Jondaryan Wool shed

Jondaryan Wool shed

Friday 26th April 

After a cooked breakfast  with thanks to our hosts, a quick trip in to beaudesert to fill up with fuel and the gas bottles for the van we set off at 11am. On advise from our friends we drove up to Jondaryan via the Cunningham hwy and the New England Hwy (234km). Due to the road works on the escarpment before Toowomba. Even though this way was longer in kilometres it actually saved us time and our sanity. Roadworks aren't something you really want to be stuck in with tired children in the car let alone towing a caravan.  We stopped for a quick lunch at the park in Allora which also had a dump point meaning we could empty the loo then continued on our way. We didn't stop in Toowomba both Rob and myself have been there many times for work so we contained to our destination the Jondaryan Wool shed (camps 7 Qld 553) where we had book a powered site for 2 nights at a cost of $45 ($22.50 per night kids under 5 free) So after setting up camp had a quick look around the woodshed and the camping grounds and as it was getting late in the afternoon we decided for an early tea and night for the boys who were a but tired and cranky.

View of the powered sites from the woolshed with the shearers quaters in the background

Saturday 27th April 

 We were over at the museum grounds not long after opening 9am and spent the morning exploring.


Jondaryan Wool Shed built from 1859 to1861 featuring 52 blade shearing stnad, The eastern side of the shed is still in its orginal condition the western end is a reconstruction as was removed in the 1940s

 The boys had a ball sitting on nearly every tractor they could. We then went and had damper and a billy tea for morning tea before continuing on our self guided tour. ( there are guided tours but the boys don't really have the patience to listen they just want to get going). We did join up with the tour group at the Wool shed to watch a demonstration of shearing the sheep and also how the dogs worked the sheep. It was then lunchtime so we headed back to the van for lunch.



Jondaryan Railway station arrived in 1868 and relocated in 1996




Display of horse drawn Wagons



A display of tractors



Woodleigh Cheese factory is fully restored and orginal steam driven equipment supplied 50 milk cheese and butter factories across the darling downs between 1950 and 1960s. Relocated in 1995




Bank of New South Wales. Built in Oakey in 1913 and shifted to the woolshed in 1986, is the last of the 2 storey banks built by the Bank of New South wales




Woodview School built in 1901 and closed in 1974 before being relocated in 1977




Wool bale branding signtures on the beams of the woolshed



When we arrived Friday night we noted the the wool shed was being set up for a wedding. What a amazing place to get married. The ceremony was down by the Oakey creek with the reception in the woodshed.


The wool shed set up for a wedding



Thou Saturday night was rather loud with the music pumping from the woodshed the boys went straight to sleep unlike me who was singing away (well as much as you can at a whisper level) and with my dancing pants on in bed at one point I was going over to gate crash in my pink pjs LOL 

Sunday 28th April

 We packed up and had left Jondaryan  by 9am for our camp spot, the Chinchilla Wier