Nimbin Community Centre - History

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE SITE

In 1904 Mr. Hugh Thorburn donated two acres of land to the Department of Public Instruction for the purpose of providing a secure site for a school in Nimbin. Mr. Thorburn had housed the original school, established in his barn in 1891. In 1906 the first schoolroom (today's Bark Hut) was built. By 1910 a new school building and residence for the teacher (today's Banksia House) had been constructed and a fig tree was planted to mark the official opening. By this time the school had 120 pupils enrolled.
Additions in 1917 and 1927 created the Acacia House of today. In the late 1920s the department bought two acres of land across the road from the school, for playing fields and paddocks for the students’ horses. This land is now the Nimbin Peace Park.
1950, 1963 and 1966 saw new classroom buildings constructed. The last of these was the science block (Casuarina Building). The Aquarius Festival in 1973 saw new people move to the area and a gradual rise in school numbers. In 1977 the art and craft room (Bottlebrush Studio) was constructed.
In 1987, due to increasing enrollments, the primary school was moved to temporary accommodation in the village. A new Primary School was constructed in 1995. In 1997 Nimbin Central School was completed to house both Primary and Secondary students, vacating the original school site, an historical occasion for the community of Nimbin.