Queensland Heritage Register Archives

Buderim Mountain State School Now on the Queensland Heritage Register

Block B of Buderim Mountain State School (Photo Credit: apps.des.qld.gov.au)

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 of Buderim Mountain State School (Photo Credit: apps.des.qld.gov.au)

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.

Mature camphor laurel at Buderim Mountain State School (Photo credit: apps.des.qld.gov.au)

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

Photo credit: buderimmountainss.eq.edu.au

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.

Did You know that Royalty Once Visited Heritage-Listed Buderim House?

The heritage-listed Buderim House once hosted the Duke of Gloucester in December 1934. With this, one can say that the historic home is truly fit for a royalty.

History

Buderim House was built c1915 for Herbert Victor Fielding, son of pioneer Buderim sugar planter, mill owner, and fruit grower John Fielding. The home was designed by Corinda architect George Trotter and was built by Kangaroo Point builder Christian Schriver.

The high set timber residence was built on a 16-hectare section of the property, on the highest point of the northern slope of Mt Buderim, overlooking the Maroochy coast and river valley.

Fruit Groves, Buderim House, 1931 Photo credit: CC-BY/Queensland State Archives/Flickr

Before the construction of the home was completed, the house which sits on about 11 hectares was sold to Walter Frank Oakes who insisted that before the sales of the property could be finalised, changes had to be made to the home. Mr Oakes asked for the addition of a tower, flagpole, and the inclusion of the name Buderim House in the leadlight panel in the front door.

Fielding bought the property back from Oakes in 1925 and worked the farm with bananas, pineapples, winter small crops, coffee, and cattle. He rented out the house until selling it on about 1.6 hectares to HJ Murphy in 1927.

A Royal Visit

Murphy, later an alderman in the Maroochy Shire Council, was the one who developed the gardens around the house in the 1930s. Mr and Mrs Murphy were responsible for carefully preparing the house to meet the requirements of the Duke of Gloucester during his weekend visit in 1934.

Preparations for the royal visit included setting an environment of colourful flowers, neatly-trimmed shrubs, and well-tended lawns. Decorations and furnishings have also been carried out with a vision of securing artistic and colourful tonings providing an ambience of restfulness.

In 1954, the Murphys sold the house and the land was subdivided further in 1967. The house now stands on about 0.6 hectares.

Heritage Listing

The Buderim House was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 2 March 1993.

According to the Queensland Heritage Register, “Buderim House demonstrates the principal characters of a substantial early 20th century Queensland timber residence. It exhibits particular aesthetic characteristics valued by the Buderim community, these being its landmark quality and the contribution of the house, established gardens and rare scrub remnant, to the Buderim landscape.”

The historic residence located at 10 Orme Road, Buderim was put on sale 2016 by its longtime owner Tim and Jackie Banks as they planned to downsize their living quarters.