First Nation People
Esk State School is located on Dungibara Country near where it borders with the lands and waterways of the Yuggera in the south, and the Jinibara in the east. The lands and waterways around Esk are considered border country where the different people groups traditionally came together to celebrate and commemorate.
The school acknowledges this connection through 'Dirran Yani', which means 'Meeting Place' in Yuggera language. Dirran Yani is a section of the school grounds that facilitates the learning and celebration of the cultures, customs and practices of First Nations Peoples, with a specific focus on native plants and understanding their traditional usages. The school was given permission to use the phrase Dirran Yani in 2011 by the Yuggera Cultural Services representing the Yuggera Tribe.
Throughout this website you will find information that links in directly to items in Dirran Yani. this is accessible through QR codes fround throughout the school.
A little history of the town
The Esk area was explored by the ill-fated Captain Patrick Logan in 1830, but German migrant-driven settlement didn't begin until the 1840s. A stroll down the heritage trail will take visitors down memory lane to the life and times of the pioneering pastoralists, loggers, dairy farmers and grape-growers.
Apart from harbouring the recreational outlets of Somerset and Atkinson Dams and Lake Wivenhoe, the Brisbane Valley is also the domain of the descendants of a small herd of deer presented to Queensland by Queen Victoria in 1873. While Lake Wivenhoe is a major link in the Brisbane region's water supply system it is also a popular weekend haunt for recreational fishing, competition rowing and sailing. Its shoreline is liberally sprinkled with picnic and BBQ areas.
A little history of the school
The Esk State School was opened on November 1, 1875. This was the same year the Education Act was passed; meaning for the first time education was free, compulsory and not linked to any churches.
The original school building was an 'L' shaped building with a porch between. The school consisted of three large rooms. In 1946 the new school was built and in 1974 the preschool centre was added. By 1975 the school consisted of one main building divided into five rooms catering for 100 students and four teachers. Now the school has four teaching blocks, a resource centre, staff room, hall, and tuckshop. Our grounds include two ovals - one to accommodate sports such as cricket, soccer, softball and athletics, the other is a general play area. We also have a covered multipurpose area and a swimming pool.