Ballandean Homestead is situated on the eastern side of Sundown National Park in Southern Queensland between Stanthorpe and the NSW State Border in an area known as the Granite Belt. Sundown National Park is made up of Glenlyon, Nundubbermere and Ballandean Stations. This is a well known fruit growing district where many Italian migrants settled during the early 1900s and Soldier Settlers after the first world war. Thomas and Margaret Hannah arrived in a true pioneering year of 1854 Prior to 1840 Ballandean Run would have been classified as wilderness and beyond the Legal Limits of Settlement. There are few records of people who were in the employ of these large and scattered properties in the early years because there were many of them and they tended to come and go a lot. Thomas as a Shepherd and Margaret as a Cook on the Run would have had a very hard time of it.

Like most other large properties, Ballandean had its own cemetery which eventually fell into disrepair. Concern for the history of the district was raised at about the time of the Ballandean School Jubilee in 1959. Although many people remembered where some of the graves with their enclosing wooden picket fences were, it was not until the conclusion of the jubilee celebrations that a move was made to mark the cemetery permanently. A sub-committee was formed and 20 Pounds allotted for the purpose. Finally the cemetery was enclosed by a sturdy fence and a Granite Stone with Brass Plaque installed. On 27^th April 1970, one hundred and ten years after the first registered burial, a large assembly of interested people witnessed the official unveiling of the memorial.

Prior to 1859 when Queensland became a State in its own right, all births, deaths and property records were registered in New South Wales. Ballandean was located in the New England Region of NSW.

In the early days many pastoral properties reserved a portion of land for burial purposes in the absence of a district cemetery. The first burial in the Ballandean Cemetery registered in Queensland took place in 1860, twelve years before the town of Stanthorpe came into existence.

The following burials were made in the Ballandean Cemetery and near the Severn River: