Old State School

This former school, whose pupils included offspring of the original white Valley settlers who arrived on the ship Fortitude in 1849, is one of the earliest existing ones in Queensland.

The two storey building and former girls’ school was designed by colonial architect Benjamin Backhouse and the smaller church-like building (the boys’ school) by prolific church designer Richard George Suter.

What is significant about both, beyond their Gothic Revival architectural styles, is their interiors were designed around the 19th century Lancastrian schooling methods wherein large schoolrooms with galleried seating were combined with small classrooms. This enabled large groups to be accommodated, with the teacher in the big room while monitors and pupil teachers conducted drill-type learning with small groups in the smaller rooms.