St Patrick's Church, Yungaburra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Patrick's Church, Yungaburra |
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St Patrick's Catholic Church, 2007
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| 17°16′07″S 145°34′50″E / 17.2685°S 145.5806°E | |
| Country | Australia |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Dedication | Saint Patrick |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Years built | 1914–1930s |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Malanda |
| Diocese | Cairns |
St Patrick's Church is a historic Roman Catholic church located in Yungaburra, Queensland, Australia. It stands at 1 Penda Street and was built between 1914 and the 1930s. The church is also known as Our Lady of Ransom. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns and is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, which means it's an important historical building.
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History of St Patrick's Church
St Patrick's Church was built in 1914. It was the very first Catholic church in the Yungaburra area. Before it was built, church services were held in a local hall. The church is located on a high point where two main roads of the original village, called Allumbah, used to meet.
Early Settlement in Yungaburra
The first Europeans to arrive in the Atherton Tablelands region were mostly looking for timber and minerals. However, people soon realised the rich soil and cool weather were perfect for farming. In 1885, a plan called the Village Settlement scheme started. This plan offered settlers 40-acre farm blocks and small home sites grouped together in a village.
In 1888, a village settlement was set up at Allumbah Pocket, which later became Yungaburra. Around the same time, a railway line was being built from the port of Cairns to the Tablelands. The first farms in Allumbah started in 1891. A street grew along the ridge where the church now stands. However, without good ways to get goods to markets, the settlement plan didn't work very well at first.
Growth of the Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church in North Queensland was set up in 1877. Many of the early priests were from Italy. Most Catholics in North Queensland at that time were Irish miners. In 1884, a group of Irish priests, the Order of Saint Augustine, agreed to help. They took over the church's work in the area, which was difficult because there were very few priests for a large, spread-out Catholic population.
In the 1890s, mining became less profitable. People started moving from mining towns to new farming areas like Yungaburra.
Yungaburra Develops
The railway reached Mareeba in 1895 and Atherton in 1903. This made it much easier to travel to the area. In the early 1900s, new land laws encouraged more people to settle around Allumbah. A small town grew to serve the farmers. In 1910, the railway line from Cairns reached Allumbah. To avoid confusion with another town, Allumbah was renamed Yungaburra.
This was a time of fast growth for Yungaburra. A sawmill, a hotel, and many shops and houses were built near the new Yungaburra railway station. In 1911, the small St Marks Anglican Church was built. Catholic services were held monthly by a priest from Herberton, often in homes or in the hall of the Williams hotel.
Building St Patrick's Church
Work on the new Catholic church began in 1914. It was in a great spot, at the meeting point of a stock route, the main road to the coast, and the road to Atherton.
The church was officially opened on April 26, 1914, by Bishop James Murray. It was first named Our Lady of Ransom. The opening was a big celebration, and many people traveled long distances to attend. Special trains brought crowds from Herberton and Mareeba, filling the new church.
The first wedding in the church happened just three days after it opened. The first priest serving the church was Father Patrick Bernard Doyle.
Remembering Father Doyle
Father Doyle was born in Ireland in 1874. He was a very spiritual man who was loved and respected by his church members. He came to North Queensland in 1899 and served in Cairns before moving to Herberton in 1906. He served many churches in his area until he passed away in 1924. After his death, the church was renamed St Patrick's in his memory. A plaque on the bell tower also remembers him.
Changes Over Time
In 1926, the Gillies Highway opened, making it easier to drive to the Tablelands. Yungaburra became a popular place for tourists visiting the nearby lakes. This led to another period of growth for the town. The new road also made the church more accessible, and Mass was celebrated twice a month.
Over the years, only small changes have been made to the church. These changes mostly happened after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. This council led to new ways of doing church services. For example, the confessional box was removed, and the altar rails were moved. The altar table was also moved so the priest could face the people during the service. The southern side of the entrance porch was enclosed, probably to protect it from bad weather.
In 1996, a house was moved onto the church property to be used as a presbytery, which is where the priest lives.
What St Patrick's Church Looks Like
St Patrick's Church is on a grassy area on a high ridge. It looks out over a park-like area that used to be a stock route. The church is surrounded by Mulgrave Road and Penda Street.
Church Building Details
St Patrick's is a one-story timber (wooden) church. You can see the wooden frame on the outside. It sits on concrete stumps. The roof has a pointed shape called a gable and is covered with corrugated iron. The church is shaped like a cross when you look at it from above.
You enter the church through a gabled entrance porch. Above the entrance, there are three tall, narrow windows called lancet windows. The front wall of the building is covered with special wooden boards called chamferboard. The roof has decorative wooden brackets under the eaves (the parts of the roof that hang over the walls). There are also decorative wooden panels in the pointed ends of the roof.
Inside, the roof is held up by wooden trusses and is lined with diagonal wooden boards. The inside is simply decorated. It still has its original pews (church benches) and many of its first pieces of furniture.
Bell Tower and Presbytery
There is a separate bell tower made of steel located at one corner of the church property. A memorial plaque at the bottom of the tower says:
Erected to the memory of Revd. P.B. Doyle, O.S.A. Died 16 November 1924 A Sincere Friend And a Faithful Priest R.I.P.
The house used as the presbytery is located at the northern corner of the property. It's a one-story house on stumps with a hipped roof (a roof that slopes on all four sides) covered in corrugated iron. The walls are also covered in corrugated iron. The verandah (porch) is partly enclosed with wooden louvres (slats). The house has three main rooms, with a bathroom and kitchen at each end of the enclosed verandah.
Why St Patrick's Church is Important
St Patrick's Catholic Church was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992. This means it's recognised as an important historical place for several reasons:
- It shows how Queensland's history developed.
St Patrick's Church was built in 1914. It shows the early growth of the Atherton Tablelands area and how the Catholic Church grew in North Queensland. The church is on the site of the first Allumbah Pocket settlement, even though the town's main business area later moved closer to the railway.
- It's a great example of a certain type of building.
St Patrick's Church is a good and complete example of a timber (wooden) church built in a rural area during that time.
- It has special beauty and design.
The way the church is built, its size, and its details make it a very important and beautiful part of Yungaburra's appearance.
- It has a strong connection to the community.
St Patrick's Church has a strong link with the Catholic community in the Yungaburra area. It has served the village and nearby farms since the early 1900s. It also has a strong connection to the life and work of Father Patrick Doyle and the Augustinian order, who helped spread Catholicism in North Queensland.
