and the establishment of churches, halls and banks.[9]

Jondowaie Provisional School opened on 28 March 1887 with thirteen students enrolled for the first year.[10][11] It became Jondonwaie State School on 1 January 1909. In 1915 it was renamed Jandowae State School. In 1988 it was expanded with a secondary department (years 8 to 10).[12]

Wilga Downs Provisional School opened on 26 January 1916 as a half time school sharing a teacher with Currandale Provisional School. In 1922 the half time configuration was changed and Wilga Downs shared a teacher with Carlyle Provisional School (while Currandale shared with Glenmorriston). In 1923 Wilga Downs Provisional School was renamed Jandowae East Provisional School continuing to share a teacher with Carlyle until Carlyle closed in 1929. Jandowae East then became a full time provisional school and became Jandowae East State School in 1955. It closed in 1964.[12]

Jondowae's first Post Office opened on 1 January 1890, and exists today as a private residence. The township was renamed Jandowae in 1913.[13]

Jandowae War Memorial, 2008

The Jandowae war memorial was unveiled by Victor Drury and the Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Dalby, Walter Sparkes, on 25 April 1935.[14]

In 2001, in order to stem a decline in population and economic activity and encourage new residents and industry to Jandowae, Wambo Shire Council ran a "dollar block" promotion. The promotion involved the sale of 38 parcels of land, both residential and industrial, for one dollar each. The promotion made news throughout Australia and overseas including New Zealand, Hong Kong, England and the United States. The promotion proved popular with over 1,000 applications received. To maintain fairness, a ballot system was implemented along with a condition requiring the establishment of a house on the block within 12 months or the land would return to the ballot. As a result of the promotion, the decline in population was halted and new industry was attracted to town including a manufacturer of RFID cattle ear tag readers.[15]

At the 2006 census Jandowae had a population of 1,006.[16]

At the 2011 census, Jandowae had a population of 1,246.[1]

The current Jandowae Public Library opened in 2000 and had a minor refurbishment in 2014.[17]

Economy

Jandowae, which was the largest town in the Wambo Shire prior to its amalgamation, is surrounded by rich alluvial soil and is one of Queensland's largest wheat growing areas. The area also produces other crops such as barley, sorghum, oats, millet, panicum, sunflower, safflower and linseed. Beef and dairy cattle are raised in the area and Jandowae was home to two large sawmills.

Amenities

Facilities in the town include a post office, Queensland Government Agent and a bank. There are three hotels in Jandowae known locally as the Top pub (Club Hotel), the Middle pub (The Exchange Hotel) and the Bottom pub (Jandowae Hotel), all providing meals and accommodation.[9] Sporting facilities include bowls, golf, tennis, swimming, squash and a new skate park facility.[8]

The Western Downs Regional Council operates a public library in Jandowae at 22 George Street.[18]

The Jinghi Valley branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the Jandowae Tennis Clubhouse on High Street.[19]

Education

Jandowae State School is a government primary and secondary school (P-10) at 44 George Street.[10] In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 123 students with 14 teachers (13 equivalent full-time) and 11 non-teaching staff (8 equivalent full-time).[20] The school opened on 28 March 1887.[11] The school changed its name in September 2008 to Jandowae Prep-10 State School.[21]

Activities

The major festival in Jandowae is the Jandowae Timbertown festival. The festival, held biennially, recognises and celebrates the contribution that the timber industry has made to Jandowae and attracts 3,000 to 4,000 people to the town.[22][23] Other events in the town include a senior pro-am golf tournament and the Jandowae Cup race meeting.[15][24]

Notable people

• Timothy Tovell, an Australian airman in World War I who smuggled a young French orphan out of France and to Australia.

Gallery

• 
  Dingo statue plaque, Jandowae, Queensland.
• 
  Dingo statue, Jandowae, Queensland, Australia. Jandowae is home of the Dingo Barrier fence, the longest man made fence in the world. Sculpture in steel by Andy Scott.
• 
  Dingo statue plaque, Jandowae, Queensland.
• 
  R.S.L. clock, Jandowea, Queensland, Australia. Numbers on the clock face are replaced by the words "Lest we forget".
• 
  R.S.L. clock plaque, Jandowea, Queensland.
• 
  Jandowae Community and Cultural Centre, Jandowae, Queensland, Australia. September 2018

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Jandowae (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
2. "Jandowae - town in Western Downs Region (entry 17053)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
3. "Jandowae - locality in Western Downs Region (entry 47714)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
4. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
5. Tindale, Norman Barnett (1974). "Barunggam (QLD)". Aboriginal Tribes of Australia: Their Terrain, Environmental Controls, Distribution, Limits, and Proper Names. Australian National University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
6. "Baranggum". State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
7. "History". www.jandowae.org. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
8. "JANDOWAE – our principal town". Dalby Regional Council. Archived from the original on 27 March 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
9. "Jandowae". Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Archived from the original on 8 March 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
10. "Jandowae SS". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
11. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
12. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
13. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
14. "Jandowae War Memorial". Monument Australia. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
15. Courtney, Pip (12 March 2006). "Council's real estate gamble pays off". Landline (TV series), Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
16. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Jandowae (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
17. "Jandowae Public Library" (PDF). Queensland Public Libraries Statistical Bulletin 2016-2017" (PDF). Public Libraries Connect. November 2017. November 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
18. "Jandowae Public Library". Public Libraries Connect. 6 September 2016. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
19. "Branch Locations". Queensland Country Women's Association. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
20. "Annual Report 2016" (PDF). Jandowae State School. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
21. "Jandowae Prep-10 State School". Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
22. "Jandowae Timbertown Festival". Tourism Queensland. Archived from the original on 10 May 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
23. "Jandowae timber festival under threat until president found". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 May 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
24. "Jandowae Cup a goer". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 4 February 2005. Retrieved 6 June 2007.

External links

Media related to Jandowae at Wikimedia Commons

• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Jandowae
• Jandowae - the dollar block town - Community website