Tarampa State School

The Tarampa Provisional School opened in 1880, to serve a small agricultural settlement in the Brisbane Valley. Tarampa was part of a grazing run taken up by Charles Cameron in the 1840s. The area was subdivided for farming under the Agricultural Reserves Act of 1861, and was settled mostly by German farmers. By 1886, the school was upgraded to a state school and a new building constructed. It was designed by builder-architect Robert Ferguson. The provisional school was converted to a teacher’s residence. The school was extended in 1897 and a playshed built. The Queensland Government purchased the remainder of the Tarampa cattle run in 1903 and further subdivided it. The Lowood butter factory was established concurrently, providing a ready market for locally produced cream. By 1911, the town’s population peaked at 500. The little school building accommodated 117 children. Alterations in 1933 improved the interior lighting by enlarging the windows. In 1934 a new teacher’s residence was constructed to a standard Department of Public Works design. While the population declined along with the dairying industry in the 1960s, the area has again grown in the early 21st century. The school continues to use its original 1886 building.