Kandanga
Kandanga
THE name “Kandanga” is derived from the local Kabi language, meaning a fork or sharp bend of the creek.
This is a village founded on timber-getting, where sawmills and timber trucks were once plenty.
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. Here you will also find several murals by prominent artist Lizzie Connor, which link Gympie to the Mary Valley along the original railway line.
Grab a cold beer at the Kandanga Hotel overlooking the railway bridge.
The Platform Markets are held at the station for a couple of hours when the Valley Rattler comes through on Wednesdays and Sundays, from 10.30am.
Sport has played a prominent part in this community, and Kandanga boasts a swimming pool (open afternoons in summer), sporting grounds, tennis courts (have a social hit on Mondays and Thursdays from 3.30pm) and a lawn bowls club which has sent many players to State competition and offers meals on a Friday night.
Four-wheel-drive enthusiasts will love the surrounding forest drives which lead inland to Jimna and over the hill to Amamoor, Dagun and Kenilworth. Just remember to get a permit!