Beenleigh Historical Village

Leave the 21st century behind and time travel back to another century at Beenleigh Historical Village & Museum, a well-kept secret that which would have to rate as one of the top attractions in south east Queensland.

This fascinating and beautifully preserved time capsule of local Australian heritage lies just off the Pacific Motorway and is a top place to while away some hours and immerse yourself in a bygone era as well as being a must visit destination for anyone of any age who has the slightest interest in the past.

Twenty buildings, most of them originally from the Beenleigh and Logan district, make up the village, including the quaint FDG Stanley-designed St George Anglican Church (circa 1875), the weatherboard Beenleigh Council Chambers (complete with furniture, leatherbound record books, plaques, noticeboards, framed black and white photos and trophies), Wilkie’s General Store (which, fully stocked with old food cans, remedies, soaps and soft drink bottles and complete with mannequin shopkeeper, looks as if it served its last customer yesterday) and a couple of family cottages from different eras (like the pioneer Radke Cottage from the 1870s, Beenleigh ferryman Schulz’s House and the 1920s Carter house) filled with much of the furniture, photos, wares, bathtub, kitchen appliances and clothing from the relative periods.

The Loganholme One Teacher School is a time capsule of early education, a corrugated iron shed from 1873 and a recreated classroom featuring desks with ink wells and a cane; and the Old Beenleigh Post office is a real treat, with mannequin behind the counter, a telegraph desk and the recorded sounds of old fashioned phones ringing and typewriters clacking.

And be sure to check out the first Beenleigh Rum Distillery (in the old Sugar Mill) on land, the Fire Engine Shed with its collection of trucks including vintage Dodges, Hester’s Dairy and the Coomera Lock-Up – a tiny room used for overnight lock-up of prisoners with a glass-encased Ned Kelly display out front.

The original Beenleigh Station is beautifully preserved and on site, with its covered verandah a place to take a refreshment stop and next door is an art gallery. As well as the living outdoor museum there’s the interesting little George Harch Memorial Museum onsite, with an extensive collection of local memorabilia, much of it from past resident’s collections.

Need to know – *Beenleigh Historical Museum is open every day of the year except for Christmas Day, Easter Friday, Easter Sunday and Anzac Day. The museum offers special packages of guided tours for school children, seniors, tourists and community groups.