Pioneer Cottage, Buderim facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pioneer Cottage, Buderim |
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Pioneer Cottage, 2006
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| Location | 5 Ballinger Crescent, Buderim, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | c. 1882 |
| Official name: Pioneer Cottage Buderim, JK Burnett (and family) residence | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600688 |
| Significant period | 1882 (fabric) 1882- c. 1953, 1967 (historical) |
| Significant components | trees/plantings, farmhouse, hut/shack |
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Pioneer Cottage is a special old house in Buderim, Queensland, Australia. It was built around 1882 and is known as a heritage-listed homestead. This means it's an important historical place protected by the state. It was once the home of the JK Burnett family. Today, it's a museum and the base for the Buderim Historical Society.
Contents
A Look Back: The Story of Pioneer Cottage
Pioneer Cottage was built in the early 1880s for John Kerle Burnett, his wife Ann North, and their family. It is one of the oldest wooden houses still standing in Buderim.
The Burnett Family Arrives
John Kerle Burnett came to Queensland from England in 1866 with his family. He married Ann North in 1867. The Burnetts first settled in Burpengary. John and his brothers learned a lot about sugar mills. This experience helped them later in the sugar and timber industries in places like Buderim Mountain.
Buderim Mountain's Early Days
In the 1860s, Buderim Mountain was known for its valuable timber, especially red cedar. People cut down trees and sent them to Brisbane. By the mid-1870s, farmers started growing a lot of sugar cane. They used workers from the Pacific Islands to help with the hard work.
In 1876, the first sugar mill on Buderim Mountain opened. John Kerle Burnett and his brother Harry moved to Buderim to work at this mill. John's wife and children joined him a few weeks later.
Building the Burnett Home
In 1878, John Kerle Burnett bought a piece of land. This land was in a central spot, near the school and two main roads. He built his family home, Pioneer Cottage, on this land around 1882 or 1883. Records from 1884 show that the property had a house and stables. John took out a loan in 1882, which might have helped him build the house.
How the Cottage Was Built
The house was made from local timbers. The floors, walls, and ceilings were made from white beech. Red cedar was used for the doors and windows. Strong tallow wood was used for the main supports. The bricks for the steps and fireplace were made by hand from local clay.
The house first had a central hallway and four rooms. Later, two attic bedrooms were added upstairs. Early photos show the house had wide verandahs all around it. The roof was steep and covered with wooden shingles. Later, the roof was changed to corrugated iron. A separate kitchen was also built later.
Sugar Mills and New Crops
In 1880, a second sugar mill opened in Buderim. John Kerle Burnett became the manager of this mill by 1884. At this time, only seven farming families lived on Buderim Mountain, but they supported two sugar mills.
By the late 1880s, a small village grew around the main roads. It had a school, a community hall, a general store, and a blacksmith's shop. However, new laws made it harder to employ Pacific Islander workers. This caused most sugar farmers to switch to other crops like bananas and oranges. The second sugar mill closed in 1889.
The Burnett Family's Role in the Community
John Kerle Burnett left the sugar mill and opened Buderim's first general store. He also managed the local Post Office from 1892.
The Burnett family was very active in the community. Ann Burnett was known for her nursing skills and helped start the Methodist Church. John was part of the local community hall committee. Ann passed away in 1905, and John died in 1921. Their son, Edward Lionel Burnett, and his family continued to live in the house. Lionel was also well-known for delivering milk and vegetables.
Changes to the Cottage and Its New Purpose
After John Kerle Burnett's death, his son Lionel took ownership of the house. The Lionel Burnetts made some changes. In the 1920s, two small bedrooms became one larger room. In the 1930s, the separate kitchen was removed, and part of the back verandah was enclosed to create a new kitchen.
After Lionel's death in 1950, his daughter Dorothea inherited the house. She sold it in 1953 to Miss Sybil Addison Vise. In 1965, Miss Vise offered the house to the local community. The community gladly accepted.
The Buderim Historical Society was formed in 1966 to look after the house. Local groups helped restore the old Burnett home. It was opened as a historical museum in 1967 by the Queensland Premier, Frank Nicklin. Some parts of the house, like the stumps and verandah flooring, were replaced during this restoration.
What Pioneer Cottage Looks Like Today
Pioneer Cottage is a simple, single-storey timber building. It is made from local wood like beech, red cedar, and tallow wood. It sits on low timber stumps.
Key Features of the Cottage
The house has a steeply pitched roof covered with corrugated iron. There are two dormer windows on one side that open from an attic space. Verandahs surround the main part of the house. These verandahs have simple wooden posts supporting their roofs. French doors open from each room onto the verandahs.
Inside, there's a central hallway. From here, you can enter the front parlour, front bedroom, and dining room. The dining room has a fireplace. A narrow staircase leads to two attic bedrooms upstairs. The back verandah has been enclosed with wooden boards and windows, creating small rooms at each end.
The inside walls are lined with wide wooden boards. The ceilings are also made of wood. Some rooms have been painted or wallpapered, while the attic rooms are unpainted.
The Cottage's Surroundings
The house is surrounded by a small garden, mostly with new plants. Some palm trees at the front might be from early plantings. The original separate kitchen building is no longer there. There is also a slab hut behind the house, which was moved there after 1965. A fence along the street was added when the house became a museum. In the garden, you can see a large iron pan from the old Fielding-Dixon Sugar Mill.
Why Pioneer Cottage is Important
Pioneer Cottage was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992. This means it's officially recognized as a significant historical place.
Showing Queensland's History
Pioneer Cottage helps us understand how Buderim Mountain grew as a farming area. It shows the early success of sugar growing and sugar mills in the region.
A Rare and Special Place
It is one of the oldest houses still standing in Buderim. It is mostly unchanged and shows what an early 1880s farmhouse looked like. It was built using local timbers that are not commonly used today.
A Beautiful Old Farmhouse
The simple design and natural materials of the cottage give it a rustic beauty. This look is highly valued by the community.
Important to the Community
The cottage has a very special meaning for the Buderim community. They worked hard to buy the property in the 1960s to turn it into a museum. This shows how much they care about its history.
Connected to Important People
Pioneer Cottage is important because of its strong connection to the JK Burnett family, who were early settlers in Buderim Mountain. It is also closely linked to the work of the Buderim Historical Society, which cares for the house and shares its story.
