Meringandan

---

title: "Meringandan" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1868-establishments-in-australia", "populated-places-established-in-1868", "toowoomba-region", "localities-in-queensland"] topic_path: "geography/australia" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meringandan" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox Australian place"]

Field	Value
type	suburb
name	Meringandan
state	qld
image	Main Street Meringandan.jpg
caption	Main Street, 2014
coordinates
pop	530
pop_year
pop_footnotes
established	1868
postcode	4352
area	23.3
timezone	AEST
utc	+10:00
dist1	4.8
dir1	NW
location1	Highfields
dist2	19.2
dir2	N
location2	Toowoomba CBD
dist3	145
dir3	W
location3	Brisbane
lga	Toowoomba Region
stategov	Condamine
stategov2	Toowoomba North
fedgov	Groom
near-n	Douglas
near-ne	Groomsville
near-e	Kleinton
near-se	Highfields
near-s	Woolmer
near-sw	Meringandan West
near-w	Meringandan West
near-nw	Muniganeen
::

| type = suburb | name = Meringandan | state = qld | image = Main Street Meringandan.jpg | caption = Main Street, 2014 | image_alt = | relief = | coordinates = | pop = 530 | pop_year = | pop_footnotes = | established = 1868 | postcode = 4352 | area = 23.3 | timezone = AEST | utc = +10:00 | dist1 = 4.8 | dir1 = NW | location1 = Highfields | dist2 = 19.2 | dir2 = N | location2 = Toowoomba CBD | dist3 = 145 | dir3 = W | location3 = Brisbane | dist4 = | dir4 = | location4 = | lga = Toowoomba Region | stategov = Condamine | stategov2 = Toowoomba North | fedgov = Groom | near-n = Douglas | near-ne = Groomsville | near-e = Kleinton | near-se = Highfields | near-s = Woolmer | near-sw = Meringandan West | near-w = Meringandan West | near-nw = Muniganeen Meringandan is a rural locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Meringandan had a population of 530 people.

Geography

The locality is on the Darling Downs near Highfields, 19 km NNW of Toowoomba.

It is drained by the meandering Meringandan Creek, which forms most of the boundary with Meringandan West.

History

Meringandan is a corruption of the aboriginal words, Moorin meaning fire and Gandan meaning clay. Therefore, Meringandan means 'place of fire and clay'.

Meringandan was once part of the Gowrie pastoral station, established in 1841. The district was opened to closer settlement in the 1870s with many Germans settling there.

About 1875, the German settlers established a Lutheran church. St Gregory's Anglican Church was established in 1886. A Congregational Church opened in 1909. A Church of Christ opened in 1919.

Meringandan State School opened on 24 January 1876. It was built in 1875 by Jack Maag. Isaac John Thomas was appointed the first head teacher of the school. The enrolment for that year was 80 pupils. It is now within the suburb boundaries of Meringandan West.

A branch railway line was constructed from Toowoomba to Cabarlah, and the first train ran in September 1883. As Meringandan had a railway station, the settlers in the Goombungee and Haden areas used it to forward their goods. Most farmers did their carting, but well-known carriers were Jack Wieck, Herman Lau, George Klein and Jack Lange. In the early 1900s, a line of teams stretching for half a mile, waiting to load or unload at the railway station, was a familiar sight. However, the construction of the Haden railway line to Haden in 1910 reduced the need to use Meringandan's railway station; meanwhile, the use of motor transport was increasing. Following the closure of the railway yards, the railway station was replaced with a park.[[File:Fields along Cooby Dam Road at Meringandan.jpg|thumb|Fields along Cooby Dam Road, 2014]]St Gregory's Anglican Church was consecrated on Sunday, 12 September 1886 by Bishop William Webber. It was located on a 1 acre piece of land near the railway station, donated by Mr Foland. Mr Maag built it, and it was 18 by 38 ft and could seat 150 people. In 1905, it was relocated to Kingsthorpe, where it was re-consecrated as St Gregory's by Archbishop St Clair Donaldson on 20 October 1905. It closed circa 1982.

On Sunday, 2 February 1896, a new Lutheran church opened, replacing the previous one that had become dilapidated over its quarter century of use. L. Goebel and Son of Gomoran built the new church. The church was 40 by 20 ft with the vestry 12 by 14 ft and the porch 7 by 8 ft with 14 ft high walls. Inside, there was an elevated cedar pulpit.

At the beginning of the 1900s, the Court House was moved from Cabarlah and erected at Meringandan.

Before 1900, the farmers' wives baked their bread, but early in the century, a bakery was established by O. Wuersching, the first baker employed being Walls.

Brigalow Park Provisional School opened on 17 October 1910. On 1 May 1912, it became Brigalow Park State School. It closed on 13 April 1962.

Demographics

In the , Meringandan had a population of 305 people.

In the , Meringandan had a population of 487 people.

In the , Meringandan had a population of 530 people.

Education

There are no schools in Meringandan. The nearest government primary schools are Meringandan State School in neighbouring Meringandan West to the west, Geham State School in Geham to the east, and Highfields State School in Highfields to the south-east. The nearest government secondary school is Highfields State Secondary College in Highfields to the south-east.

Amenities

Library services in Meringandan are provided by the Toowoomba Regional Council's mobile library service. The van visits Meringandan State School and Meringandan Produce Store every Thursday.

References

References

1. {{cite QPN. 49182. Meringandan. locality in Toowoomba Region
2. "Layers: Locality; Mountains and ranges; Contours; Watercourse". [[Queensland Government]].
3. "Meringandan". University of Queensland.
4. "German Lutheran Church {{!}} Meringandan".
5. (28 August 1886). "The Brisbane Courier.". [[The Brisbane Courier]].
6. "St Gregory's Anglican Church {{!}} Meringandan".
7. (29 May 1909). "DISTRICT NEWS". [[Darling Downs Gazette]].
8. "Meringandan Congregational Church {{!}} Meringandan".
9. (5 April 1919). "CHURCH OF CHRIST.". [[The Toowoomba Chronicle]].
10. "Queensland schools past and present". [[Queensland Family History Society]].
11. (2012-03-20). "History".
12. {{Queensland Globe
13. (14 September 2021). "Toowoomba Regional Landscape and Urban Character Study & Toowoomba Regional Secenity Amenity Study: Meringandan". [[Toowoomba Regional Council]].
14. (13 September 1886). "QUEENSLAND NEWS.". [[The Brisbane Courier]].
15. (15 September 1886). "Tea-Meeting and Concert at Meringandan.". [[Darling Downs Gazette]].
16. Anglican Church of Southern Queensland. "Closed Churches".
17. (5 February 1896). "OPENING OF GERMAN LUTHERAN CHURCH at Meringandan.". [[Darling Downs Gazette]].
18. {{Census 2011 AUS
19. {{Census 2016 AUS
20. {{Census 2021 AUS
21. "Layers: Locality; Schools and school catchments". [[Queensland Government]].
22. "Mobile library". [[Toowoomba Regional Council]].

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