Beerburrum is north of the state capital, Brisbane. The Bruce Highway passes from south to north through the locality approximately east of the town. The North Coast railway line also passes from south to north through the locality which is served by Beerburrum railway station on the eastern edge of the town. The locality is predominantly on the mainland but includes a number of undeveloped islands in the Pumicestone Passage between the mainland and Bribie Island. The named islands are Long Island and Thooroola Island. The eastern part of the locality is low-lying land with many creeks which drain into the Pumicestone Passage. The western party of the locality is higher hillier land and includes two of the Glass House Mountains: Mount Beerburrum and Mount Tibberoowuccum, both of which are protected within the Glass House Mountains National Park. Mount Beerburrum is composed of porphyritic trachyte. It is high. The mountain has complex rainforest, with some endangered plant species such as Tindal's stringybark, Pink bloodwood and Smooth-barked apple. Scribbly gum is locally predominant in places, with the largest tract retained on Mount Beerburrum. The mountain has a forestry fire tower with a viewing platform at the summit. Mount Tibberoowuccum is composed of alkali rhyolite. It is high. The mountain is a dome-shaped rock surrounded by eucalypt open forest, as well as complex rainforest, although the area is not extensive. There is a small population of Narrow-leaf bitter-pea present on the southern slope of the mountain. This shrub is widespread in Victoria and New South Wales, but rare in Queensland, and the Mount Tiberoocwuccum population is the most northerly known.
History
The name is derived from that of the mountain, Mount Beerburrum. In the language of the Indigenous Kabi nation, bir means green parrot and burru mountain. On 26 July 1799, Matthew Flinders and two sailors from the ship Norfolk climbed Mount Beerburrum accompanied by Aboriginal man Bongaree from Sydney. They were the first Europeans to climb one of the Glass House Mountains. Thomas Martin Tripcony was one of the first European settlers to settle along the Pumicestone Passage. In 1861 he selected coastal land on the mainland side of the passage between Hussey Creek and Glass Mountain Creek which he called Cowrie Bank. He made his living by lime burning and oystering there and at a number of locations in the passage, but in 1876 settled permanently at Cowrie Bank, building a family home in 1877. The North Coast line from Caboolture to Landsborough was completed on 1 February 1890. This opened up access to the district for settlement. A cemetery was established at Beerburrum circa 1908. It was officially closed in 1970 with about 12 graves still visible. In 1916, Beerburrum was chosen to be a soldier settlement with over 550 farms allocated. Beerburrum Soldier Settlement was the largest soldier settlement in Queensland. The expectation was that hilly land would be suitable for growing pineapples and other fruits. However, by 1929, it was generally acknowledged that the scheme had failed, due to the farms being too small to be economically viable. This was compounded by shortages of skills, capital, and markets. Beerburrum Post Office opened by 1917. Beerburrum State School opened on 22 April 1918. In 1920, a memorial avenue of trees was planted in the town's main street to commemorate those who had served in World War I. The street was renamed Anzac Avenue. Circa 1920, the Beerburrum Bakery opened as part of a group of shops in Anzac Avenue. With the failure of the soldier settlement, most of the shops closed and the buildings relocated elsewhere. The bakery is the only surviving shop building from the settlement. A School of Arts hall was established circa 1920 in Anzac Avenue and remains one of the few buildings that survive from the settlement. On 4 February 1922, the Queensland TreasurerJohn Fihelly officiated at the opening of the cottage hospital at Beerburrum. It closed in 1931 following the failure of the settlement. St George's Anglican Church was dedicated on 20 August 1922 by Canon D.J. Garland. The building was originally built as a chapel at the Enoggera army barracks during World War I by the Soldiers' Church of England Help Society. Many of the furnishings and ornaments in the Enoggera barracks church were donated in memory of soldiers who had died, including the altar and its furnishings which were donated in the member of Earl Kitchener. Due to the failure of the soldier settlement, the church fell into disuse. It was officially closed in August 1931, after which the church was moved to Maleny, where it was dedicated to St George on 6 September 1931 by Archbishop Sharp. After World War II, pine plantations were developed in the area as state forests creating a local forestry industry. Circa 1947 a Forestry Station Barracks was built to accommodate forestry workers. The Bruce Highway originally passed along the western boundary of the town. In the early 1970s, the town was bypassed to its immediate east in the early 1970s, and that road was itself superseded by the current alignment of the highway further to the east in 1985. At the 2006 census, Beerburrum had a population of 287. At the 2011 census, Beerburrum had a population of 600.
Heritage listing
Beerburrum has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Tripcony Bight, Pumicestone Passage: Cowriebank Site
Education
Beerburrum State School is a government primary school for boys and girls at 8 Beerburrum Road. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 92 students with 11 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff.
