Churches, Religion and Temples, Published 18 May 2026
Queensland’s coolest rural church? St John’s at Mundoolun is definitely a contender!
This beautiful sandstone chapel was built by the pioneering Collins family - Irish immigrants who arrived in Australia in 1839 and went on to become influential pastoralists across the Scenic Rim.
After family patriarch John Collins died in 1898, his children commissioned a memorial chapel on the family’s Mundoolun property in honour of their parents, John and Anne Collins.
They engaged leading Brisbane architect John Hingeston Buckeridge, known for his Gothic Revival work. Designed in an Early English Gothic style, the church features elegant lancet windows, stone buttresses and a striking square tower.
Construction began in 1900 using sandstone quarried on the property itself. The chapel was dedicated on St John the Evangelist’s Day - 27 December 1901 with the tower completed in 1915.
Unlike most churches built to serve a township, St John’s began as a private family chapel. Beside it lies a peaceful cemetery holding generations of Collins family graves.
Set among the rolling hills of the Albert River Valley, its craftsmanship, history and rare setting make it one of Queensland’s standout heritage treasures.
Have you visited this hidden beauty? Drop a below
St John’s Church, Mundoolun Road, Mundoolun QLD 4285, Australia
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