A Local News Article from 1931

THE owner of Jimboomba was the late Mr A I Henderson. Today all that remains of the station is the homestead area of some 6000 acres now in the possession of Mr James Henderson the son of the original owner Mr Henderson resides in Brisbane, and the property is being managed by his sons-Messrs C F Henderson and C Henderson. It is a beautiful property of open, well cleared, well-grassed paddocks with Henderson Creek winding its way round hills and through dales. On the banks of the creek and in view of the homestead, are some fine cultivations of maize.The homestead, now known as Jimboomba House was built mainly of cedar 80 years ago and is in an excellent state of preservation. It occupies a fine hill site from which one obtains an extensive view of the surrounding country. The property comprises a large dairy farm, a piggery, and a grazing area for some hun- dreds of cattle.PIONEERING WORK
In the early ’60 s the rich grazing lands of Jimboomba were attracting much attention and eventually they were thrown open to selection and were taken up quickly. One of the first settlers-if not actually the first was Mr Thomas Strachan who went to the district in 1863 Mr Strachan is now in his 82nd year and with the exception of a short visit to Gympie at

Picture– The timber ramp at Jimboomba railway station.the time of the gold rush there, he has resided in the district continuously. For more than 30 years he has been a member of the council of the Tam- borine Shire, of which Jimboomba is an important part. When this worthy pioneer went to the district it was thickly covered with forest, with large areas of scrub along the main water- ways-the Logan River and Sandy and Henderson creeks. Tribes of blacks were numerous. Mr. Strachan is a sturdy champion of the blacks, and declares that they were neither so treacherous nor so troublesome as some people have made out. If they were unfriendly at any time towards the white settlers it was mainly due to the fact that the settlers were unsympathetic to them. He always found them willing to work, and they were useful to the settlers in many ways. After Mr. Strachan and his fellow pioneers had cleared small patches of forest they undertook mixed farming. They first cultivated maize, but the price obtained was very low. They were then encouraged to grow cotton, as there was a bounty for its cultivation. The cotton was of excellent quality, and they did well with it until the bounty was withdrawn. During this period a cotton ginnery was established at Waterford, which was formerly an outstation of Jimboomba.

TIMBERGETTING
Timbergetting has always been a leading industry of Jimboomba, and has been responsible for giving employment to many persons. At one time 50 or 60 bullock waggons were engaged in the industry. The scrubs contained large quantities of pine, and it was on the pine that the timbergetters first concentrated their efforts. The pine was cut down, rafted down the Logan River, thence through Moreton Bay, and then up the Brisbane River to the sawmills in South Brisbane, including Pettigrew’s. When the pine was cut out the timbergetters turned their attention to the hardwoods of the forest lands. Hardwood logs were hauled to the camps on the Logan River, and there loaded on to small steamers and conveyed to the Brisbane mills. Although the timber industry shows a falling off, owing to the general depression, it is fairly busy, and bullock waggons laden with logs arrive at the railway station daily. During a recent week 33 waggon loads of hard- wood logs and 20 waggons of firewood left Jimboomba for various markets. The timber industry was an important factor in assisting settlement in the district. Many of those employed in it took-up selections, and carried out a certain amount of farming and grazing.

DAIRYING.
About 30 years ago dairying was undertaken on organised lines, although the herds were small and the quality of the cattle was poor. The cream was sent by train to the Queensland Meat Export Co., Ltd When the Beaudesert and Kingston Butter Factories started operations dairying in the district got a big lift. The herds were increased and the quality of the cattle much improved. To-day the herds, which range from 50 to 150 head, are for the most part of mixed breeds, but include a num- ber of good Illawarras. On an average 100 eight-gallon cans of cream are despatched weekly by train to the Beaudesert and Kingston factories, the greater quantity going to the Beau- desert factory, which is only 14 miles away. The dairy farms vary from 500′ to 1280 acres. They are well grassed and watered. Paspalum is grown largely in the district, and seems to do well. In conjunction with dairying, pig-farming is carried on extensively, the number of pigs kept ranging from eight to 300. A good class of pig for factory purposes is reared, and pig sales are held frequenty. Calf sales also are held about the same time, and are well attended. The district has an abundance of water. The chief sources are the Logan River and Sandy and Henderson Creeks, Only on two occasions-in 1873 and 1892-did the district suffer from any- thing like a severe drought. There also were two occasions when floods did a great deal of harm-in 1887 and 1893-when the waters rose to the level of the railway line near Jim- boomba Railway Station, which is by no means a low-lying part of the district. Although little has been done apart from timbergetting, dairying, and pig-raising, one or two settlers have been successful in growing citrus fruits, and one settler-Mr. C, Wynne -who intends to breed draught horses, recently purchased a fine draught stallion.

PICTURESQUE SETTING.
According to Mr. Strachan, Jimboomba is a native name signifying “jumping water,” such as when a river or creek overflows its banks, as the Logan River and Sandy and Hen- derson Creeks often did. Jimboomba is an area of hills and dales, and is (Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Strachan, Jimboomba.) beautifully open and well cleared. The district is situated between Beaudesert, Greenbank, and Mundoolun districts, and, with the mountains that rise round about it, it has a pic- turesque setting. It is 34 miles by rail from Brisbane, and a little less by road, and 30 miles from the border of New South Wales.  Its nearest point to the Kyogle line is six miles.  A little settlement has been formed about the railway station, and it in- cludes a store, a newsagency, a church, a State school, an hotel, and several cottages. The railway, whose terminus is Beaudesert, 14 miles fur- ther on, was opened to Jimboomba in 1888, and it is the boast of the settlers that it has always been a station that has paid, mainly owing to the tim- ber industry. Well-known residents of the district include Messrs. Robert Harrison, Percy Herbert, A. and J. Hinds, F. C. Til- ling, R. F. Davis, H. and A. Wynne, J. and T. Goonan, W. Eaton, T. Trace, J. Pidd, G. Harper, J. Edwards, A. S Rose, T. Kirk, T., D., and P. Pegley. J. and A. S. Jennings, A. J., and P. Dennis, Chas. Edmunds, R. Gray, and R. Smith.