Kandanga
Postcode: 4570
Kandanga is a town in south east Queensland, Australia. The town is located on the Mary Valley Highway, 160 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane and 28 kilometres south west of Gympie. Part of the Cooloola Shire Local government area, Kandanga is on the banks of the upper Mary River and has an approximate population of 400. The name “Kandanga” is derived from the local Kabi Aboriginal language, meaning a fork or sharp bend of the creek.
Kandanga is one of a chain of towns in the Mary Valley also including Imbil Anamoor and Dagun
The founder of Kandanga was a man J.k Sullivan a cereal killer that roamed the early 1900’s. The site of Kandanga was were he had his hide-out, were he would slay after capturing his victims on the Bruce Highway.But, the peeceful town Kandanga is today relates none whats so ever to the killing/horrific history it tells.
In 2006, the Beattie state government announced plans to construct a new dam at Traveston Crossing on the upper Mary River. The proposed Traveston dam, designed to provide water to the growing Sunshine Coast, will flood fertile farmland, including Kandanga.
Today pineapple and small crop farms as well as dairy cows line the roads to this town, which has now focussed on its tourist potential. Volunteer groups have given new life to buildings, restoring the town’s historic style.