Herberton Joss House

Herberton Joss House Board

Image Courtesy of: Darryl Low Choy

HERBERTON NOTES SALE OF CHINESE JOSS HOUSE. October 11.

"With the sale of the Chinese Joss House we are reminded that Herberton, in common with all Northern mining towns carried a considerable Chinese population. They are so few now that the trustees of the Joss House were difficult to find and the Shire Council had to take action under the Local Authorities Act to recover accumulating rates. Tenders were considered yesterday by the Shire Council for the purchase of the building and the furniture. The building was purchased by Messrs Day and Ross for the sum of £20, to be removed and re-erected on their tobacco farm at Watsonville, and the furniture and josses were bought by the Rev. Porter Young of the Presbyterian Church their ultimate destination being a museum in Scotland."

The Northern Herald, October 1932, p.44.

Apparently the tobacco farmers used the wood from the Joss House as form work for constructing concrete frames for their tobacco smokers. This included the temple boards with their Chinese characters that would have adorned the front of the temple. The result is that some of this Chinese writing remained impressed in reverse into the concrete wall of the now abandoned tobacco farm.

Thanks to Duncan Ray - local historian who showed these to Darryl Low Choy.

Images: Chinese characters from temple boards used as form work.

Heathcote Joss House board

Image Courtesy of: Darryl Low Choy