Discovery

Australian Hotel

The Australian hotel stands on the site of the first Catholic Church in Boonah. The land was originally donated to the church by the Blumberg Brothers, Max, Levi and Adolf, who in 1888 paid for the church to be moved to enable them to build a new store and a hotel. After the devastating floods of 1887, many buildings and farm businesses shifted from the flats of Dugandan to the favoured heights of Boonah, then known as Blumbergville. Frederick Williams was the first licensee of the hotel, but the licence was later transferred to Adolf Blumberg. Following Adolf’s death in 1892, his wife Elizabeth managed it until 1902 when she sold the premises. The hotel, once described as ‘one of the finest hotels outside Brisbane’, has had extensive renovations over the years and old photographs show its previous ornate façade of street verandahs being broken by a pedimented entrance. The decorative cast iron balustrading was replaced with a cantilevered awning. To spend time at the Australian Hotel today is to hear stories of ghosts, creaking timber stairs and caressing wafts of cool air. It is said that a ghost still dwells amidst its walls.

Beaudesert Showgrounds

The Beaudesert Showgrounds comprise a collection of buildings and structures for agricultural show purposes, including a show-ring at the centre of the grounds. The timber grandstand and entry gates are the key structures on the site that have aesthetic significance. The Beaudesert Showground grandstand is a timber structure with a corrugated iron roof. There is a small office on the western side. The style of the timber posts and the finials on the roof is typical of the Federation style of architecture. The entry gates at Albert Street comprise thick brick Art Deco columns with wrought iron gates with the Beaudesert Show Society inscription.

The Logan and Albert Agricultural and Pastoral Association was formed in 1889 and held its first show in Beaudesert in October. The show grounds and sports ground were reputedly allocated for the purposes in the will of Ernest White, who had died in 1884. The donation had a sunset clause and the committee hurriedly organised the show. There were no buildings on the site, apart from a temporary shelter for perishable goods, but the occasion was a resounding success. The grandstand was erected in 1905. Extensive horse and cattle yards were built between 1904 and 1906, which were later used in stock sales.

Free Range

Free Range consists of the three discovery sculptures set about the town square. An eclectic mix of farm and domestic discarded objects has been transformed into whimsical Chook - themed creations accessible by young and old. These works reference and embellish the existing Blumbergville Clock aesthetic while promoting country life, inclusiveness, and sustainability.

St. Thomas's Anglican Church

Brick church with continuous reinforced concrete wall beams at two levels with wide overhanging eaves. Tiled roof, stained glass windows. Designed by Ford Hutton and Newell.

In 1889, the foundation stone of the St Thomas’ Church of England was laid by Miss Bradford, whose father Thomas Bradford, had donated the land. A rectory and parish room were built in 1898. The large brick and tile church was built on the site in the late 1950s and was officially opened on 10 November 1957.

Source: Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, December 2012, Draft Scenic Rim Region Contextual and Thematic History, p.17. The architects of the church were Ford Hutton & Newell and the design of the church was by T.B (Theo) Hutton. The structural engineer was John Gray. The working drawings of the church (excluding the spire and lichgate) were by P.D Paulsen and were dated 23 June 1954.The contract of the church was signed and witnessed by T.B Hutton on 29 August 1956 and the amount of the contract was approximately 20, 000 pounds. The drawings for the spire were prepared by T.B. Hutton in 1956 and 1957. The drawings of the lichgate were prepared in dated 23 May 1957 by T.B. Hutton.

Bromelton House

Bromelton House sits within two hectares of landscaped gardens, formed around a native bean tree that is well over 100 years old. The garden, which is regularly ­featured as part of Australia’s Open Garden Scheme, overlooks a 150-megalitre lagoon, which has water harvesting licences from the Logan River.

The farm also includes a pecan ­plantation, which Mr Murray said was a good investment. “We have nearly 3000 pecan [trees] and that’s a good little side earner for us,” he said, “We have already sold pecans to a Swiss company.” Mr Murray said he was also going to improve the six-hectare polo field which has irrigation hydrants. The grand homestead has four 3.5-metre ceiling bedrooms, all with French doors opening to verandahs. There are hoop pine timber floors, red cedar doors, four fireplaces and a billiards room.

Bromelton House, near Beaudesert, was the main residence of a large run owned by Hugh Henry Robertson Aikman who held the first squatting licence for the property in 1842, possibly the first squatting licence issued for Moreton Bay. He called the house “Broomelton” after his home in Lanarkshire in Scotland.The McDonalds came to Bromelton in 1860 and lived there longer than any other family. By 1860 when the land was sold again it was a property of 13,500 acres. The homestead, which underwent many additions and alterations over time, was built of red cedar from the banks of the Logan River. Home to many visitors, the guest book has 4,500 names including that of the opera singer June Bronhill. The house was built above a huge calabash shaped lagoon and the garden is dominated by a Castanospermum australeor Black Bean tree. 150 years later the tree is still there. The garden also had roses, citrus trees, grapevines. Extended to include a wide range of plants including tropical and temperate gardens Bromelton House was included in the Australia’s Open Garden Scheme.

Pathway of the Pioneers

Relief Sculpture. Ceramic Tile Mural

Presented to the Beaudesert Shire Council by the Beaudesert Potter Group as a bicentenial gift to the citizens of Beaudesert . Supported by Womens Celebrate 88 Program.

Pathway of the Pioneers unveiled by Mr Bill O'Brien member Queensland Committee Australian Bicentennial Authority 3-6-1988

All Saints Memorial Church, Tamrookum

The heritage listed All Saints Church of England is situated in a commanding position on a hill overlooking the fertile farming land that was once a part of Tamrookum Station. Robert Martin Collins, the owner of Tamrookum set aside land for the building of the church and the attached cemetery, however his death in 1913, two years before the Church was completed, meant that he never saw the result of his dream.

The Church, designed by architect Robin Dods is reported to have cost £2098 ($4,196). All the material used for the construction of the church, including 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.

The cemetery attached to the church in divided into two sections with a special area set aside for the Collins family, and other prominent inhabitants of the time. The remainder of the cemetery contains the remains of many local people. Notable among the burials is the grave of Constable George Doyle and Albert Dahlke, an employee of the Collins family, who were killed by The Kenniff Brothers. Other notable employees of the Collins family buried here are William Williams and his wife Emily Jacky, an Aboriginal couple who served the Collins family for many years.

Many of the descendants of Robert and Arabella Collins attended the 100th Anniversary celebrations held at the church in 2015.

Captain Logan Memorial

The monument commemorates Captain Patrick Logan, who was an explorer in Southern Queensland.  He was also the Commandant of the settlement at Moreton Bay.

Captain Logan is regarded by many as the true founder of Queensland, as he was an important explorer and the first to make any practical development. During Logan's term as commandant of the convict settlement he showed a fine sense of duty, and no thought of personal gain in any of his activities. He was, however, reputed to be cruelly harsh to the convicts, and the settlement was in continuous unrest and uprisings were frequent under his command.

Timbergetters and Sawmillers Memorial (Enrights Sawmill, Beaudesert)

The plaque commemorates the timber getters and sawmillers of the Beaudesert District. The plaque was unveiled in 1988 during the centenary of the Enright Sawmill and the bicentenary of Australia.

Dedicated to THE TIMBER GETTERS AND SAWMILLERS of this District whose skills and hard work contributed greatly to its development. Centenary of this mill 1888 - 1988 Bicentenary of Australia 1788 - 1988 Erected by ENRIGHT FAMILIES in their 104th year of trading in Beaudesert 1988

Jubilee Park shared history footpath

Bronze plaques, inlaid in the footpaths

A legacy of Queensland's 150th celebrations 2009. Scenic Rim Regional Council, Queensland Government and Q150

Wyambyn Homestead

Wyambyn homestead (1909), located 6.5km east of Beaudesert, was designed by architect Robert Smith (Robin) Dods in 1908 and was constructed of local timbers for Queensland identity De Burgh Bentinck Bannatyne Persse. Moreton pastoral district, in present day South East Queensland, was settled in 1841 as part of the pastoral expansion from the south that initially resulted in the occupation of the Darling Downs in 1840. Early runs included Nindooinbah and Mundoolun on the Albert River. The Moreton and Darling Downs pastoral districts, where rainfall was sufficient, natural pastures nutritious and markets close by, were the most viable of the pastoral districts. Both districts opened for selection of small agricultural and pastoral blocks from the 1860s in the settled districts. This resulted in the progressive freehold purchase, after resumption, of large pastoral properties, often by their lessees as well as other selectors. Early pastoral families in the Beaudesert district ¿ Collins and Persse selected land in this manner. The Collins family took over Mundoolun station in the 1840s and became wealthy pastoralists with many properties throughout Queensland including Tamrookum station south-west of the town of Beaudesert and Nindooinbah station to the south-east of the town. The close proximity of these stations meant that many of the Collins family lived near each other. De Burgh Fitzpatrick Persse took over nearby Tabragalba station in 1865 and by the late 1880s had freeholded an extensive tract of land. The land on which Wyambyn was built was originally part of the Nindooinbah lease, which had been excised under the Crown Lands Alienation Act 1868 which resumed half of each run in Queensland's settled districts for selection. Wyambyn's land, comprising 419acres 20perches (169.61ha) (subdivision 2 of Portion 10), was purchased in June 1908 by De Burge Persse in anticipation of his marriage to Fannie Martin Collins, fourth daughter of Robert M Collins of Tamrookum, and niece of its owner Jane Collins, on 21 April 1909. De Burgh Persse was the younger son of the Persse family of Tabragalba, situated to the east of Nindooinbah and south of Mundoolun. The creation of Wyambyn homestead commenced soon after the land purchase. In July 1908 a tender notice was placed by architect Robin Dods for the building of Wyambyn. This was followed by the construction of the homestead from local timber by local builders, Warren and Morgan. The total cost of the project is unknown.

Early photographs show that the house was a single-storey, timber-framed building with some elevations clad with hardwood weatherboards, galvanised iron roof cladding, a roof ridge vent, a decorative gable over the projecting front porch and simple balustrading to its verandahs. Its piazza arrangement and the symmetry of the bay windows and stairways are characteristic of Dods later work. Architect RS (Robin) Dods, who worked in Brisbane as the creative partner in the firm Hall and Dods between 1896 and 1916, designed over 200 buildings - houses, churches, commercial and public buildings. By 1900 the firm was one of the largest in Brisbane. During this time Dods designed houses, ecclesiastical works, commercial buildings, hospitals and public buildings. Between 1901 and 1909 the partnership designed over 70 houses. Dods has been assessed as ¿one of the most significant early 20th century Australian architects. Although the majority of his work was in and around Brisbane, Dods had trained in Edinburgh and London with some of the more progressive British firms of the period. His philosophy was based firmly on the British Edwardian free style movement, which grew out of William Morris Arts and Crafts movement. Central to this style was an exploitation of regional differences as being an appropriate basis for any new tradition. His work thus valued the idiosyncratic architecture then developing in Brisbane, where British cultural references were mixed with a sub-tropical climate and a timber building tradition. Most of Dods elite Queensland houses were spacious, built in timber and all were characterised by a generous roof. The houses were low-set giving a solid visual connection to the ground. The roof was generous. Ventilation and verandah living was emphasised and expressed as a piazza or generous semi-outdoor room. Verandahs were often in-filled above the handrail in a number of ways. One of these was vertical louvre blades, which could be closed with a connecting spar. An early photograph of Wyambyn shows such vertical louvres on its front piazza. Dods¿ chimney design was very distinctive. Generally visible chimney elements were tall and flat topped with a plain rectangular shaft. The flat capping was of concrete with a moulded edge of a cyma recta profile. The brickwork was often roughcast or face brick with rendered stripes or plain red face brick. Interiors often included Arts and Crafts influenced timber joinery. Built-in cupboards between rooms preserved the integrity of each room. Timber panelling and fireplace surrounds were also a feature. All these stylistic features were present at Wyambyn homestead. Between 1901 and 1909 Dods designed and built several homesteads for rural properties - Langlo Downs, Augathella (1903, destroyed by fire); extension to Nindooinbah, Beaudesert (1906-8); Myendetta, Charleville (1908-10); Wyambyn (1908-9); and Ringsfield, Nanango (1908). These were large dwellings that often formed the centre of groups of outbuildings. Their garden layouts were also an important feature. Rural 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, and surrounded by gardens. As well as those listed above, Marshlands near Hivesville (1910) designed by Hall & Dods was built during this period as was Hidden Vale near Grandchester (Eaton & Bates 1903, burnt down 1921). Wyambyn homestead is an example of the inclination exhibited by Queensland¿s wealthy pastoral elite for engaging architects to design their homesteads. Upon their freeholded lands the former squatters built comfortable homes or extended their earlier homesteads into residences more befitting their social position. This inclination commenced circa the 1860s and continued into the early 20th century. Most of these homesteads were built in the prosperous settled districts of south-east Queensland in the following order of prevalence - Darling Downs, Moreton and Wide-Bay Burnett districts. Of 27 identified architect-designed homesteads built between the start of settlement to circa 1919, 14 were located on the Darling Downs, eight were built in the Moreton district, four in the Wide Bay Burnett district and the remaining three were built in western/central Queensland. The Collins family knew Dods and his work. He had supervised the building of the Buckeridge-designed St John's Church at Mundoolun station in 1901, which commemorated the lives of John and Ann Collins. In the same year St Mary's convent in Beaudesert, designed by Hall and Dods, had opened. In 1906 Dods designed additions to Nindooindah homestead for William Collins, which were completed in 1908. Hence, the commission to design and build Wyambyn was understandable. Dods also designed Wyambyn¿s extension, which was soon required as the Persse-Collins marriage produced six children; the first four in quick succession. Twin girls were born in 1910, followed by four boys in 1912, 1914, 1918 and 1924. To accommodate the rapid increase in their family, the De Burgh Persse's extended the homestead with a northern wing, to provide a nursery and extra bedrooms, which was completed by 1912. The wing was later used as additional bedrooms and a school room. Initially, Wyambyn operated as a cattle property; however, in the mid-1920s De Burgh Persse re-introduced sheep to the district as did some other big properties in the Beaudesert area, namely, Mundoolun (D M Fraser) and Tabragalba (Charles de Burgh Persse). They quickly changed to sheep owing to the decline of beef values and the rise of wool at this time. However, De Burgh Persse was not solely a pastoralist dependent on the land. Like his father before him, De Burgh Fitzpatrick Persse, he was involved in business enterprises and took over most of his father's directorships. De Burgh Persse 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. In 1944 De Burgh Persse¿s wife passed away leaving an estate of £21,958 and realty of £84, namely land transmitted to her in 1924 by her aunt Jane Collins (Sub 3 Por 10) contiguous to De Burgh Persse¿s Wyambyn land. The land was transferred to her son, Robert De Burgh Persse of Nindooimbah and The Union Trustee Company of Australia Limited. In December 1946 survey of Portion 10B and creation of resubdivisions 1 to 3 of sub 2 of Portion 10 occurred. This created the house block around Wyambyn homestead with an access road (from Tabragalba House Road) comprising 2acres 3roods 14 2/10perches (1.2ha), but the subdivision was not registered by the Titles Office until September 1950. A new Certificiate of Title was issued in 1953. However, no separation of the property took place thereafter. After De Burgh Persse's death on 10 December 1947 Wyambyn homestead with its 419 acres passed to his second son, Burton Persse, who resided there with his family, operating a dairy from soon after his return from service during World War II until the late 1970s. The property then changed to beef cattle production. In 1981 Wyambyn was transferred to Vadoog Pty Ltd, a private family company operated by the Gooding family. In 1990 the Queensland government proposed the Glendower Dam, which would inundate Nindooinbah, Tabragalba and Wyambyn land. Subsequently, Wyambyn was compulsorily acquired from Vadoog Pty Ltd by the South East Queensland Water Board. At the time the aggregated parcel, known as Wyambyn, was used for farming and grazing purposes. 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. In addition, the property supported a cottage together with various farm buildings and structures. An architectural assessment of Wyambyn undertaken by Buchanan Architects in 1996, a few years after its acquisition by the SEQ Water Board, provided a measured drawing, a description and a condition report for the house and its outbuildings. At that time Wyambyn was described as ¿pleasantly situated on an elevated part of the property, surrounded by mature trees and accessed at a short distance from Tabragalba House Road, 6.5km from Beaudesert town centre. The structure was of a single storey timber frame, pine tongue and groove walls, some hardwood weatherboard cladding, corrugated galvanised iron roof cladding, round timber stumps, pine tongue and groove ceiling, pine and silky oak joinery and crows ash verandah flooring. It had ¿roof ridge vents, crimped double pitch hipped roof forms, a decorative gable over its projecting front porch, mitred weatherboard corners, oblong section verandah posts and simple balustrading. After acquisition by the SEQ Water Board the land was leased - as an organic dairy, then for cattle grazing. The architectural importance of Wyambyn homestead is supported by its inclusion in two documents assessing Dods¿ work and 20th century Queensland architecture. In 2002 a site visit by architect Robert Riddel resulted in another measured drawing of the homestead and photographs of the interior and exterior prior to its inclusion in a doctoral thesis on the significance of Robin Dods¿ architecture to Australia.

Furthermore, the homestead was proposed by the Queensland sub-committee of the 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. Since then it has been accepted as of Queensland importance but not yet accepted as nationally important. Some changes to the homestead have occurred. In October 1936 a fire in Wyambyn homestead, started in a chip heater chimney in the ceiling, destroyed the ceiling and rafters of the bathroom on the western wing. There is evidence of a more recent fire in the laundry. The kitchen was changed from a wood stove with marble benchtops to a more modern stove plus laminated benchtops circa 1960s. The small verandah near the rear tankstand was enclosed as an eating area for Burton Persse and family. Two of the bathrooms have been upgraded with the main bathroom featuring a spa bath and a third (on the rear verandah) now being used as an office. The wall between the former cook¿s room and the kitchen has been removed. The roofing in 1996 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. Since the acquisition of the property for dam purposes the Glendower dam proposal has not yet progressed. In 2011 the property is leased for grazing purposes and administered by the Department of Environment and Resource Management.

Nindooinbah Homestead

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.Nindooinbah House is significant for the superbly maintained gardens, which are an accomplished design, providing an appropriate setting for the house in the landscape.achievement at a particular period.

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.

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.

Euan and Kaye Murdoch, founders and former owners of Herron Pharmaceuticals, bought Nindooinbah in 2005. Over a period of five years, and with the help of highly skilled people, they rejuvenated the homestead and the entire infrastructure of the property and established an Angus, UltraBlack and Brangus cattle breeding program.

Nindooinbah House and Woolshed were listed in the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992.

Telemon Street Footpath

The Store that Sold Everything “I bet you don’t sell gunpowder, Mr Enright.” “Yes we do, sonny.” Enrights Store sold everything from explosives to ladies’ underwear. Irish immigrant, Michael Enright, opened his small general store on Telemon Street in 1884. Their telephone was Beaudesert 2. Eventually Enrights became one of the largest country stores in Australia, with a slogan of Beaudesert born, Beaudesert owned. To collect country orders from the farms and properties, employee Ted Winnett travelled for two days on horseback on the 60 mile circuit. The goods were delivered by horse and cart, and later via cream trucks. When one of Ted’s country customers trapped herself in the outhouse after the door slammed and the knob dropped off, the lady seemed unconcerned because Mr Winnett would find her next morning at ten. Debutante balls were suspended during World War II because of lack of partners and dress materials. However in1944 a slice of normal life returned, with the revival of St Marys’ Debutante ball when thirty-five young ladies were introduced into society. Debutante Doreen Platt (nee Cawley) improvised by having her gown made from white spotted curtain net from Enrights store. That year, the girls were permitted to wear pale blue and pink, as well as the traditional white. In wartime, Enrights was still able to dress a debutante.

Fencepost Sentries

Free Standing Sculpture. Recycled Timber Fence Posts. Boonah Spar Arts Festival to coincide with the Fassifern Rail Trail opening it was funded by the Department This was the pilot program to the Ipswich - Boonah Trail.

Christ Church Parish Hall, Anglican

The Boonah Anglican Community has a long history of service to the community. It is known that the Rev. Benjamin Glennie held services in Boonah in the late 1840s and 1850s, but it was not until 1890 Christ Church was opened. The allotment was purchased in Church Street partly with funds donated by John Hooper. The building was designed to seat a congregation of 80, and cost £120/8/6 ($240.86). Enhancements and additions were made to the building over the years. These included a bell tower, and work on the chancel and vestry. The bell tower can be seen in photographs from 1911. In 1956 the first timber church building was moved to the side of the block and re-modelled for use as a parish hall. A new brick church was erected and dedicated in 1960. This striking brick building sits in a dominant position of Church Street. The bell turret no longer exists having been replaced by a simple wooden cross.

With an Eye to the Sky

Commission to commemorate the Year of the Outback 2002. Funded through Boonah Shire Council and RADF

Weather is the common theme running through, and impacting on the day to day lives of anyone living in rural and regional Australia. It is a central topic in any country town - often the starting point and common ground of conversation between strangers. Country people live " with an eye on the sky". Commissioned to commemorate the Year of the Outback in 2002, this sculpture celebrates our association with the land we work and the heavens we rely on for life-giving sun and for rain. The strength and endurance of bronze and stone parallels the quiet faith and tenacious spirit of the man on the land.

Clydesbuilt

Early in 2003 a successful local fundraising campaign to buy the $20,000 sculpture was launched by Boonah Arts and Culture Trail Committee – a subcommittee of the Regional Economic Development Institute (REDI). “Clydebuilt” stands as a testament to the efforts of Pat and Col Ehrich and their families who were instrumental in keeping the Clydesdale breed alive when the heavy horse had almost disappeared from the Australian landscape.

Blumbergville Clock

The Blumbergville Clock Project addresses the need in the community to find a way though and back from the impact to a farming community of ravaging flood incidents of 2011.  The project speaks to all members of this community and surrounding district and especially to men and farmers.  The resilience a community needs to manifest is through looking at things through new eyes, pulling together as a community to find new life and new ways of doing things, to find creative ways of telling stories about items of farming life that will be used in the clock structure, to validate the tools of this community and the stories they tell about life on the land. 

The combination of a sculptural work with a clock is (excuse the pun) timely.  The existing clock is in need of upgrading and has long been a marker and important feature of the Main St.  The entire mechanism is due for replacement and upgrade for today’s technologies.

It is envisaged that community development and cultural development workers will assist in gathering the stories surrounding donated items and from members of the community. These stories will become background research for the artist and will also be documented as part of an ongoing community storytelling and heritage project.  

This story part of the project will have its first manifestation as stories on a website with a selection of stories turned into makers around the town that help people engage with place and the stories of resilience within. These stories and markers will be a feature of future heritage and cultural trails of the Scenic Rim. As well as documenting recent stories of resilience the project will also reflect on the history of the region, the impact of community role models and acts of perseverance in the past.

Advertising Banner

Hand Painted Canvas banner.The Boonah curtain is the most complete and original example of a scenic advertising drop curtain in Australia which makes it a reference example for research for the history of the theatre arts; theatre advertising; and scenic arts and studios. The Boonah curtain shows evidence of functional use with signs of modification for stages of different dimensions. The Boonah curtain is well provenance from the time of its original commission, with documentation of Boonah School of Arts Committee minutes of the commissioning arrangement. The Boonah curtain has historic importance for reflecting the cultural and commercial development of Boonah and district. It is an excellent example of the ‘romantic European style’ scenic advertising drop curtain and has high aesthetic value as an item of quality design, artistry and construction.

Blumbergville Rail Signal

Boonah was formally known as Blumbergville. Here stands a whimsical rail signal marking the location and the arrival of therailway to Blumbergville back in 1887. This artwork combines a vintage railway signal light, a high pressure blow offvalve and mechanical steam referencing the Blumbergville.

Former Templin State School

The Templin State School opened in 1892. Situated at 397 Boonah Fassifern Road, farming children could now receive the lifetime benefits of education. Because of declining numbers, the school closed in 1974 and became the Templin Historical Village. Today the old school room is restored as a frozen moment in time, with a large alphabet chart on the wall for children to sing-song in unison the sounds of a, b and c. Slates are ready on desks, and inkwells filled to practise cursive writing. A life-sized manikin-teacher stands at her post awaiting the arrival of her students. She too must obey rules and must not wear bright colours, and must stay at home between the hours of 8 pm and 6 am unless attending a school function. As well, she must not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man except her father or brother.

Commercial Hotel

The Commercial Hotel which stands at the corner of High and Park Streets was built by Johan Carl Steiner in 1905. Steiner was also the builder of the first Dugandan Hotel which had opened on High Street in 1884. This Dugandan Hotel later traded under the name The Royal Exchange. The site of the Commercial is historically important as it was on this corner that the first and second Blumberg shops were built. When the Commercial was built, Steiner transferred the licence from the old Royal Exchange to the newly built hotel. This new enterprise also traded under the name Royal Exchange for a short time, before being renamed the Commercial. Because of its abundance at the time, timber was the building material of choice for both homes and businesses. A disaster was narrowly averted in 1912 when the old Royal Exchange Hotel, which had been turned into shops and accommodation, was burnt to the ground. Due to the swift actions of the townspeople, the old hotel with its impressive federation type filigree still graces the town, and draws the eye of all who visit High Street. This hotel is truly a gracious reminder of our past.

Boonah Post Office

The Boonah Post Office has now served the people of Boonah for more than 120 years. Built on the corner of High and Park Streets, the Post Office sits opposite the Heritage Listed Commercial Hotel. The building which incorporates a four room residence was opened with great fanfare on July 7, 1899. Until the opening of the building, the mail was distributed from the railway station. Money from the sale of other government land provided the £576/6/6 ($1,153) used to build and furnish the premises. The building remains the oldest functioning timber post office in Queensland, and the residential quarters are also largely as built. The building has seen renovations over the years, particularly in 1910-1911, and again in 1924 when a telephone exchange was added to the front of the building. The four room residential quarters have been converted into an office for the post master, a store room a mail room and a sorting room for mail contractors. The verandah which once graced the southern side of the building is now used for staff amenities, and a storage area.

Image credit: Scenic Rim Regional Council 2021

Dugandan Hotel

The village of Dugandan was built on land resumed from the Dugandan Run, fist taken up by Macquarie and Campbell McDonald in 1844. The Dugandan Hotel began life in 1886 as a general store. Built by Carl Stumer, it was badly affected by the severe flooding of 1887. The flooding caused the township to move to the top of the hill, its current location. After the flood, the general store was raised on to higher blocks It then continued to trade as a store until 1913 when it was converted into a hotel. This hotel is not to be confused with the first Dugandan Hotel which was built on a site in High Street, Boonah, adjacent to the current Commercial Hotel. The first hotel in Dugandan, The Victoria, was destroyed by fire in 1892. The Dugandan Hotel sits in a very prominent position at the junction of the Boonah Rathdowney Road, with the Mt French Road. Although some modifications and updates have been made over the years, it still carries ‘a touch of the past’ and invites a visit from the passer-by.

Dugandan Trinity Lutheran Church and Cemetery

The Trinity (St. Paul’s) Lutheran Church is one of the many churches built throughout the Fassifern District as a celebration of the Lutheran Faith. Most were small buildings with a small congregationand have since closed with the practice of centralised gatherings. The first church was built on the sitein 1889. The building has had several extensions and renovations over its life. The majority of thework done in 1939. The large church (at the rear) was built in the grounds in 1953.

The Trinity Lutheran Church is a complex of timber and corrugated iron buildings set in extensive grounds. The church is in the form of the cross, with an extended sanctuary at the east end. Each side wall has a suite of six lancelet windows. The hall is timber and rectangular in plan. Cemetery on Lot 1 RP15082.

Fassifern Homestead, Fassifern

When John Cameron first took up the Fassifern Run in 1842, it was listed as being of 24,000 acres (10,117 ha) with a carrying capacity of 10,000 sheep. Weinholt and Kent were listed as the lessees of the property in 1857, which they then consolidated with their other holdings in the district Moogerah and Taroome. The property remained in the hands of the Weinholts for many years, until it was sold by the estate of Weinholt and Co. in 1927. The Weinholt family were a major force in the early pastoral history of Queensland. At one time the family was the largest owner of freehold land in Queensland, controlling some 289,966 acres (117,345 ha). Included in their portfolio was Jondaryan Station on the Darling Downs. The Fassifern Homestead was built about 1880 on the western banks of Reynolds Creek, close to Englesburg (now Kalbar). The homestead was built in an L shape, on sloping land, so that one end had to be raised. Although renovations have taken place over the years, this homestead holds a special place in the heritage of Queensland because of its association with the Weinholt family.

Mount Alford General Store

August Anders is credited with opening the first store at Mt Alford. Anders took up land in the region in 1870, and opened his store in 1888. Previously known as Reckumpilla the town was renamed Mt Alford after Thomas Alford, of Coochin Coochin, who also gave his name to a local mountain. The general store, which sits on Reckumpilla Street, operated as a receiving office for some time, and a telephone exchange eventually sat adjacent to the building. After it was sold by the Anders family in 1913, the store rebuilt by the new owners. For a short time, the government removed the responsibility for the receiving office but gave it back in 1920. With its verandah with bullnosed corrugated iron roof the building has a distinct feel of yesteryear. New owners took over the building in 2020, and restored the building using timber, much of it sourced locally. The building now operates as a micro-brewery and cafe. It maintains the local feel selling local crafts and preserves. There are still many years in the life of this beautiful building.

Coochin Coochin

Delahunty Plains was first settled by David Hunter and James Fyfe in 1842. John Kent who took over the lease in 1844 was the first to use the name Coochin Coochin, an anglicised version of ga-jin-ga-jin, meaning red rocks, the traditional name for the area. When the lease was put up for sale in 1855, the homestead, then at Bunjurgen, was describes as being of weatherboard with four rooms and a verandah. Thomas Alford came to Coochin Coochin as an employee, bur eventually purchased the main block and later sections that had been resumed by the government. Alford called for tenders to build a new homestead in January 1855, but later had the Bunjurgen homestead dismantled and moved to the current site. The new homestead was built by Alford, but appears to include elements of the original home. The main section of the house featuring red cedar was built on the current site. The Bell family came to Coochin in 1883, and have now resided there for 140 years. The property became the social focus of the district and has hosted many notable visitors including the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII.

Bartholomew and Co

The building occupied by Bartholomew and Co began life as the Boonah Branch of the Royal Bank of Queensland which opened in 1905. John Vellacott, took over the premises when the bank relocated in 1914. He and Robert Nosworthy formed the firm of Vellacott and Nosworthy, Auctioneers, Valuers, Real Estate and Commission Agents in 1919. Montague Sewlyn Smith of Beaudesert purchased the business in 1920, employing George Bartholomew as manager. Two years later Bartholomew purchased the business and formed a partnership with Richard Betts that lasted many years. Stock and Station Agents have long been the life blood of rural communities. They have played an indispensable role in the agricultural pursuits of the nation. The Bartholomew family has ably filled this role in Boonah. George’s grandson, Roy, is the third generation of the family to trade under the name Bartholomew and Co, Stock and Station Agents in High Street. The Bartholomew’s building, now well over 100 years old, is noteworthy for its timber construction and overall appearance. In its early days hitching rails graced the High Street entrance. These are long gone, but the original bank vault remains in the building.

Boonah General Cemetery

The Boonah General Cemetery occupies an extensive area of land on top of a hill overlooking part of the township. The land, originally part of Dugandan Station, was donated for the purpose by Campbell McDonald on the condition that his be the first burial to take place in the grounds. It is therefore appropriate he is interred in plot No. 1. A memorial to Campbell, who died on July 14, 1912, can be found near the south entrance to the grounds. Born Campbell Thomas McDonald in 1847, he was the son of the first owners of Dugandan Station, Macquarie and Jessie McDonald. The cemetery is a general cemetery catering for all denominations, with areas set aside for each. More recently a Lawn Cemetery has been added. As with many cemeteries that date from an earlier time, memorials range from the very ornate to simple ground plaques. The cemetery, which has extensive views of Boonah and the surrounding area, now contains over 2,000 burials.

Boonah Police Station and Courthouse Complex

Boonah’s first police station is reported to have opened in 1887 in a building owned by a resident, F.A. Schwartz. This original building is believed to have been replaced by a permanent building about 1889. The courthouse was opened in 1910. A photo taken after the building of the Court House, but dated about 1910, shows both the courthouse and the police station, with the lock up visible between them. The photo also shows the hospital on the hill above. Extensive renovations and additions have been made over the years. State Government Offices, a new court house and police station as well as a Department of Primary Industries were built in 1971. Despite all the changes and building that has been undertaken on the site, the lock-up is still in existence. This complex was built on land that was part of the original government reserve that also provided land for the primary school. The crown land reserves provided by the early surveyors, has played an important part in the development of a compact central business district.

Boonah State School

An application was made in 1878 for a school for the growing population of Fassifern. The Dugandan Provisional School was opened later that year. The school was upgraded to a State School in 1885. The school became the Boonah State School in 1895 and a new building was erected a year later. To improve the educational outcomes of areas like Boonah, Rural schools were established by the government. One opened in Boonah in 1919. This school provided instruction in domestic and manual arts. It catered for both primary school age children and those older. Pupils from schools throughout the district were encouraged to attend for at least one day per week, with transport provided for students. A reserve of 30 acres was originally made available for the school although this has been reduced in size over the years. Part of this land was used to build a school master’s house, and one section was used in 1922 for the establishment of the Boonah War Memorial Park. The school has been extended over the years to cope with, not only the growing population, but the needs of children from out- lying areas as smaller local schools were closed.

Cossart's Sawmill, Boonah

Several disasters, one natural the others not, affected Cossart’s Sawmill in its early days. Originally established by Josias Hancock in 1886, it suffered extensive damage in the flood of 1887. James Cossart then entered into partnership with Hancock, eventually becoming sole owner. The mill was then destroyed by two fires. The first fire was in 1897, and the second in 1908. Both times it was rebuilt. Cossart took his sons, Sam (S.J.) and Charlie (C.E.) into partnership in 1907. The new partnership saw the rapid development of the mill. New machinery was purchased and the staff rapidly increased. At one stage the mill employed 200 people, and provided a large part of the traffic on the Fassifern Branch railway Line, until this closed in 1964. Following Charlie Cossart’s death in 1963, the mill was operated by his son Ted (E.J.). The business was sold in 1981, although by that time the number of people employed was considerably smaller than in the more prosperous times. Cossart’s Mill was the largest manufacturer of butter boxes in Australia. They supplied the Boonah Butter Factory, as well as selling many more interstate. 425,000 butter boxes were sold in 1956-1960 alone.

Curtis Water Wheel

Early European settlers of the region established a sawmill and built a water wheel as a power source for a range of activities. There were six Curtis brothers: Edmund, Sydney, Edgar, Clifford, Albert and Walter who settled on the Albert River at Leigh Farm. Although the water wheel was built by Sydney, Edgar and Clifford during 1887-8, all brothers took part in the running of the mill at different times.They relied on principles laid down in a book by Sir William Fairbairn Mills which were not new ideas for the Curtis men. The family came from Mere in Wiltshire, where there were many springs and an abundant supply of water. The Tamborine Mountain mill was built on Portion 103, a selection taken out by Sydney Curtis, to the north of Curtis Road. Improvements made to Sydney Curtis' lease were made in May 1888.

The mill was built with a 24 foot (7.3 metre) wheel two or three chains (40-60 metres) upstream from Curtis Falls. The creek was dammed about ten chains (201 metres) above the falls each night and released in the morning to power the wheel, which developed about ten horsepower. The water was directed onto the wheel through a flume, which consisted of split, hollow logs placed end to end to form a trough. After the water flowed into the buckets on the rim of the wheel, it ran back into Cedar Creek through a channel in the rock which had been blasted originally to accommodate the wheel.

One factor must be remembered when considering the working of the water wheel there were no farmers living on the Mountain needing to take water from the creek to irrigate their crops and bores.

Image Credit: State Library of Queensland.

Roadvale Railway

The Mystery of the Great Roadvale Fire of 1915

Nobody seemed to know how or why the Great Roadvale Fire started on the morning of Friday October 29, at 11am. The popular general store where it was said to have begun was unaccountably closed that day, further deepening the mystery.

The alarm was raised in the main street at 11.00 am Friday October 29, 1916, and from there the fire spread rapidly through half the township, burning seven buildings to the ground including the next-door hotel, the bank, and several other businesses. There was no fire brigade in the district, and drought had depleted the supply of tank water, making the valiant efforts of a small number of townsfolk to quell the blaze ineffectual.

Before this disastrous event, Roadvale was a railway town, destined to grow. But even though insurance companies paid up and most businesses were rebuilt, the boom failed to happen.

Image Credit: State Library of Queensland - Railway gates closed at the top of Gray Street Roadvale, ca. 1915

Boonah Scenic Advertising Drop Curtain

A hundred years ago, grand drapes and painted curtains were the primary artistic feature in the cultural life of every town and centre with a hall, theatre or school of arts. Following European and American trends, Scenic Advertising Drop Curtains, like the Boonah example, replaced the ‘Grand Drape’ in many performing facilities and were a feature across Australia from the 1870s to the mid-1930s. These were produced by scenic artists and painter/decorator firms. Typically, the drop curtains included a central romantic, stylised European scene, the best of which were framed in beautifully realistic hanging drapes with glistening tassels. The surrounding advertisements were sold to local businesses with typically the first-year payment covering the cost of the curtain’s fabrication and a fee for the artist or firm.

Image Credit: Scenic Rim Regional Council 2020, Boonah Scenic Advertising Drop Curtain, circa 1934.

Harrisville Police Station

Harrisville’s first police officer William Carson was born in County Tyrone, Ireland in 1820.  He and his siblings tried life in New York and Montreal before William returned to Ireland where he joined the Irish Constabulary.  In 1849 he married and later he and his wife decided that their future lay in Sydney, Australia.

Their ship stopped off in Moreton Bay and it was whilst here that a Mr Daveney of Brisbane boarded the vessel seeking suitable men to join the local police force. The ship’s captain strongly urged William Carson to take up the offer, which he did.

William became one of the State’s first police officers, holding registration number 31.  He served at Ipswich and Helidon rising to the rank of Sergeant and in 1871 was transferred to Normanby Reserve (Ipswich District), subsequently known as Harrisville.  He patrolled seven days a week on horseback.

After his retirement in 1875 William remained in Harrisville taking up other pursuits with his family.  Members of the Carson family still reside in the town.

Image Credit: Scenic Rim Regional Council 2020

Former Boonah-Ipswich Railway Line, Dugandan to Red Bridge Road

The Ipswich to Dugandan railway opened in 1887, as an extension of the Ipswich-Harrisville line, which was the first branch line in Queensland. The terminus of the railway was on the flat at Dugandan, close to Cossart’s Sawmill, although the Sawmill had its own station. The line entered Boonah from the north along the western side of Mt Carmel. Part of the line crossed a low lying area via a long timber viaduct known as the ‘Red Bridge’. The viaduct gave its name to the roadway that ran alongside. The main station, in what was known as Blumbergville at the time, was given the name Boonah by the Railway Department. The name is understood to mean Bloodwood Tree in the local Ugarapul language. This name was soon adopted as the name of the rapidly developing township. The Boonah Station was in Yeates Avenue behind the Commercial Hotel. Like Cossart’s the Butter Factory had its own loading bay. From the main station the line continued down Yeates Avenue, before proceeding down the hill to Dugandan. Remnants of the old Dugandan Station still remain. Cuttings for the line are still visible and there is a walking track behind the cricket oval at Dugandan.

Residence

Church Street sits atop the hill overlooking the township of Boonah, and is one of its earliest streets. Although the date of construction of this cottage is unknown it was built as a timber worker’s cottage and has been in a prime position to watch the changes that have taken place in the town. The early timber mills, Bruckner’s and Cossart’s both commenced at Dugandan in the 1880s. It was necessary for mill owners to provide cottages for some of the workers. The 1887 flood devastated the flats around the mills, and this may have led to a move to erect cottages on higher ground. Although the timber mills were located at Dugandan, south of the current location of Boonah, the flood caused the town itself to gradually move to the top of the hill. This area originally known as Blumbergville was renamed Boonah after the coming of the Railway. This cottage with its wrap-around verandahs, and pyramid corrugated iron roof, has seen many of these changes.  It has seen the growth of the town, and the steady development of the district.

Site of Cannon Creek School

A provisional school opened on Cannon Creek Road in 1892. Surprisingly it was not named Cannon Creek School as one would expect, but was named the Cannon Vale School. This choice of name is said to have been made by local residents, and agreed to by the Department of Education. The land on which the school and other buildings were erected was originally a part of Tamrookum Station The school remained open until 1958, except for a brief period of approximately a year during World War II. The first settler in the district was Tom Moody, and with agreement from the Postal Services, the public telephone and associated postal services used the name Moody’s Valley for the area. The location of Cannon Creek is on the eastern watershed of the Dugandan Range, and the water flows into the Logan River. Heavy rains in this area are known to cause flash flooding in the Kooralbyn Valley, and Knapps Creek Areas.

Cunningham Campsite No.6

Allan Cunningham was one of the most important European explorers in the area now known as the Scenic Rim. Travelling from the south in 1827, Cunningham was the first European to describe the Darling Downs. On that trip he also noted a possible gap through the Great Dividing Range which was later named Spicers Gap. In 1828 Cunningham set out from Moreton Bay to try to find the gap he saw in 1827, and a possible route from the coast to the Darling Downs. Instead, he discovered the gap now known as Cunningham’s Gap on August 24, 1828. Having discovered the pass, Cunningham returned to Ipswich. It was not until 1847 that Spicer’s Gap was again discovered, this time by Henry Alphen, a stockman from Canning Downs at Warwick. It has been estimated that Cunningham’s camp was on Rocky Creek, now the site of Cunningham’s Camp No. 6 and a stone cairn celebrating the discoveries. Because of the prohibition of settlement within 100km of Moreton Bay Penal Colony it was not until the early 1840s that pastoralists were able to make use of Cunningham’s discoveries. Cunningham also joined expeditions with other notable explorers in southern Queensland, John Oxley. Captain Patrick Logan and Charles Fraser.

The Explorers

The monument commemorates the explorers Logan, Cunningham and Fraser who camped at the spot in August 1828 and also honours the district's pioneers.

Discovery of Boonah District

A plaque commemorates the European discovery of Boonah District by the explorers Allan Cunningham, Charles Fraser and Captain Patrick Logan in 1827 and 1828.

Pioneers of Fassifern & Captain Weinholt

The cairn commemorates the pioneers who first settled the area in 1842 and Captain Weinholt, a distinguished Australian. Weinholt was the member for Fassifern in the Legislative Assembly until 1913. He received the Distinguished Service Cross in 1918 and had been awarded the Military Cross for his actions earlier that year in German East Africa (Tanzania). In 1920 as National Party member for Moreton and immediately urged the government to repeal restrictions on German settlers disenfranchised during the war. In 1930 the Fassifern electorate returned him to the assembly. Retaining the seat in 1932, he did not contest the 1935 election. Following the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, Wienholt arrived in Addis Ababa in December 1935 as war correspondent for the Brisbane Courier Mail. On the outbreak of World War Two he sailed to Aden he was ordered on 31 August 1940 to proceed overland from the Sudan to Ethiopia in charge of a small party of local people. It is believed he was ambushed and died on the 10th September 1940. The committee organising the Commonwealth Jubilee Celebrations in the Boonall Shire decided on Friday night to adopt the proposals submitted by the Main Roads Commission Landscape Engineer (Mr. F. Parks) for the layout of the Rest Area, and for the construction of the Pioneer Cairn on the Fassifern Reserve. This is to be opened on Jubilee Day, May 9.Queensland Times (Ipswich, QLD) 26 February 1951.

Patrick Logan

A monument commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the European discovery of the Fassifern Valley by Patrick Logan. Captain Logan led several expeditions which added to geographical knowledge. In August 1826 he discovered the Logan River and next May the Albert River. In 1828, with Allan Cunningham and Charles Fraser, he succeeded in climbing Mount Barney, (1356 metres), then the highest altitude attained by a non-aboriginal man in Australia. In July 1830 he led an expedition to the headwaters of the Richmond River and on his return, since the regiment was due for transfer to India, he attempted to chart the windings of the upper Brisbane River. He never succeeded for he was killed by Aboriginals on 17 October in the region of Mount Beppo.

Teviot Brook Explorers Memorial

A plaque commemorates explorers Allan Cunningham, Charles Fraser and Patrick Logan who camped near this spot in 1828.

Discovery of Boonah

Plaque commemorates the discovery of the Boonah district by the explorers Cunningham, Fraser and Logan in 1827-1828.

Grave of Margaret Coulson, Fassifern.

Although the grave of Margaret Coulson is close to the site of the Fassifern Homestead, she and her husband Robert were early pioneers of the Moogerah Run. Margaret was one of the four sisters of John Cameron of Fassifern who were married to early lessees of the Fassifern area. Records show that Robert Coulson held the lease of Moogerah from 1844 to 1846, but was possibly there as early as 1843. Margaret died in 1846 and her grave is the oldest recorded grave in the Fassifern region. Although this was not her home, it is possible that Margaret was staying with her mother, Mrs Hugh Cameron, who was living at Fassifern Station with her son,John Cameron. The grave, which is just outside the heritage listed boundary of Fassifern Homestead, is marked by an engraved granite headstone. Margaret’s death is reported as having occurred at Kingbah. Kingbah is known to have been an early name for Moogerah. Robert Coulson returned to New South Wales after his wife’s death, although his daughters remained, and his name lives on in the Coulson district north of Boonah.

Fassifern Village Site

Although the grave of Margaret Coulson is close to the site of the Fassifern Homestead, she and her husband Robert were early pioneers of the Moogerah Run. Margaret was one of the four sisters of John Cameron of Fassifern who were married to early lessees of the Fassifern area. Records show that Robert Coulson held the lease of Moogerah from 1844 to 1846, but was possibly there as early as 1843. Margaret died in 1846 and her grave is the oldest recorded grave in the Fassifern region. Although this was not her home, it is possible that Margaret was staying with her mother, Mrs Hugh Cameron, who was living at Fassifern Station with her son, John Cameron. The grave, which is just outside the heritage listed boundary of Fassifern Homestead, is marked by an engraved granite headstone. Margaret’s death is reported as having occurred at Kingbah. Kingbah is known to have been an early name for Moogerah. Robert Coulson returned to New South Wales after his wife’s death, although his daughters remained, and his name lives on in the Coulson district north of Boonah.

Fassifern Pioneer Graves

The small cemetery on Muller Road contains the graves of several of the pioneers of the Fassifern District. The graves adjoin the site of the Bush Inn which was owned by Alexander Balbi whose memorial is in the cemetery. Bilbi was a prominent inn keeper in the area. He was born in Malta and at one time he owned the Bush Inn and the Halfway Hotel on Spicer’s Gap Road. Another grave is that of Sarah Campbell Mercer whose father Frank was the original publican of the Bush Inn. A third grave is that of Anders Neilsen, distinguished by his bravery during the great floods of 1887. Sadly, he passed away a short time after the flood because he was unable to reach medical help for the injuries he had sustained. The grave yard is situated near the Fassifern Town Reserve which was designated for a future village which did not eventuate. A monument at the site notes that it was erected by the Royal Historical Society of Queensland and the Boonah Shire Council