Juandah Historical Site

Left Chinchilla and headed to Miles and then drove up the Leichhardt Highway. There are a few low cost camp sites along the highway so we thought we would travel north and pick one.

The one we stayed at was in the town of Wandoan, and although we had planned on only one night, we stayed for two. The Juandah Historical site is the perfect short stay site. The first thing one sees when arriving in the town is the tall windmill at the information centre. We drove to the free camp at the Environmental Park, and it looked very good. We then went and checked out the historical site. There were already 5 or 6 vans there, and the caretakers June and Colin were there to greet us with information about the site. It was well worth the $15 a night donation with power and water. Juandah was important in the early days as it served as a resting place, much like it does now, and from 1890 it was a coach stop.

We settled in beside the old store shed and had lunch before having a walk around the property. In the 1840's Europeans passed through the area, including the Leichhart Exhibition Party. The Juandah property was first selected in 1853, and settled in 1854. The original Juandah property was over 700 square miles. The homestead area served the district with a store, butchers, blacksmith, and carpenters. The site we are camping at is the original site of the main homestead and buildings, some of which still exist. We are camped beside the old store building, which now houses transport relics. The store was built in the early 1850's and is still standing. It is resting on a bed of logs. In 1911, one part of the store became the first school room in the district. The old store counter was used as the students desks. The end section of the store was made into a dwelling in the 1950's, and consisted of 3 area, bathroom, bedroom and living area. The walls were timber lined and this section became the caretakers quarters.

There is also an old building that serves as the museum and has a lot of old wares. I loved the toy sewing machines and the old porcelain dolls and the lovely pink dinner set. There were also a number of family histories that I would love to read one day, maybe start the next time we come back.

There were a couple of old sewing machines in the museum, one was a Singer. As I am interested in old sewing Singer machines, I looked up this machine. It is a 1952 portable Singer, model 201. The decals were 'paperclip' design. It was in poor condition.

The blacksmiths shop made tools and building equipment for the district, as well as repairing equipment. It was also important in the district for shoeing the many horses. It is believed there were up to 400 horses on Juandah station alone.

The Trainsmen Quarters is a cottage that has interpretive displays and was very interesting. This is the kitchen area. It also included a bedroom, foyer, another bedroom used as info boards telling the history of the property, and a living/dining room (off the kitchen).

The old homestead was built in 1863 and had a view of the Juandah Creek and the country side. There was a flower garden and a little further away a vegetable garden. As supplies only came every 6 months, properties needed to be self sufficient. The home was demolished in 1954 and all that remains now is the stone chimney.

 The original building was built in the early 1850's and served as a shed. The original building was demolished, and this is the second building. This building consisted of a meat room surrounded by three large verandahs. It was estimated that the property had in excess of 50,000 cattle. It later became a dwelling, and then a Kindergarten. The verandahs were enclosed and the addition of a bathroom for the kindy students was added.

The first time we went through the meat house I missed the main butchers room, because all I could see was this old treadle machine. After a little bit of research I found out it was a 1920 model 66, with a green lotus (or Thistle) decal in a 7 drawer plain cabinet. Sadly it was in very bad condition.

 A very short walk outside the property is a memorial and early grave site. The earliest grave dates back to 1850. It is believed that there are five graves. Thomas Mark Windeyer was the first settler in the district in 1847, and he died of an accidental gunshot wound and died 1850. Also buried there are Constable William Dwyer, died 1883, killed by an Aboriginal 'Wild Toby'; a baby Dulcie Baker; a German shepherd; and one unknown grave.

 The property was divided up a few times over the years. The Blackley family held several leases, including the homestead block, for many years. The homestead block is now owned by the Webster family. In 1926 the name Juandah was changed to Wandoan.
We enjoyed happy hour each afternoon and met some wonderful campers. Such a gem to find - we will return.