The original inhabitants of the area are the
Aboriginal people belonging to the
Wakka Wakka (or Waka Waka) people. The area was used as a gateway to
bunya nut festivals, for which Aboriginal people would travel from as far away as the
Clarence River in northern
New South Wales and the
Maranoa River to feast on bunya nuts from the
bunya trees. The name Nanango has evolved from the Wakka Wakka word "nunangi", but there is dispute over its meaning. The word was either the name of a significant gathering place, In 1842 the Scott family opened Taromeo Station on the top of the Blackbutt Range. In 1847 John Borthwick and William Oliver from
Ipswich, who took up pastures for sheep grazing in 1847. The first commercial establishment at the site of Nanango township was Goode's Inn, founded by prospector Jacob Goode in July 1848. The inn served travellers journeying from
Brisbane and Limestone (now known as
Ipswich), and became the meeting place for early residents of Taromeo, Tarong and Nanango stations. The town of Nanango quickly developed around it. Goode's original rough slab structure met the licensing conditions because his first licence for the "Burnett Hotel situated at Barambah Creek" was given at a special licensing meeting on 26 April 1849. Nanango claims to be the fourth-oldest town in Queensland, but such claims depend on how the age of the town is determined. In some cases, it is by the first settlement (usually for
pastoral purposes in or near the relevant town), or it might be date of the first survey for a town plan. Nanango's claim to be fourth-oldest is based on the first establishment of commercial premises, which is Goode's Inn. On that basis, it is the fourth oldest, following
Ipswich (then called Limestone),
Drayton, and
Maryborough. However, Nanango was not surveyed as a town site until 1861, and several other towns were surveyed before that. Nanango State School opened on 1 January 1866. In January 1955, it was expanded to have a secondary school department, an arrangement that continued until Nanango State High School opened on 25 January 1982. Beef, dairy and timber, in particular the valuable red cedar
(Toona ciliata), were the primary early industries in the area. The discovery of gold at the Seven Mile Diggings near Nanango in 1867 precipitated a small gold rush, creating a local population boom. Land in Nanango was
open for selection on 17 April 1877, and were made available.
The Nanango News commenced publication in December 1899. It was established by Mr McNamara. In June 1903, Nanango was the site of a criminal case following the
shooting of publican Joseph Gillespie at the Royal Hotel on 11 June. Contemporary
reports stated that Gillespie was shot shortly after 9 o’clock in the evening. The accused, Henry Corbett, was arrested and initially charged with wilful murder. He was committed for trial and appeared before the
Brisbane Supreme Court in August 1903. During the trial, evidence was presented that Corbett had been heavily intoxicated at the time of the
shooting. On the suggestion of the
Chief Justice, the
Crown Prosecutor reduced the charge from wilful
murder to
manslaughter. Corbett was convicted and sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment with
hard labour, to be served at
Boggo Road Gaol. Between 1905 and 1907, Nanango was the centre of a sequence of criminal cases involving several itinerant workers in the district. In 1905, Wallum Nabby was before the courts, charged with arson for allegedly burning down August Millewski's barn near Nanango.
The Crown did not proceed with the prosecution after no true bill was filed. Also in 1905, a man described in newspapers as an
Indian labourer, Johnny Do, was killed, and Nabby, was charged with his
murder. The case was heard at the
Maryborough Circuit Court, and in 1906 Nabby was
acquitted. In August 1907, Nabby disappeared from the district and was later found
murdered.
Police investigations led to the
arrest of August (Gustav) Millewski, who was tried at
Maryborough in October 1907 and found guilty of Nabby’s murder. Millewski was sentenced to death on 17 October 1907 and was executed at
Boggo Road Gaol on 16 December 1907. A second population boom occurred when the
Brisbane Valley railway line was extended to
Yarraman in 1911. On 13 November 1911, Nanango railway station () became the terminus of a branch off the
South Burnett railway line at
Kingaroy. A missing rail link between Nanango and
Yarraman, although planned, was never built. St Patrick's Catholic Primary School was established by the
Sisters of Mercy on 28 April 1912. In February 1913, of Nanango Station, in areas of from , were advertised to be auctioned by Jno Darley and W. Hamilton, on behalf of Mr Jas Millis. A map advertising the auction stated that the Estate was situated from Nanango where there is "an up to date butter factory and public offices". The land was described as mainly creek flats fronting Barker's Creek, rich alluvial and black soil suited to growing lucerne, potatoes, wheat, oats and maize. Some blocks also have access to Meandu Creek as a permanent source for water. On 29 January 1920, the Nanango
War Memorial was unveiled by
Major-General Thomas William Glasgow. A
Baptist congregation was formed in Nanango in 1929 and was officially constituted in 1932. The Nanango Baptist Church officially opened at 81 Drayton Street () on Saturday 29 February 1936. In 1998, the congregation needed a more spacious church and relocated to a new building at 37 Mount Stanley Road, under the new name of Nanango Community Baptist Church. The old church was sold into private ownership. The development of the
Tarong Power Station led to a population increase in Nanango.. In April 1921, two subdivisions at Nanango and Tarong Estate and Township were advertised for auction by John Darley and Isles, Love and Co. The Tarong Estate, from Nanango and Tarong railway stations, offered 25 agricultural farms and 62 town allotments, while the Grange Estate, from Nanango and from Kingaroy, in the Parish of Booie, offered 15 dairy farms. Nanango State High School opened on 25 January 1982, having previously been a secondary department attached to Nanango State School. ==Population==