In 1853, James, Norman and Charles Leith-Hay established the Rannespastoral lease and Banana was an outstation of this property. Banana became its own squatting leasehold sheep station property in 1855 with the Leith-Hays and Thomas Holt holding the licence.[5] In 1855 a group of Aboriginal people attacked Banana Station wounding five people and stealing 3,000 sheep. In April 1858, a number of Aboriginal people in an unprovoked attack, murdered 4 men at Camboon and had stolen a carbine, gun powder and balls, and some axes. They then proceeded to attack the sheep station at Banana resulting in three shepherds being wounded. While the shepherds were defending themselves, an Aboriginal man was killed. Native Police troopers were deployed to patrol the area and a 1859 map shows a police station marked on the planned site for Banana.[6][7]
The name Banana derives from an old dun-coloured working bullock, called Banana, used by local stockmen to help them when herding some of the wilder cattle into the yards.[2][8][9]
The post office at Banana was established on 1 September 1861,[10][11] and the first township allotments were offered for sale in that same year.[12]
In 1887, there was a minor gold rush at Banana, increasing the population by a few hundred people.[13]
Banana Provisional School opened on 18 September 1871 and was upgraded to Banana State School on 16 February 1874. The school closed in 1935, but reopened on 25 January 1960.[14][15][16]
In 1880, the local government area Banana Division (later the Shire of Banana) was established with its headquarters in Banana (taking its name from the town). However, in 1930 the shire headquarters became Rannes and the shire offices were physically relocated from Banana to Rannes. Since 1946, the shire has its headquarters in Biloela.[17]
There are no secondary schools in Banana; the nearest government secondary schools are Moura State High School in neighbouring Moura to the west and Biloela State High School in Biloela to the east.[25]
^Banana, Central Queensland: yesterday and today. Biloela, Queensland, Australia: The Central Telegraph. 1974. p. 30.
^From series of articles published under the title Queensland place names and obelisks by Sydney May (formerly Honorary Secretary of the Queensland Place Names Committee) in Local Government, June 1957 - November 1964
^"Shire Information". Banana Shire. Banana Shire Council. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
^Porter, Harry S. (1954) Queensland Numeral Cancellations, p. 13. Melbourne: The Hawthorn Press
^Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
^"Rannes". Morning Bulletin. Vol. XXXIX, no. 7005. Queensland, Australia. 8 November 1887. p. 5. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
^Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN978-1-921171-26-0
^"Banana Shire". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
Perry, Betty; Banana Shire Council (2005), Two valleys - one destiny : a history of Banana, 'shire of opportunity', Banana Shire Council, ISBN978-0-9750079-1-4
