Nanango is a rural town and
locality
Locality may refer to:
* Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England
* Locality (linguistics)
* Locality (settlement)
* Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...
in the
South Burnett Region
The South Burnett Region is a local government area in the South Burnett district of Queensland, Australia.
Origins
This Local Government was created in March 2008 as a result of the report of the Local Government Reform Commission released in ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, Australia.
In the , the locality of Nanango had a population of 3,599 people.
[
]
Geography
Nanango is situated north-west of the state capital, Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
, at the junction
Junction may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film
* Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film
* Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille
* Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002
* Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...
of the D'Aguilar Highway
The D'Aguilar Highway is a two-lane highway linking the Bruce Highway near Caboolture with Kingaroy in the state of Queensland, Australia. Major towns along the route include Woodford, Kilcoy, Blackbutt, Yarraman, Nanango and Kingaroy. The hig ...
with the Burnett Highway
The Burnett Highway is an inland rural highway located in Queensland, Australia. The highway runs between its junction with the Bruce Highway at Gracemere, just south of Rockhampton, and Nanango. Its length is approximately 542 kilometres. The ...
.
Sandy Creek () meanders through the town. The locality is part of the Burnett River catchment. The productive lands of the catchment feature sedimentary floodplains. The rich fertile soils of the floodplains are the agricultural and resource backbone of the region. While there are benefits of the flooding there are also risks including the loss of vegetation in riparian zones
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ar ...
, biosecurity issues and spread of weed
A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...
species.
History
The original inhabitants of the area were the Aboriginal people
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
belonging to the Wakka Wakka
Wakka Wakka, or Waka Waka, people are an Aboriginal Australian community of the state of Queensland.
Name
"''Wakka''" was assigned the meaning "no" by Western linguists who documented the Wakawaka language. Ethnonyms based on the duplication of ...
(or Waka Waka) people. The area was used as a gateway to the bunya nut
''Araucaria bidwillii'', commonly known as the bunya pine and sometimes referred to as the false monkey puzzle tree, is a large evergreen coniferous tree in the plant family Araucariaceae. It is found naturally in south-east Queensland Austral ...
festivals, where Aboriginal people would travel from as far away as the Clarence River in northern New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
and the Maranoa River
The Maranoa River, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is a river situated in South West Queensland, Australia.
Course and features
Formed by the confluence of the west and east branches of the river, the Maranoa River rises on the Consuelo Table ...
to feast on bunya nuts from the bunya trees.
The area around Nanango was first settled by Europeans in 1847 by John Borthwick and William Oliver from Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
taking up pastures for sheep farming. Oliver selected an area of more than 500 km² that comprised four blocks – Coolabunia
Coolabunia is a rural locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Coolabunia had a population of 161 people.
Geography
The D'Aguilar Highway passes through from south-east to north-west.
Hornley is a neighbourhood (). ...
, Booie, Broadwater and Nanango.
The first commercial establishment at the present site of Nanango township was Goode's Inn, founded by prospector Jacob Goode in July 1848. The inn served travellers journeying from Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
and Limestone (now known as Ipswich) and became the meeting place for early residents of Taromeo, Tarong and Nanango stations. The town of Nanango quickly developed around it. Goode's original rough slab structure met the licensing conditions as his first licence for the "Burnett Hotel situated at Barambah Creek" was given at a special licensing meeting on 26 April 1849.
Nanango claims to be the fourth oldest town in Queensland, but such claims depend on how the age of the town is determined. In some cases, this is by the first settlement (usually for pastoral purposes in or near the eventual town) or it might be date of survey for a town plan. Nanango's claim to be fourth oldest is based on the first establishment of commercial premises (e.g. store or hotel), which is Goode's Inn in 1848. On this basis, it is the fourth following Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
(then called Limestone), Drayton, and Maryborough. However, Nanango was not surveyed for a town until 1861, and several other towns were surveyed before that.
Goode's Inn Post Office opened on 5 January 1852. It was renamed Burnett Inn by 1855 and Nanango on 1 July 1859.
The name Nanango has evolved from the Wakka Wakka word "Nunangi". There is dispute over the origins of the name Nanango- the word means "large watering hole" or was also the name of a local Aboriginal elder at the time of settlement. The original settlement was called "Noogoonida" by the Aboriginals, meaning "place where the waters gather together".
Nanango State School opened on 1 January 1866. In January 1955, it was expanded to have a secondary school department, an arrangement that continued until Nanango State High School opened on 25 January 1982.
Beef, dairy and timber (in particular the valuable red cedar) were the primary early industries in the area. The discovery of gold at the Seven Mile Diggings near Nanango in 1867 precipitated a gold rush, and consequently a local population boom, however the gold deposits were found to be meagre. At one time the population included 700 miners, many of whom were Chinese.
Land in Nanango was open for selection on 17 April 1877; were available.
A second population boom occurred when the Brisbane Valley railway line
The Brisbane Valley railway line was a railway connection in Queensland, Australia connecting Ipswich, west of Brisbane, to the upper Brisbane River valley. Progressively opened between 1884 and 1913, the railway provided a vital transport link ...
was extended to Yarraman in 1911. Nanango railway station () became the terminus of a branch off the South Burnett railway line at Kingaroy
Kingaroy is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. The town is situated on the junction of the D'Aguilar and the Bunya Highways, north-west of the state capital Brisbane and south west of Gympie. As a ...
on 13 November 1911. The (14-mile) missing rail link between Nanango and Yarraman, although planned was never built.
St Patrick's Catholic Primary School was established on 28 April 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...
.
In February 1913, 1222 acres in areas of 63 to 122 acres of Nanango Station were advertised to be auctioned by Jno Darley and W. Hamilton on behalf of Mr Jas Millis. A map advertising the auction states the Estate was situated 3 to 5 miles from Nanango where there is "an up to date butter factory and public offices". The land is described as mainly creek flats fronting Barker's Creek, rich alluvial and black soil suited to growing lucerne, potatoes, wheat, oats and maize. Some blocks also have access to Meandu Creek as a permanent source for water.
On 29 January 1920, the Nanango War Memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.
Symbolism
Historical usage
It has ...
was unveiled by Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Thomas William Glasgow
Major General Sir Thomas William Glasgow (6 June 1876 – 4 July 1955) was a senior Australian Army officer and politician. Glasgow rose to prominence during the First World War as a brigade and later divisional commander on the Western Front ...
.
A Baptist congregation was formed in Nanango in 1929 and was officially constituted in 1932. The Nanango Baptist Church officially opened at 81 Drayton Street () on Saturday 29 February 1936. In 1998 the congregation needed a more spacious church and relocated to a new building at 37 Mount Stanley Road, under the new name of Nanango Community Baptist Church. The old church was sold into private ownership.
After World War I, however, growth levelled off until the early 1970s when the development of the Tarong Power Station led to a third population explosion. McCauley Weir was used as the town's water supply until three additional bores were drilled at the confluence of Barkers Creek and Meandu Creek.
In April 1921, two subdivisions at Nanango and Tarong Estate and Township were advertised for auction by John Darley and Isles, Love and Co. The Tarong Estate, twelve miles from Nanango and Tarong Railway Station offered 25 agricultural farms and 62 town allotments while the Grange Estate, eleven miles from Nanango and 18 miles from Kingaroy in the Parish of Booie offered 15 dairy farms.
Nanango State High School opened on 25 January 1982, having previously been a secondary department attached to Nanango State School.
The Nanango Library opened in 1962.
At the , the town of Nanango had a population of 3,083.
In the , the locality of Nanango had a population of 3,795 people.
In the , the locality of Nanango had a population of 3,599 people.
Heritage listings
Nanango has a number of heritage-listed
This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...
sites, including:
* George Street: Nanango Butter Factory Building
* 30 Henry Street: Nanango Court House
* 41 Albert Street: Ringsfield House, a grand country residence and gardens. built by Robin Dods
Robert Smith (Robin) Dods (9 June 1868 – 23 July 1920) was a New Zealand-born Australian architect.
Personal life
Dods was born in Dunedin, New Zealand on 9 June 1868. His parents were Robert Smith Dods (a wholesale grocer) and Elizabeth Gray ...
for Mrs Florence Graham in 1908
Economy
Nanango's principal industries are power generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its delivery ( transmission, distribution, etc.) to end users or its stor ...
and coal mining, agriculture, beef and pork production, dairying
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a ...
and milk processing, timber growing and milling, small crops, natural medicine
Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of pseudoscientific practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturop ...
, art and craftwork and tourism.
Education
Nanango State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls at 39 Drayton Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 438 students with 37 teachers (34 full-time equivalent) and 26 non-teaching staff (18 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education
Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...
program.
St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 16 Alfred Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 77 students with 9 teachers (7 full-time equivalent) and 8 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).
Nanango State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at 54 Elk Street on over of land (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 522 students with 52 teachers (49 full-time equivalent) and 37 non-teaching staff (28 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.
Facilities
Nanango Police Station is at 34 Henry Street ().
Nanango Fire Station is at 14 Alfred Street ().
Nanango SES
SES, S.E.S., Ses and similar variants can refere to:
Business and economics
* Socioeconomic status
* Scottish Economic Society, a learned society in Scotland
* SES, callsign of the TV station SES/RTS (Mount Gambier, South Australia)
* SES S.A., ...
Facility is at 29 Grey Street ().
Nanango Hospital is a public hospital at 135 Brisbane Street (). It has a heliport ().
Nanango Ambulance Station is at 95 Drayton Street ().
Nanango Cemetery is at 53 Applin Street West ().
Nanango Aerodrome is at Racecourse Road ().
Amenities
Nanango also has a vigorous cultural and sporting life and is host to several potteries, Art Gallery and many craft outlets. The town also has many clubs and a range of sporting facilities including an RSL, bike
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Bic ...
, darts
Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, missiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dar ...
, golf, lawn bowling
Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...
and archery
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...
clubs. There are 13 well-maintained parklands in the Shire
Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...
which naturalists believe are home to 250 different bird species.
Nanango Golf Club has a 18-hole golf course on Millis Way ().
The South Burnett Regional Council
The South Burnett Region is a local government area in the South Burnett district of Queensland, Australia.
Origins
This Local Government was created in March 2008 as a result of the report of the Local Government Reform Commission released in ...
operates a library in Nanango at 48 Drayton Street ().
The Nanango branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association
The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...
meets at its hall at 59 Fitzroy Street ().
The Nanango Baptist Community Church is at 37 Mount Stanley Road ().
Nanango Wesleyan Methodist Church is at 55 Cairns Street (). It is part of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia
The Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia is a Christian denomination with its origins in Wesleyan Methodism. It is the organisational name for contemporary The Wesleyan Church in Australia. (The historic Wesleyan Methodist denomination in Austra ...
.
There are a number of parks in the area:
* Green Park ()
* Lee Park ()
* Lions Park ()
* Pioneer Park ()
Attractions
Located approximately away from Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
, Nanango attracts day and weekend trippers from South East Queensland
South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. T ...
. Tourists also travel through the town on their way between Rockhampton
Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...
in the north and Sydney/Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
in the south. The central business district features chainsaw sculpture
The art of chainsaw carving is a fast-growing form of art that combines the modern technology of the chainsaw with the ancient art of woodcarving.
The beginning of the art form
The oldest chainsaw artist records go back to the 1950s, which inc ...
s and murals which reflect the town's historical connections with timber-felling, farming and mining.
A great deal of Nanango's colourful history is preserved in its buildings – especially Ringsfield House (), a restored circa 1908 Queenslander developed by architect Robin Dods
Robert Smith (Robin) Dods (9 June 1868 – 23 July 1920) was a New Zealand-born Australian architect.
Personal life
Dods was born in Dunedin, New Zealand on 9 June 1868. His parents were Robert Smith Dods (a wholesale grocer) and Elizabeth Gray ...
.
Unfortunately a number of fires throughout history have ravaged the CBD of the town, especially the fire of 1940 which destroyed all of the shops on the southern side of Drayton Street from Fitzroy to Henry Street. This has led the CBD to have a "1950s feel" due to the architecture of the time. One building that escaped the ravages of fire was "Nobby's Corner", an example of an old-fashioned corner store with wide verandahs.
Nanango serves as a gateway for exploration of nearby towns. Day trip
A day trip is a visit to a tourist destination or visitor attraction from a person's home, hotel, or hostel in the morning, returning to the same lodging in the evening. The day trip is a form of recreational travel and leisure to a location that ...
s from the town include the Grapes and Gourmets Drive, Bunya Mountains
The Bunya Mountains are a distinctive set of peaks forming an isolated section of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland. The mountain range forms the northern edge of the Darling Downs in the locality also called Bunya Mountains near ...
, Coomba Falls and fossicking at Seven Mile Diggings. The "Great Bunya Drive" was created in 2006 and passes through the township and other regional attractions.
The Nanango Country Markets are featured on the 1st Saturday of every month and are widely recognised as the largest rural markets in SE Queensland. They have on average over 400 stalls, and reportedly in December 2013 had over 800 stalls.
Nanango has a range of accommodation for tourists, including caravan parks and motels.
Events
Nanango has a number of live entertainment venues which regularly host performances by local theatre and musical groups. The Lee Park race track – not far south of the CBD – hosts around 8 meetings each year.
Major annual events include the international Criterium Bike Race (held in Nanango's CBD in February); the Nanango Show (held at the Nanango Showgrounds in April); Nanango Medieval Fest (fourth Saturday in August); Nanango Arts Fest (held over a week in October); the Nanango Country Music Muster (held at the Showgrounds in September); the week-long Mardi Gras (in October), and the Christmas Carnival (in December).
Climate
The area has a similar climate to nearby Kingaroy
Kingaroy is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. The town is situated on the junction of the D'Aguilar and the Bunya Highways, north-west of the state capital Brisbane and south west of Gympie. As a ...
, however it is described as cooler in winter and more humid.
Notable residents
*Deb Frecklington
Deborah Kay Frecklington (born 3 September 1971) is an Australian politician who is the member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for Nanango, having won the seat at the 2012 state election. She was the Leader of the Queensland Opposit ...
, an Australian politician for the Liberal National Party and an MP in the Parliament of Queensland
The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral s ...
in 2018
*Sam McMahon
Samantha Jane McMahon (born 11 December 1967) is a former Australian politician who was a Senator for the Northern Territory between the 2019 federal election and the 2022 federal election. McMahon is a member of the Liberal Democratic Part ...
, an Australian politician for the Country Liberal Party
The Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory (CLP) is a centre-right political party in Australia's Northern Territory. In local politics it operates in a two-party system with the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It also contests federal ...
and a Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
for the Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
in the Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the ...
in 2019
References
External links
*
*
Sydney Morning Herald travel article, 8 February 2004
{{authority control
Towns in Queensland
South Burnett Region
Localities in Queensland