Yungaburra Court House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yungaburra Court House |
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Yungaburra Court House, 2015
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| Location | 6 - 10 Cedar Street, Yungaburra, Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919 - 1930s (interwar period) |
| Built | 1909 - 1921 |
| Official name: Court House, Police Station and Residence, Court of Petty Sessions | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600477 |
| Significant period | 1920s (historical) 1900s-1920s (fabric) |
| Significant components | office/s, police station, residential accommodation - police sergeant's house/quarters, court house |
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The Yungaburra Court House is a special building in Yungaburra, Queensland, Australia. It's a place where local laws were once handled, and it also served as a police station. This historic building was built between 1909 and 1921. It's officially recognized as a heritage site, meaning it's an important part of Queensland's history. It was also known as the Court of Petty Sessions.
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A Look Back: History of the Court House
The building that is now the Yungaburra Court House and police station was put here in 1921. Before that, it was actually a local school building! The site used to have a police lockup (a small jail) and stables, but those are gone now.
Early Days on the Atherton Tablelands
The first Europeans to arrive on the Atherton Tableland were working in logging and mining. But people soon realized 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 plots with homes grouped together in a village.
In 1888, a village settlement was set up at Allumbah Pocket, which later became Yungaburra. At the same time, the Tablelands railway began. This railway connected the port of Cairns to the Tableland. It took a long time to build! The first farms in Allumbah started in 1891, but the settlement plan didn't work out very well at first.
Yungaburra Grows with the Railway
The railway reached Mareeba in 1895 and Atherton in 1903. This made it much easier to get to the area. After new land laws in the early 1900s, more people moved to the area around Allumbah.
The land where the court house and police buildings stand was first chosen by George O'Donnell in 1899 for farming. In 1900, the land was sold to George Wedderburn. He divided it into many smaller blocks in 1910. This was the same year the railway line from Cairns reached Allumbah. To avoid confusion with another town, Allumbah was renamed Yungaburra.
This marked the start of a fast-growing period for the town. A sawmill, a hotel, and many shops and houses were built near the new Yungaburra railway station. In 1911, the local government area, Eacham Shire, was created.
The Need for a Local Court
In 1912, three blocks of land on Cedar Street were set aside for police use. Plans were made for police living quarters, a station, offices, and cells. Even though a police officer was sent to Yungaburra in 1913, a police station wasn't built right away. Instead, a cottage was rented, and a stable and feed room were built for the police.
On January 29, 1914, the Yungaburra District Progress Association asked the government to set up a Court of Petty Sessions in Yungaburra. At that time, the closest court was in Atherton, which was difficult for people in Yungaburra. The request was turned down because not many cases came from Yungaburra, and people already went to Atherton for other government business. However, a lockup (small jail) was provided in Yungaburra in September 1914.
A Long Campaign for Justice
The Progress Association didn't give up! They wrote again in September 1915 but were refused once more. The government said Yungaburra was just one of many small towns that were important only because the railway was passing through. They also pointed out that the police officer only visited once a week. Even though the judge in Herberton thought a court in Yungaburra was a good idea, the court in Atherton agreed with the government's decision.
Still, the Progress Association kept trying. They got help from William Gillies, who was a Member of the Queensland Parliament for the area. He visited Yungaburra in 1918.
In 1919, the Eacham Shire Council suggested that the old Yungaburra school building, which had been empty for three years and was nearby, could be moved to the police reserve and used as a court. This idea was first rejected because the school building was planned to be used as a teacher's home.
However, Mr. C.W. Roseblade, the Secretary of the Progress Association, kept pushing. In 1920, the Minister for Justice decided to create a Petty Sessions District for Atherton. This meant that courts would be held in Yungaburra, Peeramon, and Malanda. An officer based in Atherton would visit each town two days a week.
The School Becomes a Court House
It cost about £185 to take apart, move, and change the old school building. This building was first built around 1909. To make it a court, it was made bigger, and its doors, windows, and steps were moved. The work was finished in May 1921. A small office was added to the verandah in September as an extra space. The total cost was £264/10/5. The building then had a courtroom, an office for the Clerk of Petty Sessions (the court's secretary) and the Dairy Inspector, and the verandah office for the police officer.
In 1926, the Gillies Highway opened, connecting Yungaburra to Gordonvale. This was the first proper road to the Tablelands. Yungaburra became a popular spot for tourists visiting the nearby lakes, which led to another period of growth for the town. The court building hasn't changed much since then, though the police office has modern items. The police officer's office on the verandah is no longer there. A garage for two cars was built between the police station and the police residence. The old lockup from 1914, which was behind the building, was taken down recently.
What the Court House Looks Like
The police area in Yungaburra has three connected blocks of land on Cedar Street. On these blocks, you'll find the court house and police station, a modern two-car garage, and a police residence (where the police officer lives).
The Court House Building
The court house and police station is a single-story building made of timber. It's shaped like a rectangle, with its longest side facing the street. It stands on metal posts that are low at the front and get taller towards the back because the ground slopes down. It has verandahs (covered porches) along both the front and back.
The roof is shaped like a triangle (gabled) and is covered with corrugated iron. It extends over the verandahs, where it's held up by timber posts. The verandahs have simple timber handrails. There are doors to the office and courtroom at the front. On either side of these doors are windows that open outwards (casement windows) with timber frames. There are also casement windows on the back verandah and at the ends of the building. These windows have small roofs (sun hoods) over them for shade. All the windows have modern steel security grilles.
Inside, the building has two rooms separated by a wall made of vertical wooden boards. The ceilings are curved timber. The bigger room is the courtroom. It has a set of three casement windows above a timber bench where the judge (magistrate) would sit. The second room is used as a police office and has modern cupboards and a counter. There's a toilet on the back verandah.
Other Buildings on the Site
Between the courtroom/police station and the police residence, there's a modern timber garage for two cars with metal roller doors.
The police residence is a timber house built on cement posts. Like the court house, these posts are low at the front and get taller towards the back as the ground slopes. The stairs at the back of the house have been covered with timber boards. It has a hip-shaped roof covered with corrugated fibrous cement sheets. It looks like the verandahs along the front and side of the house have been built in (enclosed). There are two doors at the front. Some windows have pressed metal sun hoods, and most are casement windows with timber frames.
A metal fence runs along the front of the entire police area.
Why the Court House is a Heritage Site
The Yungaburra Court House, Police Station, and Residence were added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992. This means it's considered an important part of Queensland's history and culture. Here's why:
Showing Queensland's History
The police station, former court house, and police residence show how Yungaburra and the surrounding area grew in the early 1900s. The fact that the court house originally had office space for the Dairy Inspector in the 1920s highlights how important the dairy farming industry was to the area's success.
Beautiful and Important Design
The court house/police station and residence are timber buildings built in traditional styles. They add a lot to the look and feel of Yungaburra. They are part of a group of similar buildings on Cedar Street that fit well together.
Special Connection to the Community
The former court house and police station have been important to the people of Yungaburra and the surrounding area since the early 1900s. It has been a central place for important government services. It started as a school, then became a court, and also had offices for the dairy inspector and police officer. Today, it still serves as a police station.
