The Hermitage, Queensland

The Hermitage is a rural locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the, The Hermitage had a population of 55 people. There is a large agricultural research facility in the locality.

Geography
The terrain ranges from 460 to 640 m above sea level with the lower land in the centre and south of the locality and the higher terrain in the north of the location.

The land use is crop growing with some grazing on native vegetation.

Climate
The lowest temperature in Queensland was -10.6 °C (12.9 °F) registered on 12 July 1965 in The Hermitage.

History
The Hermitage Research Facility was established in March 1897 and was known as the State Farm and/or the Experimental Farm, making it one of the oldest research centres in Queensland. The original land parcel included the homestead of The Hermitage farm. Its original purpose was to provide advice to farmers taking up land in the area through the Queensland Government's closer settlement programs. During the Great Depression, the land was leased for commercial income, but in 1946 resumed undertaking government experiments with wheat breeding. On Thursday 20 March 1997, a cairn with a time capsule was unveiled to celebrate the centenary of the research facility.

The locality was officially named and bounded on 14 September 2001. It takes its name from an early pastoral property called The Hermitage.

Demographics
In the, The Hermitage had a population of 54 people.

In the, The Hermitage had a population of 55 people.

Education
There are no schools in The Hermitage; the nearest schools are in Warwick.

Amenities
The Hermitage-Yangan branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms at 589 Warwick Yangan Road.

Facilities
The Queensland Government operates the Hermitage Research Facility at 604 Warwick Yangan Road (-28.2059°N, 152.1014°W). It occupies 228 ha with a variety of soil types. Research areas include plant breeding, drought tolerance, and disease screening. The crops researched include barley, sorghum, chickpeas and mungbeans.