Welcome to the website of the Beaudesert Community Arts and Information Centre. The aim of our centre is firstly to provide a showcase for local art and craft. Amongst our talented contributors are painters, sculptors, textile artists, woodworkers, writers, musicians, paper artists and food providores. As most of our contributors also man the centre from time to time, you will meet them when you come to visit.
We also provide information for visitors to the area, and it is our staff members' personal extensive knowledge which helps people who come here from all parts of the world to enjoy our special region.
The centre is also a meeting place for community groups.
From 1 February 2022 we are open from 9am-3pm 7 days per week, except for unpredictable covid closures.
On the website you'll find out what's happening in the area from our calendar and from our "What's on" page. There'll also be reports on recent events.
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Ian Gasking's excellent new book
Australia's skills of the past 
Did you know that:
• the architectural style of the Queenslander house dates back to the harems of Mogul Emperors, bungalows of Benghal and the Malaysian jungle?
• bullocks don't need to be sworn at to get them to work hard?
• they're part of our colonial past, but the pit-sawing of logs, hand-making of bricks, harvesting by hand and milling with water wheels are still common practice in some countries?
To find out more about these topics and many more, you'll need to read a newly published book entitled "Australia's skills of the past". by local writer Ian Gasking. It is written from the Ian's own personal experience gained over a lifetime as a farm boy in Tasmania; a builder working all over Australia and Papua New Guinea; and twenty years as design manager for luxury hotels internationally. He currently lives in the Scenic Rim, Queensland.
The book is both a practical and a historical guide to many of the skills rapidly being lost, and a great resource book of vanishing lifestyles and work practices. It is of great value to renovators of old equipment and buildings, designers, builders, hobby farmers, DIYers and history buffs. The wonderfully illustrated and detailed chapters on the many crafts of nineteenth and early twentieth century Australia should enable you to replicate these crafts. The chapter on the evolution of the wheel takes us back even millenia to the wheel's first inventors.
Practical information is framed within the history of an earlier Australia, when the ingenuity and tenacity of early settlers was critical to survival. Living in an age when life is easier, we can only admire their courage and skills.
The breadth and depth of Ian's book is impressive; it can be read as a how-to-do-it, a history of earlier centuries and an appreciation of Ian's thoughts on many topics. It will make an excellent gift. We have a sample copy here at the Info Centre, but to purchase a copy, you will have to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The cost is $50, which includes postage.
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Trevor Domjahn - artist in leather
Trevor Domjahn is a Beaudesert leatherworker who does very fine plaiting and whipmaking, Forty years ago he wanted to learn the craft, and knew of an old gentleman, Rupert Brabazon, of Wyaralong, who was known for his leatherworking skills. Trevor finally plucked up the courage to go and see Rupert, who happily welcomed the opportunity to pass on his skills. That was the beginning of a forty-year love affair with the craft.
A member of the Australian Plaiters and Whipmakers Association, Trevor recently competed at its championships in Glen Innes. Claiming that he was “totally outclassed”, which is hard to believe, he nevertheless won several prizes.
Trevor shared some of the techniques of his craft. He likes working with red cowhide, which is very versatile leather. After tanning, the cowhide is stained red and oiled. He also loves working with the feel of kangaroo hide, used mainly for belts. He cuts his own strands from a whole kangaroo hide. Belts and whips are plaited using the fine strands.
There are a few gadgets used for cutting. As the elasticity and thickness of the hide is variable, cutting the strands has become a highly skilled part of the process. After the initial cut, the strand has to be stretched and then evened out by running it through a gauge which takes off the high points and sharp corners. Each strand also has to be bevelled by running a super sharp knife along the length, another necessary skill. While working in the boning section of the meatworks, Trevor used his old broken-down boning knives for his leatherwork. More recently he’s made up his own knives from hacksaw blades glued into wooden handles. They are razor-sharp.
There’s a lot of preparation involved before the actual plaiting process begins. The prep time is as long as the plaiting process.
It was Rupert Brabazon who showed Trevor how to measure the lengths of strands necessary for a particular item. For a belt, he takes the waist measurement and adds on about ten inches, then another few inches for splicing, then multiplies that by three to get the length of each strand. He uses from 11-19 strands, depending on the width of the belt. An uneven number is necessary to have the sides symmetrical.
As with knitting and crochet, even tension is necessary for a consistent width. Trevor sometimes makes intricate patterns by double plaiting – plaiting initial strands and then using these to plait again. Different colours are sometimes used in creating patterns. Dyed hide is plaited with raw hide to achieve interesting effects.
As well as belts and hatbands, Trevor makes whips, which can have either plaited or cane handles; these are unbreakable if used correctly. Snake whips are popular, as they can be carried in a pocket.
This rare leather craft is a very transportable hobby, as tools required are few. Trevor has shared his skills with a few younger people, and would be happy to show others, but thinks there is not a lot of interest in plaiting these days. The strength and quality of work of the Australian Plaiters’ Association though suggests that this is an intriguing and evolving art form.
We at the Lyrebird Gallery are lucky to be the only outlet for Trevor’s fine work. He is also sometimes commissioned to make particular items. Come along to our Gallery to see his work for yourself; you may find just the right gift for that special person.
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Opening of new Market Pathway
Mick, Jenny and Hilary cut the ribbon and declared the new Market Pathway open!
Our new pathway was officially unveiled at yesterday's Beaudesert market. For the past 22 years Jenny and Mick Young have held the Beaudesert markets in Westerman Park, and these have a fine reputation as the best markets in the area.
The Market Pathway has been funded by the income from the market stallholder payments received by Mick and Jenny, who have very generously passed the funds on to the Beaudesert Community Arts and Information Centre for more than two decades.
As a consequence we have been able to fund the construction of the Market Pathway, which is much appreciated by both stallholders and customers.
We thank the Scenic Rim Council for their cooperation and approval.We also thank Stuart Hall for his design input and Hilary Rains for her determination to have the pathway built. Thanks also to Franklin Constructions and their contractors, who worked very hard in the first week of August to ensure the path was ready for this September market.
This Market Pathway will be a long-lasting reminder to the community of the generosity of Mick and Jenny Young.
