Forest Hill Self Guided Tours by Vink Publishing

Forest Hill

Self Guided Tours

www.luvyalockyer.com.au

SELF GUIDED WALK 1

FOREST HILL Daily Mail Brisbane 9 August 1907 “Ten years ago, Forest Hill was a very small centre with only a few solitary houses scattered here and there. There was no hotel or other place of accommodation; but since then, a vast change has occurred. A big township has sprung into existence developed with mushroom growth. Three churches in the town and a fourth quite adjacent, three two storey hotels, a bank and a score of thriving businesses, not to mention a legion of houses. The tiny provincial school of ten years ago has given place to a fine state school with a staff of four teachers. Forest Hill is the largest centre within the Shire of Laidley and is more convenient to the outlying portions of the shire. But it is for the output of produce that Forest Hill far outstrips its elder and larger neighbours. Passing through in the train, strangers have marvelled at the busy appearance of the railway yard, but it is solid business all the time.”

ANZAC Park - One of many ‘Digger’ statues erected around Australia in memory of the fallen from the Great War. It was erected at a cost of £304 by the Forest Hill Memorial League. In March 1921, the statue was unveiled by five women, who were either mothers or widows of deceased soldiers. The fallen from WWII and other theatres of war are also recognised.

*Queensland Heritage listed.

10 Railway Street - Samuel Dart, purchased two blocks of land in 1904 from a government auction. With his partner, Mr Grant, they built a two-storey general store and as produce merchants, operated for more than 30 years. During the 1930s, a saddlery operated on this site, followed by a fruit shop and general store with a footpath fuel bowser, which traded until the late 1970s. In subsequent decades, this building has been a private residence, Landcare Conservation offices, and more recently, a hairdressing salon.

*It is unknown when the top floor was removed.

Corner Hunt & Railway Street - In 1917 Herman Stark established a Blacksmith and Wheelwright business. As well as shoeing horses, he manufactured German wagons, and other farm implements and tools. All the steel work was heated in a forge and hammered by hand on an anvil. Near the end of WWII Herman’s son, William (Bill) Stark returned from the army and took over running the business. Adjacent to this building, there was an openair movie theatre that opened in 1912 and continued until the 1930s. It later became a garage and mechanic workshop. The building was later purchased and added to the Stark building at 1 Hunt Street. Bill’s son, William (Gary) Stark, purchased the business in 1974, relocating to a larger site on the Laidley-Forest Hill Road. Stark

Engineering, spanning three generations, continues to manufacture agricultural equipment that is exported interstate and overseas.

St Joseph’s Catholic Church - Built in 1906, the church was originally called St Isador’s. It was relocated from Glenore Grove in 1938 to its current site. Archbishop Duhig officially opened and dedicated the church, renaming it St Joseph’s. Refurbishments were carried out during the 1980s & 90s that were mindful of maintaining the heritage of the church.

In 1979 two additional silos and a split weighbridge were built. The combined storage capacity of the four silos was 8800 tonnes. During the late 1980s there was a decline in grain production, which led to the silos being leased to companies such as Uncle Toby’s to store their grain prior to processing.

Forest Hill Police Station - The first police officer, Constable George Henry Perkins, was appointed to Forest Hill in 1902. As there was no police station, the front room of a private residence on the corner of Robert Street and Walkers Lane was used. A permanent police station - complete with gaol cell, stable, forage room and residence - was built on the corner of Railway Street and Palm Avenue to service the rapidly growing town in 1907. In 1987 the police station became a two-officer station and in 1989 a new police station and second residence were built. The police station was closed in 1998. In 2006, the station became the base for the Stock and Rural Crime Investigation Squad.

*The original gaol cell is now located at the Gatton Historical Museum.

Silos - With the increase in production of wheat, barley, sorghum and soybean in the area, a storage facility was needed. Two silos were constructed in the Railway Yards in 1975. Working day and night, the silos were built in one pour of concrete. At a height of 25 metres, and walls with a thickness of 23cm - that is a lot of concrete!

*The silos are no longer used for grain storage.

Railway - After the completion of the rail line from Grandchester to Gatton in 1866, property owner Major AJ Boyd made an application to the Railway Department for a siding facility to load timber and receive his supplies. This was granted and was called “Boyd’s Siding”. By 1881, the siding became known as Forest Hill, as most goods were simply addressed “Forest Hill”, which was the name of Boyd’s property at Glen Cairn.

Forest Hill School of the Arts - The Forest Hill Farmers Progress Association raised money and obtained an overdraft of £800 to construct the School of Arts in 1911. The building consisted of a hall, stage and dressing rooms. Later, a supper room and kitchen were added. The hall has hosted weddings, balls, and all manner of social functions and events, as well as being home to various indoor sports, classes and clubs. The Painting for Pleasure art classes began in 1964 and still meets weekly. The hall is also utilised as an evacuation centre in times of emergency. In the early days, the hall was utilised as a library with books sent from the State Library in Brisbane on a rotational basis. This lasted for over 50 years until it closed in 1961. Motion pictures were also shown regularly in the hall from 1944 to 1956. Major renovations and restorations took place in 2010 in preparation for the Centenary.

Recreation Grounds - 15 acres were set aside as a public recreation reserve in 1902. It proved to be a popular venue for a wide range of activities such as horse training, Boy Scouts, various codes of football, tennis, cricket, basketball, and golf. The tennis courts and cricket ovals were added in the 1920s.

A new station was built in 1886. It took six weeks to relocate the station approximately 1.5km westward along the track. The town quickly grew, due to the proximity to the railway station. Twenty-five tons of agricultural produce, plus parcels were recorded in the first year! Forest Hill Railway Station became the largest produce loading centre in Queensland during the 1920s and continued to be the centre of agricultural business in the Lockyer Valley for many years. The demise of the station began when road transport became more efficient to move produce from farm to market. The last load of produce was railed out on 16 June 1992, comprising of 140 bales of lucerne hay from Albert Joseph Produce Merchant to Mitchell, Queensland. The station was closed 3 July 1992, after 106 years of service to the region. The main station was moved to Swanbank Queensland Pioneer Steam Railway in 2003 where it was restored. A waiting room was relocated to Forest Hill Place.

St Thomas’ Anglican Church - Construction on the Anglican Church of St Thomas began in 1902, which was a year of terrible drought. Parishioners were determined that they should have a place of worship, even though they were suffering great hardship. The Sanctuary on the eastern side was added in 1948. Services continued until 2005. This is now a PRIVATE RESIDENCE.

Forest Hill Place - In 1897, the original railway station (built in 1881) was moved to this site and renovated to be the station master’s residence until 1978.

In this park some notable features are the waiting room (built in 1886) from the Forest Hill Station and the font from St Thomas’ Anglican Church. Forest Hill Place was opened in 2003 and is included as a “Staging Post” on the historical Cobb and Co Trail that runs from Ipswich to Toowoomba. The original Cobb & Co track was approximately 5km south of Forest Hill.

Produce Merchants Kent & William Streets - Farming developed on the rich plains in the late 1800s. Forest Hill quickly grew to be a major distribution centre for Lockyer Valley. At least 20 produce merchants and associated businesses were situated near the station in the early 1900s.

The Lodge celebrated 100 years of Freemasonry in Forest Hill in 2006. Lodge Argyle operates full Scottish ritual, dating back to the 16th century and meets regularly, inviting guests and visiting brethren to attend.

Merchants had to understand the growing cycles of crops; the impact of weather conditions; and market demand. They also supported farmers through difficult times. The last two remaining produce merchants were Albert Joseph Produce (1938-2008) and T&B Flanagan and Company (1945-2021).

16 Forest Hill Provisional School, Church Street - In 1892 a provisional school was erected on land given by William Kent and Edward Weinholt, of the Jondaryan Estates. It was officially opened on 23 January, 1893. The original school building is situated to the left of the current school and became a private residence. By 1898 new buildings were added, allowing for future growth and development of this State School. Two large bunya pines mark the original main gate into the school.

*The original school building and bunya pines are Queensland Heritage listed.

Presbyterian Church, 14 Church Street In November 1894 the first services were held in the provisional school. With the congregation growing rapidly (having more than 50 children in the Sunday school alone), a letter was written to the Jondaryan Estates Co requesting land to build a church. This was granted and the church was opened on 26 January, 1899. In 1939 it was decided to enlarge the vestry in the form of a hall to honour the pioneers. This extension was the same size

Argyle Scottish Masonic Lodge Lodge Argyle (originally No.1016) of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, held its inaugural meeting at Bell’s shed in 1906. Later that year they relocated to the Presbyterian Church. The Lodge acquired land for a purposebuilt hall in 1913 but delays, including WW1, meant the building was not completed until 1922.

Water Tower - In 1956 the Laidley Shire Council connected mains pressure water to Forest Hill. This involved chlorinating bore water and pumping it to the newly constructed water tower. By using a tower, the water can be supplied to the town at a constant pressure.

Fire Station - The Forest Hill Fire Brigade was formed in 1952 by a group of volunteers who became auxiliary firemen to the Ipswich Fire Brigade. Prior to this the only way of controlling fires in the district was by using a volunteer bucket brigade. This fire station was built by the Ipswich Fire Board on land acquired from the Laidley Shire Council in 1960. This building replaced a shed at the rear of Ballantine’s Store, which had been used to house trailer-mounted firefighting equipment. The present Fire and Rescue Station was built in William Street in 2008. This is now PRIVATELY OWNED.

as the original church but placed at right angles behind it. Worship continues to be conducted on this site.

21 38 Victoria Street - This shop was built in the 1930s and operated as a butcher shop until the 1960s. Since then it has been a snack bar, a massage parlour, a storage facility, a real estate agent, art gallery, coffee shop and gift shop.

44 Victoria Street - The Commercial Bank of Australia opened in 1910 and as the name implies, was for commercial or business banking only. During the 1960s it also became a savings bank, providing a valuable service for another 20 years. A merger of the Commercial Bank of Australia and the Bank of NSW took place in 1982 and the bank became known as Westpac. In 1984 the branch became an agency operating limited hours, before closing in 1995.

Post Office & Telephone Exchange - The history of the Post Office is closely linked with the railway. The Post Office was moved from the railway station to its present site in 1908. A manual telephone exchange was set up in the adjacent room in 1911. This operated six days per week from 9am to 6pm. Records were kept showing meticulous details of the call, so that service charges could be made to the appropriate party.

After WW1 the Post Office gained ‘official’ status with a postmaster and a telegraph messenger on staff. A mail sorting room and delivery service were later added. In 1926 the telephone exchange became a 24-hour service. The night shift was operated by male telephonists, who slept in the Post Office on a camp stretcher. During the 1950s the exterior of the building was covered in fibro. This was to give the building a ‘modern’ look.

Since then, this building has been used as a craft shop, childcare centre and more recently, a gelateria.

46 Victoria Street - Luke Miles, an early settler, operated a busy fruit shop and café from 1916. In about 1927, the Comino family arrived from Greece and purchased this mixed business, serving the town until 1941 when the business was sold to the Cassimatis family. A residence on the back of the shop allowed these families to work long hours. Since the 1960s, it has mainly operated as a newsagency (with various owners over the years). There was a fuel bowser on the footpath however, due to safety concerns, this was removed in the 1990s. This is now a PRIVATE RESIDENCE.

1975 saw the end of operator-connected calls with an automated telephone exchange built across the road on the site that was once Whittle’s Blacksmith Shop. Extensive renovations during the 1980s revealed the original timbers and the building was restored to its former beauty. The most recent renovations were in 2004, resulting in the addition of a gift shop and restaurant.

42 Victoria Street - In 1901 George Wyman of Laidley opened this building as a general store. It also housed a branch of the National Bank until 1910. While it continued as a general store until 2008, it did change owners several times. One of the more notable owners was Tom Waller and his son Chels, who ran the store as Wallers General Store from 1928 to 1976. The general store took a new direction in 2003 when “Café Society” came to town. This proved to be a welcome addition to the street scape.

Ballantine’s Grocery Strore - In 1906 a grocery store was opened by Mr Alexander McAllister. The building consisted of two small shops and included a billiard room. In the early 1900s, the Gunn brothers operated a butcher shop from a small room on the footpath. In 1920 the business was taken over by the Ballantine family, who ran it until the late 1950s. The shed at the rear of the store housed the fire-fighting equipment for the town’s early residents. The second shop was used as a drapery store. The tenancy later changed to Mr Ewan Reid, who ran the business until 1950 and later moved across the road to a new building. The buildings were demolished during the 1970s due to their poor state. A new building was constructed during the 1990s. The vacant land adjacent to this building was part of the Ballantine buildings allotment.

50 Victoria Street - The first bank in town opened in 1901 and operated out of Wyman’s shop. In 1910, the Queensland National Bank Ltd was built on this site, complete with living quarters for the bank manager and his family.

As a wartime measure, the bank was closed in 1943; however due to public demand, it reopened in 1947. With the merge of Queensland National Bank Ltd and the National Bank of Australasia Ltd, the bank became known as the National Australia Bank. In the 1960s there was a shift from rail to road transport to handle produce. Without the need for the railway, the town began to decline. Businesses began to suffer and many closed their doors. In 1976 the bank closed its doors permanently. The building has since operated as a second hand/collectables shop.

*Queensland Heritage listed.

Lockyer Hotel - Built in 1906 by Alexander McAllister, a local produce merchant, the Lockyer Hotel was the fourth hotel to be opened in Forest Hill. In February 1907 the licence was transferred to Janet Meredith, who later bought the hotel. The hotel stayed with the Meredith family until 1969. The rear annex, which included a dining room, was erected in the late 1970s.

33 Victoria Street - The original building on this site was a general store built in 1909 however, it burnt down in 1940. It was rebuilt to operate as two shops.

In 2010 the hotel underwent a major refurbishment while under the ownership of the Brisbane Ice Works.

The larger shop has over time been a greengrocer with a café, a newsagent, a drapery and dress shop, a hairdresser and a collectables emporium.

*Queensland Heritage listed.

The smaller of the two shops has been a doctor’s surgery, a chemist, a butcher, a craft and quilting shop, and a gift shop. The mural on the brick wall was painted in 1999.

Forest Hill Cemetery - The earliest records date back to 1908 however, some family historians believe that there were internments on this site before then. The cemetery is divided into religious denominations, which explains why the graves are placed in different areas and sections of the grounds. Due to the unsuitability of the ground for digging, the cemetery was closed in the late 1960s; only allowing people who had previously reserved a plot or had a close family connection to be buried there. After much public petitioning, the cemetery was reopened in 2018 with a new columbarium and lawn cemetery.

*The cemetery is situated behind the University Campus, on the outskirts of town.

Forest Hill Hotel - The hotel, built in 1898, was Forest Hill’s first hotel and was originally a single-story building called the Station Hotel. The second story was added in 1907. The three rooms on the veranda were used as commercial travellers’ showrooms, as well as a barber, and a visiting lady’s hairdresser from Toowoomba. The name was changed from the Station Hotel to the Forest Hill Hotel in 1963. Over the years it has been a popular watering hole for locals and students from the nearby university campus.

*Queensland Heritage listed.

CREDITS AND CONTRIBUTIONS Cover photo: Craig Bachmann Photography Information & Photos: Forest Hill District Centenary Book 1993 and local amateur historians Published October 2021

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