Situated in the rural locality of Boolboonda, the former Boolboonda State Primary School sits as a reminder of the community that developed in the area following the discovery of copper at Mount Perry in the 1860s.
The school is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register for its significance as an example of the development of state education in Queensland.
Boolboonda community develops
After a copper mine opened in 1870, the township of Mount Perry grew quickly, and there were soon five hotels, a blacksmith, several stores and a school.
Mining stopped in 1877 due to a fall in copper prices but reopened in 1884 following the completion of the Bundaberg-Mount Perry railway.
Settlements sprung up along the railway route, including Boolboonda, which became well known for its extensive tunnel, the longest unsupported rail tunnel in Queensland.
A school was originally opened to service the educational needs of the children of railway workers building the line but closed in 1884 when the line was completed.
By then, the Boolboonda community comprised railway workers and agricultural selectors who in particular enjoyed the easier access to the Bundaberg market and port afforded by the railway.
According to the Queensland Heritage Register, in 1896 a local committee proposed that the Queensland Government Department of Public Instruction establish a school for local children.
Boolboonda Provisional School opened in March 1897 with 24 children enrolled and its first teacher, Kate Ruddy, appointed.
From 1897 to 1973, eighteen teachers taught at Boolboonda State School, with the longest serving, Margaret Campbell, teaching from 1926 until 1958.
In 1909 the school was declared a State School, and it continued to serve the community until declining enrolments led to its closure in 1973.
Physical features of the school building
The old school building is an intact example of a late 19th-century provisional school, which were built throughout Queensland to provide elementary education, particularly in new settlements and townships as an interim measure before a state school could be built.
The rectangular school building is timber framed and clad with weatherboard, set on timber stumps that elevate it slightly above the sloping ground.
The corrugated metal roof has a central gable, with verandah skillion roofs to the front and rear of the building.
Double hung windows are on all four sides of the building, with six panes on the eastern and western elevations and four panes on the northern and southern elevations.
Internally, the building is a single space with a small enclosed verandah on the northern side.
The flooring is unfinished timber boards, and the walls and ceiling are lined with timber.
The school is situated back from the road among mature trees, creating a picturesque surrounding.
After the school closed, the building and grounds were held in trust and used as a community meeting place.
Kolan Shire Council became a trustee of the site in the early 1980s.
The school’s historic toilets were restored by Bundaberg Regional Council in 2019, preserving two ‘earth closets’ in the school yard.
The old school building is currently on State Government land and is fenced for grazing.
This story is shared as part of Bundaberg Regional Council’s Australian Heritage Festival celebrations.
