Boonah, Queensland

Boonah is both a town and a locality of the Scenic Rim Region in south-eastern Queensland, Australia. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 2,474.GeographyThe town is positioned near the Fassifern Valley, McPherson Range and Main Range. It is surrounded by hills, including Mount French and other Moogerah Peaks. Frog Buttress is a popular rock climbing cliff on the north-west side of Mount French.HistoryThe history of Boonah township is connected to the nearby settlement of Dugandan which was named after a pastoral run of the same name that was taken up in August 1844 by Macquarie McDonald and his brother Campbell Livingstone McDonald. Dugandan was one of the earliest pastoral holdings in Queensland. In its early years the area was stocked with sheep but the region was discovered to be well suited for cattle and over time became renowned for the quality of its beef and dairy herds. Adjacent to the property of Dugandan was Coochin Coochin station. In 1873, part of the Coochin Coochin pastoral run was acquired by Frederick Macarthur Bowman who named his property Denelgin. Frederick Bowman took advantage of the suitability of the area for cattle and is considered one of the dairying pioneers of the region.