Gayndah

Geography

Gayndah is on the Burnett River and the Burnett Highway passes through the town. Apart from the town in the western part of the locality, the land is used for cropping and grazing. The Mungar Junction to Monto Branch railway line once passed through the town, but it has since been closed and now lies abandoned.

Duchess Mountain is immediately to the south-west of the town (25°38′00″S 151°36′47″E) and at 190 metres (620 ft) provides excellent views over the town (100 metres (330 ft) above sea level).

Gayndah is 366 kilometres (227 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane, and 145 kilometres (90 mi) west of the regional city of Maryborough.

Agriculture and grazing have been the dominant industries of the area. The town is the centre of Queensland's largest citrus-growing area.

History

The name Gayndah is of Aboriginal origin but the derivative is unclear. It may derive either from Gu-in-dah (or Gi-un-dah), meaning thunder, or from Ngainta meaning place of scrub. Alternatively it may be derived from Waka language kunda meaning range or ridge, or ga-een-ta meaning bushy land. Wakka Wakka (Waka Waka, Wocca Wocca, Wakawaka) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken in the Burnett River catchment. The Wakka Wakka language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the North and South Burnett Regional Council, particularly the towns of Gayndah, Cherbourg, Murgon, Kingaroy, Eidsvold and Mundubbera.

The well-known "Wetheron" property, 12 miles from Gayndah, was taken up by William Humphrey in 1845, and from him it passed to the Hons. Berkeley Basil and Seymour Moreton, sons of the Earl of Ducie. When the foundations of Gayndah were being laid there were only a few squatters on the Burnett River, and these were nearly all educated men of good families with command of money and the confidence of the banks and financial institutions.

Exploration of the Gayndah area began in 1847 by explorer Thomas Archer and Surveyor James Charles Burnett (1815–1854). The first European settlers arrived in 1848, and the town was established in the following year. A post office was established at Gayndah in 1850. This suggests that Gayndah may be the oldest officially gazetted town in Queensland, although the Moreton Bay penal colony of 47 people was established at Redcliffe on Moreton Bay in 1824 but relocated in 1825 to a site on the Brisbane River (now Brisbane's central business district).

Brisbane's population by 1856 was only an estimated 3,840. Gayndah and Ipswich were regional towns of similar size and competed with Brisbane to become the capital of Queensland when it became a separate colony from New South Wales in 1859. The main impetus to the growth of Brisbane and the development of a distinctive city centre came through the introduction of self-government, hand-in-hand with immigration and general economic expansion. By 1868 Brisbane was the largest town in Queensland with a population of 15,240.

Gayndah was a centre of early sheep properties in southern Queensland (then NSW) and where many Chinese men travelled via Amoy and then Marybourough to work as shepherds. As early as 1851 it was declared that: "Almost every station in the two districts of Wide Bay and Burnett is supplied with Chinese or Coolie labourers, ..." The same writer also acknowledged that their "wages are so small they have nothing to lay out." However as their indentured where for five years only once free to seek employment at more equitable rates many of these men remained in the area and often applied for naturalisation as British subjects to allow them to take up land. These included men such a Thomas Ashney who among other things was a Guyndah hotelkeeper.

Demographics

In the 2006 census, the town of Gayndah had a population of 1,745 people.

In the 2011 census, the locality of Gayndah had a population of 1,789 people.

In the 2016 census, the locality of Gayndah had a population of 1,981 people.

In the 2021 census, the locality of Gayndah had a population of 1,949 people.

Heritage listings

Gayndah has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Gayndah Bridge Remnants, off Bridge Street

Gayndah War Memorial (also known as Rawbelle Shire War Memorial), Capper Street (25.6266°S 151.6102°E / -25.6266; 151.6102 (Gayndah War Memorial))

Gayndah Court House, 20 Capper Street

Mellors Drapery and Haberdashery (also known as Overells), 28 Capper Street

Gayndah Shire Hall (also known as Gayndah Soldiers' Memorial Hall), 32–34 Capper Street

Gayndah Racecourse, Fisher Avenue

Gayndah District Hospital Complex, corner of Gordon & Pineapple Streets

Gayndah State School, 33 Meson Street

St Joseph's Catholic Convent and Church Grounds, 38 Meson Street

Gayndah Cemetery, Meyer, Porter & Downing Street

Gayndah Railway Station Goods Shed and Crane, on National, Elliot and Cordelia Streets

Brick Cottage (now Gayndah Museum), 8 Simon Street

Zig Zag Road, Wall Road

Climate

Gayndah experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa, Trewartha: Cfal), with hot, humid summers and mild, dry, brief winters with cool nights.

Amenities

The North Burnett Regional Council operates Gayndah Library on Capper Street. The library offers publicly accessible Wi-Fi.

The former St Joseph's Convent in Meson Street was in 2011 converted into an arts and cultural centre, The Gayndah Arts & Cultural Centre which also houses the Gaynah Art Gallery.

The Gayndah branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at 5 Pineapple Street. The branch was founded in 1923 making it one of the longest operating branches.

Central Burnett Uniting Church (also known as Gayndah Uniting Church) is at 41 Meson Street (25.6239°S 151.6052°E / -25.6239; 151.6052 (Central Burnett Uniting Church)). It is part of the Mary Burnett Presbytery of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Gayndah Wesleyan Methodist Church is at 6 Dalgangal Road (corner of Bridge Street, 25.6198°S 151.6103°E / -25.6198; 151.6103 (Gayndah Wesleyan Methodist Church)). It is part of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia.

Claude Wharton Weir is owned and managed by Sunwater. North Burnett Regional Council own and manage the boat ramps, facilities and recreation areas. Public access is permitted in designated areas only. Facilities include two boat ramps, picnic shelters, barbecues, public toilets and parking. Camping is prohibited at Claude Wharton Weir. The weir is stocked by the Gayndah Anglers and Fish Stocking Association Inc.

Education

Gayndah State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 33 Meson Street (25.6238°S 151.6059°E / -25.6238; 151.6059 (Gayndah State School)). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 145 students with 10 teachers (8 full-time equivalent) and 14 non-teaching staff (7 full-time equivalent).

St Joseph's School is a Catholic primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 38 Meson Street (25.6233°S 151.6054°E / -25.6233; 151.6054 (St Joseph's School)). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 86 students with 10 teachers (8 full-time equivalent) and 10 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).

Burnett State College is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 65 Pineapple Street (25.6318°S 151.6063°E / -25.6318; 151.6063 (Burnett State College)). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 249 students with 26 teachers (25 full-time equivalent) and 22 non-teaching staff (15 full-time equivalent).

Visitor attractions

The town's information centre is located inside a man-made orange, known as The Big Orange.

The Gayndah Orange Festival is held every two years to celebrate this industry.

Notable residents

Jessica Anderson, who won the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 1978 and 1980, was born in Gayndah.

Jacob Moerland, the 12th Australian casualty of Operation Slipper, was from Gayndah.

John Plath, rugby league player, was born in Gayndah.

Sister city

Gayndah has one sister city, signed in 1989, according to Sister Cities Australia Inc. (SCA).

Zonhoven, Belgium