Bunding State School (School No. 1693; previously known as Keatings Cross 1876 – 1888)

Full description

Bunding State School (School No. 1693) (VA 3214) opened in January 1876 as Keating’s Cross State School. The school was located in the locality of Bunding, approximately 34 kilometres north-east of the regional city of Ballarat, in central Victoria.

The school was first established beside the Mineral Springs Reserve on the west side of the Ballan–Daylesford Road. Early enrolments were strong, with between 30 and 45 students attending in 1878.

By 1887, attendance had declined significantly. The school then operated part time with Spargo Creek State School (School No. 2848). The two schools shared a single teacher, who divided time between both sites, until Spargo Creek closed in 1890.

In 1888, the head teacher requested a change of name to Bunding, after the nearest post office.

In 1907, the school building was relocated about 2.5 kilometres south of the original site, to a position just north of the intersection with Kennedys Lane.

By 1919, enrolment had fallen to only two students, and the school closed from January that year. In January 1925, following requests from local parents, the school building was moved again and re-erected on a third site at the corner of Ballan–Daylesford Road and Hunt’s Lane, where the school reopened.

Bunding State School became unstaffed in February 1971 and closed permanently in early 1972.