SOUTH BURNETT REGIONAL TIMBER INDUSTRY MUSEUM AND WONDAI VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE

Welcome to Wondai

Welcome to the South Burnett Regional Timber Industry Museum and Wondai Visitor Information Centre! Stop by to trace this quaint timber town’s historic roots, and chat to friendly locals who can plant the seed of inspiration for your next adventure.

This multi-award-winning attraction preserves and celebrates the history of the timber industry which underpinned the early settlement of the region and has continued to play an important part in its ongoing development.

The Wondai Visitor Information Centre is a great place to begin your exploration of this charming country town. Pick up some helpful hints from locals eager to share their knowledge of the best places to visit and things to experience in the area. Learn about the pioneering days of the town’s timber industry, purchase locally produced wooden items at the well-stocked gift shop, or pay a visit to the Woodcrafters’ Workshop next door to the museum, where local woodworkers regularly demonstrate their skills crafting a wide variety of local timbers.

The South Burnett Regional Timber Industry Museum and Wondai Visitor Information Centre is in the heart of town, within easy walking distance of a cluster of award-winning heritage and cultural attractions, rustic gift shops, tea gardens and antique stores.

With a range of accommodation and dining options, this relaxed and welcoming town is a great place to stop off on your way to Lake Boondooma or as you meander your way along the South Burnett Wine and Food Trail.

With its charming streetscape and old-fashioned friendliness, Wondai is a warm and welcoming town that’s small in size, but big in heart. Come and check it out for yourself!

History

For centuries before European explorers arrived, the area’s traditional custodians, the Wakka Wakka people, inhabited these lands, using its rich resources for sustenance and cultural practices. Wandai, in the Wakka Wakka language, means dingo.

European sheep graziers and pastoralists first started establishing farmlands in the area in the mid 1800’s, with more intensive settlement occurring in the early 1900s, along with the construction of the local railway.

Timber was another primary attraction for early European settlers to the area. The surrounding forests offered an abundance of valuable timber species, including hoop pine and red cedar. Timber milling operations flourished, and the town's growth was closely tied to this industry. The railway’s opening allowed for the efficient transportation of timber from the forests to the markets, facilitating the town's economic expansion. While maintaining a productive hardwood timber industry, the community has continued to evolve with its economic contributors, with surrounding lands serving as successful cattle and grain-growing country.

The rich heritage of the area is reflected in many of the quaint buildings and houses that line the tidy town streets, many of which retain the character and charm of the early years of settlement.

Take a journey down memory lane as you take a wander through Wondai!

Description of Displays

Opened in 2001, the South Burnett Regional Timber Museum and Visitor Information Centre is (and perhaps unsurprisingly) a traditional timber structure, surrounded by beautiful gardens. It is flanked by life-size sculptures of a bullocky and his head bullocks, an old water-well and post-and-rail fence. On the eastern end of the building is the stainless-steel silhouette of a timber cutter and a large blue gum log.

As you enter, you can expect to be greeted with a warm welcome from the friendly team, and perhaps the subtle pleasant scent of fresh-cut timber wafting from the workshop next door.

Inside you’ll find a variety of interpretive displays that showcase the history of the timber industry in the area. An impressive wagon camp diorama, complete with a restored bullock wagon, effectively captures the pioneering spirit of those involved in the felling and logging of timber in the early 1900s. Photos, artifacts, and timber samples are set against authentic wooden slabs and shingles, offering visitors a unique insight into an industry that helped shape and grow this region’s economy. The on-site Visitor Information Centre has lots of helpful tourist information on hand, including maps, brochures, and assistance with general enquiries.

In the Woodcrafter’s Workshop next door, woodworkers periodically demonstrate their trade, and a display of over 100 wooden mushrooms highlights the extensive variety of timber produced within the region.

The gift shop is a great place to pick up a wooden keepsake of your visit, and to immerse your senses in the solid polished textures and warm, earthy scents of locally made timber products.

Other Local Highlights

Just a few minutes’ walk from the Timber Industry Museum and Visitor Centre you’ll discover the historic wonders of the Wondai Heritage Museum. This fascinating attraction offers intriguing insights into the past and people of Wondai and the surrounding area, spanning over 120 years. Highlights include the relocated 1910 Wondai Hospital operating theatre, the historic Machinery Shed, a 1930s Slab Barn, and the 1920s Oddfellows Hall, with each building housing a fascinating collection of implements, artifacts, and memorabilia from yesteryear.

While you’re in town, why not drop in to the Wondai Regional Art Gallery, locally known as ‘the art heart of the South Burnett’. Once the original stationmaster’s residence, this tastefully renovated building (dating back to the early 1900s) still exudes old-world charm, emphasised by the original timber flooring. The gallery features new exhibits from across the state each month, as well as a ‘Kids Korner’ of local school children’s artwork, and locally made arts and crafts for sale. Exhibiting artists are often on-hand to discuss their works. A light supper is available, and a local cellar door offers wine-tastings, making this a truly multi-sensory experience.

Fossick for treasures in the local antique stores, or sit and soak in the relaxed ambience at the quaint Village Green.Country markets are held on the fourth Saturday of each month in Coronation Park, from 7am to 12 noon.

Accessibility

The South Burnett Regional Timber Industry Museum and Wondai Visitor Information Centre is located at 80 Haly Street, in the small town of Wondai in Queensland’s South Burnett. This relaxed rural region feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of city life, yet is only a two-hour drive from the capital city of Brisbane, directly west of the stunning Sunshine Coast. Coaches provide a carefree mode of transport to and around the region. Translink trains run to Caboolture, and Pursers coaches run services three times per week from Caboolture Station to the South Burnett region, with stops including (but not limited to) Yarraman, Nanango, Kingaroy, Wondai and Murgon. Please visit www.purserscoaches.com.au for the latest timetable and ticketing information. Please note, there is no other public transport available in the small country community of Wondai, or within the South Burnett region.

The centre is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm, and 9am to 1pm on weekends and public holidays. To confirm the centre’s current opening hours, please call 07 4189 9555.

Accessible car parking is available, and the museum and visitor centre is accessible to wheelchair users and guests with limited mobility. Public toilets, including accessible bathrooms, are in a small park next door to the centre. If you are requiring a grassy area for toileting your assistance dog, there is a beautiful garden and grassed area in front of the centre, or the park next door offers another convenient option.