St John's Church

Lost amongst the trees on a quiet back road at Mundoolun is St John the Evangelist Church, built for the Collins family following the death of pioneer John Collins in 1898. A sign on the gate to Mundoolun Road will advise on opening times. The Jimboomba Anglican Parish may also assist. The church was designed by John Buckeridge, architect for St John's Cathedral in Brisbane. Buckeridge was unable to supervise construction and this was undertaken by local architect Robin Dods. Progress was slow as the sandstone procured from elsewhere on the property proved to be very hard to work. Construction took 18 months and the church was completed in December 1901. The tower was added later in 1915 to commemorate Robert Martin (RM) Collins who had died in 1913. The Collins's were prominent pastoralists who owned Tamrookum, Rathdowney, Nindooinba and the home station of Mundoolun, as well as extensive grazing interests in the Northern Territory. RM Collins, MLA for Albert in 1896, lobbied for the protection of the McPherson Ranges but did not live to see the declaration of the Lamington National Park in 1915. RM is buried at the other family church at Tamrookum, designed by Robin Dods.