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Vol 18. Number 01, January/February 2009

Warwick East State School, Darling Downs-South West Queensland region

Warwick East is Queensland's oldest government school and home to one of the longest surviving government school buildings in the state. Established in 1850 by the Board of National Education, the school, then called the Warwick National School, came under the jurisdiction of the Queensland Board of Education following the 1860 Education Act. In 1864, a brick building was constructed by prominent Queensland architect Benjamin Backhouse and in 1875, following the opening of the nearby Warwick Central School, the school changed its name to the Warwick East State School. The 1864 building is now used for music classes.

Ipswich West State School, Moreton region

Ipswich West was established in 1861 as Little Ipswich, a co-educational national school. A separate building for boys was built in 1882 to a standard design known as Carpenter Gothic. This design brought wider verandas, more floor and office space, play sheds, convenient lavatories and well-protected hat rooms. The girls continued to occupy the original 1861 school building until a new girls school was built in 1907. In 1934 the boys and girls schools again became co-educational, occupying the brick buildings of the newer girls school. The 1882 boys school building was transformed into a manual training centre in 1957. It is now home to Ipswich West Special School.

Maryborough Central State School, Wide Bay-Burnett region

Maryborough Central was established in 1862 but in 1865 shifted to a purpose-built schoolhouse at the corner of Alice and Lennox Streets. These premises soon proved too small to cater for Maryborough's burgeoning population, and the school was moved yet again to the present Kent Street premises, a former immigration barracks, in 1877. The immigration depot, a two-storeyed masonry building, was built in 1876. The Alice Street school was closed on July 17 1877 and re-opened five days later at the immigration barracks, with boys on the ground floor, and girls and infants on the first floor. By early 1879, overcrowding had reached chronic proportions, with some parents refusing to send their children to the school. A new, bigger building was completed in August 1882.

Gayndah State School, Wide Bay-Burnett region

Established in 1863, Gayndah was one of the first national schools built in the new colony of Queensland. The masonry building is one of the oldest government school buildings still in use in the state and retains some aspects of its original design. The school room is still in place, some decorative fascia boards remain and the original dormer windows are still intact. The teacher's residence was demolished, apart from a single room, which is now used as a storeroom. As the school grew, timber buildings were erected. The original brick building is now used as a music room.

Townsville Central State School, North Queensland region

Townsville Central opened as a national school in 1869 but relocated to its present site in 1955, where it incorporated the remains of Townsville's first jail. The discovery of gold in surrounding areas saw Townsville's population grow significantly in the 1870s. Criminal activity also escalated, soon exceeding the capacity of the small timber police lock-up. A new jail was established in 1878 but became overcrowded almost as soon as it was completed. In 1891, a new jail at nearby Stuart's Creek was erected and all male prisoners transferred. The old jail underwent many alterations until 1955 when the Central State School was relocated to the site. Of the former jail buildings, only the jailer's and turnkey's quarters remain intact. Today they are used as office space.

Information sourced from the Environmental Protection Agency's Queensland Heritage register.