Wannamal is the most northern town in the Shire. The town’s name is taken from the nearby Wannamal Lake, a name of Indigenous Australian origin that was first recorded in 1853. The meaning of the word is thought to mean lake.
Grazing leases were first taken in the area in the 1850s and by the 1870s a permanent settlement existed in the area. In 1892 the Midland railway was extended as far as Wannamal and a siding was opened in the townsite in 1895. The townsite was gazetted in 1908.
Tenders for the erection of a public hall were called for in early 1912, with the building being completed and opened in December the same year with a Grand Ball to celebrate.
There is a self-tour available of Wannamal to share the history of the area and an in-depth historic Wannamal book by long-term local Bruce Buchanan available at the Chittering Visitor Centre.
