By Warren Nunn
My maternal grandmother, born Margaret Isabella Silver, grew up at Kooroongarra near Millmerran on Queensland’s Darling Downs, about 150 miles west of Brisbane.
Margaret Isabella Dobbs nee Silver
Her father, James Silver, and his business partner George Mabbett, built public buildings, including churches, as well as private houses in the district from 1893.
The Silver family later moved to Millmerran and, from 1925, to Taringa, Brisbane.
The following photographs are from both Kooroongarra and Millmerran. It’s unclear whether they built any of the Kooroongarra structures photographed, but the church building now housed at the Millmerran Museum and Tourist Information Centre certainly was.
The church was originally St Mark’s Presbyterian Church at Kooroongarra where James Silver was also an elder. My grandmother, born 1893, would have gone to Sunday School and church there.
Kooroongarra welcome sign March 2026.
Some Kooroongarra buildings 2026.
Kooroongarra butcher shop (once was).
Crossroads sign at Kooroongarra. Note that the distances are in miles!
St Albans Church Kooroongarra 2026.
The building next to St Albans church, Kooroongarra, most likely was the town hall.
The former St Marks Presbyterian Church at Kooroongarra which is now in Millmerran. It was built by James Silver and George Mabbett.
History of St Marks Church.