Boonah

History

Ugarapul the Aboriginal language of South-East Queensland.the name and dialect of a clan that is used within the local government boundaries of City of Ipswich, Lockyer Valley Region and Somerset Region. The history of Boonah township is connected to the nearby settlement of Dugandan which was named after the Dugandan pastoral run that was taken up in August 1844 by Macquarie McDonald and his brother Campbell Livingstone McDonald. Dugandan was one of the earliest pastoral holdings in Queensland. In its early years the area was stocked with sheep but the region was discovered to be well suited for cattle and over time became renowned for the quality of its beef and dairy herds. In 1873, part of the Coochin Coochin pastoral run was acquired by Frederick Macarthur Bowman who named his property Denelgin. Frederick Bowman took advantage of the suitability of the area for cattle and is considered one of the dairying pioneers of the region. Variously known as Dugandan Scrub and Blumbergville, Boonah was also positioned within the boundaries of the early Dugandan property. Following the introduction of the Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1868 and the subdivision of the large pastoral runs, the settlement fell within the boundaries of a new 320 acre property acquired by John Hooper in 1878. As late as 1888, the courts of petty sessions were described as occurring at "Boonah, otherwise known as Blumbergville". The Dugandan Provisional School opened on 15 July 1878 between Dugandan Scrub and Dugandan Flats next to the Teviot Brook on land which would eventually fall within the boundaries of the Blumbergville/Boonah township. (A separate Dugandan State School operated between 1917 and 1966 in Dugandan). The Fassifern railway line (Queensland's first branch railway line) opened…

Geography

The town is positioned near the Fassifern Valley, McPherson Range and Main Range. It is surrounded by hills, including Mount French and other Moogerah Peaks. Frog Buttress is a popular rock climbing cliff on the north-west side of Mount French. The Wyaralong Dam was constructed east of Boonah on Teviot Brook, a tributary of the Logan River. At full supply level, water would have inundated parts of the road connecting Boonah and Beaudesert, so a new section of road has been built. Water for the town is supplied from Lake Moogerah on Reynold's Creek, a tributary of the Bremer River. Maroon Dam is another reservoir built south of Boonah at the base of the McPherson Range. State Route 93, a road with two names, runs through the locality, entering from the north as Ipswich–Boonah Road (Coronation Drive in the town) and exiting to the south as Boonah–Rathdowney Road (Yeates Avenue). Boonah–Fassifern Road (State Route 90) exits to the west from its junction with the other roads.

Most-observed species

• Torresian Crow

  Corvus orru Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  1,230
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  1,162
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  1,076
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  1,008
• Brown Honeyeater

  Lichmera indistincta (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827) · Aves
  889
• Noisy Miner

  Manorina melanocephala (Latham, 1801) · Aves
  889
• Welcome Swallow

  Hirundo neoxena Gould, 1842 · Aves
  875
• Superb Fairywren

  Malurus cyaneus (Ellis, 1782) · Aves
  849