Buderim Mountain State School, the first school in Buderim, has earned its place in history and is now listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
The school, located at 8-42 Main Street, Buderim was entered as a State Heritage on 3 May 2019.
According to the Queensland Heritage Register database, the premises added to the register are:
- school complex comprising of Blocks B and C
- war memorials comprising of Memorial Gate, Memorial Sports Ground and Memorial Arboretum
- Mature trees
- Views within and to the site
Block B is a temporary classroom building that serves as a standard type of a Queensland state school. It retains its low-set, timber-framed structure, north-facing open verandah, and a gable roof. It was built in 1951 and was extended in 1954.
Block C, on the other hand, is a high-set timber school building built eight years after Block B was constructed. Like the latter, it features an open space to the north and south sides, facilitating abundant natural light and ventilation of interior.
An important feature of the school is its mature trees, including its extensive pine forestry plot and arboretum planted as a war memorial in the late 1940s.
The arboretum, sports grounds, and memorial gates are components of a broader ‘War Memorial Community Centre’, established in 1945 by the Buderim community as a ‘living memorial.’
About Buderim Mountain State School
When it opened in 1875, Buderim Mountain State School was known as Buderim Mountain Provisional School and only had 18 pupils. The school’s first location was on Panorama Drive but it was closed in 1886.
Provisional schools were established by settler communities whose average student attendance was between 12 and 30 pupils. The local Buderim school committee had to provide a suitable building at their own expense because at that time, the Queensland Board of General Education only built and maintained primary schools with more than 30 pupils.
Fast-forward to the present day, the school has over 1,000 students and continues to honor its traditional custodians, the Gubbi Gubbi people. They are the Indigenous Australian people native to southeastern Queensland.
A more detailed history of these buildings can be found on the Queensland Heritage Register website.