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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!

Festival
a triumph for community spirit
Jondaryan
Station and Woolshed - a link to pioneer history
Working
like a pioneer to preserve skills
Powering
the Pioneers
Riding
the sheep's back into history
Governor
to open Festival
Spectacular
SportShear comes to Heritage Festival
Grand
Parade a unique experience
Steam
Wagon in Festival's Tractor Trek
Festival
recounts the Australian Wool Story
Parade
challenges Mother Nature's displays
Big
end planned for history festival
Competitors
gathher to round up a great weekend
Festival
success puts Woolshed at Community's heart

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,
and much much more

The festival this year will focus on the interaction of Wool, Wheels
and Work in the historical development of Australia.
The importance of wool to the development of the Australian
economy and psyche will be highlighted by such features as:
The launch of the Australian Wool Story, a major
new exhibition built around a significant collection of shearing and wool
industry memorabilia acquired from 50 years of collecting by Hugh Tindall.
- The Queensland Sports Shear Championships on Saturday, 1st September
- Shearing demonstrations each day
- Sheep dog trials on both weekends
- Champion fleece displays
- Sheep breed displays
- A comprehensive wool products expo
- A fashion parade of woollen garments
- Wool crafts
- A "100 years of knitting" display
- A theatrical presentation focusing on the wool theme
Wheels will feature in the steam engines, shearing gear,
windmills, motor vehicles and so many other mechanical devices that powered
the wool industry in particular and rural life in general. Volunteer enthusiasts
will man working displays of spinning wheels, weaving looms, pottery wheels,
wood lathes, wagon wheels, tractors, vintage cars and trucks, and much
more.
The work involved and achieved by our pioneers will
feature prominently with:
- Bullock and horse teams that carted the wool
- Timberworkers and sawmills involved in getting the materials to build
shearing sheds, homesteads, cottages and fences
- Blacksmiths who wrought iron into a multitude of fixings and tools
- Harness makers and whipmakers who made the gear to control the "horse-power"
that was vital to the early expansion of the frontier
- Everyday underpinning household chores of milking, butter and cheesemaking,
cooking in camp-ovens and wood stoves, making soap and beekeeping for
honey
- Handcrafts that resulted in clothing and the decorative touches that
made the house a home
- An "1890's Schools In" program celebrating the honing of
the skills of the next generation of pioneering families
There will also be performances, exhibitions, demonstrations and displays
illustrating how our forbears entertained one another, used their creativity
and otherwise dealt with the pressures of a primitive pioneering existence.
This will go on into the evening with camp-fire entertainment, food and
licenced bar.

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 the full program.
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.
What does it cost?
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 07 4692 2229, or ask at the Cobb & Co Roadhouse
in Jondaryan 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.
Bush camping
Unpowered camping, caravan, and motorhome sites are available close to
the Jondaryan Woolshed. There are two options of camping on offer, both
with no power:
- Self-contained sites, for those motor-homes and caravans with their
own amenities, water and power supply. We do not have blackwater disposal
facilities or water supply, but can direct you to facilities in Oakey.
- Sites closer to shared Showers and Toilets, with a limited water supply.
Admission is additional to camping fee
Self-Contained:$10 per site (up to 4 people) per night.
Extra - $4.00 per person per night.
(Not requiring Toilets/Showers or access to water or power)
With amenities: $15 per site (up to 4 people) per night
Extra - $5.00 per person per night
(Toilets/showers available. NO POWER)
Bookings for camping are advisable to avoid disappointment. Phone 4692
2229 or email info@jondaryanwoolshed.com.
For those needing powered sites and a bit more comfort, there is a fully
servicedcaravan park in Oakey only 15 minutes east of Jondaryan. Oakridge
Caravan Park, phone 4691 3330.
There is also a camping reserve on the Oakey Creek at Bowenville, 15
minutes west of Jondaryan, with toilets only.
Evening meals, Licenced bar and entertainment will be available for campers
on weekends.
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.

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