Ballandean, Queensland
| Ballandean Queensland |
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| File:Ballandean triceratops.jpg
Ballandean railway station with the big dinosaur, 2015
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 Ballandean
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| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 467 (2011 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4382 | ||||||||||||||
| 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] 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
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 has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south-west of Ballandean: Ballandean Homestead[9]
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
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Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
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