Jondaryan was first settled by Charles Coxon in 1842. It was named, so the accepted wisdom goes, after the Aboriginal word 'Jondooyan' which was the name given to a waterhole in the Oakey creek. The property changed hands a number of times in the 1840s and 1850s until it was purchased by Robert and Edwin Tooth (famous for their beer as well as their involvement in the establishment of the Bank of New South Wales and the Colonial Sugar Refining Company) in 1856.
The Jondaryan Station remained the centre of all activities in the area although the arrival of the railway in 1868 did much to increase the population of the town which rose to about 350 people before World War 1. The town was large enough to send 57 young men off to war in 1914.
The highlight of each year at Jondaryan is the nine day Australian Heritage Festival which is held at the end of August. During this period people come from all over Australia to display traditional bush crafts and the machinery in this remarkable museum complex all becomes operational.
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