The Kingston Butter Factory is a community arts centre in Kingston, Queensland, Australia. It is located adjacent to the Kingston railway station. The factory underpinned the local dairying industry for six decades. [1]
It is currently closes for refurbishment. Original plans for an innovation hub were scrapped. [2] The new plans include an outdoor staged area capable of holding 5,000 people. [3] A co-operative and historical society has temporarily relocated off-site.
The original building was first constructed in 1907. [4] Construction was undertaken by Waugh and Josephson. [5] The factory also made milk, cottage cheese and baker's cheese. [4] Until the late 1950s the factory was operated as a co-operative. The factory was patronized by the Australian businessmen and politician William Stephens.
Original plans for a manufacturing plant in the area emerged in 1900. [6] The goal was to export products to Europe. [6] In 1906, a public meeting at Beenleigh Shire Hall saw around 50 dairy farmers gather. A ballot was held and a site near the railway with a good water supply was selected. [5] In 1911, a railway siding for the factory was built. [5] A modern brick building was built atop the old wooden structure in 1932. [5]
The weekly output of butter was between 40 and 50 tonnes by 1930. [5] Peak production was reached in 1934. [5] In July 1950, the Kingston Butter Factory registered as a wholesale milk vendor. [1]
The factory was closed in 1983. After funding by Logan City Council in 1998 it was transformed into a community arts centre. [4] It was formerly home to a theatre company. [7] The outdoor stage for entertainment launched [8] in March 2022, with The Butterbox Theatre and Living Museum set to open mid-year 2022.
Jimboomba is a town and locality in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Jimboomba had a population of 7,423 people.
The Logan City is a local government area situated within the south of the Brisbane in South East Queensland, Australia. Situated between Brisbane to the north and the City of Gold Coast to the south, the City also borders the Scenic Rim Region, the City of Ipswich, and Redland City LGAs. Logan City is divided into 70 suburbs and 12 divisions; a councillor is elected to each of the latter. The council had a population of 326,615 in June 2018.
Beenleigh is a town and suburb in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the suburb of Beenleigh had a population of 8,425 people.
Kingston railway station is located on the Beenleigh line in Queensland, Australia. It serves the Logan suburb of Kingston. Located directly next to the station is the Kingston Butter Factory community arts centre.
Tiaro is a rural town and locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Tiaro had a population of 778 people.
Woodridge is a town and suburb in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the suburb of Woodridge had a population of 12,982 people.
Crestmead is a suburb in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Crestmead had a population of 12,271 people.
Hillcrest is a western suburb in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Hillcrest had a population of 6,268 people.
Kingston is a town and suburb in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the suburb of Kingston had a population of 10,506 people.
Loganlea is a suburb in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Loganlea had a population of 8,716 people.
Meadowbrook is a mixed-use suburb in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. The Logan Hospital and a TAFE college are located in the suburb. In the 2021 census, Meadowbrook had a population of 3,069 people.
Tanah Merah is a residential suburb in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. It was officially named by the Queensland Place Names Board in 1971. In the 2021 census, Tanah Merah had a population of 4,754 people.
Logan Village is a semi-rural town and locality in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. Logan Village was once known as the head of the navigable Logan River. Its importance as a town grew again when the railway arrived.
The Downs Co-operative Dairy Association Limited Factory is a heritage-listed factory at 57 Brook Street, North Toowoomba, Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It is also known as Dairy Farmers Factory. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 18 April 2008.
Kingaroy Butter Factory is a heritage-listed former butter factory at 67 William Street, Kingaroy, South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Waugh and Josephson and built in 1926. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 9 November 2012.
Port Curtis Co-operative Dairy Association Ltd Factory is a heritage-listed former factory at 6 Short Street, Gladstone, Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1929 to 1949. It is also known as PCD Factory and Port Curtis Co-operative Dairy Company Ltd Factory. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 30 March 2001.
The Bega Group is an Australian diversified food and drinks company with manufacturing sites in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria. Founded as an agricultural cooperative in the town of Bega, New South Wales by their dairy suppliers, it became a public company in 2011 when it listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Close to half of shares publicly traded are still held by Bega's farmer-suppliers. It is currently one of the largest companies in the dairy sector in Australia, with a base milk supply in 2018 of approximately 750 million litres per annum.
South Burnett Co-operative Dairy Association Factory is a heritage-listed former factory at Macalister Street, Murgon, South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by George Gerald Hutton and built in 1929 by H Taylor. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 9 November 2012.
Nanango Butter Factory Building is a heritage-listed factory at George Street, Nanango, South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1927. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 3 June 2005.
The Boonah Butter Factory is a heritage-listed former butter factory in Boonah, Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. Constructed in 1916, it is a prominent landmark at the intersection of Boonah-Rathdowney Road and Railway Street on the northern entry to Boonah. During the first part of the twentieth century, it was one of the most modern butter factories in the Commonwealth, the largest butter factory in the Southern Hemisphere, had the second highest output of butter in Queensland and was a major supplier of dairy products to Brisbane. The former Boonah Butter Factory office, which is currently the premises of Flavours Cafe, is on the Local Heritage Register of the Scenic Rim Regional Council in acknowledgement of the site's historic, aesthetic and cultural significance.
