Boondooma Stone Building
Lovers of history will get a kick out of this one. Boondooma Homestead located in Queensland's South Burnett, offers one of the few examples of pioneer architecture from the 1850's within the region. Originally settled in 1847, by brothers Alexander and Robert Lawson, Boomdooma Station once spanned an area approximately a thousand square miles.
Original Boondooma Homestead
Now a museum, Boomdooma provides the history buff with a wealth of information and many different buildings to explore. The price of entry to the historical park includes an informative guided tour or you may prefer to wander at your own leisure. With so much to see it's best to allow yourself several hours and if visiting in summer as I did, a little SPF wouldn't go astray either.
Sprawled amongst a mixture of tendered gardens and native bushland, each building has a unique history and story to tell. The Boondooma Stone Building for example was built in the mid 1850's as a store to dispense supplies to the workers of the station. Believed to have been one of Australia's earliest structure to be built with metric measurements, it was by far my favourite building. But that might have been because it was the coolest on a hot summers afternoon.
The Cool Shed
Whilst each one of the buildings is a museum in and of itself, there is also a dedicated museum filled with historical memorabilia and photographs from the area. The caretakers and staff are more than happy to provide information on items although I was actually a bit concerned to realise just how many objects I was familiar with. Makes one feel a little old to see so many childhood memories within the walls of a museum.
Built to replicate the historical buildings, the one of the newest additions is the Cookout. Usually used to cater to large tour groups, I was treated to a morning cuppa and lovely piece of fruit cake. I can't be sure if that is the norm, but wouldn't mind betting that if you showed up around morning or afternoon tea time with a smile and a friendly attitude that you could enjoy the same.
The site even offers camping with onsite toilets, however no showers are provided. They will allow pets though and there's plenty of room for fido to get some exercise. Fee's apply so see website for details.
