Ideraway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ideraway Queensland
Citrus orchard, 2014
Ideraway Location in Queensland
Population	31 (2021 census)
• Density	0.873/km2 (2.26/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4625
Area	35.5 km2 (13.7 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	5.5 km (3 mi) NNE of Gayndah 153 km (95 mi) W of Maryborough 152 km (94 mi) SW of Bundaberg 331 km (206 mi) NNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	North Burnett Region
State electorate(s)	Callide
Federal Division(s)	Flynn
Localities around Ideraway: Reids Creek Yenda Mount Lawless Reids Creek Ideraway Bon Accord Dirnbir Gayndah Bon Accord

Ideraway is a small country town in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. It is also a locality, which is like a local area. In 2021, only 31 people lived in Ideraway.

Ideraway's Location and Land Use

Citrus growing in Ideraway, 2014

The Burnett River flows along Ideraway's south-east side. Reid Creek forms its western border. The Burnett Highway road also goes through the area.

Most houses are in the town itself, which is in the south-east part of the locality. People mostly use the land for grazing animals like cattle in the south. In the north, they grow crops.

A Look Back at Ideraway's History

How Ideraway Got Its Name

The name Ideraway comes from a large sheep farm. This farm was leased by James Blair Reid starting in 1848. Over ten years, he gathered six smaller sheep stations to create the Ideraway farm. These stations had names like Tanjour and Binjour. Later, in 1869, two parts of the farm were sold off. They became a cattle property called Mungy.

Early Life and Changes

In the 1850s and 1860s, there were some conflicts between settlers and First Nations people in the area. In the early 1870s, some children from Ideraway Station were baptised into the Anglican church. These children had Chinese fathers and First Nations mothers. The original Ideraway Homestead building has been moved. You can now see it at the Gayndah Museum.

Land for Farming

In 1905, the Queensland Government bought the Ideraway land. They wanted to divide it into smaller farms for people to settle on. This was different from earlier ideas where people tried to farm together. This new plan allowed individuals to choose their own land. However, this farming plan did not work out very well in the end.

Battling Prickly Pear

Around that time, the area became covered in a plant called prickly pear. This plant was a big problem for farmers. Before a special moth was brought in to eat the prickly pear, people used poison to kill it. A local inventor, P. H. Gerhardt, even created a special tool called the Gerhardt Injector to put the poison into the plants.

In 1926, the cactoblastis cactorum moth was released. This moth helped control the prickly pear. After the moth arrived, butter production in the nearby Gayndah area grew a lot. Cream from Ideraway was sent to butter factories. The area became well-known for its butter in the 1930s.

Trains and Schools

The Mungar Junction to Monto railway line opened in 1907. Ideraway had its own railway station. Over the years, fewer trains ran as more people used roads. In 2017, the train tracks were removed, and the station was closed.

Ideraway State School opened in 1909. It closed around 1952. The Ideraway Post Office also opened in 1909 but closed in 1957.

Who Lives in Ideraway?

In 2011, there were 225 people living in Ideraway. By 2016, the population was 38 people. In 2021, the number of people living in Ideraway was 31.

Important Old Bridges

Ideraway Creek Railway Bridge (Ideraway), from North bank

Ideraway Creek has some special old bridges that are important to history. These include:

• The Ideraway Creek Railway Bridge
• The Steep Rocky Creek Railway Bridge

These bridges are part of a group of 12 railway bridges on the Mungar Junction to Monto railway line. They are considered the best example of historic railway bridges in Australia.

Farms and Homes

There are several homesteads, which are main farmhouses, in the Ideraway area:

• Banapan
• Burnett View
• Dentara
• Ideraway
• Yenda

Learning in Ideraway

There are no schools directly in Ideraway. Kids living here usually go to school in the nearby town of Gayndah. Gayndah State School is for primary students. Burnett State College in Gayndah is for high school students.

Images for kids

• 

  Citrus orchard, 2014