Nindooinbah house, located in extensive gardens on a rural property, has distant views to the southeast across a lagoon and valley towards the surrounding hills. Buildings and structures related to the pastoral activities of the property are located to the northwest of the house.
A single-storeyed timber construction set on low timber stumps, the house is clad in wide chamferboards and has painted corrugated iron roofs. It has an E-shaped plan consisting of three rectangular wings around a northwest courtyard and a central entry porch. A timber pergola leads to the semi-enclosed entry porch which adjoins the verandah. Most rooms are accessed from the continuous verandah through wide french doors.
The original L-shaped building now forms the eastern corner of the house and contains the main bedroom and attached bathroom, drawing room, smaller bedrooms and the 'telephone' room, once the original dining room. The 1906 addition copies many of the details of the original house including balustrading and external wall cladding.
The northeast wing contains bedrooms and bathrooms. The addition is clearly separated from the original house by a corridor that links the courtyard verandah with the northeast verandah. The southeast wing, facing the garden and the view, houses the original drawing room and dining room and the new dining room, guest room and toilets. The Dods' designed dining room, adjacent to the 1858 building, has features not found elsewhere in the house; silky oak panelling, a vaulted ornamental plaster ceiling, bay windows protruding onto the verandah and other decorative details including an inscription over the fireplace. The guest room, next to the dining room, has original carpets, wallpapers, fabrics and furniture made from a bunya pine felled to make way for the extension. The south west wing, narrower than the other two wings with a verandah only on the courtyard side, contains the kitchen, ancillary rooms and servants quarters. A bedroom has been built into the northern corner of the verandah.
The roof of the house, hipped at the eastern and southern corners, is terminated by a double gable on the northern corner and a single gable on the western corner. The gables are decorated with oval shaped ventilation panels. Three brick chimney stacks protrude above the roof.
The large gardens and sweeping lawns that surround the house, based on the original planting schemes, are a mixture of a formal and picturesque layout. Avenues of palms mark paths to the house and specimen trees such as figs and bunya pines frame distant views. Formal flower beds are planted close to the house on the southeast and northwest sides. The garden contains a tennis court, fish pond and various pavilions. These include recent additions of a studio on the knoll in front of the house, once a cottage attached to the managers house, a tea house built over a new pond to the south of the house and a new fernery replacing a demolished bush house near the pond. The kitchen gardens, greenhouse, laundry and water tanks are on the southwest side of the house adjacent to the service wing. The boundaries of the garden are marked by a timber fence and elaborate timber gateways that show the influence of the fashionable taste for chinoiserie.
Buildings related to the pastoral and agricultural activities of the property are located outside the formal gardens. These include a single-storeyed timber manager's house, storage sheds, an old timber wool shed, the remains of a stable and butchers shop and associated machinery and timber cattle and horse yards. A residence located beside the entry to the property is a single-storeyed weatherboard building with enclosed verandahs on three sides.
The wool shed is a single-storeyed building, clad in weatherboards and set on timber stumps. The large hipped roofed central space or nave has attached skillion roofed wings on three sides. Beneath the corrugated iron roof are remains of the earlier shingled roof. In the northwest part of the building are remnants of the original slatted timber floor. Most of the space under the skillions has been converted into bedrooms and a dining room lined with tongue-in-groove boards. The northern end of the building has subsided and parts of the fabric are in poor condition.
The house, especially the fragile interiors and furnishings are remarkably intact. The garden is well maintained. Outbuildings related to the activities of the property continue to be used and maintained.
","history":"The first stage of this one-storeyed timber house was L-shaped and built about 1860. After extensions by Robin Dods in 1906-7 the house was E-shaped. The homestead included a woolshed, stables, quarters and other out buildings and yards.
In 1842 Paul and Clement Lawless held the depasturing license for Nindooinbah. They sold it to Alfred William Compigne in 1847 when the run was about 16 square miles (41.44 square kilometres) and carried over 4,000 sheep.
In 1858 Compigne purchased, by pre-emptive right, 640 acres (259 hectares). He used his lease holdings and freehold land to raise large mortgages and with some security of tenure, it is probable that the L-shaped homestead and outbuildings were constructed about this period.
Compigne was a member of the first legislative council and at the time of his death in 1909 was the last remaining original member of the council.
In 1862 Robert Towns held the mortgage for Nindooinbah and in 1867 he foreclosed on Compigne and soon after sold Nindooinbah to William Duckett White whose son Ernest was living on the property. At this stage the house was valued at £2,000 and there was £1,000 of improvements.
In 1901 William Collins, son of John Collins of Mundoolum, renewed his Nindooinbah lease. William and his bride honeymooned in Japan and on their return took up residence at Nindooinbah, though the house was in a very dilapidated state. Collins purchased the property, in 1906, and employed the eminent Brisbane architect, Robin Dods, to extend the house. His alteration were sympathetic to the original house, he changed the french doors and added an en-suite to the master bedroom but altered little else. In 1918 the entrance porch was extended.
The detached kitchen was moved about 1906 and became the gate house. Adjacent to the house are bush houses and fernery. A bamboo bush house was demolished in the 1950s though the irrigation system that feeds water from the laundry to it remains. A play house built in the 1950s has been adapted for use as a garage.
About 1984 a Japanese tea house in a man-made lagoon was constructed, the house repainted externally and much of the Edwardian garden designed by Dods replanted. The gardens include a grotto, tennis court, and garden sheds.
Other buildings on site but beyond the homes enclosing fence includes an artists studio and flag pole, the managers house, garages, men's quarters, woolshed, cattle yards and remains of the stables, butchers shop, cold-room and icemaking room.
The woolshed was built as a permanent structure by 1857. It probably included shearers quarters and a dining room. From about 1863, the weather and other factors led most of the local squatters to utilise their runs for depasturing cattle rather than sheep, hence the woolshed has been used as men's quarters and storage for many years.
Of the original local squatter homesteads only Nindooinbah and Mundoolum remain and both have been and remain the homes of the Collins family or their descendants. The woolshed is probably one of the oldest in Queensland and its quality and intactness make it very rare.
","criteria":"Nindooinbah House is an example of a homestead as country residence displaying the changing affluent lifestyle and tastes of the squattocracy.
|Nindooinbah House is an example of rare surviving fabric of an 1850s squatter dwelling and woolshed.
|The sheds, out buildings and other remains provide evidence of the continuing pastoral and agricultural activities of the property.
|Nindooinbah House is significant for the superbly maintained gardens, which are an accomplished design, providing an appropriate setting for the house in the landscape.
|Adding to the significance of Nindooinbah House is the intactness of the interior, including furniture and fittings, and the high quality of the materials, craftsmanship and detailing of the house.
|The property has associations with squatters AW Compigne, R Towns, WD and E White and the Collins family.
|It is an important example of the work of the architect RS Dods, which demonstrates his skill in adapting an older building.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion F | Criterion G | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place is important in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":14803,"place_ref":600028,"name":"Beaudesert War Memorial","alternate_name":"War Memorial Beaudesert","street_address":"William Street","suburb":"BEAUDESERT","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1992-10-21","description":"The First World War Memorial is situated on a traffic island in the intersection of Brisbane and William Streets in the centre of Beaudesert. The island is enclosed by a fence comprising rough-cut porphyry blocks, margined and chiselled, with pyramidal tops. These are linked by decorative metal chains. A narrow garden bed is located outside the fence line.
The sandstone memorial stands 33 feet high and comprises a substantial pedestal surmounted by a digger statue and an obelisk. Sandstone lions on rough-cut porphyry bases are located at two corners of the triangle, facing outwards. In front of the east facing lion is a metal drinking fountain.
The monument sits on a sloping rough-cut step with a flat top plate with semi-circular edges. Surmounting this is a smooth-faced step with chamfered top, above which is the pedestal dado. This is smooth-faced, rectangular in plan and divided into five bays of equal height and varying width. The end and central bays project outward, with the central bay of the front face projecting further to form a pedestal for the digger statue. The whole of the pedestal is capped by a shallow cornice.
The front face of the pedestal dado displays marble plates bearing the leaded names of the local men who served in the First World War. Additional plates bear the names of those who died in the Second World War, creating a total of 557 names. Small bronze plaques attached to the second step commemorate the Malayan, Korean, Borneo and Vietnam conflicts. The foundation stone is located on the lower section of the rear central bay.
Surmounting the front central bay is a life-sized digger statue. He stands completely at ease, with his collar unbuttoned and a pipe in his right hand. The left hand holds a rifle which is slung over the left shoulder. He is described as 'just released from duty'.
The digger statue stands in front of an obelisk which rises from a smooth-faced square plinth with a shallow cornice. On either side of the plinth rest stylised scrolls with bronze AIF badges on the front faces. The obelisk tapers sharply to a pyramidal apex and has bronze wreaths positioned on each face. Below the wreath on the front face, the words THE GREAT WAR 1916 TO 1919 appear in bronze.
","history":"The Beaudesert War Memorial was erected between 1919 and 1921. It was designed by Standard Masonry Works of Melbourne and constructed under the supervision of Brisbane architect, A H Conrad. The stone memorial records the names of the 524 local men who enlisted during the First World War, including the 91 who died as well as the names of those who died in the Second World War. It cost £1,340 and was the fourth most expensive memorial in Queensland.
The cost of the monument and the number of enlistments is reflective of the strong patriotism of the district. The number of enlistments is above both the state and national averages and the cost is comparatively high for a rural district.
The memorial is situated on a triangular piece of land at the centre to town. This site was originally part of William Duckett White and George Robinson's Beaudesert Run and was at the intersection formed where the roads from Nindooinbah (QHR 600027), Telemon and Kerry Stations met the Brisbane Road. Beaudesert was one of the few private Queensland towns. It was never gazetted, and buildings were erected before surveying and subdivision occurred. This corner site has always been triangular in form.
By 1908 the site was a fenced grass enclosure on a road reserve and in about 1913 a tree was planted on the site, in honour of William Tutin Walker, a local businessman. Walker arrived in the district in 1865 and established a sugar plantation with Captain Robert Towns. He became an important member of the community, sitting on both the Divisional Board and the local Council.
In May 1918 a public meeting was held and the Beaudesert and District Soldiers' Memorial Fund Committee was formed to raise money for the construction of a district war memorial.
The committee acquired the use of the triangular site from the Council in 1918 and arranged for the Walker tree to be moved. By February 1919, £786 had been subscribed and design tenders were advertised in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne papers.
Australia, and Queensland in particular, had few civic monuments before the First World War. The memorials erected in its wake became our first national monuments, recording the devastating impact of the war on a young nation. Australia lost 60,000 from a population of about 4 million, representing one in five of those who served. No previous or subsequent war has made such an impact on the nation.
Even before the end of the war, memorials became a spontaneous and highly visible expression of national grief. To those who erected them, they were as sacred as grave sites, substitute graves for the Australians whose bodies lay in battlefield cemeteries in Europe and the Middle East. British policy decreed that the Empire war dead were to be buried where they fell. The word 'cenotaph', commonly applied to war memorials at the time, literally means 'empty tomb'.
Australian war memorials are distinctive in that they commemorate not only the dead. Australians were proud that their first great national army, unlike other belligerent armies, was composed entirely of volunteers, men worthy of honour whether or not they paid the supreme sacrifice. Many memorials honour all who served from a locality, not just the dead, providing valuable evidence of community involvement in the war. Such evidence is not readily obtainable from military records, or from state or national listings, where names are categorised alphabetically or by military unit.
Australian war memorials are also valuable evidence of imperial and national loyalties, at the time, not seen as conflicting; the skills of local stonemasons, metalworkers and architects; and of popular taste. In Queensland, the soldier statue was the popular choice of memorial, whereas the obelisk predominated in the southern states, possibly a reflection of Queensland's larger working-class population and a lesser involvement of architects.
Many of the First World War monuments have been updated to record local involvement in later conflicts, and some have fallen victim to unsympathetic re-location and repair.
Although there are many different types of memorials in Queensland, the digger statue is the most common. It was the most popular choice of communities responsible for erecting the memorials, embodying the ANZAC myth and representing the qualities of the ideal Australian.....loyalty, courage, youth, innocence and masculinity. The digger was a phenomenon peculiar to Queensland, perhaps due to the fact that other states had followed Britain's lead and established Advisory Boards made up of architects and artists, prior to the erection of war memorials. The digger statue was not highly regarded by artists and architects who were involved in the design of relatively few Queensland memorials.
Most statues were constructed by local masonry firms, although some were by artists or imported.
The design for the Beaudesert memorial was open to a nation-wide competition. Brisbane architect A H Conrad of Atkinson and Conrad was employed to examine the designs and supervise the memorial's erection. The designs were also subject to public scrutiny.
Arnold Henry Conrad was born in Melbourne in 1887. He came to Queensland and worked for the Government as a draftsman and architect. In 1918 he entered a partnership with Henry Atkinson which continued in various forms until 1939. It is not known to what extent he contributed to the design of the Beaudesert War Memorial, although it is known that he made slight alterations.
The successful design was submitted by Standard Masonry Works of Melbourne however they were not able to carry out the construction and in June 1920 Brisbane masons W E Parsons accepted the construction tender.
On 10 December 1919, the foundation stone was laid by the Mayoress of Beaudesert, Mrs H L McDonald and the completed work was unveiled by the Governor, Sir Matthew Nathan on 28 September 1921. A flagpole, trench mortar and field gun were subsequently installed but the military hardware disappeared during the Second World War. Since 1922 plaques for ensuing military conflicts have been added.
The site is regarded as a reserve and in 1925 three trustees were appointed, the Mayor of the Town of Beaudesert and the Chairmen of Beaudesert and Tambourine Shire Councils. In 1953 the Beaudesert Shire Council was appointed the Trustee and has been responsible for the maintenance of the memorial since.
","criteria":"War Memorials are important in demonstrating the pattern of Queensland's history as they are representative of a recurrent theme that involved most communities throughout the state. They provide evidence of an era of widespread Australian patriotism and nationalism, particularly during and following the First World War. The monuments manifest a unique documentary record and are demonstrative of popular taste in the inter-war period.
|This particular memorial is also of aesthetic significance, as one of the most elaborately and unusually designed monuments in Queensland still surviving in its intact surrounds. It is of uncommonly large scale and forms a dominant landmark within the townscape
|Erected between 1919 and 1921, the memorial at Beaudesert demonstrates the principal characteristics of a commemorative structure erected as an enduring record of a major historical event. This is achieved through the use of appropriate materials and design elements. As a digger statue it is representative of the most popular form of memorial in Queensland although the digger is unusual as it is portrayed in an unusually relaxed stance.
|This particular memorial is also of aesthetic significance, as one of the most elaborately and unusually designed monuments in Queensland still surviving in its intact surrounds. It is of uncommonly large scale and forms a dominant landmark within the townscape.
|The memorial has a strong association with the community as evidence of the impact of a major historic event and with monumental mason W E Parsons as a good example of his work.
|The memorial has a strong association with the community as evidence of the impact of a major historic event and with monumental mason W E Parsons as a good example of his work.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion G | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":14805,"place_ref":600030,"name":"All Saints Memorial Church","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"Tamrookum Church Road","suburb":"TAMROOKUM","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1992-10-21","description":"This single storeyed timber chapel, located on a hill with views to the surrounding countryside, is situated in well maintained grounds containing mature trees, flower gardens and a cemetery. The entry to the site is through a heavy timber gateway hung with double timber entry gates.
The building, a traditional latin cross plan, has a hardwood frame set on a concrete base and is clad in oiled hardwood weatherboards. The construction is characterised by the use of massive timber structural elements and delicate detailing. The steep concrete tiled gable roof consists of a main roof over the nave and chancel and smaller gables over the transepts and the two entry porches.
These entry porches are located at the western end of the northern and southern elevations and are linked to the transept by narrow verandahs. Two additional entries, accessed via the verandah, open into the transepts. Verandah posts and balustrades are simple sturdy timbers adorned by an undulating timber beam. The beam is positioned below the top plate and supported on splayed brackets attached to the verandah posts. Decorative timberwork on the verandahs and the gable ends is painted white providing a strong contrast to the dark walls and the plain form of the roof.
At the western end, the roof, extended to cover the verandah, dominates the low walls. An effect that is emphasised by the low head height of timber casement windows on the north, south and west elevations. On the eastern end the roof steps back, stained glass windows are placed high in the eastern facade and the wall appears tall relative to the roof.
At the entry porches steps that are cut into the concrete base lead to double timber doors opening onto the north and south sides of the entry vestibule. This vestibule, an extension of the nave, is separated from it by an ornamental timber screen. Decorative timber screens also define the entries from the transept into the nave. The interior of the church, furnished with the original timber pews, is lined with unpainted cedar and has a coloured concrete floor. The raked timber lined ceiling, truncated at the peak, is supported on timber trusses that are a combination of a queen and king post system. The bottom chord of the trusses is a heavy tie beam supported on timber wall brackets.
The interior is dimly lit through domestic scaled casement windows with diamond patterned glazing bars and green glass. The only natural light that falls from above, illuminating the ceiling space, is through the stained glass windows behind the altar. The altar and altar screen positioned against the rear wall of the chancel are on a raised floor behind an ornamental timber rail. Rooms in the transepts contain disused rainwater tanks.
North of the building is a rectangular fenced area that contains the tombstones of the Collins family. The most prominent of these, a centrally located cross on a pedestal, is that of RM Collins and his immediate family. The fence is wire mesh on a pipe frame sitting on a concrete upstand with gates located under arched trellises. The burial area of locals and friends of the family consists of 4 rows of graves situated in the lawn adjacent to the western boundary of the grounds. Monuments are in good condition.
The grounds are bounded by a timber post and rail fence. A caretaker's cottage and outbuildings are located to the east, just outside the fence. The building and grounds are in excellent condition.
","history":"This family owned timber church designed by RS Dods, was erected by August 1915 when it was dedicated by the Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, St Clair Donaldson, in memory of Robert Martin Collins (1843-1913).
The first Tamrookum squatter was John Campbell and the lessee from 1848 was William Barker. In 1872 he paid £325 for portion 343 and was issued with a Deed of Grant for 1,000 acres (404.69 hectares) which included the homestead (demolished in 1931) and church site.
Pastoralist John Collins of Mundoolum, acquired the land in 1878 and in 1879 his eldest son Robert Martin Collins took up residence after his marriage to Arabella Smyth. RM Collins became the owner in 1886.
RM Collins and his brothers established vast pastoral interests in Queensland and the Northern Territory. He was a founding partner in the North Australian Pastoral Company and a pioneer of the frozen meat industry. He was a parliamentarian from 1896 to 1913 and was responsible for the establishment of Lamington National Park, proclaimed in 1915 after his death.
The site for the church and family graves overlooking Tamrookum homestead was selected by RM Collins just prior to his death. The church was built for RM Collins family at a cost of £2,098, by William Bywater of Brisbane. The sand, gravel and stone used to construct the 3 foot foundation wall came from the property as did all the timber except for that employed for the pews and altar triptych.
This church includes many memorial gifts such as the triptych, carved altar rails, fonts and communion utensils. The stained glass windows were designed by English church architect, Sir Richard Lorimer, and made by Una Adamson.
The double entrance gates hewn by broadaxe, the flagpole and sundial all come from the homestead which was demolished when Arabella Collins died. The yards and some of Tamrookum's outbuildings remain.
Electricity probably replaced gas for illumination during the 1950s. The original split shingle roof was replaced by tiles in 1964. A plaque, the gift of the Queensland Women's Historical Association, giving a brief history of the church was unveiled in 1967.
The grounds include two burial areas. The oldest contains graves for station employees, family friends and locals. The other burial area is the family enclosure and RM Collins was the first to be buried here. The oldest monuments are Susan Goodwin's (1895) a servant, Grenville Arthur Kingsley (1898) son of novelist Charles Kingsley and friend of RM Collins and the grave of Constable George Doyle and Albert Dahlke, an employee, who were killed by the Kenniff brothers in 1902.
A section of the back row in the older area contains unmarked graves for non-europeans including the 1913 grave of Salingo, a Kanaka, and the graves of William (1928) and Emily Williams (1927), local aborigines employed by the Collins. A memorial stone (1991) that names the William's descendants is located outside the nearby Tamrookum Memorial Hall.
The timber chapels at Yandilla and Cressbrook (QHR 600503) and the stone St John the Evangelist at Mundoolum are the only remaining privately owned Anglican churches in Queensland. Both St Johns and All Saints are memorial churches and both Cressbrook and All Saints are Dods designs.
","criteria":"The commemorative structures in both the church and cemetery add to the significance of All Saints Memorial Church.
|All Saints Memorial Church is significant due to the landmark quality of the gardens and the siting of the chapel and is a rare example of a privately owned chapel.
|All Saints Memorial Church is an important work of significant Australian architect RS Dods, demonstrating his skill at designing in timber and his personal style.
|The accomplished design, the high quality of the materials and workmanship and inventive detailing combine to produce a unique aesthetic achievement.
All Saints Memorial Church is significant due to the landmark quality of the gardens and the siting of the chapel and is a rare example of a privately owned chapel.
The quality of the stained glass work and association with R Lorimer and U Adamson contribute to the significance of the All Saints Memorial Church.
|The accomplished design, the high quality of the materials and workmanship and inventive detailing combine to produce a unique aesthetic achievement.
|All Saints Memorial Church is significant due to its close association with the Collins family and RM Collins.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion F | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place is important in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":14809,"place_ref":600034,"name":"Coochin Coochin Homestead","alternate_name":"Coochin Coochin","street_address":"1370 Boonah-Rathdowney Road","suburb":"COOCHIN","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1992-08-21","description":"The summary information for this place is currently under review.
","history":"In 1842, the area known as Delhunty's Plain was settled as a pastoral run by David Hunter and his partner James Fyffe. In 1844, the lease was transferred to John Kent, who was first to re-use the traditional name of Coochin Coochin. The main section of the homestead was constructed some time in the 1840s.The homestead was moved to its current position in 1871. In 1883, the property sold to James Thomas Marsh Bell, part owner of Camboon Station in the Dawson Valley acquired the property in partnership with F C Hyde. In the 1920s, Coochin Coochin Homestead became the social focus of the area, hosting many large parties and entertaining many notable visitors. From the end of the Second World War until 1965, Coochin Coochin operated as a small dairy with a maximum of sixty milking cows. The property is currently owned by the Bell family.
","criteria":"Coochin Coochin, established in 1842 as Dulhunty's Plain, was one of the earliest pastoral runs of the Moreton region. The earliest fabric at Coochn Coochin homestead dates to the 1840s. The place has strong historical significance as important evidence of the first wave of pastoral activity in Queensland (at that time the Moreton district of New South Wales), and is important in illustrating the evolution of the pastoral way of life in Queensland.
|Coochin Coochin Homestead is a sprawling complex of structures, forms and landscaping elements, which retains a high degree of integrity and intactness. It is well maintained and is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places: early and evolving pastoral homesteads in Queensland. The main house (comprised of connected pavilions dating mainly from the 1840s, 1880s and the early 1900s), extensive garden, meat house and hay sheds, and the physical relationships between these elements, are important in illustrating a particular way of life associated with pastoral activity. Of special interest is a tree yard, famous for a series of plantings by distinguished 20th century visitors, initiated by Lord and Lady Chelmsford when they visited in 1907.
|The homestead complex occupies a picturesque setting amidst national parks, and the house sits within an attractive established garden. The homestead has been enhanced over 150 years of working life and is of strong aesthetic significance, engendered by its setting, its rustic forms and materials, and the juxtaposition of forms.
|Coochin Coochin has a special association for the Queensland community as one of the earliest stations established in this State. The place is well-known in Queensland, and has been described in numerous heritage and history publications.
|The place is important for its association with the Bell family, who have owned Coochin Coochin since 1883, and have made a significant contribution to the development of Queensland pastoralism and agriculture. ET Bell was a prominent member of the community, serving as Member for Fassifern in the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1913 to 1930, and on numerous boards. The Bells were renowned for their hospitality, attracting many distinguished visitors to Coochin Coochin through much of the 20th century.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion G | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":14810,"place_ref":600035,"name":"Boonah War Memorial and Memorial Park","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"Park Street","suburb":"BOONAH","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1992-10-21","description":"The First World War Memorial is situated in a Memorial Park in Boonah, addressing the intersection of Park and Yeates Streets. The park is enclosed by a substantial brick and wrought iron fence with concrete dressings painted white. Wrought iron gates are located at the front and rear corners and are flanked by white painted pillars with ball finials. All wrought iron has been painted silver. The park is laid out formally on a diagonal axis running from the intersection of Park and Yeates Streets to the opposite corner. A central red painted concrete path with white painted concrete kerbing leads to the memorial which is surrounded by symmetrical tiered garden beds, also kerbed. The memorial is flanked by two war trophies and a flagstaff is located on the south western side.
The memorial is mainly of coarse Ulam marble and comprises a pedestal surmounted by an obelisk and a digger statue.
It sits on a marble base comprising two shallow steps and a third, deeper one, all smooth-faced. The foundation stone is located on the front face of the top step.
Surmounting the base is the pedestal. It sits on a marble step which has square projections at each corner. These each form a base for free-standing columns of red polished granite with marble Doric Order capitals and bases. The columns support a large cornice which is surmounted by four marble corner urns. In the centre of the columns are recessed marble plates, the leaded names of the 374 local men who served in the First World War. The names of the 69 dead are located on the north east face and the rear face is reserved for the names of nurses and chaplains.
Projecting from the centre of the pedestal is the marble obelisk, approximately 20 feet high and slightly tapered. It has stop chamfers to each corner and stands on a marble base with cyma recta mouldings. It is capped by a marble Ionic order capital and has a wreath carved around the leaded dates of the war on the lower section of the front face.
Surmounting the obelisk is the digger statue, which is slightly smaller than life-sized. The soldier is standing at ease with his head bowed and his hands resting on his reversed rifle, which rests by his right foot and is held by his body. A tree stump is located behind the left leg for support.
","history":"The Boonah War Memorial is a major regional war memorial and was unveiled on 31 July 1920 by the Prince of Wales who was visiting with Mrs G A Bell of nearby Coochin Coochin Station (whose three sons served in the First World War). The marble and granite memorial was designed and executed by F Williams and Company and honours the 374 local men who served during the First World War, including the 69 dead.
The town of Boonah was established as support for the pastoral runs in the area, of which Coochin Coochin was the first. Prior to the establishment of the town, all stores were brought by bullock dray from Ipswich twice yearly. After the extension of the railway to Dugandan in 1887, the surrounding district was rapidly populated and the town of Boonah prospered.
On 19 May 1920, the foundation stone for the memorial was laid by General Sir W Birdwood. The monument was erected at a cost of £600 which was raised by public subscriptions organised by a memorial committee. The specifically designed memorial park was opened on Anzac Day in 1922 with the unveiling of the fence by war hero and politician Captain Arnold Weinholt.
Australia, and Queensland in particular, had few civic monuments before the First World War. The memorials erected in its wake became our first national monuments, recording the devastating impact of the war on a young nation. Australia lost 60 000 from a population of about 4 million, representing one in five of those who served. No previous or subsequent war has made such an impact on the nation.
Even before the end of the war, memorials became a spontaneous and highly visible expression of national grief. To those who erected them, they were as sacred as grave sites, substitute graves for the Australians whose bodies lay in battlefield cemeteries in Europe and the Middle East. British policy decreed that the Empire war dead were to be buried where they fell. The word 'cenotaph', commonly applied to war memorials at the time, literally means 'empty tomb'.
Australian war memorials are distinctive in that they commemorate not only the dead. Australians were proud that their first great national army, unlike other belligerent armies, was composed entirely of volunteers, men worthy of honour whether or not they paid the supreme sacrifice. Many memorials honour all who served from a locality, not just the dead, providing valuable evidence of community involvement in the war. Such evidence is not readily obtainable from military records, or from state or national listings, where names are categorised alphabetically or by military unit.
Australian war memorials are also valuable evidence of imperial and national loyalties, at the time, not seen as conflicting; the skills of local stonemasons, metalworkers and architects; and of popular taste. In Queensland, the soldier statue was the popular choice of memorial, whereas the obelisk predominated in the southern states, possibly a reflection of Queensland's larger working-class population and a lesser involvement of architects.
Many of the First World War monuments have been updated to record local involvement in later conflicts, and some have fallen victim to unsympathetic re-location and repair.
Although there are many different types of memorials in Queensland, the digger statue is the most common. It was the most popular choice of communities responsible for erecting the memorials, embodying the ANZAC myth and representing the qualities of the ideal Australian.....loyalty, courage, youth, innocence and masculinity. The digger was a phenomenon peculiar to Queensland, perhaps due to the fact that other states had followed Britain's lead and established Advisory Boards made up of architects and artists, prior to the erection of war memorials. The digger statue was not highly regarded by artists and architects who were involved in the design of relatively few Queensland memorials.
Most statues were constructed by local masonry firms, although some were by artists or imported.
The Boonah memorial was designed and executed by well known and highly regarded Ipswich masonry firm, F Williams and Company.
The digger statue on the Boonah Memorial is represented in the casual stance synonymous with Williams diggers.
","criteria":"War Memorials are important in demonstrating the pattern of Queensland's history as they are representative of a recurrent theme that involved most communities throughout the state. They provide evidence of an era of widespread Australian patriotism and nationalism, particularly during and following the First World War. The monuments manifest a unique documentary record and are demonstrative of popular taste in the inter-war period.
|Erected in 1920, the major regional memorial at Boonah demonstrates the principal characteristics of a commemorative structure erected as an enduring record of a major historical event. This is achieved through the use of appropriate materials and design elements. As a digger statue it is representative of the most popular form of memorial in Queensland.
|The memorial in its setting is of aesthetic significance both for its high level of workmanship, design and materials and as a dominant landmark within the townscape. It is an uncommon example of a war memorial that survives as part of a specifically designed and intact memorial setting.
|The memorial has a strong association with the community as evidence of the impact of a major historic event and has special association with Ipswich masonry firm F Williams and Company as evidence of their work.
|The memorial has a strong association with the community as evidence of the impact of a major historic event and has special association with Ipswich masonry firm F Williams and Company as evidence of their work.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion G | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":14812,"place_ref":600037,"name":"Cotswold Cottage","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"Boonah Road","suburb":"MAROON","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1992-10-21","description":"The ruins of Cotswold Cottage are located in the Maroon district of Boonah Shire. They comprise the remains of a cottage constructed largely of squared rubble uncoursed.
Very little of the formerly six-roomed structure survives. Still standing is the southern thick rubble wall of a former small square room (a former living area) at the northern end of the cottage, and part of the eastern wall of this room. The southern wall is 600mm thick, consisting of two external layers of squared rubble with a hearting or core of smaller rubble off-cuts and mortar. In this wall there is a low doorway, which has a lintel of three thick timber slabs.
Parts of the lower sections of the other three walls of this room survive. The internal stones are extant to a height of up to one metre, but the outer layers have collapsed. The position of a window opening in each side wall is discernible. There are indications that the collapsed northern wall formerly incorporated a chimneystack.
External to this room are a number of hardwood posts, two each to the east, south and western sides respectively. They are tenoned at the top. Their layout is suggestive of their having supported a veranda roof extending around three sides of the living space at the northern end of the house.
South of the principal standing wall are remnants of the eastern external wall of the southern section of the cottage, reduced to a approximately 500mm in height, and of similar materials and construction as the standing wall.
The cottage ruins are located on an elevated site in a cleared paddock close to Cotswold Road. Stones that appear to be part of the former walls are scattered over a wide area surrounding the ruins. A number of native trees including Flindersia australis (Crow's Ash) and Flindersia collina (Leopard Ash), some probably dating from the construction of the cottage, are growing nearby. There is evidence that some of these trees may have originally formed a windbreak near the western edge of the homestead paddock. A copse is located to the southwest of the ruins and a Crow's Ash tree about 50 metres to the north. A fallen tree is located between these. A further mature Crow's Ash is located to the east of the ruins close to a boundary fence. South of the property, Mount Maroon forms a dramatic backdrop to the ruins.
","history":"Frederick William Cook built Cotswold Cottage in the Maroon district in stages between 1888 and the late 1890s, as his family's home. The former six-roomed stone and slab house is now a ruin.
According to family descendants, Cook was a carpenter by trade who in 1878 emigrated to Australia from the Cotswolds in England under assisted passage. By 1883 he was working as a joiner in South Brisbane. In 1888 he took up selection 690 (160 acres) in the Maroon district near Boonah in southeast Queensland. Cook's brother, Thomas, took up several adjoining selections around the same time.
The area had been long recognized for its fertile soil, but had been locked up in pastoral leases prior to the 1868 Crown Lands Act, which opened the land to closer settlement. The first selectors had arrived in the Boonah region in the 1870s and by the late 1880s Maroon had emerged as an agricultural community. Cook moved his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children from Brisbane to Maroon in June 1888. According to family descendants Cook built a slab hut close to the present location of the stone ruins to house the family while the stone and slab cottage was under construction, which also was commenced in 1888.
Named Cotswold Cottage after Cook's home district in England, the walls of the residence were constructed from iron bark slabs and stone obtained from the property. To bind the stones, he used a mortar mix of clay and cow manure. Three open fireplaces were built into the stone walls. The cottage was constructed over a number of years beginning with the southern end of the house, now completely destroyed. A Bailiff of Crown Lands report dated 20 October 1893 notes that the house comprised four rooms. Further additions were built after this date, including a semi-detached living room. The extant wall is the remains of an internal southern wall of this room. C Gillies, FW Cook's great-granddaughter, described the house in its final form:
In all the house measured 18.3 metres x 7.6 metres. It consisted of two bedrooms, dining room, kitchen, sitting room and workshop. With the exception of the kitchen, all interior walls were painted with white wash, mixed with milk and tinted to the required colour. Fred painted a lino pattern on the floor of the dining room - this section of the house has now been demolished. The house was completely roofed with shingles, hand cut from timber standing on the property each one carefully trimmed and fitted into position. They measured 46cm x 13cm and were 1.3cm thick.
The most unique feature of the stone house was its windows. The glass used in many of them consisted of 15cm x 10cm lantern slide plates. Each plate was fitted into a miniature frame and these were then joined together to form a complete window.
The above is consistent with an oral description provided by Cook's grandson, Lemuel Cook, and with the physical remnants on the site.
On his selection FW Cook cultivated maize, potatoes and fruit, but was unable to support his family solely from the property. He also worked as a builder in the Maroon district, constructing many community buildings including the provisional school and its furniture.
By February 1899 Cook was able to apply to purchase his selection and in June a Deed of Grant was issued in his name for Portion 72v, being agricultural selection 690.
The property was transferred to Cook's son, Edgar, in June 1922. After FW Cook's death in 1937 the cottage fell into disrepair. In 1954, title to the property was transferred to James Weatherall, whose family had resided in the Maroon district since the late 19th century. No further use was made of the cottage.
","criteria":"Selector FW Cook constructed Cotswold Cottage in stages between 1888 and the late 1890s. The ruins of this place are important in demonstrating the transplantation and adaptation of traditional English stone construction techniques using local materials. Cook was a builder from the Cotswold district in England and at his Maroon property he used locally obtained iron bark slabs, stone and a mortar mix of clay and cow manure for the walls of the house. He used a range of flooring techniques and finishes, including stone paving, bitumen and floorboards hand-painted to resemble linoleum. The place contributes to our understanding of early house construction techniques employed by small-scale immigrant selectors in rural Queensland, especially the use of local and recycled materials, and to our understanding of past lifestyles.
|The remains of the cottage have the potential to yield further information that will contribute to an understanding of the evolution of and external influences on, vernacular Queensland buildings. This potential is enhanced by surviving documentary evidence, including a family history written by the great-granddaughter of the builder of the cottage and recorded recollections of the builder's grandson. These sources provide details of finishes and how the place functioned. This information combined with remnant fabric has the potential to contribute further to our understanding of a way of life no longer common.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion C","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":15512,"place_ref":600737,"name":"Normanby Homestead","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"Cunningham Highway","suburb":"WARRILL VIEW","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1992-10-21","description":"Normanby Station is located on an eastern slope overlooking Warroolaba Creek and is accessed from the west via a driveway from the town of Warril View. The single-storeyed chamferboard building has a double hipped corrugated iron roof with a central box gutter and is encircled by a skillion roofed verandah. The building has a concrete block and stump base with brick steps.
The east verandah has cast iron balustrade and brackets with a fibrous cement lined raked ceiling and timber floor. French doors with fanlights and screens open onto the verandahs. The northern verandah has been enclosed with weatherboards and casement windows to form a sunroom, kitchen and bedroom. The southern verandah has been enclosed to form a bathroom and office with fibrous cement partitions.
Internally, walls are of painted tongue and groove boards with stained timber doors and architraves. Ceilings are of fibrous cement and floors are covered in carpet and linoleum. Large sliding stained timber doors separate the lounge and dining rooms. The dining room has a fireplace with a timber surround and an arched sash window on either side.
A hall has been inserted behind the southeast bedroom to give access to the bathroom on the south, and the southwest bedroom has been divided into two rooms. The guest room has an ensuite added on the west verandah and the kitchen has been modernised.
A double carport is located to the south, a tennis court to the north and an inground concrete swimming pool to the northeast. The west facade is screened by a vine covered trellis and a twin tankstand is located to the west.
Exclusion of Furniture: The furniture contained within the homestead is expressly excluded from the cultural heritage significance of this place
","history":"Normanby Homestead was constructed in 1866-67 for the George Thorn family of Ipswich, to a design by Ipswich architect and surveyor, Charles Balding.
The Normanby Plains south of Ipswich, on which the homestead is located, were named by government surveyor Robert Dixon in 1839, and occupied by European pastoralists from the 1840s. Initially, Normanby was part of Rosebrook, a 10,000 hectare run on the western side of the Normanby Plains, taken up c1843 by NSW pastoralist Donald McIntyre. In 1845 the Rosebrook lease was transferred to George Thorn of Ipswich, former superintendent of the government cattle station at Limestone from 1838, and one of the earliest free settlers at Moreton Bay. Whilst still a government employee, he had obtained permission to operate a small general store at Limestone, and in 1842 resigned from government service to establish Ipswich's first hotel, the Queen's Arms. Known as the 'father of Ipswich', Thorn represented West Moreton in the first Queensland Legislative Assembly. His sons George, Henry, John and William followed their father into Queensland politics.
In mid-1848, Thorn's property on the Normanby Plains was referred to as Rosebrook. Later, his son Charles took over a portion of the run, retaining the name Rosebrook; the remainder, about 8,000 hectares, was named Normanby.
By 1855 George Thorn had made improvements worth about £500 to the property, but the present house was erected only after he acquired the freehold to the homestead block., in 1861. In September 1866, Ipswich architect Charles Balding called tenders for the construction of a villa residence and outbuildings at Normanby for George Thorn, and it is believed the house was completed in 1867.
In the early 1870s John Thorn managed Normanby Station for his father until the latter's death in 1876. In 1875 the homestead was described as a 'pine palace' with a lofty, spacious, splendidly polished, and lined interior. The property was running 20,000 sheep and 2,000 cattle at the time. In 1878, when Normanby station was put up (unsuccessfully) for auction, the homestead consisted of a roomy house with a verandah all around, kitchen, servants' rooms, stables, coachhouse, outbuildings, garden and orchard.
In 1881 the property was transferred to Donald Smith Wallace of Melbourne, who had married Thorn's daughter Ida Australia in 1876. The station was run from 1883 to 1893 by managing partner Reginald Gardiner Casey, who in 1888 married Thorn's granddaughter, Evelyn Jane Harris. Casey was MLA for Warrego from 1888 to 1893. Their son, Richard Gavin Gardiner Casey, was to become Governor-General of Australia Normanby was still carrying sheep during the Wallace-Casey period.
In 1893 the Wallace-Casey partnership was dissolved and the property passed in 1894 to the Union Mortgage & Agency Co. of Australia Ltd, and in 1901 to Australian Estates, who subdivided and sold off the run in the following decade, with the first subdivisional sale taking place in November 1906. During this period the station was run by a series of managers, and cattle became the principal interest. John Bligh Nutting, a station inspector for Australian Estates, resided in the homestead for some years until acquiring the house and about 360 hectares in 1911.
George Hunt purchased the homestead on about 13 hectares in 1931, and the present owners have occupied the building since the early 1960s.
The original gateway to the property still stands, opposite the Warrill View State School. None of the earlier outbuildings or the former kitchen wing remains, but some vestiges of the 19th century formal garden layout are discernible. The house was renovated in the 1960s.
","criteria":"Normanby Homestead is important in demonstrating the pattern of Queensland's history because of its association with the early development of pastoralism in the Moreton Bay region, and in West Moreton in particular.
|It demonstrates rare surviving evidence of 1860s timber construction and plan form in a substantial rural residence.
|Normanby Homestead has a special association with the Thorn family and their contributions, pastoral, political and commercial, to the growth of Queensland in the 19th century.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":15910,"place_ref":601137,"name":"Wiss House (former)","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"7 Ann Street","suburb":"KALBAR","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1993-08-26","description":"This single-skin timber house with chamferboard clad rear wing sits on a northwest sloping corner site and has a corrugated iron hipped roof with two projecting gables above the east entry porch and to the north. The building is almost square in plan with verandahs to three sides and a kitchen wing extending to the southwest. The building sits on timber stumps with timber batten infill.
The building is embellished by the use of decorative timber elements including eave brackets, bargeboards, batten gables, arch brackets, balustrade and tapering chamfered verandah posts. A large lattice spandrel panels to the triple arched entry porch has a pressed metal sheet backing with the arches having a rope pattern pressed metal edge.
The east elevation is symmetrical, having a central entry with sidelights and fanlight and two bays with sash windows. The north elevation has a large bay below the projecting gable and the verandahs to the kitchen wing have been enclosed. French doors with fanlights open onto the verandahs, the walls of which are single skin VJ boards. A corrugated iron stove recess is located on the western end of the kitchen wing and window hoods are located on the south.
Internally, the building has single skin VJ pine walls, cedar joinery and pressed metal and boarded ceilings. Some of the rooms, including the hallway, are unpainted hoop pine. The plan consists of a central hall with four bedrooms at the front and the drawing room and dining room towards the rear. The drawing room on the northern elevation, designed to overlook the town to the northwest, has a large bay window which is expressed as a gable in the roof.
The grounds include a fenced in-ground concrete pool to the northwest and mature trees to the northern boundary.
","history":"This large timber house was erected for Lionel Ainger Wiss and his family following the mid-1912 acquisition of the Ann Street site in his wife's name.
LA Wiss had arrived in Queensland from Germany with his brothers Campbell and Alfred, c.1887. They were German-born sons of English parents. After a short time in northern Queensland, Alfred returned to England and Lionel and Campbell moved to Ipswich, where they worked for grocers W Siemon & Sons for about three years.
In mid-1890 the brothers acquired an acre of land at Engelsburg, in the heart of the Fassifern Scrub district, south of Ipswich, which had been settled in the 1870s by immigrant German farmers. At this time, the township of Engelsburg comprised a general store, two saddlers, a cabinetmaker and glazier, a hotel and store, a butcher's shop, timber yard and blacksmith. The Engelsburg State School had been established in 1885. There were two Lutheran churches in the district, a Baptist church, a Primitive Methodist church, a Catholic church, and a small Salvation Army meeting hall. Much of the brigalow scrub had been cleared, and the surrounding district was dotted with small farm selections of 60, 80 or 120 acres.
On their Engelsburg property, adjacent to Heinrich Welge's Fassifern Hotel on the principal road from Ipswich to the Fassifern head station, the Wiss brothers erected a small store and adjacent dwelling. In August 1890, Ipswich architect Henry Edmund Wyman called tenders for a store and dwelling to be erected at Engelsburg, and by September 1890, a store for Lionel Wiss was being constructed there.
Lionel married Danish immigrant Maria Elise Wiuff at Ipswich in late 1890, and in the same year joined Campbell in partnership as Wiss Bros, storekeepers, at Engelsburg. Wiss Bros was one of the earliest businesses in the town, which was emerging as a district centre following the closer settlement of the Fassifern Scrub for dairying and agriculture. Campbell Wiss had left the partnership by c.1904, but the name Wiss Bros was retained.
The firm prospered, a new store was erected in 1909, and Wiss Bros became one of the most important businesses in the district. Lionel ('Daddy') Wiss was a highly respected local identity, who took a prominent role in the community and the local Methodist church. In 1910, he acquired 56 acres in the centre of Engelsburg. About half of this he subdivided in 1916 into residential allotments, thereby creating most of the western half of the town of Engelsburg (renamed Kalbar in 1916 when the railway reached the town).
Despite owning acreage on the western side of George Street, when selecting a site for a more substantial family residence, Lionel Wiss chose four allotments in Annie Krause's 1912 residential subdivision of the eastern half of Engelsburg. The site at the corner of Ann and William Streets, on the small rise overlooking the township centre, was a prime location, and the house was amongst the first erected on the hill.
Lionel Wiss died in 1932. His wife, Maria Elise, resided in the Ann Street house until her death in 1957, and his daughters Adeline and Phyllis remained there until the mid-1970s, when the property was sold. Adeline ran Wiss Bros until the business was sold in 1947.
An underground air-raid shelter was constructed in the backyard during the Second World War. It is not clear whether remnants of this are extant.
","criteria":"The former Wiss House is important in demonstrating part of the pattern of Queensland's history, illustrating the residential expansion of Engelsburg (Kalbar) in the 1910s, and the economic growth of both the town and the Fassifern district in this period.
|The former Wiss House is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a substantial, largely intact, finely detailed and constructed residence of the late federation era, situated in a small country town.
|The former Wiss House is important in exhibiting a range of aesthetic characteristics valued by the local community, including the building's siting and its contribution through scale, form and materials, to the townscape of Kalbar and its rural setting, the quality of the building's timber work and pressed metal details and the quality of the building's interior layout and detailing, including the relationship of the principal room to the view of the town centre and beyond, and unpainted pine walls and cedar joinery.
|The former Wiss House has a strong and special association with the Kalbar community, contributing to the identity of Kalbar through its physical presence and location, and as the residence of one of Kalbar's most prominent citizens of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
|The former Wiss House has a special association with Lionel Ainger Wiss and the Wiss family, who played an important role in the commercial, social and physical development of the Kalbar town, community and district from the 1890s to the 1940s.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion G | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":15964,"place_ref":601200,"name":"Wiss Brothers Store & Dwelling (former)","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"101 George Street","suburb":"KALBAR","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1992-10-29","description":"This store is located on a corner site fronting George Street, the main street of Kalbar. The rectangular chamferboard building, sits on timber stumps, and has a corrugated iron gabled roof with a skillion awning over the footpath. Four decorative metal ventilators are located along the ridge of the roof.
The street facade is a virtuoso assemblage of sheet metal in imitation of classical masonry detail. It has three arched windows above the awning, the central one being the largest and crowned by a pediment with the inscription WISS BROS. Pilasters feature to either side of the pediment, with the dates 1890 and 1909, and to the corners of the facade, and are surmounted by finials.
The building is embellished by the use of decorative pressed metal sheets, depicting a brickwork pattern to the front facade and floral and geometric patterns to the verandah awning, window display ceiling and sections of the store ceiling. The shopfront has three glass display bays with cast-iron columns at each corner of the central bay. There are french doors with fanlights, between each of the bays.
The building has high level, centrally pivoting hopper windows to both sides and rear. The rear has a corrugated iron skillion roofed verandah with two entry doors and sash windows.
Internally, the building has exposed timber trusses with diagonally boarded raked ceilings with a central flat pressed metal ceiling. The trusses are supported by central timber columns with timber arch brackets and some of the original timber partitioning, with turned timber balustrade capping, remains.
To the south of the store is the original residence, consisting of two small timber and iron dwellings connected by an enclosed verandah. A bulk store, constructed of timber with twin hipped corrugated iron roofs and lean-to awnings, is located at the rear of the store.
","history":"This large timber store was erected in 1909 for Lionel Ainger Wiss of Wiss Bros, a prominent Engelsburg (Kalbar) general store and trading firm. It replaced a smaller store built in 1890.
LA Wiss had arrived in Queensland from Germany with his brothers Campbell and Alfred, c.1887. They were German-born sons of English parents. After a short time in northern Queensland, Alfred returned to England and Lionel and Campbell moved to Ipswich, where they worked for grocer W Siemon & Sons for about three years.
In mid-1890 the brothers acquired an acre of land at Engelsburg, in the heart of the Fassifern Scrub district, south of Ipswich, which had been settled in the 1870s by immigrant German farmers. At this time, the township of Engelsburg comprised a general store, two saddlers, a cabinetmaker and glazier, a hotel and store, a butcher's shop, timber yard and blacksmith. The Engelsburg State School had been established in 1885. There were two Lutheran churches in the district, a Baptist church, a Primitive Methodist church, a Catholic church, and a small Salvation Army meeting hall. Much of the brigalow scrub had been cleared, and the surrounding district was dotted with small farm selections of 60, 80 or 120 acres.
On their Engelsburg property, adjacent to Heinrich Welge's Fassifern Hotel on the principal road from Ipswich to the Fassifern head station, the Wiss brothers erected a small store and dwelling. In August 1890, Ipswich architect Henry Edmund Wyman called tenders for a store and dwelling to be erected at Engelsburg, and by September 1890, a store for Lionel Wiss was being constructed there.
Lionel married Danish immigrant Maria Elise Wiuff at Ipswich in late 1890, and in the same year joined Campbell in partnership as Wiss Bros, storekeepers, at Engelsburg. They established one of the most important businesses in the town, which was emerging as a district centre following the closer settlement of the Fassifern Scrub for dairying and agriculture. They provided a general store which not only sold a great variety of goods, but also traded farm produce, acted as agent for major farm equipment suppliers, and offered substantial credit, doing much to assist local farmers. As early as 1892, Wiss Bros were the local agents for the United, Fire and Marine Insurance Co., and from 1894 to 1897 held the Engelsburg postal receiving office, until construction of an official post office in 1897. Until the railway came to Kalbar in 1916, Wiss Bros transported local produce to the nearest railhead at Munbilla on behalf of the local farmers. The firm was a principal employer in the town, with 8 to 10 employees by the 1920s.
In 1903, their premises consisted of the small store and a separate dwelling fronting George Street, and bulk store and large stables at the rear. Lionel Wiss's property had been extended with the acquisition of an adjacent acre to the south in 1898, and a further adjoining 2 roods in 1901. Campbell Wiss had left the partnership by c.1904, but the name Wiss Bros was retained.
When the new store was erected in 1909, the original store was moved a little to the north in George Street, and operated for many years as Surawski's Fassifern Cafe. In the 1980s this building was shifted to the Cunningham Highway.
Lionel ('Daddy') Wiss was a highly respected local identity, who took a prominent role in the community and the local Methodist church. In 1910, he acquired 56 acres in the centre of Engelsburg. About half of this he subdivided in 1916 into residential allotments, thereby creating most of the western half of the town of Engelsburg (renamed Kalbar in 1916 when the railway reached the town).
Following Lionel Wiss's death in 1932, the business was managed by his family under the supervision of his daughter Adeline Wiss. In 1947 the business was sold to Holmes Bros, and remained a general store until 1966, when transferred to Chemical & Air Services Pty Ltd, who occupied the buildings for over twenty years.
","criteria":"The former Wiss Bros Store and Dwelling is important in demonstrating part of the pattern of Queensland's history, illustrating the growth of Engelsburg (Kalbar) as the centre of a thriving dairying and agricultural district in the early years of the 20th century.
|The former Wiss Bros Store and Dwelling is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of an intact, early 20th century general purpose country store, with associated early bulk store and c.1890 dwelling.
|The former Wiss Bros Store and Dwelling is important in exhibiting a range of aesthetic characteristics valued by the local community, being a self-conscious element in the townscape, employing lavish and accomplished workmanship in sheet and pressed metal to imitate a classical masonry facade.
|The former Wiss Bros Store and Dwelling has a special association with Engelsburg (Kalbar) storekeeper Lionel Ainger Wiss and the firm of Wiss Bros, who played an important role in the commercial, social and physical development of the Kalbar town, community and district from the 1890s to the 1940s.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":16635,"place_ref":601899,"name":"Binna Burra Cultural Landscape","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"Binna Burra Road","suburb":"BEECHMONT","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2002-12-31","description":"Binna Burra Cultural Landscape occupies 43.83ha on Mount Roberts, 8km south of Beechmont, and is surrounded by Lamington National Park – part of the World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. Set in a mountaintop forest, the landscape comprises a ridge running south to north and turning east, with a central saddle formation (dip), and a downward eastern slope to steep cliffs. Access is via Binna Burra Road, which approaches from the northwest, and winds up and around the north and east extents of the ridge, then south to the National Park entrance.
\nFeatures of Binna Burra Cultural Landscape of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nOriginal and early layout, and setting
\nSurviving elements illustrating the site’s original and early layout demonstrate guest accommodation and facilities have been consistently set out in low-scaled clusters along the main ridgeline that forms a spine through the land holding, with groups of buildings set in clearings, orientated to attractive views of the surrounding landscape and interspersed with gardens and plantings, paths, memorials and signs.
\nThe site of the former Binna Burra Lodge and cabins complex occupies the northern crest of the ridge, with associated buildings either side of Lodge Road on its southern approach, and Groom’s Cottage and the adjacent camping grounds occupy the southern crest. Between them is a lawn area on the central saddle, which provides open space and views connecting the early features.
\nViews
\nThe elevated position and varied topography offers attractive, and in some cases spectacular, views from and within the extensive site. These are:
\nSite of former Binna Burra Lodge and cabins complex (1934-, buildings destroyed by fire 2019)
\nThe former Binna Burra Lodge and cabins complex site occupies an elevated clearing with steep slopes on its north and west sides, and two lower terraces (formerly occupied by cabins) formed to the east. The Lodge buildings stood on the south and west sides of the central open lawn area, with a paved viewing terrace to the north and the main entrance via Lodge Road to the south. An area of native gardens (established by regular guest Win Bristow) is between the two terraces, and memorials to Bristow and Binna Burra co-founder Romeo Lahey are at the northern end of the lawn. A remnant metal wheel (whim) survives from the former flying fox (1934) that conveyed guests’ luggage to the Lodge site.
\nFeatures of the former Binna Burra Lodge and cabins complex of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nLodge Road (formed 1947)
\nThe single-lane Lodge Road branches off Binna Burra Road at the Christmas Camp site and ascends along the ridge to the former Lodge site. A ‘Welcome’ sign along the road denotes the entrance to the former Lodge, and the road ends with a turning loop at the arrivals area.
\nFeatures of the Lodge Road of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nPottery Shed (pre-1961)
\nThe Pottery Shed is located on the west side of the Lodge Road, to the immediate north of the entrance sign. The single-storey stone building is rectangular in plan and has a shallow gable roof.
\nFeatures of the Pottery Shed of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nEngine Room (c1947) and Barn (former Workshop 1966, relocated c1977, converted to Barn c2005)
\nThe Engine Room and Barn building stands on a level clearing, immediately southwest of the Pottery Shed. The lowset building comprises two parts both rectangular in plan. The Barn has a gable-roof and a later skillion-roofed west verandah. The Engine Room comprises a stone-walled skillion-roofed annexe on its east side. Remnant machinery (possibly from the 1950s sawmill constructed for cutting firewood to heat water for the Lodge) and the flying fox whim, are located adjacent to the building.
\nFeatures of the Engine Room and Barn of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nForestry Cottage (Cabin 43, 1941)
\nThe Forestry Cottage is situated on a slope on the eastern side of the Lodge Road, near the entrance to the Lodge area but separate to the main former Lodge site. The single-storey timber-framed cottage is rectangular in plan, with a shallow gable-roofed core and a later (c1970s) skillion-roofed extension on its eastern side.
\nFeatures of the Forestry Cabin of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nChristmas Camp (1933) and Commemorative Hoop Pines (1933 stump removed, 1983)
\nThe former Christmas Camp site comprises approximately one-hectare area of open, lawn on the saddle, roughly 250 metres south of the former Lodge site. One hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) planted in 1983, and a timber marker identifying the location of the original Christmas Camp hoop pine planted in 1933 (stump no longer extant in 2020) are situated along the forest edge, on the western side of the Christmas Camp 1933 site.
\nFeatures of Christmas Camp of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nGroom’s Cottage (1936-80)
\nGroom’s Cottage is located approximately 450 metres south of the former Lodge site, on the slope rising to the entrance of Lamington National Park. The cottage is rectangular in plan and sits on a terrace formed by an original stone rubble retaining wall. The ground floor is open-plan, with a stone fireplace on the south wall, a ground floor living area and an open-sided timber staircase that accesses the attic bedrooms (upper storey added 1940-80).
\nFeatures of Groom’s Cottage of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nBunk House (1977)
\nThe Bunk House is sited parallel to the southern side of Groom’s Cottage. The single-storey building has a steeply-pitched skillion roof with high-level windows on its northern side. It contains four cabins, each with three-tier built-in timber bunks.
\nFeatures of the Bunk House of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nCamping grounds (1966-)
\nThe camping grounds to the south are sited with easy access to the National Park entrance and are arranged with a relatively organic layout, with camping sites and amenities shelters set amongst mature trees on the western side, and on-site Safari Tents occupying the terraced eastern slope.
\nFeatures of the camping grounds of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nArthur Groom memorial (1957)
\nThe Arthur Groom memorial is located on the lawn adjacent to the National Park entrance. The memorial comprises a basalt stone wall, with an off-centre brass plaque and rosewood timber seat.
\nFeatures of the memorial of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nBellbird Clearing
\nBellbird Clearing is an activity area located on the eastern slopes. The area contains a lagoon, and a flying fox passes through the clearing. An activity area for ropes courses and abseiling activities is located adjacent to Bellbird Clearing.
\nFeature of Bellbird Clearing of state-level cultural heritage significance is:
\nBellbird Lookout (c1930s)
\nBellbird Lookout is located approximately one kilometre east of the former Lodge site. The view from this barrier free natural rock formation sweeps across the Numinbah Valley, taking in Egg Rock (Kurraragin), Turtle Rock, Ships Stern and the McPherson Range. There is an early track to the lookout (1930s).
\nFeatures of Bellbird Lookout of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nOld Vegetable Garden remnants (c1940s)
\nThe Old Vegetable Garden is an area located west of Bellbird Clearing that was originally used to grow vegetables to supply the Lodge, and retains remnant plantings and some garden fencing. Both the original late-1940s wells are housed in the old pump shed located in the area, along with partially restored engines.
\nFeatures of the Old Vegetable Garden of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nOther original and early built features
\nThe place incorporates a range of evolved and designed built features that contribute to the setting and functioning of the place. They include garden layouts and plantings; stone walls and edging; memorials; garden walks, walking tracks and roads; and open spaces such as lawns (some cleared of trees before the establishment of the site as a nature tourism resort), terraces and lookouts. Walking tracks traverse the site and journey deep into the forest or along clifftops. Signs are dotted across the site and vary in style, age and condition.
\nLandscape features of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nNon-significant features
\nFeatures of Binna Burra Cultural Landscape not of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\n","history":"
Binna Burra Cultural Landscape is a nature tourism site located on Mount Roberts about 8km south of the town of Beechmont and 32km southwest of the Gold Coast in southeast Queensland. Surrounded by the World Heritage-listed Lamington National Park, the place was established from 1933 by the company Queensland Holiday Resorts Limited, led by Romeo Watkins Lahey and Arthur Groom, to provide accommodation and facilitate visitors’ access to, and understanding of, the adjacent national park. It has picturesque aesthetic qualities, a strong and special association with those who value their experience of the place; and a special association with Lahey and Groom. It expresses evolved, designed and associative cultural landscape values.
\nTraditionally part of the lands of the Danggan Balun (Five Rivers) People, European activity at Beechmont (initially Beech Mountain) was limited to timber-getting until farming began in 1882. Selection of land for agricultural settlement to Beechmont’s south and east, including the Binna Burra site, occurred in the 1910s.[1]
\nA national park movement was initiated in Queensland after 1879 by pastoralist, businessman and politician Robert Martin Collins following his visit to the United States of America, where the movement had commenced in 1870.[2] This movement called for governments to reserve land in its natural state for the benefit of all people. Collins was instrumental in establishing Queensland’s first national park at Witches Falls, Mt Tamborine in 1908. He and others proposed the creation of a national park encompassing the Lamington Plateau, a spur of the McPherson Range.[3]
\nHowever, some of this land was made available for selection in 1911, as part of the state’s continued agricultural development. In that year, the O’Reilly family selected agricultural blocks located within the proposed national park.[4] The land on which Binna Burra was later established (Portion 178 at Mount Roberts) was selected by Beechmont dairy farmer George Daniel Rankin in 1913, while other portions to its north and east were also selected.[5]
\nRomeo Watkins Lahey, an engineer and timber merchant, joined the campaign to create a national park over the McPherson Range in 1911. Lahey was born on 2 June 1887 at Pimpama, the fourth child of David Lahey, arrowroot merchant and timber mill owner. Following Collins’ death in 1913, he played a significant role in the establishment of Lamington National Park.[6]
\nLamington National Park, comprising 47,000 acres (19,020ha), was gazetted on 31 July 1915. It extended from Ships Stern in the northeast to the Queensland-New South Wales border in the south, west to the headwaters of Stockyard Creek and northwest toward Canungra.[7] The national park was declared a reserve for the protection and preservation of native birds and animals in July 1918, and was surveyed by 1919.[8] The O’Reilly family provided its first visitor accommodation from 1915 and opened its guest house at Easter 1926.[9] One of their visitors was Binna Burra founder Arthur Groom, who stayed there in December 1927 and at least one other time.[10]
\nBorn on 11 December 1904, the son of Arthur Champion Groom, politician and land and stock agent, and his second wife Eva Rosabel, Groom jnr worked as a jackeroo in the Northern Territory, between 1922 and 1925. In 1925 he moved to Brisbane to write for the Sunday Mail newspaper. Between 1927 and 1932 Groom worked as a salesman for engineering companies, while in his spare time he explored and photographed the Lamington National Park. His first book was published in London in 1930.[11]
\nUpon Lahey’s return from World War I service with the Royal Australian Engineers of the Australian Imperial Force, he worked as an engineer in south-east Queensland, for the Lahey sawmilling enterprises and privately. He was director of the Lahey family’s companies (1924-30s), and chairman of directors of Laheys Pty Ltd (1934-49).[12]
\nGroom and Lahey were founding members of the National Parks Association of Queensland (NPAQ), established on 15 April 1930, the first national parks association formed in Australia.[13] The NPAQ was formed largely due to Lahey and he became its inaugural president, holding that position for 31 years, while Groom became its first honorary secretary, serving for four years.[14] The association’s purpose was: to preserve and promote the reservation of national parks in Queensland; educate the public about their value; achieve national parks’ legislation; ensure the enforcement of protective regulations for national parks; cooperate with all persons or organisations with similar objectives; and to raise funds to further these objectives.[15]
\nGroom and Lahey shared similar ideas for provision of lodges, guest houses or huts close to national parks throughout Queensland, but particularly near Lamington National Park. To turn their ideas into reality, they searched for a suitable site and financial supporters. In February 1933, with an option to purchase George Rankin’s isolated Mount Roberts’ selection (Portion 178), they met with interested backers, and resolved to establish a business partnership. As shares sold slowly during the Depression, they organised camps at Binna Burra to promote the company, including one on the King’s Birthday weekend in June 1933, with about 70 campers, and a month-long Christmas camp from 16 December 1933 for about 80 campers.[16]
\nThey registered their limited liability company, Queensland Holiday Resorts Limited, on 3 March 1934.[17] Its objects were ‘to provide tourist facilities and accommodation in beauty spots throughout…Queensland, and…to assist in preserving such in their natural state for future generations in accordance with the ideals of the National Parks Association of Queensland’.[18]
\nAt this early stage, Binna Burra comprised the June camp site on top of Mt Roberts; the site of the dining room; the Christmas camp site; a hoop pine tree planted by Lahey during the first Christmas camp; the access road to the first lagoon, which had been formed before the Christmas camp; and a track to Bellbird Lookout.[19] Fifty acres (20.23ha) were already cleared for farming[20] and one of the company’s immediate aims was to ‘carry out dairying and other agricultural operations on the property’.[21] Agricultural activities, including dairying, using pre-existing dairy shed and yards, and egg and vegetable production, were carried out on the site until 1947.[22]
\nDuring the 1930s, management of Binna Burra was divided between Groom and Lahey, with Groom as the on-site manager, while Lahey took charge of building infrastructure, and surveying and constructing the first walking tracks in the adjacent national park.[23]
\nIn 1934, a flying fox and the first buildings were erected on site. The flying fox comprised a heavy-duty cable, strung between a tree at the unloading point known as ‘the Dump’ and one on the cliff top near the future Lodge site, driven by a large whim (wheel) laid horizontally and rotated by a draught horse, to raise attached baggage and supplies about 150 metres. Guests walked up the goat track (steep) or the sheep track (less steep) to the campsite.[24] In the same year, Lahey’s road building team excavated a large site for buildings and felled trees for their construction.[25] By October 1934, dining room, kitchen, store, staff dining room, bathrooms and lavatories, flooring and tables for the tents and the first slab cabin dormitory for guests were built.[26]
\nLahey based his slab hut design on buildings he had seen in Victoria. They followed an early style of Australian housing and harmonised with the natural environment, consistent with the philosophy of Binna Burra. They were also inexpensive to build because the materials came from the property and achievable because there were skilled broad-axemen to build them.[27]
\nBy the end of 1935, two more slab huts, accommodating 22 people, and staff quarters were completed, and a dinner bell had been installed by Lahey.[28] In 1936, Groom began constructing a small cottage on the other side of the small mountain saddle from the Lodge, in anticipation of his marriage to Marjorie Dunstan.[29]
\nBetween 1938 and 1953, a further dozen cabins were constructed.[30] By September 1939, there was cabin accommodation for 54 guests and Lahey had constructed an attic for his own use above one of the guest cabins.[31] A separate laundry (1939) and an attic (1940) were added to Groom’s Cottage.[32] A Forestry Cottage (Cabin 43) was constructed in 1941 for the park overseer, about half-way between the Lodge and Groom’s Cottage.[33]
\nAfter World War II, visitor numbers seriously declined from their war-time high,[34] which Groom struggled to remedy through improvements and promotion. The road to Binna Burra was completed in 1947, ending the use of the flying fox, changing the way guests arrived, and resulting in the formation of the main entry, drive and arrival area.[35] In 1951, the Binna Burra road was transferred to the Crown and its maintenance taken over by the Department of Main Roads (MRD) leading to its upgrade to an all-weather road.[36]
\nTrees were removed from Binna Burra in the post-war period for several purposes. A sawmill operated onsite from c1947 until the early 1950s, which supplied firewood to heat water for the Lodge and two slab cabins were built during its operation. In the late 1950s, a timber firm paid to remove logs from the site. [37] Aerial photography from 1961 shows widespread clearing of the southern and eastern parts of the site (south and east of Binna Burra Road).[38] In 2020, only sawmill artefacts stored adjacent to the Engine Room remained.[39]
\nGroom died suddenly in November 1953 while on a business trip to Melbourne. For 20 years his life had focused on developing and managing Binna Burra. A memorial to him, designed by architect RP Cummings and funded by Binna Burra supporters, was unveiled on 3 February 1957 by Peter Grenning, Queensland’s Director of Forests. Originally sited on a grassy slope immediately in front of the entrance to the main border track at the Binna Burra end of Lamington National Park, the memorial was relocated closer to Groom’s Cottage, overlooking Nixon’s Creek and the Numinbah Valley, by 2001.[40] Its timber seat was replaced between July 2015 and March 2020.[41]
\nDuring the remainder of the 1950s, Binna Burra struggled to stay viable. The crisis culminated in 1960 with the Board of Directors proposing Binna Burra’s closure. Instead, Groom’s son Tony, assisted by his mother Marjorie, took over Binna Burra’s management and returned the business to profit during the following decade. From 1961, Groom’s other sons, Donn and Richard were also involved in the management of Binna Burra.[42]
\nAs well as a return to the Groom-era style of management, facilities were improved. In the first few years, the reception area was lined (1961); electricity was connected to the site (c1962);[43] and the last 6.5 kilometres of road to the Lodge were completed (1964), improving access.[44]
\nDuring the second half of the 1960s services (telephone, electricity, water supply and heating) were upgraded and accommodation added to the site. In 1966, the camping area was developed, a new toilet block and a workshop were erected. Six self-contained cabins were constructed on the site of the old playground using volunteer labour in 1969. The Binna Burra Road was bituminised in 1969.[45]
\nLahey resigned from Binna Burra’s Board of Directors in 1960 after a severe stroke and died on 26 October 1967. He had been a director, then chairman of directors of the Lahey family’s timber businesses from 1924 until 1949. Aware of the contradiction between his business and conservation interests, Lahey initiated reafforestation, reduced mill wastage, and gifted land for national park purposes, including land to Lamington National Park. He designed, surveyed, and often funded, graded tracks in national parks throughout Queensland to minimize ecological disturbance. In 1960, Lahey was awarded an MBE for services to national park development in Australia. Two plaques in Lamington National Park commemorate him, as does a stone memorial on Binna Burra’s front lawn.[46]
\nDuring the 1970s, the developmental phase begun at Binna Burra in the mid-1960s continued. From 1971 to 1972, cabins 24, 25, 26, 30 and 31 were replaced, while three new guest cabins were built. The Forestry Cottage, built on Binna Burra property in 1941, was acquired and the road encircling the Lodge was closed in preparation for new buildings. A new dining room, kitchen, lounge, and observation deck were opened by the Minister for Tourism, John Herbert, on 24 November 1973. The old dining room was repurposed as a games room, office foyer and fireplace.[47]
\nCamping has been integral to Binna Burra’s philosophy[48] and accordingly the camping grounds continued to be improved. By 1974 a kiosk, dining and activity centre, reticulated water, and powered sites were available at the camping ground to cater to campers’ and day-trippers’ needs.[49] Terracing of the campsite had commenced by 1977 and in 1988, permanent on-site tents were erected.[50] In May 1998, a teahouse opened near the camping grounds, replacing the kiosk.[51]
\nFrom the late 1970s into the 21st century, improvements, reconfiguration, and addition of buildings took place. The Workshop (now called the Barn) was relocated beside the Engine Room c1977. A series of cabin renovations were undertaken from the 1970s to the 1990s.[52] In 2013, the Binna Burra Sky Lodges, designed by DM2 Architecture, were completed. They comprised four separate three and a half storey buildings containing holiday units, located northeast of the Lodge complex on the edge of a north facing ridge.
\nDesigned changes to the Binna Burra landscape in addition to building layout have been made. Development of the Lodge gardens began in September 1968, when regular guest Win Bristow created a native garden between the upper and lower cabin terraces. Gardener Perce Bishop created rock gardens that formed a retaining wall along the corridor of the eastern cabins, as well as a children’s playground, by Christmas 1973.[53] His track around Mount Roberts below the Lodge (originally ‘Perce’s Parade’) was later developed as the Sense Trail by the Lamington Natural History Association and opened in 1975.[54] A Discovery Forest Children's playground opened in 1997, north of the Forestry Cottage.[55]
\nOver the course of Binna Burra’s history, its original site (nearly 178 acres/72ha) has almost halved. In 1951, 7.23ha of land was transferred to the Crown when the MRD took responsibility for Binna Burra Road.[56] In 1965, a further 1.26ha was excised for road purposes.[57]
\nIn 1969, three separate blocks of land with easements were created to the northeast of the Lodge buildings to provide a house lot for each Groom brother, who worked in rotation as Binna Burra’s manager and assistant manager from c1965-75.[58] These were treed allotments with views to the north. Lots 2 and 3 were purchased by Donn and his wife and Tony and his wife respectively, while Lot 1 remained in Binna Burra ownership. In 1970 Tony Groom erected a house on Lot 3. In 1973, Donn Groom erected a larger house, designed by Brisbane architect Robin Spencer, on Lot 2. This was purchased by Tony Groom and his wife in 1976. A one-bedroom house for Marjorie Groom was erected on Lot 2 in 1980. Lot 3 was sold by Tony Groom to his brother Richard in 1977 and returned to Binna Burra ownership in 1981 but was later sold.[59]
\nIn March 1970, 0.55ha of land located southeast of the most southern point of Binna Burra Road (Lot 1 RP 128297) was resumed by the Crown for national park purposes (site of the ranger station).[60] The remaining Binna Burra site was subdivided into three allotments prior to resumption of two allotments (Lots 2 and 3 RP171126; 27ha) for national park purposes in September 1980. The third allotment (Lot 1 RP171126) comprising 34.81ha (86 acres) remained as Binna Burra land (same extent in 2020).[61]
\nSince Binna Burra’s establishment, a variety of recreational activities have been encouraged, bringing diverse groups to the site. Initially, bushwalking in the Lamington National Park and the appreciation of nature were the primary pastimes. Abseiling began in 1962 and horse-riding was offered between 1963 and c1985, with the horses held in a yard opposite the entrance to Lodge Road and near the start of the Senses Trail.[62] In 1990, a bird hide was constructed near Bellbird Clearing for bird watching activities. In the 1990s, a flying fox across Bellbird Clearing was installed as a guest activity and a high ropes course offered nearby.[63]
\nVacation schools have been conducted since 1968. Starting with the Wildlife Preservation Society Spring School, others followed including shingle-splitting; Creative Arts and Photographics Schools (annually to 1984 at least); and Green Fingers Weeks (from 1970). The schools attracted and inspired well-known tutors and participants such as poet Heather Farmer; clarinettist Don Burrows AO MBE; photographer Steve Parish; Mervyn Moriarty, founder of the Flying Art School in outback Queensland; and photographer Nev Male.[64]
\nThe Binna Burra Cultural Landscape, its surrounding rainforest, waterfalls and views, have inspired aesthetic responses from artists, photographers, writers and musicians for more than eight decades. Artists’ camps were held in the 1930s to take inspiration from the scenic views of Egg Rock and Turtle Rock and the McPherson Range. Artists have depicted this region including important Queensland artist Vida Lahey (From Binna Burra, 1934), international artist Lois Beumer in her watercolour Rainforest Tangle 1986, and nationally acclaimed William Robinson in his landscape paintings. The adjacent McPherson Range inspired well-known photographers including Arthur Groom, Doug Spowart and Charles Ernest Stanley Fryer, while Romeo Lahey took plate glass photographs at the outset of World War I to campaign for the area’s reservation as a national park. Books written about Binna Burra, include Arthur Groom’s 1949 work One Mountain After Another and Raymond Curtis’ 2003 book, Rainforest Journal. Curtis’ orchestral work ‘Journey Among Mountains’ (1989) also celebrates the area.[65]
\nEnvironmental protection and education were early objectives in the establishment of Binna Burra. Groom and Lahey encouraged this through guided walks and talks which were continued after Groom’s sons became managers. The Lamington Natural History Association established in 1975 as a combined organisation between Binna Burra, O’Reilly’s and the National Parks Wildlife Service (NPWS) furthered this objective. The Association’s headquarters became the Environmental Study Centre in Groom’s Cottage, which was enlarged and renovated to house the director’s office, and a workroom. Bunkroom accommodation was constructed behind it for 36 children to provide facilities for school camps, and officially opened in 1977.[66] In 2001, Binna Burra achieved certification under the Green Globe standards for ecological sustainability and by 2019 had achieved an ‘Advanced Ecotourism’ certification from Ecotourism Australia's ECO Certification program.[67] In February 2020, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Griffith University and Binna Burra Lodge Limited to create ‘a strategic partnership…focusing on the development, interpretation and presentation of collaborative research and educational activities’.[68]
\nOne of the distinctive features of Binna Burra has been the support from its guests. For example, Frank Jesson, an artist who visited Binna Burra from 1938, illustrated cards and posters for Binna Burra without payment. Guests helped with chores in the 1930s, and from 1968 loyal guests improved the site by donating their time to building projects. This assistance was formalised by the establishment of the Friends of Binna Burra (FOBB) in 1984.[69]
\nThe 50th anniversary of the establishment of Binna Burra was celebrated in 1983. The tree-planting ceremony of the Christmas 1933 camp was repeated with the planting of another hoop pine 50m to its south; while a commemorative history of Binna Burra, Where the Beech Trees Grow: The Story of Binna Burra, was published in 1984.[70]
\nIn 1994, the global importance of the Lamington National Park was recognised when it was declared part of the Australian East Coast Sub-tropical and Temperate Rainforest Parks World Heritage Area (renamed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia in 2007).[71] This landscape is recognised for its outstanding natural universal values, representing: major stages of the Earth’s evolutionary history; significant ongoing geological processes and biological evolution; and for containing important significant habitats for the in-situ conservation of biological diversity.[72]
\nBinna Burra Cultural Landscape expresses evolved, designed and associative attributes. The landscape evolved from rainforest, possibly exploited by early timber-getters, into a partly agricultural landscape with about a third of the site cleared for dairying between 1913 and 1933. Agricultural activities, including dairying, and poultry and vegetable production, were carried out on the site until 1947. Working horses were onsite from 1935 to c1985. Further timber felling occurred between 1934 and 1959. Substantial regrowth of native vegetation has occurred since and will continue as the site is subject to the provisions of the Vegetation Management Act 1999, which preserves vegetation on declared sites. Binna Burra Cultural Landscape also includes designed features such as buildings; gardens; built elements such as stone walls and edging; memorials; garden walks, walking tracks and roads; playgrounds; and open spaces such as lawns, camping grounds, terraces, lookouts, and Bellbird Clearing. All of these features were formed intentionally to fulfil aesthetic, functional, or philosophical purposes as expressed by Queensland Holiday Resorts Limited in 1934.[73]
\nOn 8 September 2019, a devastating bushfire caused considerable damage at Binna Burra and the surrounding district. Buildings and site components were destroyed including the main Binna Burra Lodge complex (lounge/reception, shop, dining room, library and kitchen), all but one of the 43 Binna Burra cabins, and the three houses on Lots 2 and 3 RP124596.[74] The most easterly block of the Sky Lodges was significantly damaged. Some built features illustrating the layout of the Lodge complex remain. The flying fox whim (1934) and dinner bell (1935) also survived. Undamaged built features were primarily located south of the Lodge complex.[75] Binna Burra Road was rendered unsafe and in 2020 underwent major repairs and upgrade.
\nFollowing the 2019 fire event, Binna Burra Lodge Limited (formerly Queensland Holiday Resorts Limited) received support from community members and organisations, as well as government, showing the social importance of Binna Burra to the Queensland community and its importance to the region’s economy. The damage to the site was reported widely in the media, resulting in messages of support from individuals in Australia and overseas, and financial and in-kind support from businesses.[76] The FOBB raised more than $100,000 toward Binna Burra’s recovery.[77] Local, state and federal governments provided funding assistance.[78]
\nIn 2020, the Binna Burra Cultural Landscape retains buildings dating from 1936 onward, the Christmas 1933 camp site, camping grounds and facilities, natural vegetation, and built elements such as retaining walls, tracks, memorials, early signs, and open spaces, which all form part of its evolved and designed landscape. Their form and layout reflect the underpinning philosophy of connection with the natural environment. It is a place of natural beauty with picturesque attributes and over its lifetime, visitors to the site have developed a strong and ongoing association with the place. Binna Burra Cultural Landscape also has a special association with the life and work of its founders, Romeo Watkins Lahey and Arthur Groom.
","criteria":"Binna Burra Cultural Landscape (established 1933) is important in demonstrating the evolution of nature tourism in Queensland. Strongly associated with the establishment and expansion of tourism at Lamington National Park, a World Heritage site (Gondwana Rainforests of Australia), it is an early example of a nature tourism venture established to facilitate visitor access to, and understanding of, the adjacent national park, and is of international renown. It has sustained its use as a visitor base – offering a range of accommodation options, enhancing environmental awareness through education initiatives, and facilitating access to other nature-based experiences.
\nThe extensive evolved and designed landscape retains evidence of its original and early layout of accommodation and facilities focused along the spine of the land holding’s main ridgeline. Built structures, landscape features and recreational activities are integrated with their surrounds through their careful siting, scale, form and materials – illustrating the aim of providing sensitively designed tourist facilities and accommodation within an area of outstanding natural beauty.
|Surrounded by the Lamington National Park, part of the World Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, the picturesque mountaintop forest setting is an integral part of the Binna Burra nature tourism experience. The place affords spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding natural environment, layered with scenic vistas that unfold within the site.
\nViews from Bellbird Lookout and other eastern vantage points span a northeast-east-southeast arc across the Numinbah Valley towards the iconic natural formations of Egg Rock (Kurraragin), Turtle Rock, Ships Stern and the McPherson Range. Views from the former Lodge and cabins site take in the Darlington Range and Coomera River valley to the west and northwest, and Beechmont to the north. Attractive views within the site unfold along the tree-lined Lodge Road and across the open lawn of the saddle to Groom’s Cottage.
\nEvoking strong feelings of seclusion and tranquillity at being deep within the rainforest, with impressive views from mountain to mountain, artistic responses to the place have appeared consistently over time and include paintings, orchestral work, poetry, photography and descriptive writing that capture its distinctive physical features and outstanding natural beauty.
\nAs a nature tourism destination, Binna Burra Cultural Landscape is renowned for its natural aesthetic qualities and guest amenities that have evolved over time. The provision of amenities reflect a consistent design response to context that utilises modestly scaled built forms made with naturalistic materials such as stone and timber to carefully integrate with the surrounding landscape. First constructed in 1936, the siting, scale, form and materials of Groom’s Cottage are an exemplar of this design response.
|Binna Burra Cultural Landscape has a strong and special association with nature tourists to Binna Burra from Australia and overseas as a place that has offered the valued customary experience of appreciating and staying within the natural environment of the Lamington National Park since 1933. The extent and degree of the community association has been shown by repeat visits; the popularity of Binna Burra’s special interest schools and educational camps; acts of voluntary assistance, support and fundraising; the functioning of the Friends of Binna Burra since 1984; and the community and government response to the devastating 2019 bushfire.
|Binna Burra Cultural Landscape has a special association with the life and work of Romeo Watkins Lahey MBE (1887-1967), who was instrumental in the establishment of Lamington National Park, and of Arthur Groom (1904-53), who promoted Lamington National Park through his writing and photography. Both were founding members of the National Parks Association of Queensland, the first national park association in Australia. They formed the company Queensland Holiday Resorts Limited, which established Binna Burra, to provide accommodation and access to the adjacent Lamington National Park. From 1933 until 1960 and 1953 respectively, Lahey and Groom were closely associated with Binna Burra as its designers, builders and managers, and as company directors of Queensland Holiday Resorts Limited.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion E | Criterion G | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":19488,"place_ref":602365,"name":"Tamborine Mountain Road/Geissmann Drive","alternate_name":"Tamborine Station-Tamborine Mountain Road","street_address":"Geissmann Drive","suburb":"NORTH TAMBORINE","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2003-08-05","description":"The Sandy Creek to North Tamborine Mountain section of the Tamborine Mountain Road descends from North Tamborine to the valley to the north west. It is two lanes wide, 7.7km long, and follows the original alignment. It has been widened in the less steep areas for safety reasons as it is still a major access road, but it retains many of its original features such as culverts, cuttings and rock embankment walls. The alignment includes two large 'S' bends, a feature that enabled the road makers to wind up steep pitches while maintaining a gradual gradient. These are not found in modern roads as modern vehicles can climb much steeper gradients. The original bitumen road surface remains, but has been re-surfaced many times.
The Cedar Creek to North Tamborine section traverses very steep hillsides and deep gullies and retains its original alignment with a large 'S' bend winding up the hill. As it has a steep gradient, the road has been made by cutting into the hillside and depositing the spoil down hill to make a wider road bed and ease construction problems. Where the cliff has been cut back, some rock walls have been built to stop the bank eroding onto the road and blocking it. Below the road dry stone rock walls, ie walls that have no mortar joining the stones, cover the steep embankments to prevent the road surface sliding downhill. To prevent the heavy rainfall washing the road away, culverts under the road direct the water away from the road surface. In some sections these original culverts were not adequate in very heavy rain.
The lower part of the road from Cedar Creek to Sandy Creek traverses more gentle slopes so there are fewer retaining walls, embankments and sharp curves. The road has been widened in several places but it still retains original culverts and walls. It goes through dry sclerophyll forest down to the valley.
Cuttings and embankments are found mainly in the upper section. Many of the embankments are clad in dry stone walling many metres deep and can be seen from the road but many have been covered by the abundant vegetation. Some early dry stone walls can be seen on the upper bank of the road alongside more modern rock walls. One of the original stone embankment walls is found near the Sandy Creek Bridge between the road and the creek. It is about 1.5m high and approximately 16m long and protects the road embankment from erosion from the flooding of Sandy Creek and from road surface run-off.
Twelve culverts were noted and they vary in date and design. They include circular concrete pipes, larger rectangular pipes and modern rectangular section pipes. Some are single, some double depending on the expected water flow. Around each of the inlets is a rock channel and wings to guide the water into the mouth of the pipe and these have been individually designed for the particular site. Many have concrete end walls and loose concrete added to the surface. On the outlet side there is mostly a rock surround around the pipe and, if space, a concrete apron to prevent erosion. As with any functional road, there is evidence of a continuous upgrade of surface and culverts as required for safety but many of the original culverts survive.
The roadside vegetation is dry sclerophyll for much of its length changing to subtropical vine rainforest in the upper areas. This rainforest area with the Bangalow Palms in Cedar Creek Valley has retained its original characteristics and forms an important part of the landscape of this site. Another feature of the road reserve is the Sentinel, a piece of basalt, standing beside the upper S bend. It has stood beside the road since its construction as part of a larger bolder, too heavy to move, and as such has become a local landmark.
","history":"Tamborine Mountain Road was constructed in 1922-1925 to link the small farming community of North Tamborine on the Tamborine Mountain plateau to Tamborine Railway Station. Linking North Tamborine to the railway system enabled greater tourist access to the mountain, and greater market access for Tamborine Mountain produce. Tamborine Mountain Road was one of the first construction projects undertaken by the newly formed Main Roads Board and was one of the first declared Main Roads and one of the first bitumened roads in Queensland. It remains a main access and tourist road for North Tamborine.
North Tamborine is situated on a plateau 548m in altitude and 10km by 3.5km in area, with steep escarpments around most sides with only a few areas where the slope is gentle enough to allow the construction of a road. The first wave of non-indigenous settlers on Tamborine Mountain in the 1870s and 1880s established walking and bridle tracks through the rainforest to reach their selections, where they cleared the land to grow bananas and fruit [and later dairy produce] for the Brisbane markets. Farmers used the same tracks to take their produce down to the valleys. The early track makers had problems with the steep gradients and high rainfall and any track in the area was difficult to make and hard to maintain.
The Tamborine Plateau was recognized early as a tourist and health destination because of its elevation, rain forest vegetation, waterfalls and landscape values. In 1898, the Geissmann family moved to North Tamborine and built a large boarding house, Capo di Monte, and advertised it as a Health Resort. It became very popular and visitors included Lord and Lady Lamington and Sir Wm McGregor, Governors of Queensland. Later the house was converted to holiday flats and the family acquired other interests in the area. The Geissmann family was also involved in sawmilling and was very prominent in the area even after Capo di Monte was destroyed by fire in 1932. The upper section of Tamborine Mountain Road was renamed Geissmann Drive about 1982 to honour their contribution to the community.
In July 1918 the Tamborine Mountain Progress Association, anxious to improve access to markets for the increasing number of dairy farmers and fruit growers on the mountain, urged Tamborine Shire Council to construct a good road down the mountain to link North Tamborine with the Tamborine Railway Station. Land was resumed and a route with a reasonable gradient was surveyed in 1920.
The request was timely. By 1920 the need to provide all-weather roads was a priority for all Queenslanders - a response to the increased number of motor vehicles on the roads, and to the need to provide suitable infrastructure for an expanding economy. Queensland roads were in a deplorable condition, the result of haphazard planning by under-funded local authorities. In response, the Queensland Government established the Main Roads Board in 1920 to oversee the construction of connecting roads and bridges and to provide funding to the local authorities involved. The first Board Chairman, JR Kemp, reported that earlier roads failed because they had not been surveyed properly, had too steep gradients, had insufficient drainage for heavy rain areas, had insufficient foundations and carried too heavy loads. These roads often needed expensive maintenance. To reduce the cost of construction and maintenance, Kemp specified standards for the design of road beds, drainage systems, bridge design and other critical areas of road making. In 1925 the Main Roads Board became the Main Roads Commission under JR Kemp as Commissioner and continued the overseeing of road and bridge construction throughout Queensland.
In 1922 a National Main Roads Policy was proclaimed, providing funds for main roads construction on a one for one subsidy basis. Road costs were apportioned as ½ Commonwealth funded, 3/8 State and 1/8 local authority. The Commonwealth funding was intended also to provide employment for returned First World War servicemen.
Under the provisions of the Main Roads Act 1920, Tamborine Mountain Road was gazetted on 16 December 1921 as one of Queensland's first seven Main Roads, and the Main Roads Board subsequently made funds available to Tamborine Shire Council for its construction. The Board also specified engineering standards for many aspects of the construction, including road beds, culverts and dry stone rock retaining walls. Some of the retaining walls on the lower side of the road were reputedly 15 feet high. A crushing plant was set up at Sandy Creek in 1923 to provide the road metal, the stone being obtained from a quarry below Curtis Falls.
During 1922-23, its first year of operation, the largest expenditure on permanent road works by the Main Roads Board was on the construction of the Tamborine Mountain Road.
The mountainous upper [southern] part of the road from Sandy Creek to North Tamborine rose to a height of 1800 feet, and was one of the most difficult works undertaken in the period 1922-24. It was completed in 1924 at a cost of £32,158. The road linking Sandy Creek to the Tamborine Railway Station was completed in 1925. Tamborine Shire Council then asked the Main Roads Commission to bitumen the road surface to reduce maintenance costs and this was done. It was one of the first bitumen roads in Queensland. The total cost of the road by 1925 was £42,500.
As funding for the Tamborine Mountain road was partly the responsibility of the local authority, North Tamborine residents in the 'benefited area' were levied increased rates. In 1925, the rates increased to 1s 8d in the £, three times that of the surrounding area. This was a hardship for many so in 1930, when changes to the Main Roads Act permitted the levying of tolls on roads with high maintenance costs, Tamborine Shire Council paid £500 to have a toll keeper's house erected at Sandy Creek. Tamborine Mountain Road was one of the first three Queensland main roads/bridges to have a toll imposed under the provisions of the Act. It was anticipated that tolls from tourist vehicles would contribute to the repayments to the local authority but the toll was uneconomic and disliked and was removed in 1945.
Tamborine Mountain Road remained the principal access road to North Tamborine for many years and continues to be a main tourist and access road to the plateau and North Tamborine. The upper [southern] section still winds through subtropical rainforest which for decades has provided an aesthetic portal to the plateau.
The road has had continuous maintenance over its life but still retains many of the original features such as the alignment, culverts and retaining walls.
","criteria":"The road is important historically as it was one of the first Main Roads in Queensland gazetted by the Main Roads Board. The road demonstrates achievement in road building in difficult terrain in the 1920s and the early use of asphaltic concrete as a road surface. It also demonstrates the application of scientific and engineering standardized approaches to road construction as advocated by the first Main Roads Board, to reduce costs and produce better roads. The road is important also in demonstrating the success of the co-operative effort of a small community to improve their means of access, and is significant for its contribution to the development of Tamborine Mountain farming and tourism.
|Tamborine Mountain Road has survived with a number of original elements, including 1920s culverts and rock walls. These demonstrate the principal characteristics of the Main Roads Board's standardized requirements for the construction of important early Queensland roads. These elements are particularly evident in the upper one third of the road.
|This upper section [Geissmann Drive], which winds through subtropical rainforest and which for decades has provided an aesthetic portal to the plateau, is valued by local residents and tourists alike for its aesthetic qualities. It is from the Tamborine Mountain Road approach that most visitors, since the 1920s, have obtained their first experience of the mountain's subtropical rainforest environment, which is highly valued for its natural heritage qualities.
|The place is important to the community for its continuing social and cultural connections. In re-naming the upper [southern] part of the road as Geissmann Drive, the local community has honoured the work of the pioneering Geissmann family, early guesthouse owners and sawmillers who did much to promote Tamborine as a health resort and tourist destination and were active in the local community for many years.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion G","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":19652,"place_ref":602529,"name":"Lahey's Canungra Tramway Tunnel","alternate_name":"Laheys Tramway Tunnel","street_address":"Darlington Range Road","suburb":"CANUNGRA","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2005-04-11","description":"The tunnel was originally meant to be 88 yards in length (80m). However, its actual overall length is 91m plus an approach cutting at each end. The tunnel is straight, unlined and rectangular in section and cut through solid sandstone. On the walls of the tunnel is etched graffiti. The majority of graffiti is concentrated near the well-lit southeastern and northwestern entrances.
Each entrance has an open approach cutting that extends from the tunnel. The northwestern entrance features two interpretive signs, one outlining the history of the tramway and tunnel, the other identifying the use of the tunnel during the Second World War.
Both entrances also feature waist high steel entrance barriers added to the site as part of the Centenary of Federation project.
Neither of the modern interpretive signs or modern entrance barriers are of cultural heritage significance.
","history":"The Laheys Canungra Tramway Tunnel represents part of a large scale, privately constructed and operated tramway used between 1903 and 1930. The tramway line was constructed in 3 feet 6 inch Queensland Government Railway standard gauge in the hope of future integration with the government rail network. The tramway tunnel was cut through solid sandstone, thereby negating any requirements for lining or support structures.
European settlement of the area surrounding the Coomera River commenced in 1843 with the establishment of the Tambourine holding. Early timber harvesting began in the 1860s by Hugh Mahony, who cut and hauled cedar logs to mills in Ipswich.
The Lahey family emigrated from their native Ireland to Australia in 1862. Francis Lahey, his wife and eleven children arrived in Sydney, but immediately travelled north to Brisbane. The family began farming in the Pimpama region in 1870. In 1875 Francis Lahey purchased a sugar mill and sawbench at Tygum, Waterford for his sons.
After being informed of the 'good timber' in the region, David Lahey commenced work on the construction of the first sawmill in Canungra on 2 October 1884. During the same year David, John, Isaiah, Thomas and Evangeline Lahey all applied for and were granted selections of land around Canungra totaling over 3,000 acres.
The mill at Canungra flourished during the first sixteen years of operation with timber readily obtained from the immediate area. The Lahey family expanded their business during this time, establishing an office in Brisbane in 1887, saw and planing mills at Beaudesert in 1888, the construction of a new mill at Canungra in 1897 after the original mill was destroyed by fire, and the construction of another mill at Widgee near Hill View in 1898.
By the turn of the 20th century, transportation of timber to the Canungra mill was becoming a problem. By this time the Laheys had acquired timber leases amounting to over 16,000 acres in the Canungra and Pine Creek Valleys, thereby requiring the slow and expensive bullock teams to haul logs over ever-increasing distances.
The Laheys saw mechanisation as the solution to their transportation problems. After a failed experiment with a steam traction engine, it was decided to build a tramway into the Pine Creek Valley to help keep transportation costs down. Steep grades and rugged terrain were an early problem in the design of the tramway. Various means of propulsion to cope with the steep grades and potentially heavy haulage weights were considered. A geared Climax locomotive, claimed to be capable of operating on grades as steep as 1 in 10, depending on haulage weight, was selected. A narrow gauge of 3 feet 6 inches was also chosen to match that of the growing Queensland Government Railways, as it was hoped that the government line would eventually extend to Canungra (this finally occurred in 1914).
Tom Lahey and a Mr Clark were responsible for the selection of the tramway route. George Phillips, a celebrated civil engineer, was then engaged to make a detailed survey of the route, which was completed in February 1900. A contract was then let to Mr Clark for the initial construction. An immediate problem he faced was a ridge of the Darlington Range that separated the mill in Canungra from the timber leases in the Coomera Valley. After considering an expensive long circuitous route around the ridge formation, a tunnel cutting through the ridge was chosen with an approach grade of 1 in 12½ with short radius curves. The tunnel was pierced on 1 January 1901. First use of the tunnel was in September 1903.
The grade against loaded trains heading to the mill was kept to 1 in 16½. The downhill grade from the tunnel to the mill was steeper and considered dangerously steep. To overcome this, a safety switch was laid. During actual operations, no serious accidents occurred, though there are reports of "some exciting moments", being "due to greasy rails".
The tramway was extended over time. By 1910, the main line was 13½ km long, with a branch 2 km up Flying Fox Creek and a sub-branch 500m up Little Flying Fox Creek to service a new aerial ropeway on Beech Mountain. Eventually, the total length of track laid amounted to 26½ km.
Usage of the tramway continued to increase so that during 1915 alone, 15,000 tons of logs were hauled to the mill.
With the construction of the tramway came the preservation of belts of native vegetation alongside the tracks. The line "curved among waterfalls, ferns and thick scrub", and it was used by the locals for everyday transportation needs, with reports of locals sitting atop the logs, children using the tramway for rides to school and for picnickers hitching a ride to their destinations.
By 1920 much of the timber had been removed from the Canungra area. In 1920, the War Service Homes Commission purchased the whole milling operation and before long, closed the mill. David Lahey's company Brisbane Timbers Ltd, however, took over the remaining timber harvesting operations and the tramway was used sporadically for a few more years. Trips along the tramway by sightseers are recorded up till 1930. By June 1933, the line was being dismantled. In 1935, the rails and bogies were sold for scrap. During its period of use, the tramway collectively hauled approximately 130 million super feet of timber.
During the Second World War, the tunnel was used for the storage of ammunition for the nearby Kokoda Barracks at Canungra. Following the war the tunnel fell out of use, but has since been cleared out through work conducted under a Centenary of Federation grant project. The tunnel was officially re-opened for pedestrian and visitor use on 21 January 2001.
","criteria":"The Laheys Canungra Tramway Tunnel is important in demonstrating the pattern of Queensland's history as an example of a privately built, owned and operated tramway. It is also important as a product of the development of the early timber getting and milling industries in Queensland.
|The place demonstrates uncommon aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage as an early example of one of the few tramway tunnels built in Queensland not requiring lining or support.
|The tunnel is important in demonstrating the high degree of creative and technical achievement required to solve complex engineering problems associated with the construction of Queensland's early railways in challenging environments and through the use of new and untried technologies.
|The tunnel holds strong social significance for the community for its landmark values and for the contribution that the early timber industry and subsequent tramway operations had for the economic and cultural development of the Canungra region. The tunnel is also of social significance to the community as demonstrated by the installation of interpretive signing and the opening of the tunnel as a local tourist attraction.
|The place has a special association with the life and work of several generations of the Lahey family, who have been influential in the development of the timber industry in southeastern Queensland, and in the general development of the Canungra area.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion F | Criterion G | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place is important in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":19668,"place_ref":602549,"name":"Wonglepong QCWA Hall","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"2779 Beaudesert-Nerang Road","suburb":"WONGLEPONG","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2005-11-11","description":"The QCWA hall is situated in a grassy paddock about 35 metres back from Beaudesert - Nerang Road at Wonglepong. It is on a small leasehold block within a forty-five hectare farm.
The hall is rectangular in plan, about nine metres long and six metres wide. There are few decorative features apart from the QCWA symbol on the gable above the entrance. The structure is timber framed and clad with weatherboard. Access at the front of the building is via a small porch and a set of double, framed doors. Each door has a square frosted glass window fitted near the top. The building has an unpainted corrugated iron gabled roof pitched at about 30 degrees. Concrete stumps have been used to replace the original timber.
The entrance porch is centred on the eastern side of the building. Access to the porch is gained via a small set of steps on the southeastern side. The external sides of the porch are partially clad with weatherboards with about two thirds of each side open to the roof.
All of the windows are centre opening casements. Each window is divided into five lights arranged as a large rectangle bracketed with two small square lights at the top and bottom.
Three windows open into the northwestern side and two into the southeastern side. Each window is covered with a curved metal hood.
Rear access is via a wooden ledged and braced door at the southwestern end of the rear elevation. A metal awning projects from the top of the door opening and the door is approached via a set of steps. A corrugated iron water tank with a timber tank stand is positioned near the center of the rear elevation.
The interior of the hall comprises a single room with a polished timber floor, lined with unpainted hardwood. The library cabinet is built into the wall to the right of the main entrance. It is made from vertical hardwood boards that match the lining of the hall. A pair of hinged doors also made from vertical hardwood boards gives access to the interior of the cabinet.
The hall is furnished with a number of tables, four wooden pews, a bench and an upright piano. A selection of photographs and printed material including the QCWA creed and motto and a World War I memorial are hung on the walls.
The kitchen cupboards, constructed in 1965 are located against the wall opposite the main entrance. These are not considered to be of Cultural Heritage significance.
","history":"Wonglepong Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) hall is a small, one roomed weatherboard structure in a rural setting. It is situated on a leasehold block in the district of Wonglepong north of Canungra in Beadesert Shire. The hall was built specifically for the Wonglepong branch of QCWA in 1935. The branch continues to use the hall and it remains largely unchanged from the time of its construction.
The decision to form QCWA was made at an open conference for country women hosted by the Brisbane Women's Club at Albert Hall in Brisbane in August 1922. At the time, Queensland was suffering severe drought and the conference was prompted by a desire to alleviate some of the problems being experienced by rural women. QCWA aimed to improve the quality of life of country women and children by providing opportunities for social interaction and recreation and by improving rural education and health. Sir Matthew Nathan, Queensland's Governor strongly supported the formation of the QCWA and accepted the position of Patron.
QCWA soon became an important part of rural communities. It grew rapidly with branches opening at Kingaroy, Warwick, Roma, Chinchilla and Allora in the four months after its foundation in August 1922. QCWA addressed specific needs of rural families with practical measures such as the provision of beachside holiday accommodation, mothers' rest rooms, bush nurse centers and student hostels. They worked to improve the knowledge and skills of rural women by hosting lectures, teaching handicrafts and home industries and maintaining libraries in their halls and meeting places. They lobbied government on a range of rural issues. Their halls were often focal points of the local community and their members were frequently active in other local organizations. QCWA was one of the most influential Australian women's organizations of the 20th Century.
In 1925 when the Wonglepong branch of the QCWA was formed, Beaudesert Shire was a prosperous district of small farmers and timber workers. Closer settlement of the district began in the 1860s after the opening of the Logan Agricultural Reserve. From the early 1900s to the 1930s, the district boomed, sustained by dairying, cattle grazing and the timber industry. Dairying and grazing continued through the mid-20th Century although restructuring of the dairy industry led to diversification and the development of larger properties.
QCWA was arguably the most significant women's organisation in the Upper Logan and Albert Rivers district. The Wonglepong branch was among the first to be formed in the area, meeting for the first eight years in the home of the founding president, Ann Franklin. By the 1930s, Ann's health problems led members to take turns hosting meetings in their homes. However, transport presented a problem for many and membership had increased so the decision was made to build a hall. A building fund was started and by 1935, £58 had been raised. The hall was built on land leased to the branch by the Franklin family on a 99 year term. The timber for the hall, believed to have originated from the Franklin's property, was milled at Geo Franklin's hardwood mill at Canungra. E. J. Franklin, the son of Ann, was the supervising carpenter and members' husbands assisted him on a voluntary basis. The hall was opened on 4 December 1935 by Mrs Buchanan, President of Central Division, QCWA. The branch started a library in the year of the hall's construction. In 1937, the hall was lined and a library cabinet was built with matching hardwood boards sourced from the property.
Members donated the furnishings of the hall. These include a number of pews that were made for the branch by E. J. Franklin. The original pattern for the pews is stored in the hall. The President's chair was donated by a member of the Franklin family in memory of his mother, Jane. The creed and motto were painted by Frank Tunley, the brother of the founding Secretary, A. G. Campbell.
The hall remains largely intact from the date of its construction and it is comprehensively documented. The library cabinet and lining of the hall have never been painted. The cabinet contains a collection of books most of which date from the period when the library was established. The only substantial changes to the hall have been the addition of a kitchen and the restumping of the hall in 1965, the painting of the exterior in 1975 and the replacement of the corrugated iron roof in 1983. The branch has preserved all of the minutes of meetings since its inception and it is one of the few QCWA branches to have preserved its records for this length of time.
From the late 20th Century, the Wonglepong area began to change from a farming community to a rural residential area and since the 1960s membership of QCWA throughout Queensland has declined. However, the Wonglepong Branch remains active and is one of only two QCWA branches that still function in Beaudesert Shire.
","criteria":"The Wonglepong QCWA Hall is important in demonstrating the pattern of Queensland's history. QCWA was one of the most influential women's organisations of the 20th Century. It was formed as a response by country women to the hardships and isolation experienced historically by families in Queensland's rural districts. The organization was, and remains, an important part of the State's rural communities. The Wonglepong Branch is a typical example of a small country QCWA branch and its history is among the best documented in Queensland. It has preserved the minutes of its meetings since its inception in 1925, just three years after the foundation of QCWA. Its hall is highly intact and largely unchanged from the date of its construction in 1935.
|The building demonstrates the principal characteristics of a small QCWA hall from the first half of the 20th Century. Located in a rural district, it is set well back from the road in a paddock on a small rural property. The QCWA symbol is displayed prominently above the entrance. The QCWA creed and motto are hung in frames on the walls together with a World War I honour roll. The small library in the hall is a typical feature of many QCWA branches that maintained libraries for the education of their members.
|The building has a special association with the local members of QCWA and the branch is well known within QCWA throughout the State. The land on which the hall is situated was leased to QCWA by the founding president and her son supervised the hall's construction with member's husbands assisting him on a voluntary basis. Members donated the furnishings of the hall including a number of pews made by the son of the founding president. The brother of the founding secretary painted the creed and motto.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion D | Criterion G","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":24286,"place_ref":602735,"name":"St Patrick's Church and Graveyard","alternate_name":"St Patricks Catholic Church | St Patricks Church and Graveyard","street_address":"Rosewood - Aratula Road","suburb":"ROSEVALE","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2009-12-11","description":"St Patrick's Church and graveyard is located approximately two kilometres north-west of the small township of Rosevale, in a farming district to the south-west of Ipswich. Built in 1889 at the instigation of the local Catholic community, this small timber building - with gabled roof, porch and simple gothic windows - has changed very little on its exterior. The church, graveyard and all other associated features are found at the cleared, eastern end of a long, rectangular block that slopes down towards the Rosewood-Aratula Road, which forms the eastern boundary of the property. A gate here provides vehicular access. The remainder of the property is covered in ironbark scrub and fenced off by a timber post and barbed wire fence. The northern boundary is defined by Dawson Road (unsealed) and lined with trees, while the southern boundary adjoins open farmland.
The church is a simple, single-storey timber building measuring approximately fifteen metres long by nine metres wide, raised on timber ant-capped stumps. Orientated north-south, it has a gable roof and a small, gabled porch on the northern façade. It is positioned approximately one third of the way up the slope of the cleared area adjacent to two cypress (possibly Cupressus sempervirens or Italian Cypress) trees, a pine tree (possibly Pinus elliottii or Slash Pine) and a small, timber outhouse behind it to the west and south-west. The middle third of the site is open grass with no visible features, while the western third at the top of the slope contains the grouped, marked graves of the burial ground and three separate graves in the far south-west corner. The only other tree within the fenced churchyard is a mature ironbark, near the northern boundary.
The church is timber-framed and clad with painted weatherboards. The gable roof is clad in corrugated iron with the ridge at each end having a simple wooden cross attached to it, one of the few decorative features found on the exterior. The church sits on a regular grid of timber stumps which, due to the slope of the site, vary in height so that the western edge of the building sits closest to ground level. The main entrance is through a small timber porch on the northern façade. A third timber cross, Celtic in style, decorates the top, outer end of the porch gable.
The main northern facade has few decorative features, apart from the small porch addition, which has a single window with a fixed, pointed-arch top light in the centre of its north-facing wall. The east and west façades are identical, featuring four sets of tall, paired casement windows spaced equally along their length. Each window has four rectangular lights and a fixed, pointed-arch top light. The south (rear) façade has two doors at each end that are accessed by timber steps with timber handrails. A recent PVC water tank sits on an old timber tank stand between these two doors.
The entry porch has openings facing east and west, accessed by timber steps. A timber pew has been placed along the northern wall as a seat. The large main door into the church itself is made from red cedar boards. Opening inwards, its two leaves have tops that form a pointed arch. Beyond this door, the central aisle runs through the nave towards the altar at the far end and is formed by rows of pews placed on either side. Two small rooms (a vestry and a sacristy) have been enclosed by timber-framed partitions on either side of the altar, with a pointed-arch ceiling spanning between them and forming a canopy above the sanctuary. Floors throughout are lined with timber boards with a single strip of red carpet running down the central aisle.
The ceiling over the nave is lined with wide, beaded timber boards painted white. Various members of the timber roof trusses project through the lining, including the tie beams and scissor braces. Brackets on the walls and black stains on the underside of the scissor braces that extend to meet the walls indicate the former use of kerosene lamps to light the church. Light fittings now hang from overhead tie beams. Wall linings in the nave date from the 1922 renovation. From floor level to waist height, they are lined with narrow vertical boards, topped with a dado rail. All are stained. Above this, they are lined with plywood sheets with cover strips, stained an orange-brown. Framed Stations of the Cross are spaced along the east, north and west walls, each with a small plaque naming the family that donated it. In the north-west corner is a stand-alone confessional made from dark-stained silky oak. In the north-east corner is a small timber pedal organ (no longer in use) that was manufactured by Mason & Hamlin, Boston, U.S.A. The early timber pews are made from pine and stained a dark brown.
The altar sits upon a raised platform in the sanctuary in the centre of the southern wall. Made from polished silky oak, intricately carved with floral patterns and religious motifs in relief, the altar was adapted to the liturgical changes brought about by Vatican II in the mid to late 1960s by being cut in two; allowing the priest to face his congregation using the front half shifted forward. The communion rail was also removed and is stored in the eastern side room (sacristy). Attached to the wall behind the rear portion of the altar is original wall ornamentation, namely a timber pointed arch surmounted by a plain cross, painted in white. A small statue of St Patrick sits on a narrow ledge at the front of the altar. The lower, arched ceiling over the altar is made from plywood sheets with cover strips and was added in 1922.
Facing the sanctuary on either side are doorways that open into the vestry and sacristy. Both rooms have doors to the exterior in the rear wall of the building. Their walls are clad in vertical timber boards (single-beaded for the vestry walls but narrower and without beading for the sacristy) and have an open frieze of vertical battens above door height. Semi-circular alcove shrines are built into the northern walls of both these rooms, facing the congregation. The western alcove houses a statue of the Virgin Mary. The eastern alcove contains a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, while next to it is a statue of St Joseph on a separate triangular shelf.
Most of the marked graves in the church graveyard are grouped together in rows and aligned east-west. Approximately 68 names are recorded and dates range from the earliest in 1887 (an infant, Willy Hogan, whose name is included on a headstone with other family members) to the most recent in 2009. Dates on the headstones indicate that burials were taking place consistently from when the graveyard was first opened, peaking in the 1920s and 1930s, before declining in use after World War II; however since the 1990s burial numbers have been increasing. Headstones are made in a variety of styles and materials, some elaborate. Of note are an elaborately carved Celtic cross and several plots enclosed with wrought iron fencing. Older headstones tend to be made from marble and several have been broken. Families are generally buried together in a family plot or adjacent separate plots. Stone masons recorded on some of the headstone include Ziegler of Toowoomba and F Williams of Ipswich. Recent burials are located along the western edge of the graveyard or in reserved family plots, and are usually marked with sandstone or concrete blocks with a granite plaque attached.
In the far south-west corner of the fenced churchyard are three graves marked by timber crosses and iron grave markers, said to be members of the Quirk family. The graves were once enclosed by a timber fence which has since collapsed leaving only the vertical corner posts.
Extensive and picturesque views of farmland and distant mountain ranges to the east and south are obtained from all over the site. The church itself, fronted by sloping grass lawns and set against a dark background of trees, also has picturesque qualities, especially when glimpsed in passing along the Rosewood-Aratula Road.
","history":"St Patrick's Church, a modest timber building in a picturesque rural setting, was opened in November 1889 to serve the small farming community of Rosevale, south of Ipswich in south-east Queensland. The adjacent graveyard was blessed at the same time as the church. Both remain in use, although church services are now restricted to an annual mass.
The Rosevale district was taken up c1846 as part of John Ross's sheep run (known variously as Rosa Ville, Rosa Vista, Rose Valley, Rose Vale, or Rosevale) during the earliest phase of free settlement and pastoral occupation in Queensland. The run extended over the lightly timbered plains of the Bremer River, with the head station situated near the present township of Rosevale. By 1848, when the lease was taken up by G John Brewster, Rosevale (Rosa Vista) comprised an estimated area of 25,600 acres with a grazing capability of 3,700 sheep. Franklin Valley (later Franklyn Vale) and Laidley runs to the north and north-west of Rosevale were owned by Joseph Robinson and together covered an area of 150,000 acres. In 1849, the Laidley and Franklyn Vale runs were acquired by partners Henry Mort and James Laidley.
Between 1848 and 1865, Rosevale was leased by a variety of early figures in Queensland history (including Charles Rolleston and Patrick Leslie in 1856, Charles Macarthur King in 1858 and Patrick Mayne in 1862) until acquired by Henry Mort in the mid-1860s to counter impending resumptions on his Laidley and Franklyn Vale properties.
The first farm blocks resumed from the Rosevale run were offered for sale in 1868, but were cancelled and re-offered in 1876. Most of these blocks were situated between the Bremer River and the road from Grandchester to Rosevale Station. In 1882, Henry Mort and partner surrendered the remainder of their Rosevale property in exchange for freehold land at Mount Mort, and this land also was subdivided into farms.
Selections on the resumed Rosevale land were taken up rapidly during the second half of the 1870s and first half of the 1880s, selectors being attracted by the rich alluvial farmland and promise of a future railway line from Rosewood through the Bremer River Valley to Rosevale and on to Warwick. The first wave of selectors comprised mainly Irish immigrants, followed within a few years by German settlers.
In the 1880s development of Rosevale as a community gathered momentum. A school was erected on a central site (approximately 500m north-east of the later site of St Patrick's Church) and opened in late November 1884 with 42 students. In July 1885, portions 83 to 86, Rosevale old head station, were reserved for township purposes. Although a town survey was never made, some businesses were attracted to the district, including a general store, butcher, baker, blacksmith, and in the 1890s a cheese factory and the Rosevale Co-operative Dairy Company.
As settlement in the Rosevale district expanded, the community's spiritual needs were met with the construction of a number of denominational buildings, including a Catholic church, Anglican church and Lutheran church.
In the 1870s, Irish Catholic families were among the first to take up agricultural land in the Rosevale district. Here they created a 'little Ireland' centred on St Patrick's Church and the Catholic faith, which was sustained well into the 1930s.
Initially the Rosevale district was part of the Catholic parish of Ipswich established on 1 January 1849 within the Diocese of Sydney. This was a vast parish extending from Brisbane west to Warwick, south to Tenterfield and the Clarence and Richmond rivers districts, north to Maryborough, and north-west to Gayndah. In August 1852 the first parish priest, Father William McGinty, arrived and was stationed at Ipswich. In the 1850s and early 1860s he held masses in the Rosevale area in private homes. In December 1859 the colony of Queensland separated from New South Wales and the Catholic Diocese of Brisbane, covering the whole of Queensland. The parish of Ipswich was reduced at this time but was still a vast area extending from near Brisbane to the foot of the Great Dividing Range in the west and north to Nanango. Later, many smaller parishes were excised from the parent Ipswich parish.
The expansion of facilities in the Ipswich parish in the last quarter of the nineteenth century is closely associated with the 44 years of service by Father Andrew Horan as parish priest (1873-1917). Andrew Horan and his brothers Matthew and James - respectively parish priests of Gympie (1868-1923) and Warwick (1876-1905) - were nephews of James Quinn, first Bishop of Brisbane (1861-1881). All three closely identified with Quinn's desire to encourage Irish Catholic immigration to rural Queensland, and to establish Catholic churches, schools, convents and presbyteries throughout the Diocese of Brisbane.
Andrew Horan served the Ipswich parish during a period of rapid immigration to Queensland and extensive agricultural settlement. All the pastoral runs in the Ipswich parish that had been taken up in the 1840s were subdivided into smaller grazing and agricultural blocks between the 1860s and the early 1900s, populated by small farming communities served by tiny rural towns. In encouraging the establishment of rural churches throughout his parish and initiating construction of the very fine St Mary's Church at Ipswich (opened in 1904; QHR 600577) and St Brigid's Church at Rosewood (opened in 1910; QHR 600736), Father Horan ensured that Ipswich gained renown as one of the best equipped parishes in Australia. He chose prominent, elevated, extensive sites in the belief that a Catholic display of solidarity and capability would do much to elevate the social standing of Irish Catholic immigrants. By 1904 he had encouraged construction of 14 timber churches in the districts surrounding the city of Ipswich, some of which he designed (including St Brigid's at Rosewood and St Patrick's at Rosevale).
Prior to construction of a Catholic church at Rosevale, Father Horan travelled by horseback or buggy (a journey of about five hours from Ipswich) to conduct mass in the homes of local farmers, including Patrick Quirk, Michael Kelly and Hugh Ahearn. As the Irish Catholic community at Rosevale became more established, Father Horan encouraged his parishioners to erect a local church. A block of 26 acres (10.5ha) (portion 79, parish of Rosevale, county of Churchill) selected by William O'Niell in 1878, was acquired in Andrew Horan's name in mid-1888, having cost about £80. The site was centrally located among the earliest Rosevale selections. Surrounding blocks were held by local parishioners, including Patrick, Michael and John Quirk, Hugh and Julia Ahearn, James Tierney, and James and Patrick Hogan.
The foundation stone for the new church was laid by Father Horan on 18 November 1888. The building was erected by Ipswich contractor John Madden and his son, to plans prepared by Father Horan, and was completed by early November 1889 when church and altar were blessed by Archbishop Dunne, who had replaced Bishop Quinn in 1882 and who in 1887 was appointed Archbishop of Brisbane and head of the Catholic Church in Queensland. About 200 persons attended the opening ceremony and the luncheon that followed.
Built on a slight rise west of the Bremer River and on what was by then the main road to Ipswich (now the Rosewood-Aratula Road), the church overlooked farming flats from Mt Wright to the Dividing Range. It was a hardwood weatherboard building, 48ft (14.6m) long by 28ft (8.5m) wide and 12ft (3.65m) from floor to ceiling, set on stumps, and with a galvanised iron roof. The floor was four-inch wide tongue-and-groove hardwood boards. The building was ventilated by four pairs of lancet windows along each side, two doors in the rear wall, and the front entry doors. Simple pine forms served as seating, and there was a 'very pretty' altar at the sanctuary end of the nave. There was a small vestry in the south-west corner of the interior, near the altar, created by timber partitions lower than ceiling height. The building had cost over £400 to erect and furnish.
At the opening the Archbishop also blessed the adjacent graveyard within the churchyard. In the nineteenth century it was not unusual for denominational graveyards to be established within churchyards, particularly in south-east Queensland, where a number of Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran communities consecrated graveyards alongside their church buildings. A number of these are entered in the Queensland heritage register, including St Matthew's at Mitchelton in Brisbane (1869; QHR 600256); Christ Church Tingalpa (1868; QHR 601799) and the Lutheran Cemetery at Carbrook (1875; QHR 601660).
With the opening of a local church, regular masses were conducted at Rosevale by visiting clergy from Ipswich. From at least the mid-1880s, Father Horan had the assistance of a number of young curates. Most prominent was James Duhig (1897-1905), who succeeded Dunne as Archbishop of Brisbane in 1917. Duhig's biographer, Father TP Boland, later wrote:
'Rosevale was the scene of Duhig's happiest associations. He enjoyed the feel of a community both Catholic and Irish growing into being Australian. All his hopes were in such a community. He wanted to recreate it everywhere. Here was the Irish race, immemorial and Catholic, emerging from the shadows into bright prosperity. The brilliant Australian sunlight on flourishing farms seemed to figure the future. The Irish were stirring and Duhig was getting the feel of their movement. Consciously or unconsciously, he was preparing to be their leader.'
When the parish of Rosewood was formed in 1915, Rosevale was included as part of the new parish, in which it remains.
At an unknown period a small porch was added to the front of St Patrick's Church at Rosevale and in 1921-1922 the building was renovated with the construction of a lancet-arched sanctuary canopy and a sacristy within the building. At the same time the interior was lined, and the linings and pews were stained and varnished. The work was carried out by a local parishioner, Mr Dwyer. The renovations and additions were blessed in late January 1922 by His Grace, Archbishop James Duhig, who as a curate of the Ipswich parish at the turn of the century had conducted mass often at the Rosevale church.
Archbishop Duhig also attended St Patrick's golden jubilee celebrations in 1939. Despite some of the early Irish families having moved to other centres by this time, the celebrations were well attended.
Some small changes to the interior of the church were made in the 1960s following Vatican II, when the communion rail was taken up and stored elsewhere in the building and the decorative timber altar was cut lengthwise in half, so that the front could be moved forward for the priest to stand behind and face the congregation.
The number of local parishioners gradually declined through the twentieth century, but at the time of assessment in 2009, the place was still being maintained by families descended from the original Irish Catholic settlers.
In the early 1990s the church land at Rosevale was subdivided, creating a local road through the property. The land north of this road was sold off, the church retaining 2.562ha south of the newly created road. This subdivision did not affect the churchyard, which was located in the south-east corner of the original portion.
","criteria":"St Patrick's Church and Graveyard remains highly intact and is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a modest, late nineteenth century rural church complex comprising a simple timber church building, a separate outside earth closet, fenced churchyard with wide grassed areas and some trees, and graveyard. Set picturesquely on a slight rise overlooking a farming district, the place retains its early setting, extent, form, fabric and function, and is an excellent example of its type. The interior of the church building retains most of its early fixtures, fittings and furniture (1880s-1920s).
|St Patrick's Church and Graveyard, established in 1889 at Rosevale in south-east Queensland, is of particular significance for its association with a strongly Irish Catholic community which, at the turn of the nineteenth century and twentieth century, inspired in Ipswich curate Father James Duhig, later the influential Archbishop of Brisbane and head of the Catholic Church in Queensland (1917-1965), a vision for the future of Irish Catholic settlement in this State. Although this largely Irish community was established as early as the 1870s, unlike many other Irish groups which by the twentieth century had dispersed into the wider community, Rosevale's sense of being an Irish enclave and a successful 'little Ireland' transplanted to Queensland was sustained well into the 1930s. According to his biographer, for James Duhig the Rosevale Catholic community, centred on its simple timber church, epitomised the successes and possibilities of rural Irish Catholic enterprise. The church and its accompanying graveyard remain strong testimony of early Irish rural settlement in Queensland.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion D | Criterion A","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":29857,"place_ref":602675,"name":"Fassifern Homestead","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"1008B Boonah-Fassifern Road","suburb":"KALBAR","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2008-11-13","description":"Fassifern Homestead on an allotment of approximately 6 000m² is sited on an area of slightly elevated land on the western bank of Reynolds Creek, approximately 2km south of where it joins Warrill Creek. About 1.5km to the west of the homestead, the Boonah-Fassifern Road branches off from the Cunningham Highway, very near to where the town of Fassifern had been surveyed in 1856. The small extant townships of Kalbar and Boonah lie to the north-east and east respectively. To the south-east the escarpment of Mount French and the volcanic landscape of the northern section of the Moogerah Peaks National Park overlook the site.
Built to an L-shaped plan the outer faces of which are oriented to the north and west, Fassifern Homestead has a bungalow-style hipped roof clad in corrugated iron. The southern projection of the L ends in a half-hip centred beneath which is a small gabled porch with timber framing, later lattice infill, and timber stairs. Two brick chimneystacks (one of which is a double chimney) pierce the roof ridge running parallel with the north-facing wing of the house. Four decorative sheet metal roof ventilators straddle the two roof ridges, two along each line. They consist of two cylinders surmounted by an overhanging low-pitched cone with a highly decorative edge and capping piece. Timber-framed, with exterior walls clad variously with two widths of chamferboard and weatherboards, the house is raised off the gently sloping ground on ant-capped timber stumps. The spaces between the perimeter stumps have been in-filled with painted, slatted timber screens.
The earliest discernible plan of the homestead provided for two perpendicular wings of single rooms bordered by verandahs approximately two and a half metres wide. Over time the verandahs were enclosed at various locations. A small room was enclosed on the southern corner of the north-facing wing on its western end opposite what is known as the maid's or governess' room; leaving a narrow gap to allow access between the remaining verandah spaces, which are accessed by timber stairs and bounded by balustrades consisting of top and bottom rails and dowel balusters. The verandah on the western side of the southern projection was enclosed; making what is now a laundry and bathroom that are separated from the original outer face of the house by a narrow corridor less than a metre wide. Extensive changes have been made to the north-facing wing of the house. Its two rooms focused on each fireplace are now one long room and the entire corresponding length of verandah is enclosed.
The patchwork of exterior wall cladding also gives some indication of how the house has been altered over time. The larger chamferboards, approximately 20 centimetres wide, mostly line what were the exterior wall faces and are visible on the eastern verandah looking to Reynolds Creek, on the southern facade under the half-hip, and to the corridors created by the partial enclosure of the west-facing verandahs. Narrower, more recent, chamferboards clad the enclosed verandah on the north-facing wing of the house. Elsewhere there are a number of facades finished with weatherboards: on the exterior walls of the small room on the westernmost projection of the north-facing wing of the house, along the western elevation of the wing projecting south, and to the kitchen on the eastern side.
A number of original exterior French doors and windows remain in the house; these were timber-framed double doors with low waists and upper lights, and timber-framed double-hung sashes. The double doors opening out onto the length of enclosed verandah facing north have been removed and replaced with timber-framed sliding doors with large single lights. The double doors at either end of this space have been removed, the openings widened and similar timber-framed sliders inserted. Original double doors open out of the two central rooms sandwiched between the north-facing wing and the end room of the southern projection of the plan, but there is evidence that some have been moved from their original locations. Over the remaining double-hung sashes are a number of decorative curved hoods, the sides of which are formed by timber boards with rounded ends pierced with small holes.
Inside there are three rooms where the original beaded tongue-in-groove timber wall and ceiling lining is visible: at the end of the southern projection of the plan and beside this to the north, as well as in the small room formed at the joint of the two wings of the house. The first two rooms are painted, while the third is not. It is reputed to be the lumber room and would have provided access between the western length of verandah and the formal living and dining rooms of the north-facing wing. Where the original lining remains there are simple timber cornices and picture rails, however later lengths of timber beading have replaced the skirting boards. The wall and ceiling linings are largely fibrous cement sheeting in the private and utilitarian rooms, with an area of more recent vertical timber tongue-in-groove boarding to the west-facing laundry and bathroom. The rooms changed during the 1970s renovation are lined with unpainted sheeting held within a framework of flat metal. The floors are lined with carpet, vinyl or tiles. Only on the unenclosed verandahs is the original timber boarding visible. The ceilings in these locations are unlined.
The homestead is centrally located within the allotment, the boundary of which is marked on all sides except the northern one with a low, painted post-and-rail fence. The block is grassed and features a number of mature trees, as well as more recent shrubs, mostly around the perimeter, and a number of garden beds close to the house, most particularly in front of the east-facing verandah. In the garden bed adjacent to the northern elevation of the house is an early grape vine, which possibly dates to the early 1900s. On the northern edge of the site, toward the western corner of the block, is a Bunya pine [Araucaria bidwillii], which is one of three visible in a number of photographs dating from the late nineteenth and very early twentieth centuries. In the south-west corner is the grave of Patrick Dwyer marked with a stone/concrete memorial and surrounded by a number of trees. There are two garages sited at the edges of the allotment: one entered off the easement near the grave and another near the south-eastern corner of the house accessed from the east. Both have gable roofs; one is clad with vertical timber boarding and the other with vertical steel cladding. The latter garage is later and is not considered to be of cultural heritage significance. There is a fenced pool in the north-east corner of the site [also not of cultural heritage significance]. Four painted iron gates open through the perimeter fence line: a wide double one near the north-western corner of the site, two single ones that align with the doors opening out of either end of the north-facing wing of the house and the respective verandah stairs, and another that aligns with the south-facing porch. The single gate that opens through the eastern boundary fence sits near a large stand of mature bougainvillea, which is on an adjoining allotment. The 1846 grave of Margaret Coulson, marked with an engraved headstone, is located approximately 15m to the south of the single gate that opens through the southern boundary fence, again on a separate allotment to the homestead block.
","history":"Fassifern Homestead is a single-storeyed timber residence erected c1880 to replace an earlier homestead on the same site. The Fassifern run, first taken up by John Cameron in 1841-1842, was one of the earliest licensed runs in the Moreton pastoral district, which was proclaimed on 10 May 1842. In 1857 Fassifern became part of the Wienholt family's complex and ultimately extensive Queensland pastoral empire and in 1869 was amalgamated with the adjacent runs of Moogerah and Tarome as the consolidated Fassifern run. Although from the 1870s used principally to fatten cattle from the Wiehnolt family's western Queensland properties, Fassifern was renowned also for its Clydesdale horse stud.
The Fassifern district is located in south-east Queensland, south of Flinders Peak, between the Great Dividing Range and the Teviot Range. In late 1841/early 1842 John Cameron occupied about 50,000 acres [20 234 hectares] here centred on the junction of Warrill and Reynolds creeks and which he named Fassifern. In 1844 his brother-in-law Robert Coulson took up Kingbah (later Moogerah) - about 46,800 acres [18 939 hectares] on the Reynolds Creek watershed, to the south of Fassifern; and in 1845 another brother-in-law, William Turner, took up an adjacent run to the west, which he called Cunningham's Gap (later Tarome) - about 41,500 acres [16 795 hectares] on the Warrill Creek watershed. On each run a head station and a number of subsidiary out-stations were established. By May 1848 John Cameron had transferred the lease of Fassifern to William Kent.
In the mid-nineteenth century four young Wienholt brothers , sons of a wealthy London merchant, arrived in Australia: Arnold c1847, Edward and Arthur in 1853, and Daniel c1854. In 1849, backed by family money, Arnold Wienholt purchased the lease to Strathmillar run (which he re-named Maryvale) on the Darling Downs. In 1852 he acquired the neighbouring run, Gladfield, which he incorporated into Maryvale. These runs were situated on the southern Downs on the western side of the Great Dividing Range (Main Range). In 1853 Edward and Arthur Wienholt acquired Moogerah Station south-west of Fassifern, on the eastern side of the Dividing Range from Arnold's Maryvale run. The two Wienholt runs were linked via the new road over Spicer's Peak that the Downs squatters had constructed following Henry Alphen's 'discovery' of a gap in the Main Range in 1847. In the early 1850s this was the preferred route between Ipswich and Warwick for teamsters.
In 1857 Edward and Arthur Wienholt acquired the Fassifern lease from William Kent, establishing a connection between Fassifern and the Wienholt family and their substantial Queensland pastoral empire, which was sustained for over half a century.
In 1859 Edward relinquished his interest in Fassifern and entered into partnership with William Kent in Rosalie Plains run on the Darling Downs. About this time, or possibly as early as 1858, Kent and Edward Wienholt also leased Jondaryan station from Robert Tooth, and in February 1863 purchased both the leasehold and the freehold. Jondaryan became the showpiece of the Kent and Weinholt/Wienholt family pastoral acquisitions. By 1876, 48 Queensland pastoral runs were leased by Edward Wienholt, Wienholt Brothers, J W E A & A Wienholt ,or Kent and Wienholt. By 1877, Edward Wienholt and the trustees of William Kent were the largest owners of freehold land in Queensland and Jondaryan was the largest freehold run. Edward Wienholt further took advantage of the Exchanged Land Act 1879 whereby pastoralists could exchange agricultural land taken up as pre-emptive right for twice the amount of pastoral country.
Edward Wienholt, who served as MLA for the Western Downs 1870-1873 and for the Darling Downs 1873-1875, is generally recognised as the driving force in the creation of the family's pastoral empire. By 1888 he and his partners held 289,966 acres [117,345 hectares] in the Moreton and Darling Downs districts alone, and in 1889 The Wienholt Estates Company of Australia Ltd was formed to manage the Wienholt family's Queensland acquisitions. Their land dealings were complex, extensive, and largely managed from outside Australia. Arnold Wienholt retired to Switzerland in the late 1870s. Arthur Wienholt returned to England with his family in the 1870s, as did Edward Wienholt with his family in 1880. However, Edward continued to make regular trips to Australia to oversee the family's property interests.
In 1860 William Kent and Edward Wienholt re-purchased Fassifern Station from Arthur Wienholt but Arthur soon entered into partnership with John Hardie as lessees of Fassifern, Moogerah and Tarome runs. In November 1861 they acquired a pre-emptive purchase of 53 acres [21.5 hectares] around the Fassifern head station on Reynolds Creek. Hardie was the senior partner, and in the early 1860s appears to have been resident at Fassifern, where he accrued substantial debt. In 1864 Hardie and Wienholt were declared insolvent, with the liquidation of their assets resulting in Fassifern Station (including about 1300 acres [526 hectares] of freehold) being acquired by their mortgagees, the Bank of Australasia. In January 1865 title to the pre-empted Fassifern head station passed to the Bank.
In June 1868 the Bank applied for the runs of Fassifern, Moogerah and Tarome to be consolidated under the provisions of The Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1868, the consolidation to be known as Fassifern. At this period most of the improvements were located on the original Fassifern run, and comprised the Fassifern Head Station and adjacent cultivation paddocks, four out-stations, a wash pool, wash pool paddock, and bull paddock. The Tarome improvements comprised a head station and two out-stations; and on Moogerah improvements included the head station, three out-stations, and an inn near Spicer's Peak.
The nature of the association between the Bank of Australasia and the Wienholt family in connection with Fassifern is not clear. Arthur Wienholt and his family appear to have been residing at Fassifern in the late 1860s and early 1870s. Early in 1873 the Bank transferred the lease of the consolidated Fassifern run to William, John, Edward, Arnold and Arthur Wienholt. Title to pre-emptive portion 1a, the Fassifern Head Station, was issued to the Wienholt brothers in March 1874.
From 1875 the Queensland government began resuming land for closer settlement from the consolidated Fassifern run, and during the 1870s and 1880s the Wienholts took advantage of this to gradually transform Fassifern into a freehold estate of about 44,000 acres [17 806 hectares], stocked with shorthorn cattle, including a stud herd, and a stud of Clydesdale horses. In 1889 Fassifern was included among the Wienholt family's pastoral properties floated as The Wienholt Estates Company of Australia Limited with a company capital of £500,000. Other properties in this conglomerate included Maryvale near Warwick, Warenda near Boulia, and Saltern Creek and Katandra in south-west Queensland.
From at least the late 1880s and until his death in March 1893, Fassifern was managed by the Wienholt's cousin, Henry Edward Hill. A sketch of the Fassifern Station Homestead, which appeared in the 1889 Brisbane publication The Jubilee History of Queensland, shows the homestead in the same form as its present L-shaped configuration with its two chimneys, but with what appears to be a shingled roof, and separately-roofed verandahs. Whether the residence was erected for HE Hill has not been established, but the core fabric suggests a c1880 construction date.
Photographs of Fassifern Homestead dated c1899 and c1903 indicate that by the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the residence had been renovated but the essential form had been retained. The earlier roof had been replaced with the present hipped, bungalow-style roof of corrugated iron, extending over the verandahs. The southern end of the roof of the north-south wing had been truncated as a half-hip, and a small covered porch had been created centrally in this elevation. All the present stairs to the verandahs were extant by this period, as were the curved window hoods with the decorative timber infill to the sides, over the double-hung sashes.
Following HE Hill's death in 1893 John Daniel Wienholt (only son of Daniel Wienholt) took over management of Fassifern, residing at the head station. Renovations to the main residence may have occurred during his occupancy in the late 1890s.
In the late nineteenth century the Wienholt family began to rationalise its Queensland interests. Arthur had died in England in 1892 and Arnold in Switzerland in 1895. By this period the huge freeholds that pastoralists such as the Wienholts had amassed under earlier selection Acts (via various 'peacocking' and 'dummying' practices), and which tied up much valuable agricultural land, were proving expensive to sustain. Under the provisions of the Agricultural Lands Purchase Act 1894, pastoralists were encouraged to relinquish land through repurchase by the government for re-sale as farm selections. By 1902 the Wienholt Estates Company of Australia Ltd retained Fassifern, Katandra, Maryvale and Stamfordham stations, and the Jondayran Estates Company of Australia Ltd had been formed to hold Degilbo, Jondaryan, Rosewood and Tarampa.
From early 1902 to mid-1904 Daniel Wienholt (eldest son of Arthur Wienholt) took on the management of Fassifern, taking up residence at the head station. He left in mid-1904, prior to the Fassifern freehold of 41,406 acres [16 756 hectares] being offered for sale by public auction on 8 August 1904. At this time the Fassifern freehold comprised 3 blocks: Kent's Lagoon (2,361 acres [955 hectares]); Fassifern (37,351 acres [15 115 hectares]); and Moogerah (1,694 acres [686 hectares]) - the whole divided into 32 paddocks 'with a good homestead and out Station, besides outbuildings and yards' (Dalgety & Co. Ltd auction map, 1904). Like Maryvale, for many years Fassifern had been used for fattening cattle from the Wienholt family's western stations, and was noted for its Clydesdale horse stud.
Very little of the Fassifern freehold was sold at the August auction and in September 1904 the Wienholt Estates Company offered the Fassifern Estate to the Queensland government for repurchase. The Land Commissioners who inspected the property in May 1905 found the estate well-suited to agricultural settlement, being close to the railway, with good soil, the fences in good repair, well watered, and free of noxious weeds and ticks. The manager resided in a 'good building' (ie. Fassifern Homestead) seven miles from the rail head at Munbilla.
Despite the favourable report the State government took no action. In January 1906 the Wienholt Estates Company again put up the Kent's Lagoon and Moogerah paddocks for sale at auction, and offered the balance of the estate to the government at £3 per acre. Again, the estate proved difficult to sell at auction to farmers who believed that the bulk of the estate would be repurchased soon, and again the government took no action in this matter. Finally, in December 1908 a deputation of MLAs in support of the Fassifern repurchase approached the Minister for Lands (Digby Denham), but in January 1909 the Queensland government wrote to the Wienholt Estates Company firmly rejecting the offer.
In 1908 the Queensland government did repurchase the Wienholt's Maryvale estate and the manager of Maryvale for nearly 40 years, Edward Ormond Waters Hill, then took up the management of Fassifern. EOW Hill was another Wienholt cousin and brother of HE Hill who had managed Fassifern in the 1880s and early 1890s; he was also a shareholder in and director of The Wienholt Estates Company.
Also in 1908, Arnold Wienholt (son of Edward Wienholt) and his cousin Daniel Wienholt (son of Arthur Wienholt) were appointed respectively General Manager and Company Secretary of The Wienholt Estates Company of Australia Ltd, with instructions to oversee the winding up of the Company's estates in Queensland. In September 1909 they offered the bulk of the Fassifern estate for sale at auction, at which time EOW Hill acquired the Fassifern Homestead on 457 acres [185 hectares], together with about 3,000 acres [1 214 hectares] of grazing land.
In 1916 the homestead, located on Reynolds Creek about 4 miles from Engelsburg (later Kalbar), was described as having 'replaced the original house some years ago' and as 'a comfortable wooden building, with water and gas laid on. It is surrounded with lawns and flower-beds, and has an orchard, vineyard, and vegetable garden attached' (Fox 1919:325).
EOW Hill resided at Fassifern Homestead until c1921. In 1927 title to the homestead on about 316 acres [128 hectares] was transferred to Timothy Dwyer. Changes to the homestead made during Mr Dwyer's occupancy include the removal c1930s of an adjacent early kitchen and staff building and the extension of the south-east corner of Fassifern Homestead to accommodate an internal kitchen. Following Mr Dwyer's death in 1939, the property passed to his son, Patrick Francis Dwyer, who ran a grazing farm from Fassifern Homestead until his death in 1980. Patrick was buried in the Fassifern Homestead yard. In 2008 the house, on a substantially reduced parcel of land of just over 6 000m², remained the property of his widow, Joie Elwyn Dwyer (a former long-term Boonah Shire Councillor).
During the 1970s changes were made to the north-facing wing of the house. The timber arch dividing its two rooms was removed to create one long room and the entire corresponding length of northern verandah was enclosed. The french doors opening out onto this verandah were removed and replaced with timber-framed sliding doors with large single lights. The interior spaces were lined with fibrous-cement sheeting, but the original timber linings were retained beneath this. Other changes to the house made by Patrick and Joie Dwyer include later linings to other rooms in the house; the enclosure of part of the western verandah on the north-south wing as a laundry; the enclosure of the north-east corner of the verandahs as an office; and the insertion of an ensuite in one of the bedrooms.
","criteria":"Fassifern Homestead, constructed by the late 1880s with late 1890s renovations, is important in demonstrating the pattern of pastoral consolidation in Queensland as pastoral lessees gradually gained freehold title to large blocks of prime grazing and agricultural land, especially in southern Queensland. The simply-adorned but substantially-constructed timber residence replaced an earlier Fassifern Homestead on the same site (established by 1846) and demonstrates the transformation from the mid-1870s of the consolidated Fassifern run, established under occupation license in the 1840s as the runs of Fassifern, Moogerah and Tarome, into a substantial freehold of approximately 44,000 acres [17 806 hectares].
|From 1857 the Fassifern run was associated with the prominent Wienholt family (pastoralists, business persons and politicians) and became an integral element in a chain of Queensland pastoral properties acquired by them and their business partners from 1849. From the 1870s the consolidated Fassifern run was used principally to fatten cattle from the family's western Queensland properties, and along with the neighbouring Maryvale run on the Darling Downs (the first of the Wienholt acquisitions in Queensland), was renowned for its Clydesdale horse stud. As the principal residence on an extensive freehold estate, Fassifern Homestead has a special association with the Wienholt family's consolidation of their wealth in Queensland. Of the 48 Queensland runs held by the family by 1876, Fassifern was situated closest to Brisbane, and was home to a number of the Wienholt family over two generations, and to their cousins, Henry Edward Hill and Edward Ormond Waters Hill, who managed Fassifern and Maryvale stations for many years.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":30538,"place_ref":645602,"name":"Lahey's Canungra Sawmill Complex","alternate_name":"Laheys Sawmill | 700002","street_address":"10-26 Finch Road","suburb":"CANUNGRA","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2009-03-06","description":"The archaeological remains of Lahey's Canungra Sawmill Complex are located within the western half of Lot 2 on RP200758, located north of Christie Road and west of Finch Road, in the township of Canungra. Remnants of the tramway embankment exist in the southern edge of lot 1 on RP200758 covered by the heritage boundary. The land on which the site is situated has been cleared and is an undeveloped paddock. Evidence of recent use includes worn down walking and bicycle tracks as well as modern rubbish. An abandoned caravan park occupies the eastern portion of Lot 2 on RP200758. There are also a number of temporary enclosures, presumably for horses, consisting of wire and star-picket fences. Any remains of the abandoned caravan park and remaining wire and star-picket fence lines within the heritage boundary are not considered to be of cultural heritage significance.
\nThe main sawmill remains are concentrated in the centre of the western portion of the lot. Numerous concrete machinery foundations are present across this area, including the supporting pillars for the mills steam engine and concrete steam water pits. A 7m x 7m concrete slab located in this area may also be the base for the crane used to lift logs from the trams bringing logs to the mill. The terminal end of the old tramway line is evident in the form of the cut ends of the rails embedded in a large concrete foundation. A number of broken bricks were recorded on the surface, including those from Campbell's Brickworks, Brisbane or Redbank, as well as other elliptical frogged but unlettered types possibly used as insulation for the two boilers known to have been on site. There are a limited number of metal artefacts visible, including the remains of a metal storage bin. Potential exists for substantial and extensive subsurface archaeological deposits in the vicinity of these surface remains as it was noted that the area shows limited subsurface disturbance, except for two easements which dissect the site. A services pipe (Easement A on RP150196) is exposed in the south-west of the lot adjoining the bowls club, and runs underground diagonally across the lot to the north-east towards Canungra Creek. A second easement (Easement B on RP181573) also runs from the south-west corner of the lot to its northern boundary with Canungra Creek.
\nA second concentration of concrete machinery and building foundations is located in the northern section of Lot 2 on RP200758. These remains straddle a wide intermittent creek which runs from the south-west corner of Lot 2 on RP200758 and terminates on the northern boundary of the lot, and Easement B on RP181573. These foundations are located immediately adjacent to the remains of the former Lahey's railway siding and are interpreted as part of the infrastructure used to load timber onto trains heading from the mill on the government Canungra-Logan Village branch line and also possibly related to the later Standply Timber Company veneer and plywood operations. There are potentially substantial subsurface archaeological deposits located in the vicinity of these surface remains as the area shows little evidence of recent subsurface disturbance though it may have been affected by works associated with the construction of Easement B on RP181573.
","history":"The Canungra Sawmill operated between 1884 and c.1935. The mill was wholly owned and operated by the Lahey family until 1921. Timber from throughout the Canungra region was brought to the mill from the company's timber stands via a private tramway and transported out of Canungra on the Government railway line. The mill was rebuilt after major fires in 1897 and 1906 and modernised with new milling equipment and updates to processing techniques were made regularly. The mill and all associated equipment, infrastructure and timber stands were finally sold by the Lahey's in 1921. The mill changed hands twice more (in 1923 and 1933) as the viability of the timber industry in the region waned, before closing for a final time c.1935.
\nEuropean settlement of the area surrounding the Coomera River commenced in 1843 with the establishment of the Tambourine holding. Early timber harvesting commenced in the 1860s by Hugh Mahony who cut and hauled cedar logs to mills in Ipswich.
\nThe Lahey family emigrated from their native Ireland to Australia in 1862. Francis Lahey, his wife and eleven children arrived in Sydney, but immediately travelled north to Brisbane. The family began farming in the Pimpama region in 1870. In 1875 Francis Lahey purchased a sugar mill at Tygum, near Waterford, for his sons. Francis expanded the operations at Tygum to include sawmilling, an industry that would dominate the working lives of the next generation of the Lahey family.
\nAfter being informed of quality timber in the region, David Lahey commenced construction of a sawmill at Canungra on 2 October 1884 (Kerr 1998:226; Lahey 1996:1). During the same year David, John, Isaiah, Thomas and Evangeline Lahey all applied for and were granted selections of land around Canungra totalling over 3,000 acres. Lahey's Canungra Sawmill was established on Portion 61, Canungra on land leased from Robert Christie and beside what is now known as Christie Street (Lahey 2003:96). With the construction of the mill, David Lahey also had a number of small cottages built on site for mill workers while others were established in and around what would become the township of Canungra.
\nMachinery for Lahey's Canungra Sawmill was brought up the Logan River by steamer to a location near Logan Village, and hauled to the sawmill site by bullock teams (Kerr 1998:226; Lahey 1996:6). Production at the mill steadily increased from 1885 onwards. Much of the timber produced was used for the construction of housing throughout southeast Queensland.
\nThe Lahey family was hard working, innovative, and often experimental, eager for change and mindful of market forces and demands. During the 1880s, the Lahey family expanded their business, establishing an office in Brisbane in 1887, additional saw and planing mills at Beaudesert in 1888, and another mill at Widgee near Hill View in 1898. The economic downturn of the 1890s forced the Lahey's into stave-shaping and casking to provide enough income to keep the business alive. Staves are narrow strips of wood placed edge to edge to form the sides, covering, or lining of a vessel or structure.
\nOn the night of 9 July 1897, the Canungra mill burnt down and 20,000 super feet of sawn and dressed pine in the mill yards was destroyed. The mill was re-built but at a larger scale and was more modern in layout than the original mill, with the planing machine and other machinery separated from the main milling activities (Kerr 1998:226).
\nBy the turn of the twentieth century, transportation of timber to Lahey's Canungra Sawmill was becoming a problem. By this time the Lahey's had acquired timber leases amounting to over 16,000 acres in the Canungra and Pine Creek Valleys, thereby requiring the slow and expensive bullock teams to haul logs over ever-increasing distances. The Lahey's viewed mechanisation as the solution to their transportation problems and it was decided a tramway be built into the Pine Creek Valley. A narrow gauge of 3 feet 6 inches was chosen for the tramway to match the gauge of the growing Queensland Government Railways, as it was hoped that the government line would eventually extend to Canungra (this finally occurred in 1914).
\nLahey's Canungra Sawmill was again badly damaged by fire in the early hours of 13 January 1906 (Kerr 1998:226). The main building which housed the sawing operations was completely destroyed. Up-to-date equipment recently imported from the United States of America was lost, including a broom handle machine, sand-papering machine and butter box printing machine. Several new additions to the mill operations, including a new drying kiln and planning machine shed were, however, saved. The fire forced the closure of the mill for three months.
\nThe rebuild following this fire was complemented by improvements between 1907 and 1908. Electric log-hauling machinery was installed. The tramway servicing the mill was extended over time and by 1910 the main line was 13½ km long with a branch 2 km up Flying Fox Creek and a sub-branch 500m up Little Flying Fox Creek to service a new aerial ropeway on Beech Mountain (Morgan 2000; Lahey's Canungra Tramway Tunnel QHR 602529). Eventually, the total length of track laid amounted to 26½ km. Usage of the tramway continued to increase so that during 1915 alone, 15,000 tons of logs were being hauled to the mill along the tramway.
\nIn 1913, Tom Lahey left Australia on an inspection of milling operations in the United States of America. The Lahey's were interested in purchasing new milling machinery and keen to stay abreast of the latest trends in sawmilling practice. A range of new equipment was purchased, and once installed, the capacity of the mill doubled and the cost of labour greatly reduced. The introduction of an eight foot band mill and steam log turner made the Lahey's Canungra Sawmill the biggest softwood mill in Queensland. In its heyday, the mill was producing Australia's largest output of softwood timber. In the process, the township of Canungra was established because of the presence and success of the mill.
\nBy 1920 much of the timber had been removed from the Canungra area. The War Services Homes Commission, established at the end of World War One, purchased the milling operation from the Lahey family, taking possession of the site on 1 January 1921 (Kerr 1998:226). Timber processed at the mill was to be used in the construction of housing for returned World War One servicemen. The mill, however, closed three months later due to a change in policy by the Commission for their acquisitions of timber (Kerr 1998:226) and was put up for sale. In 1923, Brisbane Timbers Ltd (part of which was owned by the Lahey family) purchased the mill by tender (The Argus, Friday 23 November 1923). The sale included all plant equipment, 10,412 acres of freehold land of which 4,393 acres carried pine, the timber tramway and branch lines totalling 16 miles of track, the locomotives and all rolling stock (The Argus, Wednesday 25 July 1923). In 1933, the Standply Timber Company purchased the mill and added an advanced veneer and plywood plant. The timber industry in the Canungra area had largely collapsed, however, by c.1935. That same year the last of the tramway rails and equipment was sold to a milling venture in Cardwell, north Queensland and the mill was dismantled.
\nReferences
\nThe main source of historical information was Shirley Lahey (2003) The Lahey's: Pioneer Settlers and Sawmillers, Taringa, Queensland: Shirley Lahey, unless referenced otherwise.
\nKerr, John (1998) Forest industry heritage places study: sawmills and tramways South Eastern Queensland, Unpublished report to the Queensland Department of Environment.
\nLahey, Shirley (1996) David Lahey 1858-1942: His background and his life, Taringa, Queensland: Shirley Lahey.
\nMorgan, R.K. (2000) Laheys' Canungra Tramway, Melbourne: Light Railway Research Society of Australia.
\nQHR 602529 Lahey's Canungra Tramway Tunnel, entry in the Queensland Heritage Register
\nThe Argus, Wednesday 25 July 1923
\nThe Argus, Friday 23 November 1923
\n","criteria":"
Lahey's Canungra Sawmill Complex is important in demonstrating part of the pattern of Queensland's history as remnant evidence of an early, substantial and enduring timber processing operation between 1884 and 1921, and again from 1933 until c.1935. Lahey's Canungra Sawmill Complex is important in demonstrating the pattern of settlement and land use in south-east Queensland. During its peak period of operation after 1913, the mill was the largest softwood mill in Queensland and the largest processor of softwood timber in Australia.
\nArchaeological investigations of the Lahey's Canungra Sawmill Complex have potential to reveal important aspects of Queensland's history, including early and long enduring timber processing practices, influences on the development of Queensland by a prominent family in its history - the Lahey family, and the daily lives and conditions faced by workers in late 19th and early 20th century timber industry.
\nThe Lahey's Canungra Sawmill Complex provides an opportunity to examine, through its archaeological remains, an important early and long enduring timber processing operation. Although timber processing operations were widespread across Queensland by the late 19th century, archaeological investigations into the mill layout and composition have potential to yield additional information on the changing and often innovative workplace practices that occurred at the Canungra Sawmill. The archaeological remains at the Canungra Sawmill provide important comparative information on sawmilling practices, mill layouts and configurations for other sawmill sites found across Queensland.
\nArchaeological investigations at Lahey's Canungra Sawmill Complex provide a rare opportunity to examine issues of continuity and change to milling operations in late 19th and early 20th century Queensland. The complex has historical associations with the influential Lahey family, who ran the milling operations at Canungra until 1921. Analysis of subsurface archaeological deposits may provide new information on previously unknown or little documented timber manufacturing processes, particularly as the Lahey family were well known for embracing change and for innovative workplace practices.
\nAdditional archaeological artefacts are anticipated to occur across the site, especially within the area of the main sawmill site and the concentration of building and machinery foundations adjacent to the former Lahey's siding.
\nAnalysis of archaeological features at the Canungra Sawmill site will develop our understanding of the Lahey timber operations throughout the Canungra area, and provide comparative and supporting information for other related timber heritage places across the state.
\nArchaeological investigations of subsurface archaeological materials will help in our understanding of working conditions and daily life within the mill and possibly the life of the mill's first employees through potential relocation of artefacts and features associated with the first workers cottages for the mill.
\nThe mill complex has the potential to help us answer a range of archaeological research questions including, but not limited to, early timber-processing practices in Queensland, life at an early mill operation in Queensland, the material culture of the Lahey family and their impact on timber getting practices, processes and operations in Queensland.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion C","criteria_definitions":"The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":32440,"place_ref":602821,"name":"Wyambyn","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"Tabragalba House Road","suburb":"TABRAGALBA","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2013-08-09","description":"Wyambyn is a large timber homestead with garden surrounded by lightly wooded land in the Albert River valley, approximately 6.5 kilometres east of Beaudesert. The house sits on a rise, approached from a long, unsealed drive from the north-east curving around to the rear of the house and continuing on to Nindooinbah homestead, 2.5 kilometres south. It sits in a house yard containing large specimen trees and a grass tennis court. The front of the house faces east and affords striking, panoramic views of the surrounding valley and ranges.
Wyambyn is a single-storeyed, timber-framed, low-set building encircled by wide verandahs. It comprises a main section, a northern wing, and a western service wing. The hipped roof is large and clad with corrugated metal sheeting with a ventilated ridge cap and two face brick chimneys with cement rendered moulding. The verandahs have ceilings of v-jointed timber boards lined on the rake, large timber posts with timber brackets, timber balustrades, and Crows Ash, shot-edge floor boards, painted on the outside perimeter. The verandah walls are single-skin, timber v-jointed boards with stop-chamfered timber framing exposed externally. Other external walls are weatherboards. The understorey is enclosed by timber lattice (front) and timber battens (elsewhere).
The house is designed with minimal decorative elements, in a scale and form sitting low and securely within the landscape. The front elevation of the main section is symmetrically composed around a generous, projecting verandah piazza sheltered by a large gable with a battened gable end. The piazza balustrades and soffits show evidence of previous enclosure. The ceiling of the piazza is lined with flat, v-jointed boards and the roof space is ventilated in the gable end by spaced weatherboards to the apex.
The verandah wraps around the house on the remaining elevations with some corners enclosed to form small rooms. The verandah is accessed by timber stairs, to either side of the piazza. The central front entrance door is flanked by large bay windows with double-hung timber sashes of many small panes. The entry door is timber with six panels and bolection moulding, sidelights, a semi-circular fanlight, and moulded timber architrave.
The main section of the house has a central hallway with living rooms on the south and bedrooms on the north. Generally, the interior has clear-finished, timber board floors; single-skin timber board partitions with moulded timber skirtings, belt rails, picture rails, architraves and cornices; and v-jointed, timber board ceilings. The cornices of the principal rooms are wider and more elaborate. Much of the timber in the house is stained dark. The drawing and dining rooms are connected by a pair of large timber doors and the dining room has a large brick fireplace with a panelled timber fire surround. The house has built-in timber cupboards with timber shelves and a built-in timber book shelf with moulded architraves in the hall. Large, glazed French doors with moulded panels and hinged fanlights open onto the verandah from all rooms. Interior doors are panelled timber with operable timber fanlights.
The northern wing rooms are accessed from the verandah. One room contains a fireplace with a carved and moulded timber surround and an adjacent built-in timber seat and cupboard. Some doors of this wing retain early timber framed flyscreen doors. There are large built-in timber cupboards on the verandah.
A verandah walkway connects the rear of the main section of the house to the service wing. On one side of the walkway is the dairy, a small flyscreen and timber lattice-enclosed room with timber shelving.
The service wing comprises an enclosed eastern verandah, a kitchen and large pantry with timber shelves, a living space, and a laundry. The laundry is at ground level with a rear door into the yard and a small timber stair up to the kitchen. The laundry windows are corrugated metal, top-hung shutters.
Throughout the house, original brass door and window furniture survives.
The garden contains mature trees, lawns, and garden beds. To the east of the house are a large Jacaranda and a tennis court, both positioned on axis with the front of the main section of the house. The court has brick retaining walls with a set of brick steps. It retains an early timber net post with metal winder. The flat grass court sits within the sloping landscape and the distant mountains form a backdrop creating a dramatic and scenic setting.
","history":"Wyambyn (1909), located 6.5km east of Beaudesert, was designed by eminent architect Robert Smith (Robin) Dods as a large homestead for pastoralist and businessman De Burgh Bannatyne Bentinck Persse.
\nMoreton pastoral district, in present day south-east Queensland, was settled in 1841 as part of the pastoral expansion from the south that had resulted in the occupation of the Darling Downs in 1840. Early runs included Nindooinbah [QHR 600027] and Mundoolun on the Albert River. The Moreton and Darling Downs pastoral districts, with sufficient rainfall, nutritious natural pastures and nearby markets, were the most viable of Queensland's pastoral districts.[1] Both were opened for selection of small agricultural and pastoral blocks from the 1860s. This resulted in the progressive freehold purchase, after resumption, of large pastoral properties, often by their lessees as well as other selectors.[2]
\nEarly pastoralists in the Beaudesert district, the Collins and the De Burgh Persse families, selected land in this manner. The Collins family took up Mundoolun station in the 1840s and became wealthy pastoralists with many properties throughout Queensland including Tamrookum and Nindooinbah near the town of Beaudesert.[3] De Burgh Fitzpatrick Persse purchased the nearby Tabragalba station in 1865 and by the late 1880s had freeholded an extensive tract of land.[4]
\nBoth the De Burgh Persse and Collins families were important in the development of Queensland. They were active in public life, serving in the Queensland Parliament and in local government, and held positions on important company boards, many with a pastoral influence. The families had mutual interests and, over time, friendship and intermarriage created an interconnected and influential dynastic pastoral empire.
\nWyambyn was built on land selected in Jane Collins' name, approximately halfway between the De Burgh Persse and Collins homesteads. The land, comprising 419 acres and 20 perches (169.61ha), was purchased in June 1908 by De Burgh Persse in anticipation of his marriage to Fannie Martin Collins on 21 April 1909.[5] The design of Wyambyn commenced soon after the land purchase and in July 1908 a tender notice was placed by Dods for its construction; a job won by local builders, Warren and Morgan.[6]
\nDods (1868-1920) was a New Zealand-born architect who lived briefly in Britain before coming to Brisbane in the 1870s. He later trained as an architect in Scotland and England under a number of esteemed architects who were working in the Arts and Crafts idiom. His architectural career began in Edinburgh in 1886, articled with architects Hay & Henderson. He attended evening classes at the Edinburgh Architectural Association until 1890 and formed a lasting friendship with (Sir) Robert Lorimer (1864-1929), eminent Scottish architect and fellow proponent of Arts and Crafts. In 1890 Dods moved to London, where he worked with the Fortifications Branch of the War Office and in the office of notable architect (Sir) Aston Webb. In 1891 he was admitted to the Royal Institute of British Architects and travelled in Italy. In 1894 Dods visited his mother in Brisbane and while there won a competition for a nurses home at the Brisbane General Hospital [QHR 600223]. He returned to Brisbane in 1896 and started in practice with architect Francis Hall as Hall & Dods. Dods has been acknowledged as ‘one of the most significant early 20th century Australian architects'[7] and as a rare practitioner of the Arts and Crafts style in Queensland.
\nArts and Crafts was an international design movement flourishing between 1860 and 1910, its influence continuing into the 1930s. It was led by artist and writer William Morris and architect Charles Voysey and was inspired by the writings of John Ruskin and Augustus Pugin. The style championed traditional craftsmanship using simple forms and often applied medieval, romantic or folk styles of decoration. Importantly, it valued local variations in traditions so that good design would have relevance within its context. Arts and Crafts architecture is characterised by solidity and heaviness through well-proportioned solid forms, wide porches and prominent steep roofs. The texture of ordinary materials is expressed in the detailing and building composition is asymmetrical.
\nThe practice of Hall & Dods was the most influential source of modern design in Brisbane, producing a wide range of accomplished buildings, and was credited with achieving an 'architectural revolution' in Brisbane.[8] Dods was responsible for most of the design within the firm, integrating contemporary British design philosophies with the traditions of Queensland housing and the requirements of a subtropical climate, and producing practical, attractive, and finely-detailed houses. The partnership ended in 1913, when Dods left to practice in Sydney. Dods died prematurely in 1920.
\nDods' residential work employed local building techniques combined with a sophisticated discipline and a common-sense response to climate. Dods' houses were mostly built of timber with detailing that was a celebration of craftsmanship. The most noticeable characteristic of his Queensland houses (built between 1896 and 1917) was a general feeling of solidity and substance. This was the result of a number of design decisions, including designing a generous roof (often the largest element) continuous over the verandah and over a lower, rear washhouse. The roof was always simple in geometry and often finished with terracotta tiles, flat shingles or pan-and-tile profile, flat iron sheeting with a prominent rolled joint. Corrugated iron was only used where it was necessary to reduce the cost. Generally low-set, the houses often had an enclosed or screened understorey to give the house a visually solid base. Individual elements were oversized to appear substantial as if under heavy loads. Bold, dark, earthy colours, darkly-stained timber, rough-sawn weatherboards with mitred corners, roughcast rendering and face brickwork in dark colours were used to give the house a weighty gravity. The building materials and finishes were chosen to allow the building to mellow over time, providing it with a well-established appearance.
\nThe house designs take a formalist approach to planning including formal entry halls and traditional planning arrangements. The plans were generated through a consideration of aspect, with living spaces well-oriented and internal layouts permitting cross ventilation. They are also notable for their informal spaces, a particular feature being the inclusion of generous verandah piazzas[9]. The plans respond to the social needs of the clients in an honest and functional way. The houses were often provided with generous, considered service spaces including back halls and wash houses. The health and comfort of the occupants were major considerations. Ventilation devices included wide window and door openings, ventilated gables and ridges, and ventilation fleches. Piazzas were generous, allowing comfortably-furnished, semi-outdoor living. Operable shading and enclosure of the piazza was sometimes achieved by adding timber vertical louvres above the verandah handrail, creating a room habitable in most weather. Interiors included fine decorative timber joinery and panelling. Fireplace surrounds and built-in cupboards were also a feature.
\nThe composition of facades and circulation routes is a more nuanced element of Dods' houses and highlights his originality and artistic skill. Facades often only implied symmetry. Entries were often off-centre or perpendicular, emphasised by wide and expressive entry stairs. Projecting bay windows and corner fireplaces were recurrent elements.
\nDods designed gardens as a setting for the house, a practice more common in Britain than in Queensland. They featured formal parterre gardens, terraces and walls, flower beds, tennis courts, hedges, topiaries, flowering ornamental trees, and geometric path and lawn layouts. Garden furniture and structures were designed including seats, pergolas, trellises, fences and gates.
\nWyambyn is an example of the homesteads built by the more successful pastoralists of south-east Queensland. As funds became available over time, they built comfortable, architect-designed homes or extended their earlier homesteads into residences more befitting their status.[10]
\nBetween 1901 and 1913 Dods designed and built six homesteads for rural properties - Langlo Downs, Augathella (1903, destroyed by fire); extension to Nindooinbah [QHR 600027], Beaudesert (1908); Ringsfield, Nanango (1908); Wyambyn, Beaudesert (1909); Myendetta, Charleville (1910); and Kengoon, Kalbar (1913).[11] These were large dwellings that often formed the centre of groups of outbuildings. Their garden layouts were also an important feature.[12]
\nRural homesteads built in Queensland in the early part of the 20th century were large homes, often on elevated (flood-free) sites with a scenic outlook, surrounded by gardens. As well as those listed above, Marshlands near Hivesville (1910) designed by Hall & Dods (but not believed to be Dods' design) was built during this period, as was Hidden Vale near Grandchester (Eaton & Bates, 1903).[13]
\nThe Collins family knew Dods and his work. He had supervised the building of the Buckeridge-designed St John's Church [QHR 601082] at Mundoolun station in 1901, which commemorated the lives of their parents, John and Ann Collins. In 1906 Dods designed additions to Nindooinbah homestead for William Collins that were completed in 1908.[14] Dods and the Collins and Persse men may have met through their membership of the Queensland Club: Dods became a member in 1898, William Collins from 1877, Robert M Collins in 1895, and John G Collins in 1897, while DBB Persse joined in 1907 and his father in 1874.[15]
\nDods also designed Wyambyn's extension, which was completed by 1912, to accommodate the growing family.[16] The extension comprised a northern wing that included a nursery and extra bedrooms.[17] It was later used as additional bedrooms and a school room.[18]
\nIt is possible that Dods also designed the tennis court at Wyambyn. It appears in early photographs and is in harmony with the overall design; the entry stair and net are aligned with the piazza and a large Jacaranda.
\nInitially, Wyambyn operated as a cattle property. However, in the mid-1920s De Burgh Persse re-introduced sheep to the district as did other properties in the Beaudesert area run by family members, namely, Mundoolun (DM Fraser) and Tabragalba (Charles de Burgh Persse) owing to the decline of beef returns and the rise of wool prices at this time.[19]
\nDe Burgh Bennatyne Bentinck Persse was not purely a pastoralist dependent on the land. Like his father, he was involved in business enterprises and took over most of his father's directorships.[20] He served as chairman of directors of the Raub Australian Gold Mining Company; the Queensland Meat Export Company; and the Australian Stockbreeders' Co. He was also a member of the advisory board of the National Bank of Australasia.[21]
\nAfter D B B Persse's death on 10 December 1947 Wyambyn with its 419 acres (170ha) passed to his second son, Burton Persse. He resided there with his family, operating a dairy from soon after his return from World War II service until the late 1970s. The property then changed to beef cattle production.[22] In 1981 Wyambyn was sold, and subsequently used for farming and grazing purposes.[23] However, following the Queensland Government's Glendower Dam proposal in 1990, which would inundate Nindooinbah, Tabragalba and Wyambyn land, Wyambyn was compulsorily acquired by the South East Queensland Water Board. After acquisition, the land was leased for use as an organic dairy, then for cattle grazing.[24]
\nVarious assessments of Wyambyn have been made. The Land Court judgement in the case Vadoog Pty Ltd verses South East Queensland Water Board stated: ‘A feature of the property is its imposing homestead, constructed in about 1908 and maintained in excellent order'.[25] Three architectural studies and assessments between 1971 and 2002 have occurred, culminating in its inclusion and assessment in a doctoral thesis on the significance of Dods' architecture to Australia.[26]
\nFurthermore, the architectural importance of Wyambyn is supported by its inclusion in two documents assessing Dods' work and 20th century Queensland architecture. The homestead was proposed by the Queensland sub-committee of the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) Heritage Taskforce on Significant 20th Century Queensland Architecture as being of national importance and included in a draft list of nationally significant places produced on 17 September 2007.[27]
\nSome changes to the homestead have occurred. In October 1936 a fire started in a chip heater chimney in the homestead's ceiling and destroyed the ceiling and rafters of the bathroom on the western wing.[28] There is evidence of a more recent fire in the laundry.[29] The kitchen was changed from a wood stove with marble bench tops to a modern stove plus laminated bench tops in the 1960s. The small verandah in the service wing was enclosed as an eating area for Burton Persse and his family. The two original bathrooms have been altered; one was modernised and the other stripped and converted to an office by 1971. The wall between the former cook's room and the kitchen has been removed. In 1996 the roofing was noted as corrugated iron. However, Dods favoured flat iron roofing and this appears to be the roofing in a photograph taken in 1919. The vertical timber blinds around the piazza, apparent in early photographs, have been removed.[30]
\nThe homestead has been depicted in promotional material for the region and featured as the setting for the movie ‘Unfinished Sky' in 2007. The Glendower Dam proposal has not progressed and in 2013 the property is leased for grazing purposes and administered by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines.
","criteria":"As one of only six Queensland homesteads designed by acclaimed architect Robin Dods, Wyambyn is a rare and intact example of his homestead designs.
|Standing on a rise within an extensive pastoral landscape, the low-set house with dominant, steeply-pitched roof; generous verandahs; garden; and tennis court, has majestic valley and mountain views to the east, north and south. The relationship between the built elements and the natural landscape is vividly scenic.
A sense of gracious rural domesticity is engendered by its wide verandahs and piazza and spacious living rooms.
Highly intact, Wyambyn is important for its Arts and Crafts aesthetic, notably for its fine craftsmanship, high quality materials and skilful arrangement of informal and formal living spaces.
The aesthetic significance of Wyambyn has been recognised in film and used in promotional imagery for the region.
|Wyambyn is a fine, intact example of the high-quality residential work of Dods that is characterised by a pervading sense of tradition, solidity, and an honest use of materials. Designed in an Arts and Crafts idiom, the low-set timber house has deliberately oversized timber elements and openings; verandah piazza; steep dominant roof; finely-detailed, built-in timber furniture; a well-considered service zone; and an interior layout that optimises cross ventilation and solar orientation.
|Wyambyn (1909) is important in illustrating the contribution of notable architect, Robert Smith (Robin) Dods, to the evolution of Queensland architecture.
It also provides evidence of the affluent lifestyle enjoyed by pioneer pastoralists of south-east Queensland who were able to freehold much of their land and erect substantial homesteads.
|Wyambyn is important for its association over more than 70 years with the De Burgh Persse and Collins families, who are notable for their contribution to the pastoral industry and public life in Queensland over more than 150 years. Not only pioneer pastoralists of the Beaudesert district, the families have also served in the Queensland Parliament, initiated Queensland's National Parks system, promoted beef exports as directors of the Queensland Meat Export Co., and controlled pastoral empires extending to the Northern Territory and South Australia.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion B | Criterion E | Criterion D | Criterion A | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":35198,"place_ref":602840,"name":"Mutdapilly State School","alternate_name":"Normanby National School","street_address":"4 Mutdapilly-Churchbank Weir Road","suburb":"MUTDAPILLY","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2014-10-10","description":"Mutdapilly State School stands on an elevated 6.18ha site on the Cunningham Highway, Mutdapilly. The school comprises a number of small buildings, a tennis court and established trees, which are located on the 3 acre (1.21ha) portion of the site that constituted the school until 1995. Mutdapilly State School is a landmark in its rural setting along the highway.
Set well back from and facing the highway is the Suter designed building (1874 with 1880 extension), a one-storey, lowset, timber-framed building clad with weatherboards and sheltered by a gable roof lined with corrugated metal sheets. The verandahs front (west) and back (east) are accessed by one short flight of timber stairs from the front verandah and two from the back verandah. The verandahs have raked ceilings lined with v-jointed timber boards and a timber rail balustrade between stop-chamfered timber posts extends along the front and back perimeters.
The front verandah has enclosed sections at both ends: the northern enclosure is an early store room accessed from the verandah; and the southern enclosure is a 1960s library with timber-framed awning windows and is accessed from the interior. The rear verandah retains the original hat room enclosure at the southern end and a 1960s wired glass enclosure at the northern end. The front verandah retains two sets of original timber-framed casement windows (one is boarded over inside the northern store room).
The northern and southern gable ends have tall, timber-framed casement windows sheltered by a timber-framed hood with battened cheeks. Most windows have internal timber architraves and retain early hardware. Elements that are not of cultural heritage significance include the verandah doors, the large banks of glass louvre windows and security screens attached to windows in the rear verandah wall.
In 2014 it is used as an administration building. The interior layout comprises two rooms, separated by timber partitions and a small, central room. The part-height timber partition of the southern room is not of cultural heritage significance. The walls of the northern 1874 classroom are lined with wide horizontal timber boards. Vertical-jointed timber boards clad the walls of the southern 1880 extension, as well as the coved ceiling of all three rooms. Timber tie beams are exposed within the spaces.
The playshed stands south of the Suter designed building. The timber-framed shelter has a concrete floor and a hipped roof clad with corrugated metal sheets. Ten timber posts support the roof and are roughly-finished timber logs. The northern side of the shelter is open and the other three sides are enclosed with corrugated metal sheets.
The school grounds are well established and include many mature trees. Two fan palms (Livistona australis) featured on the school logo stand either side of the front entrance of the Suter building. Other established trees line the boundaries of the site. The tennis court (1925) is located northwest of the Suter building. It has a modern surface and is surrounded by a high chain wire fence.
The other buildings and structures within the cultural heritage boundary are not of cultural heritage significance.
","history":"Mutdapilly State School opened in 1874 as Normanby National School (Normanby State School from 1875), in a small timber building designed by architect Richard George Suter. It was built on a 2 acre (0.8ha) site, at an intersection on the main road through the agricultural settlement of Mutdapilly, to service the sparse but growing rural population. The Suter building was extended in 1880, and the school grounds were also expanded and other structures and landscape elements were added, including a tennis court (1925); a new playshed (c1928), and shade trees. The school has been in continuous operation since its establishment and has been a focus for the local community as a place for important social and cultural activities.
\nTraditionally the land of the Yuggera people, closer European settlement of the Mutdapilly area began in the early 1860s. Mutdapilly State School is located on the former Ipswich Agricultural Reserve, which was formed in 1860 from 11,000 acres (4452 hectares) of land resumed from pastoral runs either side of Warrill Creek.[1] The land west of Warrill Creek was part of George Thorn's pastoral run ‘Normanby' (formerly ‘Rosebrook').[2] The first land sales in the reserve took place in April 1861,[3] and a number of German settlers arrived in the district during the 1860s. Most selectors in the reserve during this decade grew cotton, although this industry faded in the 1870s.[4] Other crops, grazing, and dairying then became the primary industries of the area. The Mutdapilly Divisional Board was established in 1879 and the Normanby Divisional Board (later Shire Council) was formed, out of part of the Mutdapilly Division, in 1890.
\nNormanby National School was established at Mutdapilly as one of an expanding network of state-run primary schools. The provision of state-administered education was important to the colonial governments of Australia. In 1848 the New South Wales Government established National Schools. This was continued by the Queensland Government after the colony's creation in 1859. The Education Act 1860 established the Queensland Board of General Education and began to standardise curriculum, teacher training, and facilities.[5] The State Education Act 1875 provided for the further key initiatives of free, compulsory and secular primary education and established the Department of Public Instruction to administer the Act. This move standardised the provision of education and, despite difficulties, colonial educators achieved a remarkable feat in bringing basic literacy to most Queensland children by 1900.[6]
\nThe establishment of schools was considered an essential step in the development of early communities and integral to their success. Locals often donated land and labour for a school's construction and the school community contributed to maintenance and development. Schools became a major community focus for social interaction, a symbol of progress and a source of pride with enduring connections formed with past pupils, parents and teachers. The inclusion of war memorials and halls used for community purposes reinforced these connections together with fetes, markets, public holiday celebrations, school break-up days, fundraisers, polling days, sporting events, reunions, and dances, all held within the schools' buildings and grounds[7].
\nFrom the 1860s until the 1960s, Queensland school buildings were predominantly timber framed, taking advantage of the material's abundance in the state and the high number of builders skilled in its use. This also allowed for easy and economical construction and enabled the government to provide facilities in remote areas. Due to the standardisation of facilities, schools across the state were developed in distinctly similar ways and became complexes of typical components. These components included: the teaching building/s, the school yard, the sports oval, the head teacher's residence, and a variety of landscape elements such as sporting facilities or play equipment, playsheds, gardens and trees.[8]
\nIn 1873, 2 acres (0.8 hectare) of Portion 20 (originally 79 acres, or 32 hectares) was donated by Joseph Denman for a school at Mutdapilly,[9] while the local community raised their share of the cost to construct a teaching building, teacher's residence, playshed and buggy shed.[10] Builder William Adam's tender of £289 was accepted in 1873 and the Normanby National School opened on 27 April 1874.[11] There were 19 students present on the first day; 35 were enrolled by June 1874, and 56 by November 1874.[12] The school grounds acted as a site for the postal service's Receiving Office from 1876,[13] and the school was known as the Normanby State School by 1877.[14]
\nThe Board of General Education preferred that national school buildings were single storey, but had no other architectural stipulations. Consequently, the buildings varied depending on the architect responsible. The teaching building at Normanby National School was designed by Richard Suter (1827-94), a private architect commissioned from 1865 by the Board of General Education to design school buildings. From 1868, Suter was responsible for most of the Board's buildings. Although Suter's Brisbane school buildings were of brick construction, in rural areas he designed timber-framed school buildings. In his timber school designs, Suter incorporated an ‘outside studding' construction technique he was developing, whereby a building with timber stud framing was clad only internally, creating a distinctive exterior of exposed framing similar in appearance to half-timbered construction. Suter is credited with being the first to use this technique in Queensland.[15] Outside studding for school architecture was continued by Suter's successors for another 50 years.[16]
\nAs in other Australian colonies, the Queensland Government developed standard plans for its school buildings to help to ensure consistency and economy. Prior to, and during Suter's first years, schools were individually designed but conformed to the space requirements set by the Board. In 1869 a ‘recommended plan' for provisional schools was created by Suter [17] that was generic and could be used on any site. It was a lowset structure with gable roof, rectangular in plan with a small porch. An ‘improved plan' developed in 1873 addressed criticisms by Inspectors that the heat inside classrooms was ‘unbearable'.[18] It comprised a single large room with a front and back verandah, providing weather protection and sheltered play and teaching space. It was the beginning of a distinctive design, where the circulation to classrooms was via a verandah, continuing until at least the 1960s.
\nAlthough Suter did not intend this plan to be used broadly, the Board of Education, who were faced with an increasing population and limited budget, disseminated it throughout Queensland. As a result, Suter's designs had wide distribution. This had considerable impact on the spread of outside studding as a building technique in Queensland and may have been the main influence in its quick acceptance and use as a vernacular building form throughout the Colony.[19]
\nThe reuse of designs diminished the need to pay Suter additional architectural fees and the relationship between Suter and the government became strained. Suter continued as approved architect until 1875 when he was replaced.[20] Around 65 timber school buildings were constructed to Suter's standard type. Of these, only three (Waterford State School [QHR 602672], Morayfield State School, and Mutdapilly State School) are largely intact.[21]
\nThe teaching building at Normanby was typical of Suter's improved plan. It was a lowset timber building and its walls consisted of pine chamfered boards with external hardwood studding. The building faced west, with 7.25ft (2.2m) wide verandahs on the east and west sides, and accommodated one large room 30ft x 16ft (9.1m x 4.8m). There was a wash basin and hat room on the rear verandah, with a ‘shelf for dinner'.[22] The gable roof was clad with hardwood shingles, the roof framing was exposed internally and the few windows were small.
\nEnrolments grew quickly at the school, doubling to 70 in five years.[23] Around 1880 the Suter building was extended to the south by 21ft (6.4m) forming a separate classroom. The extension was similar in form and detail to the original portion but was not lined internally. Rather, it was clad externally, marking a shift in the preferred construction technique from external to internal stud framing. By 1887 the partition between the classrooms was attacked by termites and may have been removed at this time.
\nA photograph of the Suter building taken in 1896 shows the exposed stud framing of the eastern (rear) verandah wall had been lined, suggesting that all external walls may have been clad when the 1880 extension was built. This could have resulted from the need for weatherproofing or to arrest deterioration at the cross joints, recognised problems of the outside studding technique. A photograph taken c.1910 shows a similar view with sets of four horizontal pivot windows on each side of the door. Either these did not appear in the 1896 photograph because of the angle of the photograph, or they were installed at a later date. It is possible that the back wall of the Suter building did not have windows, given the seating gallery inside. A photograph of the front (west) of the school c.1915 shows the front verandah wall clad to cover up the originally exposed stud framing and no windows in the north (1874) gable.[24]
\nSuter's standard designs were continually refined by his successors in response to changing needs and educational philosophy. Suter's designs were not without problems - in particular, they were criticised for lack of ventilation. Later school architects focussed intently on improving climate control, lighting and ventilation and were particularly innovative in their responses.
\nIn 1907 the Suter building at Mutdapilly had its roof shingles replaced with corrugated galvanised iron. A coved ceiling was installed in the classroom following the line of the collar tie of the rafters, leaving the tie at the top of the walls exposed, and a raked ceiling was installed in the verandahs. A drawing of this work shows the building lowset, with a gallery for desks and seating on the eastern side of the room. The front elevation had two doors from the front verandah and three windows with low sills each apparently containing two sashes. The spacing of these windows in the wall suggests that they are the original 1874 windows symmetrically arranged each side of the door and an additional matching set added with the 1880 extension.[25]
\nBesides changes to the Suter building, there were other changes at the school. In 1914-15 the school purchased one acre (0.4ha) of land to the north from Norman Joseph Denman; and the school committee eventually succeeded in having the new area fenced in 1920.[26] The school's 50th jubilee was celebrated on 28 April 1924 with a banquet and dance held within the Suter building, attended by past pupils and residents;[27] similarly, the school's 60th, 70th, and 80th jubilees were celebrated in 1934,[28] 1944,[29] and 1954.
\nThe grounds of Normanby school included outdoor play areas and structures. The Queensland education system recognised the importance of play in the school curriculum and, as well as classrooms, they provided plans for playsheds, free-standing shelters that provided covered play space and were often used for unofficial teaching space when needed. They were timber-framed structures, generally open on all sides although were sometimes partially enclosed with timber boards or corrugated galvanised iron sheets. The hipped (or less frequently, gabled) roofs were clad with timber shingles or corrugated iron and they had an earth or decomposed granite floor. Fixed timber seating ran between the perimeter posts. Playsheds were a typical addition to state schools across Queensland between c1880s and the 1950s. They were built to standard designs that ranged in size relative to student numbers. School sites were typically cleared of all vegetation and the provision of all-weather outdoor space was needed.
\nBy the 1920s, Mutdapilly was part of a booming dairy farming region.[30] In 1924 the original 1874 playshed was still in use,[31] but soon after (c.1928), a new playshed was erected. This incorporated some of the roof framing of its predecessor and was built to the south of the Suter building. Pat Collins and Joe [Norman] Denman donated posts for the new shed, which was built by Mr Hall and Ben Denman for $250.[32] The local community raised half the money needed for a 2000 gallon (9092 litre) tank for the shed, with the government providing the other half.[33]
\nTrees and gardens were also planted as part of beautification of the school. In the 1870s, schools inspector William Boyd was critical of tropical schools and amongst his recommendations was the importance of adding shade trees to playgrounds. Arbor Day celebrations began in Queensland in 1890 and were occurring at Mutdapilly State School at least one year before 1897.[34]
\nEducationalists believed gardening and Arbor Days instilled in young minds the value of hard work and activity, improved classroom discipline, developed aesthetic tastes, and inspired people to stay on the land. Aesthetically designed gardens were encouraged by regional inspectors. In 1897, Normanby School was praised by the Inspector for its well-kept grounds and in 1914 it was ‘in the small list of schools whose grounds strikingly illustrated perseverance and determination in successfully overcoming difficulties'.[35] In the Annual Prizes for School Gardens, Normanby received third place in 1916. The school has planted many indigenous and exotic trees as a result of Arbor Day celebrations.
\nThe growth of Mutdapilly remained limited, so only minor increases in student accommodation were needed. By the 1920s the verandahs of the Suter building were ceiled, and the south end of the front (west) verandah was enclosed for a library 10ft (3.05m) long.[36] In 1931 the interior of the 1880s portion was re-lined.[37]
\nA tennis court was built northwest of the Suter building, on the land purchased c.1915, and a working bee in July 1925 saw significant work completed, including carting antbed and the erection of the majority of the posts.[38] The tennis court was formally opened on Arbor Day in August 1925.[39]
\nDuring the 1920s and 1930s alterations were made to the vast majority of older school buildings to upgrade their lighting and ventilation. Achieving an ideal or even adequate level of natural light in classrooms, without glare, was of critical importance to educators and became central to the design and layout of all school buildings from 1900.[40] Windows were rearranged and enlarged to provide a greater amount of gentle, southern light into the room. Desks were rearranged so that the light would fall onto students' left sides to avoid throwing shadows onto the pages; this presupposed that all students would be right-handed. The change in philosophy often meant a complete transformation of the fenestration of existing buildings. Interiors became lighter and airier and met with immediate approval from educators.[41] This was a noticeable new direction and the better lit and ventilated form became a characteristic of Queensland schools.
\nAt Normanby State School, the Suter building was altered to improve lighting and ventilation in the 1920s. The two narrow windows in the northern and southern gable walls were replaced with new, larger, casement windows to improve lighting conditions internally. Then in 1931, these were replaced with a substantial area of casement windows with higher sill heights and new sunshades. Further, in 1933 additional casement windows inserted into the eastern verandah wall to increase the lighting and ventilation of the interior.
\nAlthough electricity was available in the district from the 1950s, it was not connected to the school until March 1967.[42] In 1954, the Normanby School obtained a radiogram, powered by a 6 volt battery,[43] to be used for the ABC's ‘radio-film' broadcasts, particularly valuable for geography and nature studies. In that same year, two palm trees were planted west of the school building, and the school celebrated their 80th anniversary with a luncheon and afternoon tea in the playshed, and later a dance in the school.[44]
\nBetween the 1960s and the 1980s Queensland education was reformed. The Education Act 1964 was a turning point and the first major update of Queensland education's governing legislation since 1875. Effectively, a new era of state education evolved requiring new architectural responses. The Department of Education (as it had been renamed in 1957) continued to give the responsibility of building design to the architects of the Department of Public Works. With new educational philosophies, government policies and functional requirements combined with new architectural styles, materials and technologies, the evolution of standard designs became more fragmented. Rather than ‘improving' on the previous designs, architects began to design with inspiration drawn from new precedents. Fundamentally, timber construction was no longer favoured and buildings were no longer predominantly highset.
\nOn 1 April 1968 the school was renamed Mutdapilly State School. Prior to this, there was a large sign in front of the school reading, ‘NORMANBY STATE SCHOOL' which created confusion for visitors to the Mutdapilly area. Much of the mail addressed to ‘Normanby State School' was also often delivered to Red Hill post office in Brisbane, with postal authorities presumably thinking there was a school near the ‘Normanby' Hotel there.[45]
\nDuring the third term of 1968 the teaching building was restumped with concrete stumps. The one large room was made into two equal size rooms by the provision of large folding doors. The library/storeroom on the front verandah was expanded and had hopper windows installed. In the back verandah wall were inserted new banks of louvres and new doors. The cladding of the hat room on the rear verandah was replaced by Georgian wired glass panels and the back wall of the hat room at the south end of the verandah was removed. The school's old post and rail fence was also replaced by a tubular steel and chain wire fence.[46]
\nOn the school's centenary celebrations on 27 April 1974, a commemorative tree was planted by the oldest pupil. By this time the school had an attendance of 39 pupils - compared to the 35 in 1874.[47] The north end of the front verandah of the school was enclosed in 1977 to accommodate a store room.
\nIn 1990 a new teaching building was constructed to the east of the Suter building, and in 1995 the grounds were extended to the north and east, with the creation of a new allotment of 5.37 hectares (which incorporated the one acre c.1915 extension to the school, but not the originally donated 2 acres, which remains as a separate allotment); allowing room for a school oval. In 1999 a modular building was erected to the south of the 1990 building, and between 2006 and 2009 a Building Education Revolution hall was constructed north of Suter building. In 2009 the school had 50 pupils.
\nIn 2014, the school retains the Suter building, the c.1928 playshed, the 1925 tennis court and mature Arbor Day plantings. The school is important to the town and district, having operated since 1874 and taught generations of Mutdapilly students. Since establishment it has been a key social focus for the Mutdapilly community, with the grounds and buildings having been the location of many social events over time.
","criteria":"Mutdapilly State School (established in 1874 as Normanby National School) is important in demonstrating the evolution of state education, and its associated architecture, in Queensland. The place retains excellent, representative examples of standard government designs that were architectural responses to prevailing government educational philosophies. The teaching building (1874), designed by architect Richard Suter, is an early standardised design; and the playshed (c.1928), demonstrates the education system's recognition of the importance of play in the curriculum.
The mature trees around the school are a result of the policies of promoting school beatification, providing shade trees, and encouraging students' work ethic through Arbor Day plantings.
|The Suter building at Mutdapilly State School is rare as one of three known surviving intact examples of the approximately 65 buildings of this type constructed.
|Queensland schools have always played an important part in Queensland communities. They typically retain a significant and enduring connection with former pupils, their parents, and teachers; provide a venue for social interaction and volunteer work; and are a source of pride, symbolising local progress and aspirations. Mutdapilly State School has a strong and ongoing association with the Mutdapilly community. It was established in 1874 through the fund-raising efforts of the local community and has educated generations of Mutdapilly children. The place is important for its contribution to the educational development of Mutdapilly and is a prominent community focal point and gathering place for social events with widespread community support.
|Mutdapilly State School is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of early Queensland state schools, including standard building designs by the Queensland Government.
The Suter building retains the characteristics of its original design. It is single-skin timber-framed and lowset, with front and rear verandahs and a single classroom that is well ventilated and day-lit. Changing philosophies in state primary education are evident in the modifications made to this building, including enlarged windows, and the change in cladding at the time of the 1880 extension reflected the move away from external stud framing.
The playshed has a hipped timber-framed roof form supported on timber posts.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion G | Criterion D","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":null,"place_ref":650004,"name":"Maroon State School and Maroon War Memorial","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"2772 Boonah Rathdowney Road","suburb":"MAROON","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2015-10-09","description":"Maroon State School occupies an approximately 0.8ha (7993sqm) rectangular site in the rural locality of Maroon, southwest of Beaudesert and south of Boonah, near the border with New South Wales. Surrounded by paddocks at the foot of Mt Maroon, the site slopes gently down towards Boonah to Rathdowney Road, which forms the northern boundary. A War Memorial is situated in the northeast corner, adjacent to the entrance gate. The school buildings are set back from the road and orientated approximately north-south, with the Teacher’s Residence (1937) located in a fenced yard in the southwest corner and the teaching building, a Small Timber School Building (1938), to the east. The playshed (1910) stands to the southeast of the teaching building. The grounds contain open lawns and mature shade trees, and the teaching building is approached from the road via a sealed looped driveway.
\nElements not of cultural significance include additions and alterations such as: modern extensions and enclosures; carpet and linoleum floor linings; sheeted partitions; ceiling fans and air conditioning units; modern joinery, fixtures and fittings; metal shutters and aluminium framed windows and screens.
\nTeachers Residence (1937)
The Teachers Residence is timber-framed, weatherboard-clad and highset on concrete stumps. The building has a hipped roof, with a projecting gable to the northeast corner and an enclosed L-shaped verandah to the northwest corner. Timber stairs provide access to the front verandah and an enclosed landing to the rear.
Early timber joinery is retained throughout the building including: casement windows with four-light fanlights and corrugated metal-clad hoods to the north, east and south elevations; a high-waisted panelled front door with glazed inserts and fanlight; and low-waisted French doors with four-light fanlights opening onto the front verandah. The enclosed verandah is weatherboard-clad with casement windows. A section of battened timber balustrade remains to the north. The verandah wall is single-skin with external post and belt rails supporting v-jointed (VJ) timber boards.
\nThe interior layout comprises three bedrooms accessed via a central hallway at the front, with a living room, kitchen and bathroom to the rear. The kitchen retains its stove alcove. Interior walls and ceilings are lined with VJ timber boards, with simple-profile timber skirting and cornices.
\nThe understorey has a concrete slab floor and is enclosed with timber battened screens. A laundry in the southeast corner is enclosed with flat sheeting and has a boarded door to the east. Early corrugated-metal water tanks on timber platforms, set on concrete stumps, are located to the east and south of the residence.
\nSmall Timber School Building (1938)
The teaching building is a highset, timber-framed and weatherboard-clad building. The roof is gabled, with timber batten infills, and is clad in corrugated metal sheeting. The north and south end walls each have large banks of casements with horizontal centre-pivoting fanlights, protected by hoods with battened timber brackets.
The walls and ceiling of the classroom are lined with VJ boards. The coved ceiling features an exposed metal tie rod and a latticed vent. The east and west facing verandahs have been enclosed (with weatherboard and aluminium framed windows) and are accessed by timber stairs. Both verandahs have raked ceilings lined with VJ boards and the verandah walls are single-skin with externally exposed studwork, except for the southern end of the west verandah, which is lined with flat sheeting. Doorways occupy their original positions in the verandah walls – slightly north of centre – and align with the modern external verandah doors. Most of the east verandah is used as office space, and the hat room enclosure at the south end of the verandah has been adapted for use as a store room. A modern partition divides the western verandah, with the hat room at the south end of the verandah converted to office space. An early school bell hangs by the western external door.
\nThe understorey has a concrete slab floor and concrete stumps, some of which have been replaced with metal posts. The area is enclosed with corrugated-metal sheeting and modern aluminium-framed mesh screens. A storage room clad with vertical boards is located in the southwest corner.
\nPlayshed (1910)
The playshed is a small six-post timber structure with a hipped roof clad in corrugated metal sheeting. The posts are braced to the roof framing by brackets and the roof framing is exposed. Metal stirrups at the base of each post are set into a modern concrete slab. The posts retain evidence of where the original timber seat fixtures were located (now removed).
Grounds and Views
The sloping site, open lawns, trees and gardens of the grounds form an attractive setting for the early school buildings.
A mature hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) is located near the northwest corner of the site, south of the levelled lawn of the former tennis court. Another mature tree is located in the northwest corner of the grounds. Various plantings are located along the eastern boundary, and several mature gums (Eucalypt sp.) are positioned along the southern boundary, behind the 2011 building. A jacaranda (Jacaranda sp.) surrounded by timber bench seats is situated to the northeast corner of the fenced residence yard.
\nPositioned at the foot of Mt Maroon the school complex is prominent in its location and, combined with the War Memorial in the northeast corner, has picturesque qualities when viewed from Boonah to Rathdowney Road. Attractive views of the surrounding countryside and Mt Maroon are obtained from within the school grounds.
\nWar Memorial
The Maroon War Memorial is located within a small enclosure just inside the grounds of Maroon State School. The memorial is a tall structure comprised of a sandstone pedestal, column and 'digger' statue, resting on a stepped concrete base.
The sandstone pedestal is substantial. It has a two-tiered lower section on which rests a narrower 4-sided shaft with decorative flanking scrolls. Tall leaded marble plaques are attached to the front (north) and back (south) faces of the shaft. The front plaque contains an honour roll bearing the names of the 42 local men who served in World War One. Beneath this, on the lowest tier of the pedestal, is another plaque bearing the names of the 42 local men and women who served in World War Two. The plaque on the back face of the shaft bears the inscription: 'This memorial was erected by the residents of Maroon as a tribute of gratitude and respect to the local volunteers in the Great War 1914-19.'
\nAttached to the lowest tier of the pedestal, on separate faces, are two small oblong marble plaques with the inscriptions: 'Unveiled by General Sir William Birdwood, May 21, 1920' and 'Time capsule placed 21-9-91 commemorating the Maroon State School centenary 1891-1991'. With the exception of the latter, the other commemorative inscriptions are leaded.
\nThe pedestal cornice bears raised lettering 'King & Empire' on the front face. Above is a tall, plain column which in turn supports a half life-sized statue of an Australian infantry soldier or 'digger', standing at ease in the distinctive pose used by sculptor Frank Williams for his 'digger' statues.[48] A carved tree stump immediately behind the left leg, often seen in such statues, was added to give the statue stability at the base.
\nWithin the enclosure there is a concrete path leading toward the memorial and some tree plantings. Two small but mature trees, possibly Cupressus sp, flank the path and frame the approach to the memorial. Pines or Cypresses traditionally are associated with First World War memorials, symbolising the August 1915 battle of Lone Pine Ridge, one of the most savage in the Gallipoli campaign.
\nA tall metal flagstaff is located directly behind the memorial, within the enclosure. A perimeter fence of extruded galvanised iron pipe has replaced an earlier timber fence and is not of cultural heritage significance. Mt Maroon towers in the distance to the southeast and forms a dramatic visual background to the memorial.
\nOther buildings
Other buildings and structures on the site, including modern classroom and toilet blocks, shade structures and sheds, are not of cultural heritage significance.
Maroon State School, located south of Boonah, near Queensland’s border with New South Wales, opened in 1891 as Maroon Provisional School, soon after closer settlement commenced in the district. The school was transferred to Department of Public Instruction ownership in 1898 and became Maroon State School in 1909. A playshed was added in 1910, and a Teachers Residence was constructed in 1937. The original teaching building was replaced with a Small Timber School Building in 1938. The school buildings are set amongst mature trees, and the district’s 1920 War Memorial stands at the front (northeast corner) of the school grounds. The result is a picturesque view from the road, past the War Memorial to the school, with Mt Maroon as the backdrop. The school has been in continuous operation since establishment and has been a focus for the local community as a place for important social and cultural activity.
\nEuropean occupation of the Maroon district commenced in the 1840s. Maroon Station, initially called Melcombe, was taken up by William O’Grady Haly in 1843, and the lease was eventually obtained by Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior, well-known pastoralist and politician, in 1864.[1] Some local farming began in 1870,[2] but closer settlement began in earnest from 1887, the year the Fassifern Railway was extended to Dugandan, just south of Boonah.[3] Blocks of 160 acres (65ha) were taken up to the south and east of Maroon Station.[4] Local farming included dairying, pig rearing, and crops (including lucerne, maize and cotton), and timber-getting was also a local industry. In the locality of Maroon, two shops existed by 1887, a creamery (later a cheese factory until the 1900-1902 drought) was opened in the mid-1890s, and a School of Arts was built in 1903-04. A Church of England was dedicated in 1907, and a Methodist church in 1914.[5] Early local government was provided by the Goolman Divisional Board, (1879), then the Goolman Shire Council (1903) which became Boonah Shire Council in 1937.
\nCloser settlement at Maroon was soon followed by calls for a local school. The establishment of schools was considered an essential step in the development of early communities and integral to their success. Locals often donated land and labour for a school’s construction and the school community contributed to maintenance and development. Schools became a community focus, a symbol of progress, and a source of pride, with enduring connections formed with past pupils, parents, and teachers. The inclusion of war memorials and community halls reinforced these connections and provided a venue for a wide range of community events in schools across Queensland.[6] A provisional school could be opened with as few as 15 (later 12) pupils. The Board of General Education gave financial assistance to local committees to set up and maintain these schools. The local committee provided a building and found a teacher, and the Board paid the teacher’s salary relative to the number of pupils.
\nTo help ensure consistency and economy, the Queensland Government developed standard plans for its school buildings. From the 1860s until the 1960s, Queensland school buildings were predominantly timber-framed, an easy and cost-effective approach that also enabled the government to provide facilities in remote areas. Standard designs were continually refined in response to changing needs and educational philosophy and Queensland school buildings were particularly innovative in climate control, lighting, and ventilation. Standardisation produced distinctly similar schools across Queensland with complexes of typical components.[7]
\nIn Maroon, a provisional school was opened in 1891 due to the efforts of the local community. A school building committee was elected at a meeting on 31 January 1891, and a written application for a provisional school was made in late May, when the building was almost finished.[8] Materials were donated by committee members; and the school, built with volunteer labour, was furnished and equipped by 30 May, and opened on 15 July 1891, at no cost to the government.[9] The building was also used by the community for public meetings, religious services and music lessons, and as a library (before the School of Arts opened).[10]
\nThe school was built on land (just under 2 acres, or 0.8ha) donated by local landowner Thomas de Montmorenci Murray-Prior, chairman of the committee, who had inherited maroon Staion from his father, and was later transferred to the Crown in 1898 – the year that the Department of Public Instruction took over the school at the request of the school committee.[11]
\nThe low-set teaching building, although hailed as ‘one of the prettiest in West Moreton’,[12] soon proved inadequate for growing student numbers. Enrolment was 36 in 1896,[13] and in 1906, with enrolment at 54, the committee asked for it to be enlarged. The additions, consisting of a second 24 x 12ft (7.3 x 3.7m) classroom and an additional verandah, were completed by June 1907, the community paying one fifth of the cost.[14] By 1908, the school bell was mounted on a free-standing timber frame adjacent to the provisional school building.[15]
\nIn 1909, the school became Maroon State School. That year, by lowering the required minimum average number of pupils for a state school from 30 to 12, the Department of Public Instruction upgraded the majority of provisional schools to state school status. By 1967, any remaining provisional schools either had been converted to state schools or had closed.[16]
\nThe Maroon State School’s grounds were improved in 1910 by the addition of a playshed. The Queensland education system recognised the importance of play in the school curriculum and, as school sites were typically cleared of all vegetation, the provision of all-weather outdoor space was needed. Playsheds were designed as free-standing shelters, with fixed timber seating between posts and earth or decomposed granite floors that provided covered play space and doubled as teaching space when required. These structures were timber-framed and generally open sided, although some were partially enclosed with timber boards or corrugated galvanised iron sheets.[17] The hipped (or less frequently, gabled) roofs were clad with timber shingles or corrugated iron. Playsheds were a typical addition to state schools across Queensland between c1880s and the 1950s, although were less frequently constructed after c1909, with the introduction of highset school buildings with understorey play areas. Built to standard designs, playsheds ranged in size relative to student numbers. [18]
\nIn 1910, the Department of Public Instruction approved a 24 x 12 foot (7.3 x 3.6 metre) hip-roofed timber playshed to cater for Maroon State School’s students.[19] The playshed was constructed by B Green at a cost of £49,[20] and was a characteristic example of a six-post type, with light timber framing and a corrugated metal-clad roof. Each of the corner timber posts were ‘silled and strutted’ below ground level, and timber seats were fixed to the posts on the two longer sides of the shed. [21] A tank and spouting were added the following year, at a cost of £18.[22]
\nIn 1917 the school committee requested a new teaching building, as the 1891 building was too narrow, had small windows, was not ceiled or lined, and the shingles leaked. Instead, the shingles were replaced with corrugated iron in 1924,[23] and larger windows were later added to deal with the increased internal heat.[24]
\nIn 1938 Maroon State School finally received its new teaching building; a standard design Small Timber School Building (Type E/T1). This type of building was constructed in Queensland between 1930 and 1946 and was a continuation of earlier types of country schools. The roof span was generally 18ft (5.5m), and the building was highset, with two verandahs. The type was not designed for expansion, being built for a set number of students – either 24, 40, 60 or 80.[25] The new building, for 60 pupils, was constructed by JW Schultz of Boonah for £472, and was completed during the 1937-38 school holidays, opening for use on 24 January 1938.[26]
\nPlans from 1937 indicate that the single room building was a timber-framed and weatherboard-clad structure, highset on tall timber stumps, with a gabled roof and verandahs on the east and west sides. [27] The class room was 18ft x 30ft (5.5 x 9.1m). Timber stairs provided access to the 8ft (2.4m) wide verandahs, which had enclosed corner hat rooms at the southern ends. Banks of timber-framed casement windows with fanlights and skillion sunshades were centred on the north and south gable end walls. Doors from the verandah to the classroom were positioned slightly north of the centre, to accommodate two classes in the one room: a smaller, east-facing class to the north; and a larger, west-facing class to the south. This allowed for natural light to enter from the student’s left, an optimum arrangement espoused by educators at the time. The ceiling was coved with an exposed tie rod and an off-centre latticed ceiling vent between the doors. The understorey provided sheltered play space and was partly enclosed with timber battens and corrugated metal; timber seats ran along the south wall and into the southwest corner.[28]
\nBy the time the new teaching building was in use, the school’s teacher was occupying the school’s first Teachers Residence, built during 1937.[29] This was constructed by JET Speer of Moorooka for £649.[30] Most Queensland state schools incorporated a Teachers Residence on the site, particularly in rural areas. In Australia, only Queensland offered free accommodation to teachers, the government policy applying to male teachers (only) from as early as 1864. This was partial recompense for a low wage, an incentive for teacher recruitment in rural areas and provided onsite caretakers. Following World War I, teacher shortages were blamed on the inadequacy and shortage of teachers' residences. Consequently, many new teacher residences were constructed across Queensland in the 1930s and again following WWII.[31]
\nResidences designed by the Department of Public Works’ architects, and constructed to the high standard demanded by the state, were typically of a higher-quality in design, materials and construction than most similarly-scaled private residences. The detached teacher’s residence was located within the school grounds at a distance from the teaching buildings, usually with a separate, fenced yard with gardens and trees.
\nPlans for the residence at Maroon show a typical 1930s Teachers Residence (Type D/R3). [32] Built from 1929 to 1949, [33] this type was a highset timber-framed structure, with a hipped roof with projecting gable at the front, and an L-shaped verandah to the northwest corner. The interior comprised a core of three bedrooms and a living room arranged around a central hallway, with a rear wing that included a kitchen with stove alcove, pantry and bathroom. French doors opened onto the verandah; and the six-light casement windows had skillion hoods on the north and east sides. The understorey was enclosed with timber battens and a laundry was located in the southeast corner. Corrugated metal water tanks on timber platforms were located on the south and east sides of the residence.[34]
\nAn important component of Queensland state schools was their grounds. The early and continuing commitment to play-based education, particularly in primary school, resulted in the provision of outdoor play space and sporting facilities, such as ovals and tennis courts. Also, trees and gardens were planted to shade and beautify schools. In the 1870s, schools inspector William Boyd was critical of tropical schools and amongst his recommendations stressed the importance of the adding shade trees to playgrounds. Subsequently, Arbor Day celebrations began in Queensland in 1890. Aesthetically-designed gardens were encouraged by regional inspectors, and educators believed gardening and Arbor Days instilled in young minds the value of hard work and activity, improved classroom discipline, developed aesthetic tastes, and inspired people to stay on the land.[35]
\nThe grounds at Maroon State School contain a number of mature trees. The school had project clubs from 1912, which, amongst other horticultural and agricultural activities, planted fruit trees, a Cape Chestnut tree (Calodendrum capense) and a pepperina tree (Schinus molle);[36] plus Arbor day plantings over time have included silky oak (Grevillea robusta), camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora), silver wattle (Acacia dealbata), wych elm (Ulmus glabra), pine (Pinus sp.), jacaranda (Jacaranda sp.), and bauhinia (Bauhinia sp.) trees.[37]
\nThe school grounds also contain the Maroon War Memorial. Like all other Queensland communities, Maroon was affected by World War I, when 17 men of 42 enlisted from the district died. In September 1919 a committee (primarily the school committee) formed to raise funds for a war memorial wrote to the Department of Public Instruction asking permission to erect a memorial and honour stone, flagpole and avenue of trees in the school grounds.[38] The memorial was unveiled by General Sir William Birdwood on 21 May 1920, and the school children planted flowers and shrubs in the memorial plot.[39] Later, a plaque was added to the memorial, honouring the 35 men and 7 women who enlisted in World War II (2 men did not return).
\nThe Maroon area is still agricultural and pastoral; so the school has experienced relatively little growth or change over the years. Aerial photographs in 1955 and 1970 confirm that the school consisted of the Teachers Residence, playshed and Small Timber School Building; with two earth closets (EC’s) south of the latter, the Maroon War Memorial in the northeast corner of the school grounds, and a tennis court in the northwest corner.[40]
\nIn September 1958, part of the teaching building’s verandah was reportedly enclosed for use as a library.[41] Photographs taken in 1995 show the northern end of the east verandah enclosed with weatherboards, while the northern end of the west verandah was open at that time. Other modifications to the teaching building in recent years include the installation of air conditioning units, security screens to the inside of the banks of casement windows, the replacement and reconfiguration of the eastern timber stairs, and the enclosure of the northern half of the western verandah – first with security screens, and later with metal shutters. This resulted in the relocation of the school bell from the north end of the verandah to the western eave.[42] The southern end of the west verandah (incorporating the former hat room) has been enclosed and lined internally. Modifications to the understorey include a kitchenette to the southeast corner and the enclosure of the north and east sides with aluminium-framed fly screens. There is a storage room in the southwest corner.
\nSome minor changes have also been made to the Teachers Residence. By 1974 the western half of the corner verandah had been enclosed with weatherboard cladding and timber-framed casement windows on the north and west sides.[43] A wall between the kitchen and bathroom passageway had also been removed. In 1991 the timber posts under the residence were replaced with concrete, and the concrete under the teaching building was also replaced at this time.[44] Other alterations include: replacement of the timber battened enclosure and door to the laundry with flat sheeting and a boarded door; and the addition of several water tanks on timber platforms. In recent years, security mesh has been installed to the northern side of the verandah and to some of the windows.
\nThe playshed was moved to its current location by 1961.[45] To facilitate the move, the timber posts were severed at ground level and re-fixed into metal stirrups set into a concrete slab. The early timber seats have also been removed and the tops of the posts have been braced.
\nIn the remainder of the grounds, the ECs were replaced with a toilet block c1977.[46] A storage shed was built northeast of the residence c1988,[47] and a covered play area existed east of this shed by 2006. More covered play areas, and covered walkways, have been added to the grounds since 2006, and in 2011 a new library building was erected. In 2015 this library is used as the teaching building, while the Small Timber School Building is used as a library and administration offices. The Maroon War Memorial remains the focus of annual ANZAC Day commemorations.
\nWar Memorial History
The Maroon War Memorial was constructed and unveiled in the grounds of the Maroon State School in 1920, to honour and memorialise the men from the Maroon district who had served in the armed forces during World War One (1914-1918).
At the outbreak of war in Europe in August 1914 Maroon was a small, isolated agricultural community without an urban focus, engaged principally in dairying. Forty-two men from the 35 families resident in the district enlisted and of these, 17 made the supreme sacrifice. This represented a mortality rate for the Maroon community of approximately 40%, compared with the average nationally of 20%.
\nMaroon was not alone in experiencing the devastating impact of this war. Australia-wide, over 300,000 volunteers from a national population of 4 million served overseas and one fifth, approximately 60,000, made the supreme sacrifice. Virtually every community in every state was affected in some fashion by the 'war of attrition' in Europe and Asia Minor.
\nIn the aftermath of the war, and in some instances prior to the cessation of hostilities, memorials honouring those who served in the war were erected in nearly every city, town and community in Australia. They were the expression of a grateful and grieving nation. Maroon was no exception. In 1919 a local committee (again chaired by Thomas de Montmorenci Murray-Prior and comprised principally of the local Maroon school committee members) was formed to raise funds by public subscription for a memorial and honour stone to express the community's gratitude to the men from the district who had served during the Great War. In September 1919 the committee requested permission from the Department of Public Instruction to erect a memorial, flagstaff and honour avenue of trees within the Maroon State School grounds.
\nThe memorial committee commissioned the Ipswich firm of F Williams & Co., sculptors and stonemasons, to design, sculpt and construct the memorial. This firm was established at Ipswich in 1901. Its founder, Frank Williams, promoted the use of local marble and became noted for his ecclesiastical marblework in the Ipswich and Darling Downs areas. In the wake of the Great War, Williams designed a significant number of war memorials in southeast Queensland, including 'digger' statues at Ipswich's Western Suburbs (1917), Mount Alford (1918), Booval (1919), Bundamba (1919), Boonah (1920), Maroon (1920), Oxley (1920) and Toombul Shire (1921). Williams also designed the mausoleum and weeping mother statue at Gatton (c1922), obelisks at Toogoolawah (1917) and West Ipswich (1917) and a stone honour board at Colinton (1918).
\nThe design for the Maroon War Memorial comprised a 'digger' statue atop a tall column, which in turn rested on a substantial pedestal and plinth. The whole was executed in sandstone, with Queensland marble inscription panels, and stood 17 feet 6 inches (5.35 metres) in height. The cost of the monument (£130) plus foundations and extras, totalled £300. A surrounding timber fence was constructed by voluntary labour.
\nAfter the war General Sir William Birdwood, who had commanded the Australian Imperial Force during the war, toured many Australian and New Zealand communities, honouring both those who had made the supreme sacrifice and returned soldiers. During his tour General Birdwood unveiled the Maroon War Memorial on 21 May 1920 and presented Maroon Patriotic Committee medals to 14 of the district's returned servicemen.
\nAt a later date a marble plaque was added to the memorial to honour the 42 men and women of the district who served during World War II.
The Maroon War Memorial remains the focus for annual Anzac Day commemorations and maintenance of the memorial and enclosure is undertaken by local volunteers. Repairs are funded by an Anzac Day collection.
On 21 September 1991 a time capsule was placed at the base of the memorial to celebrate the centenary of the Maroon State School, 1891-1991.
","criteria":"Maroon State School (established in 1891 as a provisional school) is important in demonstrating the evolution of state education and its associated architecture in Queensland. The place retains a collection of good representative examples of standard government designs that were architectural responses to prevailing government educational philosophies.
\nThese standard Department of Public Works-designed buildings include: a Teachers Residence (1937), which is evidence of the Departmental policy of providing residences for married male head teachers in rural areas, as an inducement and to provide a resident caretaker on the site; and a Small Timber School Building (1938), demonstrating the evolution of timber school buildings in providing adequate lighting and ventilation, and the provision of small teaching buildings in regional Queensland.
\nThe playshed (1910), and large grounds with mature trees, demonstrates the Queensland education system’s recognition of the importance of play and aesthetics in the education of children.
\nThe Maroon War Memorial (1920), located at the front of the school, is important in demonstrating the school community’s involvement in a major world event, and its size and presence in the landscape is a reflection of the magnitude of the loss suffered by the district. War memorials are a tribute to those who served, and those who died, from a particular community. They are an important element of Queensland’s towns and cities and are also important in demonstrating a common pattern of commemoration across Queensland and Australia. The Maroon War Memorial also exemplifies the work of Ipswich stonemason and sculptor, Frank Williams, who designed and constructed a significant number of southeast Queensland World War I memorials.
|Maroon State School is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of Queensland state schools with their later modifications. These include: timber-framed buildings constructed to standard designs by the Queensland Government; and generous, landscaped sites with mature shade trees and play areas. The school is a good example of a modest, regional school complex.
\nThe Teachers Residence is a good, intact example of the residence type of the interwar period – retaining its highset character, hipped roof with projecting gable, weatherboard-clad form, three bedrooms and early joinery.
\nThe teaching building is a good example of an interwar Small Timber School Building and is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of its type. It retains its gable roof; early timber joinery; single large classroom; generous verandahs (now enclosed) with hat rooms; coved ceiling with latticed vent and tie rod; VJ board linings; and single skin verandah walls. An early school bell hangs from the eaves of the western verandah.
\nThe playshed is a good example of its type and retains its hipped timber-framed roof, supported on six braced timber posts.
\nThe Maroon War Memorial is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of its class of cultural places, being a substantial and highly intact commemorative structure erected as an enduring record of a major historical event. This is achieved through the use of appropriate materials and design elements.
|Maroon State School is of aesthetic significance for its picturesque attributes. Set against the backdrop of Mt Maroon and surrounded by open pastoral land, the complex of timber-framed school buildings with generous grounds and mature trees, combined with the War Memorial, offers an attractive juxtaposition of natural beauty and built elements in a tranquil rural setting.
|Schools have always played an important part in Queensland communities. They typically retain significant and enduring connections with former pupils, parents, and teachers; provide a venue for social interaction and volunteer work; and are a source of pride, symbolising local progress and aspirations.
Maroon State School has a strong and ongoing association with the Maroon community. It was established in 1891 through the fundraising efforts of the community and generations of local children have been taught there. The place is important for its contribution to the educational development of Maroon and district and is a prominent community focal point and gathering place for social and commemorative events with widespread community support.
The Maroon War Memorial is of social and spiritual significance for the local community, having a strong and continuing association with that community as evidence of the impact of a major historical event and as the focus for annual remembrance of that event in local Anzac Day commemorative ceremonies.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion G","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":null,"place_ref":650095,"name":"Roadvale State School","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"111 Roadvale Road","suburb":"ROADVALE","lga":"SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2019-05-31","description":"Roadvale State School occupies a 4.29ha site in Roadvale, a rural township in the Fassifern Valley, approximately 35km south of Ipswich. The school site is located 2km east of the Roadvale township centre, and addresses Roadvale Road to the north with rural properties bounding all other sides. The significant school buildings are located in the northwest corner of the site.
\nThe heritage boundary incorporates the northwest corner of the school site (total area of 1629m2). Features of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nThe two structures stand in their original locations, in alignment with each other and set back an equal distance from Roadvale Road.
\nFerguson Teaching Building (single classroom type B/T4) (Block A, 1889)
\nBlock A is a lowset, single-storey, timber-framed and -clad teaching building, with a gable roof. Along its long sides, the building has front (north) and rear (south) verandahs (now partially and fully enclosed, respectively). The building is accessed via a small timber stair centred with the front verandah, at the end of a footpath aligned with the school entrance.
\nThe interior of the building comprises a former teaching room (now an administration office and staff room, divided by a non-significant part-height partition), with the single former classroom space clearly identifiable. Windows in the gable end walls provide natural light and ventilation to the interior.
\nEvidence of the changes made over time can be read in the building fabric, particularly at the joins in weatherboards in gable end walls where verandahs have been enclosed, and where original fabric survives from hat room enclosures within the rear verandah.
\nFeatures also of state-level cultural heritage significance include:
\nFeatures of Block A not of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nPlayshed (1899)
\nThe Playshed is a 10-post, timber-framed, rectangular sheltered play space, located directly east of and aligned with Block A.
\nFeatures also of state-level cultural heritage significance include:
\nFeatures of the Playshed not of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nLandscape features
\nLandscape features of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nViews
\nViews of state-level cultural heritage significance within the school site are:
\nFeatures Not of State-Level Cultural Heritage Significance
\nFeatures of Roadvale State School not of State-level cultural heritage significance are:
\nRoadvale State School, located 8.5km north of Boonah and 65km southwest of Brisbane, was opened in 1889, soon after closer settlement commenced in the district. The school was established 2km east of the small township of Roadvale in a rural setting. It retains an 1889 Ferguson Teaching Building and an 1899 Playshed. Its grounds are surrounded by open farmland. The school has been in continuous operation since its establishment and has been the focus for the local community as a place of important social and cultural activity.
\nRoadvale forms part of the traditional land of the Yuggera Ugarapul People.[1] When European settlement began in the area in the 1840s, large pastoral runs were established and the district became known as the Fassifern Valley. In the 1870s several of these were divided and made available for closer settlement. In the Roadvale area, German settlers cleared the land and began farming.[2] As rural settlement increased throughout the Fassifern Valley, a railway branch line was constructed in 1886-87 to provide an efficient means for farmers to transport produce to markets in Brisbane and Ipswich. The line branched from Ipswich to Dugandan via Boonah, and a station was built at Roadvale.[3] This proved a catalyst for further settlement in the Roadvale area, attracting more immigrants, mainly from Germany, who established farms.
\nThe small township of Roadvale emerged to provide goods and services to the farmers. By the early 1900s Roadvale had become a bustling centre in the Fassifern Valley and boasted three hotels, several stores, banks, a post office, bakery, blacksmith’s shop and a butcher.[4]
\nIn the 1880s, as the population in Roadvale increased, so too did the need for a school. Although there were several earlier schools established in the district, including Blantrye, Milbong and Milora, all were several miles from Roadvale and the children found it difficult to travel that far every day. As a result, attendance at these schools by children from Roadvale was inconsistent.[5] The settlers at Roadvale recognised the value of education for their children and in 1888, following the formation of a school building committee, an application was submitted to the Department of Public Instruction (the department) for a separate school for Roadvale. The department was assured that there would be at least 46 enrolments, with an age range from five to fourteen years.[6]
\nThe provision of state-administered education was important to the colonial governments of Australia. National schools, established in 1848 in New South Wales, were continued in Queensland following the colony’s creation in 1859. Following the introduction of the Education Act 1860, which established the Board of General Education and began standardising curriculum, training and facilities, Queensland’s national and public schools grew from four in 1860 to 230 by 1875. The State Education Act 1875 provided for free, compulsory and secular primary education and established the department. This further standardised the provision of education, and despite difficulties, achieved the remarkable feat of bringing basic literacy to most Queensland children by 1900.[7]
\nThe establishment of schools was considered an essential step in the development of early communities and integral to their success. Locals often donated land and labour for a school’s construction and the school community contributed to maintenance and development. Schools became a community focus, a symbol of progress, and a source of pride, with enduring connections formed with past pupils, parents, and teachers.[8] When the application was made for a school at Roadvale, the community had raised £70 and by November 1888, £130 had been raised. A 2 acre (0.8ha) site on Portion 141 was donated by Roadvale settler, Rudolph Beitzel, with the department’s assurance that he would be reimbursed £24 for the land. This occurred several years later. [9]
\nInitially, the department had reservations about a school at Roadvale, due to the number of schools in the district. However, following further requests from the Roadvale community, and consideration of the potential growth of the area, the department approved the construction of the school.[10] On 7 February 1889 tenders were called for ‘the erection of new state school buildings at Roadvale’.[11] The successful contractor was Charles Newman and would cost £610. The announcement was made in the Brisbane Courier: ‘the Government having decided to establish a state school at Roadvale, near Blantyre, have accepted the tender of Charles Newman’.[12]
\nTo help ensure consistency and economy, the Queensland Government developed standard plans for its school buildings. From the 1860s until the 1960s, Queensland school buildings were predominantly timber-framed, an easy and cost-effective approach that also enabled the government to provide facilities in remote areas. Standard designs were continually refined in response to changing needs and educational philosophy and Queensland school buildings were particularly innovative in climate control, lighting, and ventilation. Standardisation produced distinctly similar schools across Queensland with complexes of typical components.[13]
\nThe new building at Roadvale State School was built to a standard design (B/T4) that had been introduced in 1880 and constructed across the colony until 1893. Employed by the Department of Public Instruction, Robert Ferguson was responsible for school building design between 1879 and 1885 and he was the first to give serious consideration to the ventilation of interiors.[14] Into the low-set, timber-framed buildings Ferguson introduced a coved ceiling and vented the roof space, improving internal temperatures. The number of windows and their size was increased; however, they were few in number and sill heights were typically over 4'6\" (1.3m) above floor level, well above eye level of students. Modestly-decorative timber roof trusses were exposed within the space. Built to this standard design, the new school building at Roadvale State School was a lowset, timber-framed structure with gable roof, verandahs front and back, and modest 'carpenter gothic' timber detailing. It had a single classroom space, naturally lit and ventilated by windows on the east and west gable-end walls.[15]
\nIn 1885 Robert Ferguson was replaced by his brother John Ferguson who continued to implement his brother’s designs until John’s death in 1893, when responsibility for school buildings passed back to the Department of Public Works.[16] The Ferguson period (1879-1893) is distinct and marked by extensive redesign of school buildings including associated structures and furniture. The Ferguson brothers’ designs were reflective of education requirements of the time, responsive to criticism of previous designs, revolutionary in terms of internal environmental quality, technically innovative, popular and successful and provided a long-lasting legacy of good educational design.[17]
\nRoadvale State School was opened on the 14 November 1889 with William Seeley appointed the school’s first head teacher, and an enrolment of 31 students.[18] By 1899 this had increased to 51 students.[19] A teachers residence was also constructed in 1889. Unfortunately, this was destroyed by fire in 1917.[20]
\nThe school became the centre for the Roadvale district’s social life with dances, fund-raising events and community group meetings held in the school building. In 1904, following the construction of the Roadvale School of Arts on the main street of town, many of these activities were then carried out in the new hall.[21]
\nIn 1899 the Playshed was built. The Queensland education system recognised the importance of play in the school curriculum and, as school sites were typically cleared of all vegetation, the provision of all-weather outdoor space was needed. Playsheds were designed as free-standing shelters, with fixed timber seating between posts and earth or decomposed granite floors that provided covered play space and doubled as teaching space when required. These structures were timber-framed and generally open sided, although some were partially enclosed with timber boards or corrugated galvanised iron sheets.[22] The hipped (or less frequently, gabled) roofs were clad with timber shingles or corrugated iron. Playsheds were a typical addition to state schools across Queensland between c1880s and the 1950s, although less frequently constructed after c1909, with the introduction of highset school buildings with understorey play areas. Built to standard designs, playsheds ranged in size relative to student numbers.[23] In 1948 the Roadvale State School Playshed was partially enclosed with iron sheeting which had come from the recently closed Obum Obum State School’s playshed, and in 1956 the playshed floor was concreted.[24]
\nA major problem that affected the small township of Roadvale was the lack of an efficient water supply. In the late 19th century it had been reported by the school inspector, that ‘there is no water … the inhabitants of the scrub have to cart water from the Teviot Brook’.[25] By the turn of the century, most residents and businesses had erected water tanks. A crisis unfolded in the town on 29 October 1915, when a fire began in the Humphreys and Tow store on the main street. The district had experienced particularly dry and hot conditions and the fire quickly spread to neighbouring businesses and homes. With water tanks running low, effectively fighting the fire proved challenging, ‘Roadvale was particularly unfortunate in this matter, as it had not water supply beyond the tanks, and these must have been fairly low from the protracted dry spell’.[26] The fire destroyed most of the buildings in the main street including several stores, the Royal Hotel, the Royal Bank and its manager’s residence, and a number of houses.[27] Although some of the buildings were rebuilt and businesses re-opened, the township’s prominence as a district centre had been diminished.
\nFrom as early as the late 19th, and into the 20th century, Arbor Day was celebrated at Roadvale State School with tree planting, sports activities, luncheons in the playshed and dances held at night.[28] The early plantings are no longer extant. Other social and fund-raising events held at the school included concerts, picnics, sports days and fancy-dress balls.[29]
\nFrom November 1920 until the end of January 1921, the school was temporarily closed due to a diphtheria outbreak. The district medical officer reported twenty students carrying the disease. Four of the children became sick. The school became a temporary isolation hospital, with the parents of the afflicted children providing the beds and other comforts to the school while the children recovered. A nurse was provided by the Health Department. All four children recovered, and following a thorough sterilization of the school, it was reopened for the 1921 school year.[30]
\nRoadvale State School’s enrolments remained steady throughout the early 20th century with an average of 30 students enrolled per year. In 1939 the school celebrated its Golden Jubilee (50th anniversary). A committee was formed to organise the celebrations, and in October 1939 an invitation was published in local newspapers, ‘Roll Up!! Roadvale State School, Golden Jubilee Celebrations … Past scholars, all friends welcome’.[31]
\nThe celebrations were held on Saturday 11 November 1939 and attended by up to 500 people, including 26 original former pupils. Speeches were made by visiting dignitaries including two state parliamentarians and the Chairman of the Boonah Shire Council. A lunch was served in the decorated Playshed and a temporary marquee was set up beside it. The local Milbong brass band provided the entertainment. After lunch a roll-call was held, with the names of all the original pupils present read out; speeches were then made. As the day was held on Armistice Day (Remembrance Day), two minutes of silence was observed. Only a few months before the Golden Jubilee, war had again broken out in Europe, and in his speech, EB Maher MLA reflected the community’s concern, ‘Let us hope and pray that Divine Providence will animate the hearts and minds of rulers in Europe, so that the present struggle will come to a speedy end’.[32] Ten years later in 1949, the school celebrated its Diamond Jubilee in a similar fashion.[33] For the school’s centenary in 1989, celebrations were held at the school on Saturday 11 November, a commemorative plaque placed in the school grounds and a school history published to commemorate the occasion, Roadvale State School Centenary, 1889-1989.[34]
\nThe teaching building (called Block A in 2019) remained largely unaltered until 1970 when it had a small enclosure made on its northern verandah for a new store room and library, and all of its windows were altered to increase internal lighting conditions. Banks of awning windows with flat sunhoods replaced the original windows on the gable ends, doubling the window areas here, and banks of glass louvres replaced the windows in the southern verandah wall. The windows of the northern verandah wall were removed and closed over. Designed in 1965, this alteration also included replacing the length of the north verandah balustrade and bagracks. In 1978 the front verandah was further enclosed for a wet area space at the east end and the verandah wall between it and the classroom was opened up. In 1987 the front wall between it and the classroom was opened up.[35]
\nOther small buildings were added to the site over time. In 1975 a modular building (Block B) was constructed behind Block A and in the 1990s and 2000s two more modular buildings were constructed on the site (Block C and D).[36] In 1982 a teachers residence (constructed c1957) was moved from Nerang State School to Roadvale to the site beside the school.[37] In 2019, the school encompasses a 4.29ha site, having been extended to the south east in 1994.[38]
\nRoadvale State School has played an important role in the Roadvale district community since 1889 and continues to do so. Generations of students have been taught there and many social events held in the school’s grounds and teaching building since its establishment. The school continues to be a centre for social, sporting and community events.
","criteria":"Roadvale State School (established in 1889) is important in demonstrating the evolution of state education and its associated architecture in Queensland. The place retains good, representative examples of standard government designs that were architectural responses to prevailing government educational philosophies. These buildings at Roadvale include: a Ferguson teaching building (Block A, 1889) and a Playshed (1899), with play areas.
\nThe Ferguson-designed, timber Teaching Building demonstrates an early standardised design that sought to address the practicality and comfort of school buildings; with later modifications that improved natural lighting and ventilation.
\nThe Playshed is representative of Queensland Government’s recognition of the importance of play in the education of children.
|Roadvale State School is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a Queensland state school, including building designs by the Queensland Government, with play areas. The school is a good example of a modest country school.
\nThe Ferguson Teaching Building (Block A, 1889) is a good, intact example of a Ferguson-designed timber country school building and demonstrates the principal characteristics of its type. These include its lowset form with gable roof; front and rear verandahs; timber-framed and –clad construction; vents to the apexes of gable end walls; lofty classroom of original width and length with coved ceiling; exposed timber tie beams; and early timber joinery.
\nThe Playshed (1899) is a good, intact example of a standard 10-post Department of Public Works-designed playshed. It demonstrates the principal characteristics of its type through its hip roof with exposed timber framing, timber posts and braces; and it’s surrounding of open space.
|Roadvale State School has a strong and ongoing association with past and present pupils, parents, staff members, and the surrounding community through sustained use since its establishment in 1889. The place is important for its contribution to the educational development of Roadvale, with generations of children taught at the school, and has served as a prominent venue for social interaction and community focus. Contributions to its operations have been made though repeated local volunteer action, donations, and an active Parents and Citizens Association.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion D | Criterion G","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons"} ]}