Yeppoon State School building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yeppoon State School |
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Yeppoon State School
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| Location | 29 Queen Street, Yeppoon, Shire of Livingstone, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s–1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1889–1929 |
| Architect | Department of Public Works (Queensland) |
| Architectural style(s) | Classicism |
| Official name: Yeppoon State School (former), Queen Street Community Hall | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 3 December 2003 |
| Reference no. | 602404 |
| Significant period | 1880s (historical) 1889–1920s (fabric) 1889–1971 (social) |
| Significant components | school/school room |
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The Yeppoon State School building is a special old building in Yeppoon, Queensland, Australia. It used to be a school, but now it's called the Queen Street Community Hall. It's located at 29 Queen Street.
This building was designed by the Queensland Department of Public Works. It was built between 1889 and 1929. Because of its history, it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on December 3, 2003. This means it's an important part of Queensland's past.
History of Yeppoon School
The Yeppoon State School building was built in 1889. Before that, a smaller school called Yeppoon Provisional School opened in 1885.
How Yeppoon Town Started
In 1867, people living in Rockhampton wanted a town closer to the beach. They asked the government to create a new town area. This area, first known as Bald Hills, became Yeppoon on April 30, 1868. Another beach town, Emu Park, was also created nearby.
At first, Yeppoon wasn't as popular as Emu Park for beach trips. So, farmers and settlers were the first to develop the area. The land was very good for farming, with lots of rain. By 1878, much of the land around Yeppoon was used for growing crops and raising animals.
In the early 1880s, more people became interested in Yeppoon. Many town lots that hadn't sold before were bought by 1885.
The First Schools in Yeppoon
The very first school in Yeppoon was a provisional school. It opened in 1885 with 25 students. To get a state school, there needed to be at least 30 students. By January 1889, the number of children at the school had grown to 60. Because of this growth, a new, bigger building was needed. This new building became the first official state school in Yeppoon.
In January 1884, a local person named James Atherton asked the Department of Public Instruction to send a teacher to Yeppoon. He even offered his own house to be used as the school.
On June 7, 1884, an official request was sent to the Department to start a provisional school. The current site was chosen for the school, even though it wasn't officially set aside until March 1888. The Minister for Public Instruction, Sir Samuel Griffiths, approved the request. Finally, on May 4, 1885, Provisional School number 442 opened in Yeppoon.
By September 1888, the Yeppoon community asked for a state school. They sent their official request on October 31, 1888.
Building the State School
On March 21, 1889, an announcement was made in the Queensland Government Gazette asking for builders to construct new state school buildings in Yeppoon. The new school opened in August of the same year. The old provisional school building was then moved and added to the teacher's house to make it bigger.
Over the years, the school building was made larger several times.
- In July 1900, a 15-foot extension was added.
- More additions were made in January 1901.
- Repairs were done in July 1911.
- Gardens started to be planted in April 1917.
- New school buildings were added in 1918.
In June 1930, the teacher's residence was sold and moved. By July 1929, plans were made for more additions to the school. An eastern wing with two new classrooms was then opened.
Moving to a New Site
On June 10, 1945, a public meeting was held. People discussed the urgent need for a new school on a new site. The old school and its land had become too crowded. It took some time for the Department to find a new school site. In the meantime, three more classrooms were added to the eastern wing of the old school. Two were added in 1950, and one in 1953.
Finally, in August 1955, the Department of Education bought 42 acres of land on Jeffries Street for a new school. The old school on Queen Street became the Infants' School. It included the original 1889 building, offices, and staff rooms. The other school buildings were moved to the new Jeffries Street site to form the new state school.
The Queen Street site remained the Infants' School until 1971. After that, it became a place for recreation, and the school building was used as a fitness centre. The land next to it is now used by the Yeppoon and District Kindergarten Association.
In July 1993, the site's purpose changed again. It became a reserve for local government use, specifically as a community hall. Since then, the former Yeppoon State School building has been used regularly by different community groups.
What the Building Looks Like
The former Yeppoon State School is a single-story building made of timber. It has weatherboards on the outside and sits on tall timber stumps with a concrete base. The roof is shaped like a triangle (gabled) and runs from east to west. It's covered with asbestos cement sheets. It looks like the building was extended on the north-east side, and this part also has a gabled roof.
Main Entrance and Verandahs
On the southern side, which is the main entrance, there's a central porch with a gabled roof. Timber steps lead up to a concrete landing. The central gable has timber shingles and a rounded lintel with small decorative blocks called dentils. The main gable and the gables at the ends of the building have plain bargeboards. The end gables on the western and eastern sides also have timber shingles. High up on the western and eastern walls, there are timber, louvred openings for air to flow through.
The building has verandahs on both the north and south sides. The front (southern) verandah has two double timber doors that lead into the main room. Above these doors are rectangular windows with three square glass panes each. Part of the southern verandah on the western side has been closed in with old casement windows. The verandah has timber balustrading (a railing) with timber posts and strong, curved timber brackets.
Windows and Other Features
The western side of the building has a large, interesting window. It has eight rectangular timber-framed openings divided into three levels. The bottom level has casement windows (which open outwards), the middle level has pivoting windows (which swing open), and the top level has fixed windows that slope towards the main room. Above these windows, there's a mesh panel. The window is covered by a timber-framed hood with corrugated iron.
The back (northern) verandah has been closed in. The eastern end has weatherboards and louvres, while the western side has vertically joined timbers. The closed-in area on the western end has old timber-framed, sliding glass windows. Along the eastern side, the later extension has two rectangular window openings, each with three square glass panes. This window also has a timber-framed hood. A similar window is on the northern side of this extension.
A staircase made of steel and concrete is on the northern side of the building. It leads down to concrete stairs that go to the back of the property and a concrete court area.
Inside the Building
Inside, the building has one large room. This room was originally divided into two classrooms by a folding wall. You can still see marks on the vertical posts and holes in the floor where the folding wall used to be. There are also hinged flaps in the skirting boards (the trim along the bottom of the walls).
The ceiling is lined with timber boards. It's flat in the middle and slopes down to the walls on the northern and southern sides. The walls are also lined with timber boards. There are two round vents in the ceiling with lattice covers. Metal rods run across the room from the northern to southern walls at both ends.
There are four doors in the building: two on the southern side and two on the northern. The two on the southern side are original double doors. Only the door on the western end of the northern wall is an original double door. The door at the eastern end of the northern wall was added later.
There are two sets of four pivoting windows on the northern and southern sides, placed opposite each other above the doors. Each set has three mullions (vertical bars dividing the window panes), and each window has three panes. In each set, the windows are paired and connected by a bar, so opening one also opens its partner.
Very high up on the walls, there are some old hooks. These might have been used to hang charts or pictures. There are four on the northern wall, one on the west, and one on the east. Some of these only have their base plate left, with the hook broken off.
Outside Areas
Underneath the building, on the central western side, there are toilets made of concrete blocks. The north-eastern corner of the undercroft (the space under the building) has also been closed in with timber flooring and a timber frame covered with corrugated iron.
The land where the hall stands slopes downwards from Queen Street towards the north. Queen Street itself slopes from east to west. The grounds are uneven, with some rocky areas and rough grass. There are also some old plants still growing there. Terraces have been built using dry-stone walls. Mature plants on the site include two large frangipani trees and shrubs like loquats.
A stone retaining wall has been built on the southern side of the property. A timber railing runs along it, showing where the wall ends. A picket fence is located at the front of the building along Queen Street.
Why It's a Heritage Site
The former Yeppoon State School building was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on December 3, 2003, because it meets several important criteria.
Showing Queensland's History
This building, built in 1889, is important because it was the first state school in Yeppoon. It shows how the town and the surrounding area grew in the 1880s as more people wanted to live near the coast. The building also shows how the education system developed in Queensland over time.
A Special Type of Building
The former Yeppoon State School is mostly unchanged. It's a great example of a building type designed by the Department of Public Works for schools. Its shape and the materials used show how architects designed buildings to let in light and air, especially in Queensland's climate. For example, it has large feature windows and hinged skirting boards that helped with air circulation.
Its Beautiful Look
The building's simple design and materials make it look special. It also adds to the overall look of Queen Street.
Important to the Community
The former Yeppoon State School is very important to the people of Yeppoon and the surrounding area. It provided public education for many generations of children. It's also significant because it later became a community hall, continuing to serve the local community.
