Hendon, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Hendon is a small rural community located in the Southern Downs region of Queensland
, Australia
, situated 25 kilometres north of Warwick
and about 160 kilometres southwest of Brisbane
. In the 2006 census
, Hendon had a population of 519.
(near Toowoomba
) to Hendon on 11 March 1869. The southern line was extended to Millhill on 9 January 1871, and across the Condamine River
to Warwick and Cherry Gully on 8 December 1880; it eventually reached the New South Wales
border at Wallangarra
in 1887.
Hendon served as the railhead for the town of Allora
(surveyed in 1859), located four miles to the northeast. Black-soil roads linking Allora with the railway were often impassable after heavy rain. The residents of Allora and the Allora Municipal Council lobbied for a railway connection, which was opened from Hendon to Allora on 21 April 1897. The railway was built under the Railways Guarantee Act (1895), which required the Allora Municipal Council to share any losses and profits with the Railway Department for a period of 14 years. Due to the branch line's short length, the revenue apportionment between the main and branch lines was adjusted in 1899 to ensure the branch line's receiving its fair share of income. When the guarantee expired, the Allora Municipal Council received £1,200 as its share of the profits. An extension of the branch to Goomburra (east of Allora) opened on 23 August 1912.
In its early days Hendon consisted of the Railway Hotel, a hall, a primary school and a golf course. The hotel was located in Railway Street, adjacent to the railway station. The primary school opened in 1882; in 1887 it had an enrollment of 195 students, but the building was destroyed by fire on 19 October 1926. The new school building was moved from View Glen (near Toowoomba) to Hendon, and was completed on 14 June 1927. It closed on 1 June 1954.
The township was surveyed into a number of residential blocks; streets were named for district towns, early settlers and streams (such as Maryvale, Goomburra, Leslie and Glengallan). The population slowly drifted away from Hendon, which resulted in the loss of public facilities. The hall was moved to a district farm, and the hotel and school buildings disappeared. The railway station in 1963 had a stationmaster in charge, a siding accommodation, a fork-line connection to the Allora branch, telegraph and signal communication, cattle, sheep and pig yards and a goods shed. As of 2011, apart from the railway lines all other infrastructure is gone. The Goomburra branch was closed beyond Allora on 1 July 1961, with the balance of the branch out of use by the mid-1990s.
A number of new homes have been built in Hendon, and the population is slowly increasing. A steel merchant operates within the town; this business is the only major commercial enterprise.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, situated 25 kilometres north of Warwick
Warwick, Queensland
Warwick is a town in Queensland, Australia, lying south-west of Brisbane. It is the administrative centre of the Southern Downs Local Government Area. In 2006 the town of Warwick had a population of 12,562....
and about 160 kilometres southwest of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. In the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Hendon had a population of 519.
History
The village of Hendon developed after the opening of the Southern & Western Railway from Gowrie JunctionGowrie Junction, Queensland
Gowrie Junction is a town and locality north-west of Toowoomba. It contains a small shop, a school and a community hall. A shopping centre is also in the planning stages. The residents of Gowrie Junction funded and built the town recreational hall by themselves, largely through the efforts of the...
(near Toowoomba
Toowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...
) to Hendon on 11 March 1869. The southern line was extended to Millhill on 9 January 1871, and across the Condamine River
Condamine River
The Condamine River, part of the Murray-Darling Basin, drains the northern portion of the Darling Downs, an area of sub-coastal southern Queensland, Australia...
to Warwick and Cherry Gully on 8 December 1880; it eventually reached the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
border at Wallangarra
Wallangarra, Queensland
Wallangarra is a village on the border between Queensland and New South Wales in Australia. It is the third most southerly town in Queensland, 258 km south west of Brisbane. Wallangarra is on the Queensland side of the border and Jennings is on the New South Wales side...
in 1887.
Hendon served as the railhead for the town of Allora
Allora, Queensland
Allora is a town in south-western Queensland, Australia, on the Darling Downs 158 km south-west of the state capital, Brisbane. The town is in the Southern Downs Region. The township is located on the New England Highway between Warwick and Toowoomba...
(surveyed in 1859), located four miles to the northeast. Black-soil roads linking Allora with the railway were often impassable after heavy rain. The residents of Allora and the Allora Municipal Council lobbied for a railway connection, which was opened from Hendon to Allora on 21 April 1897. The railway was built under the Railways Guarantee Act (1895), which required the Allora Municipal Council to share any losses and profits with the Railway Department for a period of 14 years. Due to the branch line's short length, the revenue apportionment between the main and branch lines was adjusted in 1899 to ensure the branch line's receiving its fair share of income. When the guarantee expired, the Allora Municipal Council received £1,200 as its share of the profits. An extension of the branch to Goomburra (east of Allora) opened on 23 August 1912.
In its early days Hendon consisted of the Railway Hotel, a hall, a primary school and a golf course. The hotel was located in Railway Street, adjacent to the railway station. The primary school opened in 1882; in 1887 it had an enrollment of 195 students, but the building was destroyed by fire on 19 October 1926. The new school building was moved from View Glen (near Toowoomba) to Hendon, and was completed on 14 June 1927. It closed on 1 June 1954.
The township was surveyed into a number of residential blocks; streets were named for district towns, early settlers and streams (such as Maryvale, Goomburra, Leslie and Glengallan). The population slowly drifted away from Hendon, which resulted in the loss of public facilities. The hall was moved to a district farm, and the hotel and school buildings disappeared. The railway station in 1963 had a stationmaster in charge, a siding accommodation, a fork-line connection to the Allora branch, telegraph and signal communication, cattle, sheep and pig yards and a goods shed. As of 2011, apart from the railway lines all other infrastructure is gone. The Goomburra branch was closed beyond Allora on 1 July 1961, with the balance of the branch out of use by the mid-1990s.
A number of new homes have been built in Hendon, and the population is slowly increasing. A steel merchant operates within the town; this business is the only major commercial enterprise.
Sources
- John Kerr, Triumph of Narrow Gauge: Boolarong Publications, 1990
- Peter Doherty and Debbie Smith, Broad Horizons: The Story of Allora's Schools: Allora State School P&C, 1992
- Marjorie Deacon, Allora Hundred Years: Allora Shire Council, 1969
- Corbie Dhu, Allora's Past (1930)
- Book of Lists: Queensland Railways, 1963