School History - Founding of the School

On Wednesday February 9th, 1927, the one-room school at Kamerunga, near Redlynch, was totally destroyed by a cyclone. The Headmaster, Matthew Doran, wrote the following report to the Queensland Education Department:

It was removed off the blocks and deposited on the ground. The whole of the 'blocks' have been torn out of the ground and nine of them passed through the floor of the building as it fell. Both verandahs were torn to pieces and about one third of the floor inside. In addition the wall was torn away from the sides and leaves the building very dangerous to enter.

That building became Caravonica School. Its remains were re-located to Smithfield and the school room was rebuilt. Today we call it 'A Block', and the old timber school room sits comfortably with the modern additions to form Caravonica, the school amongst the sugar cane.

Caravonica took its name from the thriving cotton plantation opposite its site. Dr. David Thomatis, an Australian / Italian named the area after an area of his homeland.

By June, 1927 the new school had opened its doors and enrolment for that year was approximately 20 students. The parents were happy to have a school north of the Barron River. During the wet season when the Barron flooded, the dirt roads were impassable and children on the north side had been previously unable to cross the river to attend school.

Today Caravonica has around 340 students enrolled. An extensive library of photographs and memories is kept in the school library. Please feel free to visit and learn more of Caravonica's interesting school history.