Brandon, Queensland


Brandon is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Burdekin, Queensland, Australia. In the, Brandon had a population of 1,094 people.

Economy

Brandon is a sugarcane growing area with underground water supplies to irrigate crops. Wilmar Sugar Australia operates two sugar mills in Brandon, the Kalamia Sugar Mill in the north-east of the locality on Lilliesmere Road beside the Lilliesmere Lagoon and the Pioneer Sugar Mill in the west of the locality on Pioneer Mill Road.

History

Brandon was surveyed as a site for a township in 1882 and the first allotments were sold later that year. The town is named after Henry Brandon a sugar pioneer in the Mackay and Lower Burdekin regions. Henry Brandon was also the son-in-law of the notorious colonist, Korah Halcomb Wills.
Brandon Post Office opened on 6 September 1883.
Brandon Provisional School opened in the town on 9 April 1888. It became Brandon State School on 11 July 1898.
Kalamia State School opened beside the Kalamia Sugar Mill on 18 July 1928.
At the 2006 census, Brandon had a population of 783.
In the 2011 census, Brandon had a population of 1,267 people.
In the, Brandon had a population of 1,094 people.

Heritage listings

Brandon has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Brandon State School is a government primary school for boys and girls at Drysdale Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 45 students with 4 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff.
Kalamia State School is a government primary school for boys and girls at Lilliesmere Road. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 14 students with 1 teacher and 5 non-teaching staff.