The area of the Sandhills and Balnagowan Station, an area described as “exceedingly fertile with soils of a rich deep loam and splendidly watered from lagoons and running streams”, had seen the presence of Islanders since the mid 1870’s where they had worked for local landholders in produce gardens and growing peanuts and cotton. Some land holders began leasing five acre blocks of land to Islanders and on these leases they grew sweet potatoes, pawpaws, maize, cassava, peanuts, taro, potatoes cabbage and other vegetables, much of the produce being sold to others for sale again at Rockhampton and Mount Chalmers, the Sandhills became Joskeleigh when the block was registered in the name of a German, Joske, and his wife Leigh.
