PARNDANA: "The Place of Little Gums" was established in 1963 to
service the booming farming community of the time. The soldier
settlement scheme, which had began in 1948 almost doubled the
area of land under agriculturalon the Island. The first families
arrived in March 1948. The ex-soldier families lived in
primitive conditions - huts from the Loveday Internment Camp.
There were 174 soldier settlers. The first settlers moved onto
their allocated farms in 1951. Parndana is often described as a
typical smal Australian country town, there is a small shopping
centre with a 7 day bakery, three churches and a community
hotel. Take time to look around the area. The road verges
provide an ideal habitat for wildlife and, in late winter and
spring, are covered with wildflowers. On Easter Sunday, the
community conducts a street carnival featuring local produce and
crafts. We have named all the rooms in The Open House after the
first farms in dedication to the pioneers who faced the hardship
of early settlement in such