Wallangarra, Queensland

Wallangarra lies in a valley between two ranges of mountains, which are branches of the Great Dividing Range. It is 878 m above sea level. There is a gap between the more Westerly range at Wyberba, about five kilometres north of Wallangarra. This gap has made Wallangarra the major inland border crossing for the New England Highway and what was the first railway line between Brisbane and Sydney.

Wallangarra station which is listed on the Register of the National Estate. Note the different style of awnings and the Queensland side compare to the New South Wales side

In 1885, the Queensland Government announced that a town would be formed where the railway line between Queensland and New South Wales would meet. On 29 June 1885, 179 lots were offered for sale at £8 per acre (£20/ha).[5] The town would provide a break-of-gauge between Queensland's narrow gauge Southern railway line of 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) and New South Wales's standard gauge Main North railway line of 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) when the two systems came together in 1888.[6] The railway station was named Wallan-garra (and remains so to this day officially)[7] and the town took its name from the station but used the spelling Wallangarra (with most people using the same spelling for the railway station).[2] The railway was the only rail link between Queensland and New South Wales until a standard gauge track was completed via Kyogle in 1930, with the completion of the bridge over the Clarence River at Grafton. From that time on, the Wallangarra railway station lessened in importance. Scheduled rail services ended in 1997.[8] In 2003, after major refurbishment, the station was reopened as a museum. The railway line from Stanthorpe to Wallangarra has continued to be maintained and steam trains taking tourists to Wallangarra occasionally operate.

On 12 September 1964 St Gabrielle's Anglican Church was dedicated by Bishop John Hudson. Its closure circa 2013 was approved by Bishop Robert Nolan.[9] The church building has been sold into private ownership but remains at 54 Merinda Street (28.9219°S 151.9308°E / -28.9219; 151.9308 (St Gabrielle's Anglican Church (former))).[10][11]

At the 2006 census, Wallangarra had a population of 385.[1]

Wallangarra has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Woodlawn Street: Wallangarra railway station[12]

During World War II, the Commonwealth Government created a general army store on the Queensland side of the border, and an ammunition dump on the New South Wales side. Dual gauge tracks were run to each store.

Access to the army stores was via Margetts St, one of the main roads in the town. The late Muriel Daphne Verdun Nicolson lived at 30 Margetts St from before WWII until her death in 2001. During WWII she reported that the flow of trucks and materiel went on all day and night.

As of 2013, the Wallangarra Stores Depot remained a major Australian Army logistics facility. It is used to store a wide range of engineering and general equipment, clothing, and tents. Bulk fuel storage handling apparatus are also held at the site.[13] The munitions storage facility is also still active in Jennings.[14]

Taking advantage of the rail junction Riverina Stock Feeds operated a packing plant opposite the Wallangarra railway station for many years until 1995. After that it moved to Warwick, a city 100 kilometres (62 mi) to the north. Warwick also has a major Woolworths warehouse. The Chairman of Woolworths who located the warehouse at Warwick grew up in Wallangarra.

The Anderson Meat Packing Company was restarted by Mr. A.W. Anderson[15] in 1938 after a 15-month closure.[16] Until 1982 it operated a large beef abattoir at Wallangarra. Anderson's employed in excess of 400 workers at the Wallangarra plant. The plant was located on the border so as to take advantage of rail lines from both Queensland and NSW.

After this closed the town's future looked dim. Ten years later, Thomas Foods International opened Australia's largest mutton works opened on a new site just to the east of the town. The mutton produced is Halal, and most of it is exported to Arab countries. The abattoir shut down in July 2016 for "the short to medium term" blaming low stock numbers and poor global trading conditions.[17]

Drive out along Margetts St, over the railway bridge, past the Rugby League grounds and out past the army. From there follow Old Paling Yard Road up the foothills of Mt Norman. There you will find a water treatment plant and a road branch to the left going down to Beehive dam. Beehive dam is in the mountains, and fed by a spring. It is a beautiful place for a picnic.

Wallangarra is situated on the picturesque Granite Belt, and is bounded by Sundown National Park to the West and Girraween National Park to the East.

Wallangarra cemetery, 2015

The Wallangarra cemetery is in McCall Street.

The Wallangarra branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms at 52 Rockwell Street.[18]

Rugby league legend Billy Moore lived in Wallangarra as a child. He is best known for playing for the North Sydney Bears and the Queensland State of Origin team. He was born in Tenterfield, New South Wales as this was the closest hospital.[19]

Climate data is recorded at the Wallangarra Post Office

Wallangarra is one of the coldest towns in Queensland, due to its altitude and extreme southerly location in the state. Maximum temperatures rarely rise above 15 °C (59 °F) in winter or above 30 °C (86 °F) in summer. Wallangarra holds the record for the lowest maximum temperature in Queensland, 2.4 °C (36 °F) on 3 July 1984.[20] Despite this, minimum temperatures are not as low due to local geographic variations, and towns well to the north such as Warwick and Oakey frequently record lower minimums.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wallangarra, Queensland.

• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Wallangarra
• Town map, 1970