33nd
Annual Festival
22 - 30 August 2009
The Australian Heritage Festival is a re-enactment and a celebration
of the pioneering lifestyles and skills of our rural forbears. From the
sheep, bullocks and horses that accompanied the first settlers on the
Darling Downs, through to the steam engines and tractors and trucks that
transformed pasture into farmland - it is all there for you to see. Visitors
can taste the food that sustained the early settlers, cooked as it was
then on the open fire, experience the hardships of life on the land a
century ago. You can see the wool come off the sheep’s back and
be transformed into yarn, cloth and clothing. You can feel what it was
like for the pioneering women to make a home in the harsh outback.
The Australian Heritage Festival started as a fundraiser for the fledgling
museum back in 1976, and the immediate success of the community-run and
volunteer-supported event has resulted in it becoming an annual event!
2008 Heritage Festival Brochure
The huge old woolshed, and 20 ha (50 acres) of land surrounding it, explodes
into life for nine full days in late August with such things as :
Shearing demonstrations and displays,
Spinning, Weaving, Wool Crafts and Products,
Bullock Teams,
Whipmaking, Harness making, leatherwork,
Horse teams, Horse-drawn ploughing, Horse-drawn rides,
Steam Engines, Steam Rollers,
Sawmilling, Shingle splitting, Timberworking,
Old Tractors, Hot-air engines, Stationary Engines, Vintage Trucks and
Cars,
Blacksmithing,
Sheep Dog Trials,
Swaggies, Bush characters,
Arts, Crafts, displays of old crafts
Cheese-making, Beekeeping,
Billy Tea and Damper,
Entertainment, Bush Poetry,
A full daily program starts at 9am on each of the nine days of the Festival,
focusing around the Grand Parade at 12.30 pm that showcases all aspects
of the Festival, and concludes at 4pm. Click
here for a brochure.
On the weekends there are extra activities such as Vintage Car
Club Displays, Bands, Bush Poetry and Country Music.
Who runs the festival?
The Australian Heritage Festival only occurs because of the dedication
and enthusiasm of hundreds of volunteers from all over Australia, and
the local area. These people give their time, skill, and often bringing
their own horses, bullocks, machinery, collections and crafts, and give
their time to contribute to the event. Over the years a broad network
of enthusiasts from all walks of life has developed and keeps growing.
If you are interested to participate in the Festival as an exhibitor or
volunteer, click here for
an expression of interest, or email
us for more information.
Volunteer
Application Form
Workplace Health
and Safety Site Induction for Volunteers
Festival admission prices:
Day |
2 Day Pass |
9 Day Pass |
|
Adult |
$15.50 |
$23.00 |
$31.00 |
Pensioner |
$13.50 |
$20.00 |
$27.00 |
Child |
$9.50 |
$13.50 |
$19.00 |
Family |
$45.00 |
$67.50 |
$90.00 |
Group Discounts apply
How do I get there?
The Jondaryan Woolshed is 15 kilometres west of Oakey, 45 kilometres west of Toowoomba, in the heart of Queensland's rich Darling Downs. The sheep have long gone further west, now replaced by strip farming and cattle feedlots.
Greyhound Coaches connect to Jondaryan a number of times every day. Phone 13 14 19 for times and bookings. Phone the Woolshed on 07 4692 2229 to arrange for a courtesy car or bus to collect you from the Greyhound stop in Jondaryan and take you to the Woolshed.
Many charter companies conduct tours to the Festival. Arrange for your social group to come for a great day out. Discounts apply for groups.
- Go to the location maps for directions on how to get there.
Sponsors
Jondaryan Woolshed Historical Museum and Park and the Jondaryan Shire Council acknowledge the support of the Queensland Events Regional Development Program; Heritage Building Society; Petro Fuels and Lubricants and many other sponsors and supporters.