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ETHANDUNE WOOLSHED

Other Name (FORMER STATE SCHOOL NO. 2303) Location 306 Coleraine-Edenhope Road COLERAINE, Southern Grampians Shire File Number 355 Level Stage 2 study complete

[1/1] 23784 copy of 4675 Ethandune

Statement of Significance

What is significant?
The Ethandune Woolshed, formerly Koolomurt State School No. 2303, now located on the Coleraine-Edenhope Road, 3.0km north of Coleraine, was originally part of the primary education centred on Nareen. It was one of several small schools in the area including Nareen, a stone building commenced in 1870, Tarrayoukyan built about 1875 and Koolomurt built about 1877, which were managed together and sometimes shared teachers. They were required under the Education Act and as a result of the increased population after land selection but attendances fluctuated over the decades. They were requested and supported not just by selectors but by major landholders as well. The Koolomurt school building, which was associated with the squatting run of the same name, appears to have been a standard design and may have been prefabricated. The galvanised iron roof ventilators are also standard. It contained two rooms, one of which was the residence of the teacher, the first being William Corry. A few years after construction, the building was moved about 3.5km to the south. It was later moved to Nareen. After the Second World War there was a policy of consolidating education into urban centres. Eventually, both the Tarrayoukyan and Koolomurt schools were relocated to private properties to become woolsheds. The Koolomurt school building is much altered and is in fair condition.

How is it significant?
The Ethandune Woolshed, formerly State School No. 2303, is of historical significance to the communities of Nareen and Konongwootong areas and to the Southern Grampians Shire.

Why is it significant?
The Ethandune Woolshed, formerly State School No. 2303, is of historical significance as an expression of the government's and the community's efforts to provide eduction in remote places with small populations and for the rationalisation in school services and attendances, especially after the Second World War. Its relocation and conversion into a woolshed demonstrates a practical and typical sense of economy.