The Town of Beerburrum

THE QUAINT VILLAGE OF BEERBURRUM

Beerburrum is a little town in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, of South-East Queensland. According to the 2006 census, Beerburrum had a population of 288. It is located close to the slightly larger town of Glass House Mountains, six kilometres to the north. To the south, approximately sixty kilometres away, lies the state capital, Brisbane. Beerburrum is part of the Sunshine Coast local government area. The main service areas of Beerburrum are Caboolture and Morayfield to the south, and the hub of the southern region of the Sunshine Coast hinterland, Beerwah. Yet, Beerburrum does boast a first class Australia Post outlet, railway station, primary school, convenience store, mechanic and book exchange.

The name ‘Beerburrum’ was obtained from the nearby mountain, Mt. Beerburrum. Mt. Beerburrum is part of the famous Glasshouse Mountain range. The famous navigator, Matthew Flinders, climbed this landmark in 1802, while circumnavigating the island continent that would come to be known as Australia. The indigenous Kabi tribe were the first inhabitants of Beerburrum, and provided its name. In their language, bir means green parrot and burru , mountain.

What many people do not know is that Mt. Beerburrum was once an active volcano, but its glory are over…it hasn’t erupted for thousands of years. So the residents live in relative peace and safety. At the summit of Mt. Beerburrum, a lofty 276 metres above sea level, is a weather station and fire tower. Many visitors climb the mountain every weekend to bathe in a beautiful 360-degree panorama that extends for 100 kilometres on a clear day. Beware though…a climb to the summit is not a gentle walk in the park. The pathway up the mountain is, for the majority of the time, at a steep 45 to 50-degree angle, so take a good pair of walking shoes and plenty of water. The view is worth the effort, however.

The history of Beerburrum is quite intriguing and not well known. Nearing the conclusion of the First World War, the small town was to participate in the soldier resettlement scheme for the troops who returned from their service. About 500 blocks of land were assigned to the returned diggers. 437 of them accepted the terms and then hastened the growth of the towns we now live in along the railway line north of Brisbane.

There are quite a number of artifacts and sites of this heritage, such as Anzac Avenue, the Avenue of Trees and the WWI graveyard, in Beerburrum, to visit, with ample signs showing the way and providing more information. Much of this wonderful attraction can be found, starting from Beerburrum State School. It’s a not a huge place, so you can’t get lost, but does make for a wonderful morning or afternoon walk. If you get hungry or thirsty, the local takeaway and convenience store has everything you could want. One attraction which isn’t highlighted much any more is the old Beerburrum Hospital. It’s now a privately owned residence. However, it can be easily recognised from its red brick coloured roof and wooden exterior along Beerburrum Road.

Finally, although Beerburrum is a small town, it does boast some robust agricultural industries such as pineapples, small crops, strawberries and dairy. A beautiful place to visit and a wonderful home to live in, Beerburrum is certainly well worth exploring.
Beerburrum has a long history of association with both World Wars I and World War II, because of the military camps located in Beerburrum and also because of the Soldier Settlement Scheme which was introduced and offered returning WWI diggers a block of land each. About 500 blocks were allocated and 437 servicemen took up parcels of land.

Beerburrum boasts The Interpertive signage around the town, includes photographs and help explain association with the war, more recently Beerburrum is unfotunately being cut up into smaller estate blocks

Beerburrum unfortunately has a lot of mosquitos, which come up the passage from Bribie Island.

The Avenue of Trees was planted in 1920

Contributed to Beerwah.com by Matthew Chappell – Copyright Beerwah.com