Mudgeeraba township, circa 1923. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.
Prepared for: City of Gold Coast
Prepared by:
Elizabeth Galo – Education Consultant
[email protected]
Date:
May 2015
Purpose and overview
The purpose of this guide is to give teachers an overview of the Mudgeeraba Student History Walk, which
is part of the wider Mudgeeraba Heritage Walk, and to highlight the relevant Australian Curriculum links so
that teachers can identify where it is placed within the curriculum. The walk is the result of a demand for
local history resources that are directly aligned to the Australian Curriculum.
Key concepts
 The local Mudgeeraba community has an important place in history.
 Aspects of the community have changed whilst others remain the same.
 Members of the community have contributed in various ways to the establishment of the community we
now live in.
Historical Mudgeeraba
Permanently settled in the 1860s as a result of a growing logging industry, Mudgeeraba has emerged from
a rich fabric of community spirit and pride that remains today. The generosity of early pioneers and
commitment to a strong community saw the establishment of several key community sites which remain
today as significant landmarks in the Mudgeeraba landscape. Today’s students have the privilege of
engaging with local history and discovering the way in which the past has shaped the present, the
contribution of members of the community over time and to acknowledge that although some things have
changed, others remain the same.
Curriculum links
The activities included within this pack are designed to provide an opportunity for students to engage with
local history in a manner which aligns with the Australian Curriculum Year 2 achievement standard for
History.
Students have the opportunity to engage with sites within the Mudgeeraba Student History Walk to
discover, question, identify, explain, describe, compare, contrast, and document their learning.
Activities and resources
The activities are designed to be inclusive, providing a range of methods for students to demonstrate what
they have learnt. Teachers may choose which activities will best suit their students and curricular and time
restraints. Some sites on the walk include more than one question or activity. How much a group
completes is at the teacher’s discretion. It is recommended that teachers familiarise themselves with the
Mudgeeraba Heritage Walk booklet, the Student History Walk, and the student activities before undertaking
the excursion.
Year 2 Curriculum Links
Opportunities for learning within the content areas are available across many aspects of the walk. Those of particular relevance are outlined in the table below.
Strand
Content descriptions
Activity
Cross-curricular
links/opportunities
Historical Knowledge
and Understanding
One important example of change and one important
example of continuity over time in the local community
(ACHHKO61)
Pre-walk Mudgeeraba’s Pioneering Stories
Site 2. Bakery (continuity),
Site 9. Memorial Hall events (continuity)
Site 11. Railway remnant
Travel then/now (change),
Mathematics: How do you
get to Brisbane? Car, train
or bus?(ACMSP069)
The role that people of diverse backgrounds have played
in the development and character of the local community
(ACHHKO62)
Pre-walk activity
Mudgeeraba’s Pioneering Stories Clips
Meaning of the name
English (various links)
Sites 5-7. Homes of local community
members
Strand
Content descriptions
Activity
Cross-curricular
links/opportunities
Historical Skills
Use historical terms (ACHHSO66)
immigration, settlement
Pose a range of questions about the past (ACHHSO67)
Site 8 Village Green: Timber-getter plaque
English (various links)
Identify sources (ACHHS215)
Pre-walk activity
Locate relevant information from sources provided
(ACHHSO68)
Whole project
Develop texts, particularly narratives (ACHHSO70)
Post-walk narrative composition
Use a range of communication forms and digital
technologies (ACHHSO71)
Walk/Post-walk narrative
Pre-walk activity
English (various links)
Pre-walk activity
The aim of the pre-walk activity is to introduce students to historical Mudgeeraba, provide them with some
initial local knowledge and to get them thinking about their local community.
The students should make use of historical skills as outlined in the Year 3 History Curriculum, (Australian
Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2014), such as posing questions and identifying sources
and local information. Students should be able to identify the contribution of different cultures to the
community, including the Indigenous origin of the name, Mudgeeraba.
Content within this activity is linked to:
•
•
the Year 3 Achievement Standard - students explain how communities changed in the past. They
identify events and aspects of the past that have significance in the present. Students pose questions
about the past and locate information from sources.
both strands of the Year 3 History Curriculum as outlined below.
Strand
Content descriptions
Historical Knowledge and Understanding
ACHHKO61
One important example of change and one important
example of continuity over time in the local community.
ACHHKO62
The role that people of diverse backgrounds have
played in the development and character of the local
community.
Historical Skills
ACHHSO67
Pose a range of questions about the past.
ACHHS215
Identify sources.
ACHHSO68
Locate relevant information from sources provided.
Introduction
Activity
Resources
 Discuss the planned history walk
Historypin - Mudgeeraba Heritage Walk
collection,
Local Studies Library kit.
excursion and identify how we may
find out more information about
historical Mudgeeraba in preparation
for the walk.
 Explore the students’ ideas and
introduce Historypin (an online
source), the Local Studies Library Kit
(a library source) and Mudgeeraba’s
Pioneering Stories (available in
hardcopy as a DVD documentary or
online via YouTube).
Body
 Watch ‘Mudgeeraba’s Pioneering
Stories,’
highlighting and discussing the role of
local Indigenous people and aspects of
change/continuity in Mudgeeraba.
 Create an ‘investigation wall’ on the
whiteboard or large piece of paper.
Identify one aspect of change that the
class finds most interesting to be the
point of investigation. Have the
students work in pairs to use the
sources provided to locate further
information and add it to the
investigation wall.
Mudgeeraba’s Pioneering Stories
If time is limited start part 1 from after the
introduction at 1:38 and limit story to only
parts 1, 4, 5, 7, 8 and up to the 40 second
mark of part 10. These parts are most
relevant.
Whiteboard/pens or large piece of paper
and pens.
Local Studies Library kit, additional books
from the city and school library, access to
Historypin, Mudgeeraba Heritage Walk
brochure and booklet.
 To extend this further students may
also record the name of the source.
 If time permits, investigate the
meaning and origin of the name
Mudgeeraba and add it to the wall.
Conclusion
 Come back together as a class to
discuss the findings of the investigation
and make a list of further questions
that may be answered on the heritage
walk.
Investigation wall.
The Mudgeeraba Student History Walk
The Student History Walk fits within the broader Mudgeeraba Heritage Walk. It has been designed to
provide students with a view of historical Mudgeeraba that is both relevant to the curriculum and practical in
terms of time and distance. It comprises eleven sites as listed below. The accompanying Mudgeeraba
Heritage Walk booklet provides a short overview of each site and will be a primary reference point for
teachers who are facilitating the walk.
The following summary information should be read in conjunction with the Mudgeeraba Heritage Walk
booklet.
Site 1: Wallaby Hotel
The Wallaby Hotel was established in 1885
under the name the Mudgeeraba Hotel.
Approximately ten years later the name was
changed to the Hampshire Terrace Hotel. After a
change in location in 1914 the hotel was called
the Mudgeeraba Exchange Hotel. It has been
the Wallaby Hotel since the late 1950s when it
was owned by ‘Wallaby Bob’ McMaster. It was
first established to service travellers and locals,
providing accommodation, dining and drinks. An
1899 advertisement also makes reference to its
provision of stables and paddocks for traveller’s
horses.
Mudgeeraba Exchange Hotel, 1915. Image courtesy of City of
Gold Coast Local Studies Library.
This place is entered in the Gold Coast Local
Heritage Register (LHR0029).
Site 2: Mudgeeraba Bakery
The Mudgeeraba Bakery began trading on this
site following the construction of a large brick
oven by Abel Boyd. In the 1950s the Panitz
family bought the bakery and continue to own
it and bake bread in the brick oven to this day.
Mudgeeraba Bakery, 2015. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast.
Site 3: Mudgeeraba Special School (former Mudgeeraba State School)
The first Mudgeeraba State School opened its doors at this site in January 1914 and continued here until
1981. Isaac Andrews donated 2 acres (0.8 hectares) of his own land so that the school could be built here.
One hour a week of lessons was set aside for various project clubs, including a bee keeping and calf club.
Every year the school held ‘Calf Club Day’, a much-anticipated event in which children who had a calf could
bring it to school for the day and parade it before judges. Ribbons would be awarded for presentation of the
calf and the diary kept by the student presenting.
In 1923 Elizabeth Barton, a student at the school won a gold medal for an essay she wrote about the
opening of the Mudgeeraba Memorial Hall.
This place is entered in the Gold Coast Local Heritage Register (LHR0028).
Students of Mudgeeraba State School, 1965. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.
Site 4: Mudgeeraba Library (Former Nerang Shire Council Chambers)
This building was built in June 1927 to house the Nerang Shire Council Chambers. The council operated
from this building until May 1949. Members of the Nerang Shire Council who have served at this location
include Mr. E. J. Gaven, who was the chairman at the final meeting at this location, and Isaac Andrews.
In 1950 the building was bought by Jim Cuddihy who moved his post office and telephone exchange into it.
In 1981 Australia Post bought the building from Mr Cuddihy and operated out of it until 1994.
Following a local campaign to preserve the building it was reopened in 1998 as the Mudgeeraba Heritage
Centre.
Since 2004 it has been the home of the Mudgeeraba Library.
This place is entered in the Gold Coast Local Heritage Roster (LHR0030).
LEFT:
Mudgeeraba Library, (former Nerang Shire Council Chambers and Mudgeeraba Post Office), 2015. Image courtesy of
City of Gold Coast.
RIGHT:
The Nerang Shire Council outside the building, circa 1940s. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.
Back Row L-R: W.F. Birmingham; L.J. Ellem; H.J. Latimer; J.W. Morgan; T.W. Waters; C.J. Francis;
Front Row L-R: F. Stafford; S. H. Bigg; E.J. Gaven; (Chairman); C.H. Williams; J.L. Schuster.
Site 5: Starkey’s House
William Starkey built this house around 1920 for
him and his wife, Susan, and their children.
William was a dairy farmer like his father Frederick
before him.
Since then the house has been raised to
accommodate the businesses beneath it.
Starkey Family of Mudgeeraba, circa 1919. Frederick and
Martha are seated at front, the inset is William. Image
courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.
Site 6: Sprenger’s House
Arthur Sprenger and his wife, Annie built this
house in the 1930s. Arthur was employed by the
Nerang Shire Council and worked to construct
many roads in the area, including Bonogin Road,
Little Nerang Creek Road and Mudgeeraba
Creek Road. Arthur also built two road islands
which have been altered to become the Village
Green.
Starkey Family of Mudgeeraba, circa 1919. Frederick and Martha
are seated at front, the inset is William. Image courtesy of City of
Gold Coast Local Studies Library.
Site 7: Andrews’ House
Isaac Andrews owned a great deal of land in Mudgeeraba but this
particular home was built in around 1920 as a low-set house.
Isaac and his wife, Grace, were very supportive of the Mudgeeraba
community as demonstrated in their generosity in donating parcels of
land for various community projects, including Mudgeeraba State
School and the memorial hall. Isaac also served as a Nerang Shire
Council member for 34 years. Isaac and Grace had 12 children.
ABOVE: Andrews’ House, 2009. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast.
RIGHT: Isaac Andrews, circa 1900. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.
Site 8: Village Green
The Village Green was constructed when two traffic islands built by Arthur Sprenger in the 1930s were
altered to become a large, grassed green. The timber-getter sculpture was unveiled in 2009 as a
monument to the early pioneers of Mudgeeraba.
Timber-getter sculpture and plaque, Mudgeeraba Village Green, 2014. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast.
Site 9: Springbrook and Mudgeeraba Memorial Hall
The hall was constructed in 1923 in
honour of local soldiers who had served
in World War 1 (WW1). It was the home
of the Mudgeeraba District WW1
Honour Roll and the centre for
community life with dances, fates,
fundraising events and travelling picture
shows all held there.
In 1993 the hall was destroyed by fire
but was rebuilt the same year in a style
reminiscent of the original hall. The
honour roll, although damaged by the
fire, was salvaged and still hangs in the
hall.
Mudgeeraba and Springbrook Memorial Hall, circa 1923. Image courtesy
of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.
Site 10: Woodchoppers Inn
The building was moved to Mudgeeraba
from Palm Beach in the mid-1970s.
Prior to its move to the village it had
been the home of the Palm Beach
Bowls Club. At the new site in
Mudgeeraba it became a restaurant and
used furniture store. When the business
eventually closed the building became
vacant.
In 1995 local resident Don Murphy
refurbished the building and opened it
as a restaurant. The dining experience
at Woodchoppers Inn often included
cross-cut sawing competitions and
wood chopping exhibitions. The land on
which Woodchoppers Inn sits is the
former site of the Mudgeeraba Show.
Wood chopping events took place at the
spot where Woodchoppers Inn now
stands.
Palm Beach Bowls Club clubhouse, date unknown, now
Woodchoppers Inn. Image from Now and Then: a Gold Coast journey from
the past to the present. City of Gold Coast, 2010.
Site 11: South Coast Railway remnant
The Mudgeeraba Railway Station and rail bridges were constructed as part of an extension to the South
Coast Railway line in 1902. The railway provided modern, speedy transport for travellers and farmers and
timber merchants who used the line to dispatch their goods. Travellers bound for the beaches of the Coast
passed through Mudgeeraba on their journey. During the war the railway was also a means of transporting
enlisted men to administration centres.
With the popularity of motor transport growing, this section of the railway closed in 1961.
Steam train with passengers
waiting at Mudgeeraba Railway
Station, circa 1916. Image courtesy
of City of Gold Coast Local Studies
Library.
Plaque on the Mudgeeraba Railway monument,
Gloria Schirrel Park, 2014. Image courtesy of City of
Gold Coast.
Student history walk activity sheet breakdown
The activity sheet includes opportunities for engagement at each of the eleven sites on the walk. A more
concise breakdown of the walk and points for teachers to consider is listed below.
1
Site
Points to bring to attention
Wallaby
Hotel
(former
Mudgeeraba Exchange Hotel)
 Aspects of similarity/difference then/now. Draw attention
to decorative detail on the roof, the new addition to the
side etc.
 If access to this site is difficult for your group please refer
to the recent photo to make comparisons.
2
Mudgeeraba Bakery
 Old brick oven which can be seen from the footpath at the
side of the bakery.
3
Mudgeeraba Special School
(former
Mudgeeraba
State
School)
 Point out the timber structures at the front of the school
which originally housed Mudgeeraba State and Bonogin
Creek schools.
 Discussion of Calf Club as similar to clubs at your school.
4
Mudgeeraba
Library
(former
Nerang Shire Council Chambers)
 Provide the names of historical Nerang Shire Council
members including E.J. Gaven and Isaac Andrews.
 Point out the office of the current local councillor and
provide students with his/her name.
5
Starkey’s House
 Built in 1920 by William Starkey who was a dairy farmer,
as his father Frederick (a timber-getter and dairy farmer)
had been.
6
Sprenger’s House
 Built in the 1930s by Arthur Sprenger and his wife, Annie.
Arthur built many roads in the region including, Bonogin
Road, Mudgeeraba Creek Road and Reedy Creek Road.
7
Andrews’ House
If time is limited these three
houses can be viewed from the
Village Green.
 Built around 1920 by Isaac and Grace Andrews this was
one of a number of houses owned by the Andrews family.
They owned a lot of land in the area and donated a lot of it
for community projects, including the land for the
Mudgeeraba and Springbrook Memorial Hall.
 Isaac and Grace were both active members of the
community and Isaac served as a member of the Nerang
Shire Council for 34 years. They had 12 children and
lived nearby on a farm.
8
Village Green
Point out the timber-getter statue and plaque. Make
particular point of the second paragraph in the plaque,
reading aloud if necessary.
9
Site
Points to bring to attention
Mudgeeraba and Springbrook
Memorial Hall
 Built in 1923, on land donated by Isaac and Grace
Andrews, as a memorial hall to honour local soldiers who
had served in World War 1 (WW1). The WW1 Roll of
Honour hangs on the wall there.
 It was the place for community dances, fetes, movies and
other events.
 It was rebuilt in 1993 in the same style as the original
building after it was destroyed by a fire that year. The
Honour Roll, although damaged, survived the fire and
hangs on the wall today.
 Community events are still held here.
 Who has attended an event here? A dance class? An art
exhibition? You may also like to point out the time capsule
that is in front of the building in the grassed area.
10
Woodchoppers Inn
 Point out the origin of Woodchoppers Inn as the Palm
Beach Bowls Club and its use as a furniture store as well
as a restaurant. You may like to discuss the wood
chopping competitions that were once a feature of the
dining experience at Woodchoppers Inn.
11
South Coast Railway remnant
 Discuss the importance of the line for farmers, timber
merchants, enlisted soldiers and tourism.
 Help children to make a line and compare/contrast means
of travel then/now.
The student activity sheet includes a small space for students to record what they would like to investigate
further in terms of local history. This can be followed up in the classroom post-walk or students can use
their own time at home to make such discoveries.
The Mudgeeraba Student History Walk passport
As an option for the excursion the Mudgeeraba Student History Walk passport is available to download as
part of the pack. This can be printed off for each student and stamped once the activity is completed for
each site. Teachers may choose to reward those students who have their passports complete with an
appropriate school endorsed reward.
The student activity sheet, map and passport can be downloaded at: heritage.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/Seeand-do/heritage-walks-and-trails
Practical recommendations and requirements for the walk
The activities in the walk lend themselves best to smaller groups. If possible, it would be beneficial for
classes to divide into more manageable sizes before arriving at the site to allow for greater engagement for
all individuals.
Teachers and helpers can help students engage with buildings and landmarks by facilitating questioning,
including who, when, where, what and why questions. Teachers and helpers should be familiar with the
information outlined in this guide and the supporting Mudgeeraba Heritage Walk booklet and have a copy of
it at hand. Students can be encouraged to make links with the past by drawing comparison and making
contrast to life in the local community today. A list of sources is included at the end of this guide should
classes wish to find out more detailed information about a particular aspect of local history.
Road safety and parking
School buses can drop off and pick up students at the bus stop outside Mudgeeraba Special School. From
there groups can use the pedestrian crossings to cross roads safely. Please be particularly mindful of
crossing at the shopping centre entrance to get to the railway remnant as there is no pedestrian crossing at
this location.
Time
Coordinators of this excursion are advised to allow at least one hour for students to complete the walk.
Checklist
 Comfortable covered-in shoes
 Hat
 Sunscreen
 Water bottles
 A hardcopy of the student activity sheet for each student or pair and a copy of the Mudgeeraba Student
History Walk Passport for each student
 Clipboards/pencils
 A crayon for each child
 Stamps for teachers and helpers to stamp passports at each activity
Post-walk activity
The purpose of the post-walk activity is to consolidate the knowledge and understandings that students
have gleaned from the pre-walk activity and the history walk in a way that provides opportunity to engage
with local history on a personal level.
Following discussion around life for children in Mudgeeraba pre-1960s, (when the Calf Club project seems
to have ceased), including farming and raising animals and associated activities, students are to develop a
narrative based on Calf Club Day. The tone of the writing need not be serious and may take the form of a
funny story, including elements of all that could happen when farm animals and children combine!
Content within this activity is linked to:
•
•
the Year 3 Achievement Standard - students develop texts, including narratives, using terms donating
time.
the Historical Skills strand of the Year 3 History Curriculum as outlined below.
Strand
Content descriptions
Historical Skills
ACHHSO67
Pose a range of questions about the past.
ACHHS215
Identify sources.
ACHHSO68
Locate relevant information from sources provided.
ACHHS070
Write narratives about the community’s past.
Activity
Students plan, review and present a narrative in the form of either a child’s diary entry from the 1920s or a
short fictional story with the topic ‘What happened on the Village Green: one day in 1923.’ The narrative
should include elements of local history discovered on the Mudgeeraba Student History Walk, including
reference to times, places and events.
Outcome
Students develop a narrative about historical Mudgeeraba using the knowledge and understanding of
places and events garnered throughout the Mudgeeraba Student History Walk. The narrative may take the
form of a written work, role play or graphic work using traditional and digital technologies.
Resources
In addition to the Mudgeeraba Student History Walk, teachers may also make use of the texts available
from the City of Gold Coast Library and online sources such as the National Library of Australia (Trove),
Historypin and online content from the City of Gold Coast History and Heritage site.
Texts:
‘Bush Schools and Golden Rules: the spirit of Mudgeeraba State School.’ by Robyn Burrows.
Mudgeeraba Memories: memories of Mudgeeraba, Bonogin, Austinville and Springbrook areas. 2nd ed.
Beryl Roberts
From Paddocks to Pavements: the Mudgeeraba story. Robyn Burrows
Dairies and Daydreams: the Mudgeeraba Story. Robyn Burrows.
A full list of resources can be found at the end of this guide.
Resources
Publications available from the City of Gold Coast Library
Burrows, Robyn. From Paddocks to Pavements: the Mudgeeraba story.
Burrows, Robyn. Bush Schools and Golden Rules: the spirit of Mudgeeraba State School.
Burrows, Robyn. Dairies and Daydreams: the Mudgeeraba story.
Jenkins, Lesley. Now and Then: a Gold Coast journey from the past to the present.
Longhurst, Robert. Nerang Shire: a history to 1949.
Roberts, Beryl. Mudgeeraba Memories: memories of Mudgeeraba, Bonogin, Austinville and Springbrook
nd
areas. 2 edition.
Online resources
Picture Gold Coast - goldcoast.qld.gov.au/library/picture-gold-coast-10113.html
Historypin – for photographs of the local area www.historypin.org/tours/view/id/4706/title/Mudgeeraba
Trove (National Library of Australia) - trove.nla.gov.au
City of Gold Coast History and Heritage - heritage.goldcoast.qld.gov.au
City of Gold Coast heritage walks - heritage.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/See-and-do/heritage-walks-and-trails
City of Gold Coast Local Heritage Register - heritage.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/Development-at-heritageplaces/gold-coast-local-heritage-register
Mudgeeraba Pioneering Stories: the Rudds and the Duncans - youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ9zrev52IXfSuyr42wuc1Lc2552ixnQ
Other Resources
City of Gold Coast Office of City Architect, Heritage Unit
City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library
References
Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority. (2014). Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum.
Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences
Burrows, Robyn. Bush Schools and Golden Rules: the spirit of Mudgeeraba State School.
City of Gold Coast, 2015. Mudgeeraba Heritage Walk booklet
City of Gold Coast, 2015. Mudgeeraba Heritage Walk brochure
National library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla/news-article20640957