Jandowae, Queensland

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Jandowae
state = qld


caption =
lga = Dalby Regional Council
postcode = 4410
est =
pop = 784
pop_footnotes =
elevation=
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
stategov = Darling Downs
fedgov = Maranoa
dist1 = 259
dir1 = NW
location1= Brisbane
dist2 = 132
dir2 = NW
location2= Toowoomba
dist3 = 49
dir3 = N
location3= Dalby
dist4 = 162
dir4 = S
location4= Mundubbera

Jandowae is a town in southern Queensland, Australia. The town is located 259 kilometres west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Jandowae had a population of 784.Census 2006 AUS
id=UCL329600
name=Jandowae (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)
accessdate=2007-10-28
quick=on]

The first European settlers arrived in the area in the 1860s and the first documented European birth was in 1866. 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.cite web
url = http://www.wambo.qld.gov.au/profile/jandowae.php
title = JANDOWAE - our principal town
publisher = Shire of Wambo
accessdate = 2007-06-06] The Jandowae school was established in 1877 with thirteen students enrolled for the first year. 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.cite web
url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/queensland/jandowae/2005/02/17/1108500203440.html
title = Jandowae
publisher = Sydney Morning Herald
accessdate = 2007-06-06]

Jandowae, the principal town in Wambo Shire, 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 is home to two large sawmills. Recently, a native flowers industry, exporting to Asia, has been developed in the area.

Facilities in the town include a P-10 school, a post office, Queensland Government Agent and a bank. There are three hotels in Jandowae known locally as the Top pub (Jandowae Hotel), the Middle pub (The Exchange Hotel) and the Bottom pub (Club Hotel), all providing meals and accommodation. Sporting facilities include bowls, golf, tennis, swimming, and squash and a new skate park facility.

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.cite news
first = Pip
last = Courtney
title = Council's real estate gamble pays off
url = http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2006/s1586842.htm
publisher = Landline (TV series), Australian Broadcasting Corporation
date = 2006-03-12
accessdate = 2007-06-06 ]

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.cite web
url = http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/events/jandowae-timbertown-festival/index.cfm
title = Jandowae Timbertown Festival
publisher = Tourism Queensland
accessdate = 2007-06-06] cite news
title = Jandowae timber festival under threat until president found
url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/australia/qld/summer/200704/s1906263.htm
publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation
date = 2007-05-25
accessdate = 2007-06-06 ] Other events in the town include a senior pro-am golf tournament and the Jandowae Cup race meeting.cite news
title = Jandowae Cup a goer
url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1295686.htm
publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation
date = 2005-02-04
accessdate = 2007-06-06 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.jandowae.com/index.htm Jandowae - the dollar block town] - Community website